Presque Isle State Park begins its so-called 100 Days of Summer this weekend. That means they're getting ready to open guarded beaches for swimming, and there will also be lots of visitors.

Maintenance crews are traversing the park, mowing and getting everything ready, and visitors are already enjoying the sun, sand, and trails.

"It's really nice to come into Presque Isle before work, especially while the UV is high, to get some rays," said Monica Garde, park visitor.

"What I like is it's very peaceful, calm, but you can sometimes get some nice waves coming in up here for it being a lake," said Dale Gerst, park visitor.

This weekend, guarded beaches will open, meaning thousands will hit the sand. One thing they're already noticing: The toll erosion has taken on popular beaches 6, 7, and 8 after no ice formed last winter.

"Definitely the sand is a little bit more built up in areas that I'm used to, and the beach itself is a little bit shorter," said Sydney Schuster, park visitor.

The annual sand replenishment hasn't started yet.

"That project will probably get started within the next couple of weeks," said Matt Greene, park operations manager. "Just like behind us here at Beach six, the beaches are narrow in this section because we had exposed beaches all winter long."

Park visitors will also notice how many tall trees toppled after seasons of high water were followed by extreme winds last winter, opening up some new views.

"There's not a lot of trees along the peninsula," said Greene. "As you're driving on Peninsula Dr., you'll see the bay a lot more these days because those trees are coming down in that section."

For the last couple of summers, Presque Isle has had trouble getting a vendor for their fixed concession stands on the park and enough employees to staff them. This summer, they'll be trying something different by having food trucks on the park.

"I think the variety will be nice for people," said Hannah Whiteford, park visitor. "Concessions usually get the same couple of snacks all the time."

Important things for visitors to remember are drinking alcohol is not allowed on the park, and you can only swim when and where beaches are guarded.

Right now, they are few lifeguards short.

"It looks like for this opening weekend, it's going to be nice," said Greene. "We're going to have looks like beaches 6, 8 and 11 most likely open for swimming for the general public. We'll be able to adjust that as we can bring on more guards throughout the summer."

Last year, the number of lifeguards was in the low 30s when a normal complement is 55. This year, they are almost at 40.

Park officials want to remind you when you picnic, throw your trash away or pack it out. With 4 million visitors a year, that's a big help.

The speed limit for vehicles on the park is 25 mph.