Quinte’s Isle Campark: Water attractions are all the rage at this family recreational resort

by habiba_abudu | January 28, 2020 11:05 am

By Greg Keller

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If one is looking for a family friendly campground with plenty of aquatic amenities for a range of ages and abilities, look no further than Quinte’s Isle Campark. Located in Prince Edward County, Ont., this family owned campground is a must-see. The grounds are well cared for and the site offers a variety of events and activities throughout the summer; however, this article will focus on the various aquatic features the park offers.

 

Some may think a pool or splash pad at a campground is not needed—especially since this particular park is located on a property directly beside Lake Ontario; however, a pool is now an essential piece of infrastructure for a campground to have and there are many reasons for this. For instance, some people feel safer swimming in a more controlled environment as opposed to a lake as some swimmers get nervous and/or scared when they cannot see the bottom of the body of water they are in. Further, the water in the pool can be heated and kept at a much more comfortable temperature than most natural bodies of water.

In the beginning

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When the campground first started out, it only had a single lap pool, albeit a very large one. At the time, this was sufficient to support the growing campground, but very soon more was needed. To accommodate this growth, a splash pad was soon added beside the existing pool. It has a large dumping bucket that is a big hit with kids and adults alike. This popular feature was one of the first of its kind to be installed in Ontario and, now, similar attractions can be found at many waterparks and campgrounds everywhere.

The splash pad also incorporates spray hoops, a whale tail, and a plethora of ground sprays for users to traverse. For many families who have the opportunity to camp at Quinte’s Isle, their kids will not be disappointed and will definitely not want to go back to another campground that only has a simple pool—especially one that does not have any water attractions at all.

At Quinte’s Isle, parents can bask in the sun while watching their kids playing and having fun on the splash pad and, if they feel adventurous enough, they can join them, too.

At the forefront of new ideas

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Quinte’s Isle has always tried to be at the forefront of incorporating innovative, fresh ideas into their campground—be it aquatics or otherwise. At the time the splash pad was installed, there were not too many of them in existence. Nowadays, splash pads can be found almost everywhere with more being built all of the time.

That said, when it came time to expand the aquatic facilities at the park again in 2017 for the new and expanding Pebble Beach portion of the campground, the owners of Quinte’s Isle decided they needed some more fresh ideas to heighten the entertainment factor for their campers. What they built was an impressive two-pool facility that caters to different age groups and interests. The new pools are located right on the shore of Lake Ontario—adjacent to the campground’s boat marina—providing an incredible view for swimmers while they are in the pool. Having two pools broadens the horizons incredibly for visitors to the campground. For instance, a small child may feel intimidated to go in the pool if it is filled with boisterous teenagers, especially when they are just learning about water and how to swim. However, this is not an issue at Quinte’s Isle as the younger kids now have their own pool that was specifically designed with them in mind. It is inviting for them to enter at their own pace with two small steps leading to a gentle sloped, beach-like entry. They can not only see the bottom, but also other kids who are the same age as them enjoying the water. Once they get a few feet into the pool there are floor bubblers, which are a huge hit with young bathers as the bubbles they create gently move them around as they float in the water.

Buckets of fun

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As children go a little further, they will find the dumping buckets. This feature comprises three buckets that fill with water and dump the contents onto swimmers at unpredictable times. It is one of the most popular features at the park and one where children can be found smiling ear to ear. To make this feature even more fun for kids, another ring of bubblers was installed around the base of the dumping buckets.

 

As bathers continue a little further into the pool, it gets a little deeper (only up 0.6 m [2 ft]), but enough for smaller children to dunk their heads in the water and even learn to swim.

Larger pool for more fun

Just as the little ones do not always want to be with the big kids, the big kids do not always like the little ones hanging around either. That said, Quinte’s Isle recognized this, so another pool—built at the same time as the new family aquatic venue—was designed for teenagers and adults. Essentially, it is a party and sports pool that allows swimmers the ability to play basketball and volleyball or test their abilities on the climbing wall.

At 12.2 m (40 ft) the pool is also long enough to permit lane swimming for those who just want to get some exercise. The climbing wall, however, is the main attraction. These features are still relatively new to the pool industry, but are growing rapidly in popularity. This one in particular is 3.6 m (12 ft) high and 2.4 m (8 ft) wide, giving bathers a large area to climb up and jump off into the water.

Built to stand the test of time

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Both pools are constructed of cast-in-place concrete to ensure they will last a long time. Behind the scenes, each pool’s filtration system is powered by pumps that are controlled by variable-frequency drives (VFDs) and use vertical sand filters.

The teen/adult pool runs at 473 litres per minute (lpm) (125 gallons per minute [gpm]) with the 1.2-m (4-ft) vertical filter providing a 4.8 hour turnover rate (which is not only above the industry’s six-hour turnover rate standards, but also the Ontario health code’s turnover rate). The family pool also runs at 473 lpm (125 gpm) in conjunction with a 1.2-m (4-ft) vertical sand filter that provides a 1.9 hour turnover rate. (A two-hour turnover rate was the minimum desired as it is a heavily used shallow-water pool). These circulation systems provide excellent water quality for swimmers.

In the mechanical room, all of the plumbing is rigid, schedule-80 polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which was professionally designed and installed to ensure easy operation and maintenance of the pools. Quinte’s Isle takes pride in its campground and is very diligent in maintaining and operating its systems to their full potential. A well-designed and organized mechanical system, with properly trained operators, means the pool systems will last longer and perform better.

To heat the water, each pool is equipped with its own high-efficiency gas heater. This equipment can operate on propane or natural gas and, in this case, the campground uses propane to fire them. The fact they operate at 96 per cent efficiency and their ability to increase the water temperature quickly were huge factors as to why the owners selected these heaters. The heaters allow the park to offer guests perfectly tempered pool water all season long. Their high efficiency also enables Quinte’s Isle Campark operators to save money, too.

Future plans

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As the Pebble Beach expansion at Quinte’s Isle continues there are plans to add more aquatic elements in the future. Some of these features may include lazy rivers, waterslides, and another splash pad as the campground expands.

 

In addition to the aquatic facilities, the other amenities the park offers are unmatched by other similar tourist destinations in the area. For all of these reasons, Quinte’s Isle Campark should be on one’s list of top camping destinations in Prince Edward County.

[7]Greg Keller is a service and sales representative at Acapulco Pools Ltd., a commercial pool builder and service provider based in Kitchener, Ont.
He graduated from Conestoga College’s architecture-project and facility management program in 2011 and was hired by Acapulco upon graduation. He can be reached via e-mail at greg@acapulcopools.com.

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/features/quintes-isle-campark-water-attractions-are-all-the-rage-at-this-family-recreational-resort/

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