Absolutely amazing park, by far the most beautiful place in Ontario. We stayed at Lake George…read morecampground and did 3 hikes incl. the famous "Crack" and then rented a canoe for a day and went all the way to OSA lake and back. If you want to visit the park, plan far in advance, especially for summer months. Most sites are booked 6 months in advance. Bring sturdy hiking boots, especially for the "Crack" hike, there is a lot of climbing and jumping from rock to rock. Also, bring your own firewood, the one they sell in the park is wet and rotten, cut from the fallen trees. The only place you can buy dry firewood nearby is Killarney outfitters but it costs a ridiculous $16+tax for the bag of firewood that will last you for 2-3 hours.

Beautiful grounds and a slice of Canadiana about 4 hours north of the city (expect shoddy wifi)…read more Stayed two night on the campgrounds steps from the lake where you can star faze in the evening after a late night dinner on the BBQ. You also have several options for hiking, we went to Granite Ridge across the highway where yoynare rewarded with splendid views of landscapes and vista's of Georgian Bay. Definately a great option away for the city, but don't forget to reserve your spot early! -Zuk

Had a great stay. Sites were big and clean and very well spaced apart. Didn't see the neighbors if…read moreyou didn't want to.

Only $30CAN per night! Rolled up on a beautiful Thursday at 9pm, just trying to get a bite and…read moresome smoked salmon/trout for breakfast the next morning, but the place was so nice, we rested our bones there instead of the other campsite we had planned to stay at. For $30 we got a spot 10' off the lake! Tons of room. Enough space for 3 tents. Had a table and fire pit built in. People seemed cool. Only there one night, and something bear-ish definitely crept past our tent and went for a midnight swim (loudly). The fishing was STRAIGHT. Caught a walleye after only 4 casts. Shoulda' ate it... The skeeters are why I have to withhold a star. Those Canadian mosquitoes are easily the most aggressive insects I've ever encountered. They didn't always bite you or leave you itching, but when they swarm, mahfucka's will LAND ON YOUR EYEBALL. No joke. I definitely huffed a few while smoking a jack too... The food at the front of the campsite (we got fish and chips) was only OK. The poutine style fries (covered in gravy and shredded cheese) were only OK too. The general store sold fishing/camping gear as well as limited groceries and such. Well, they also sold the best smoked salmon I've ever had. I bought rainbow trout, coho salmon, and atlantic salmon. The atlantic salmon, probably caught nearby and dated only 3 days prior, was drip down your forearm oily (which is a good thing when dealing with an oily fish-and besides, fish oil is about the healthiest thing in the world outside of blueberries). The coho and trout were tasty but nearly as good.

The Inglis Falls is about 200km from Toronto, almost a 2 hour drive. The nearest small town is Owen…read moreSound. The falls has a parking fee of 10$. There is no park meter, instead a park ranger (college kid) was collecting the fees. We found out that if there is day light savings and if you come after 7pm, you can park for free. The water fall is a quick walk down from the parking on a short board walk. You don't have to put too much effort to see the falls, not a hike at all. If you want you could go on the 2.9km loop around the dam structure. The falls view was great and the woods, the trees were awesome to look at. If you are not hiking, the maximum time you would spend here is less than 1hr. Combine your trip with the other falls nearby, Eugenia Falls, Indian Falls and you can also catch some good restaurants in Owen Sound.

made a detour to come and see the falls. an hour detour…read more.. worth it, absolutely worth it, although I would call it short and sweet. when I came here, I was in a bit of a time crunch, kinda got lost, and running out of daylight is a bad combination. however, the area is absolutely beautiful as I visited the park during the fall months and was taken away by all of the colors of the forestry, and the volume of water at the falls. parking is free and a lot of it, and there is no bus that comes here, or makes a visit. I will be back, because I want to take a day and explore some of the trails that are available to explore, not entirely sure if you can walk down to the bottom of the falls, but some people were climbing over the walls to actually rock climb down...not interested personally. can't wait...

Absolute hands down my favourite provincial park I've camped at- so much so that I have been there…read moreat least 5 years, and always between the same 2 sites. Ok, let's get the cons out the way, but first you have to know typically when I camp, I want NOTHING to do with humanity, at least as much as possible. Peace and QUIET is what I camp for with the occasional spattering of cottage-goer type activity. So those cons? 1. The train tracks are DIRECTLY across the road from the entrance to this exceptionally small park and are used frequently, sometimes late at night. Tracks so close that your tent, if not properly pegged down, may rumble off your site! not quite that bad - not *quite*. You can't get away from the sound. It's quite peaceful when it starts off in the distance... and when it honks it's horn right as it rumbles along side the park... let's just say I've jumped once or twice from it 2. The highway across the lake... it sounds like it's much closer than that. The nice part of the highway is it eventually blends into the background. And that friends, is the end of the cons There are a ton of activities at this park - a hiking trail that begins beside the tracks across the road and leads all the way to Georgian Bay, passes a marsh with lookouts and continues through the forest. Canoes, paddle boats and SUP (I think) can all be rented from the store and the lake is small enough you can paddle most of it in an afternoon. Swimming is incredible at this park and if you're not anti social as I am, there is a wonderfully large beach on the west side of the park where you can walk out for a couple hundred feet or so before you can't touch the bottom. And the best part... there is cliff jumping!! My sister faces the cliff for jumping from, which I have doomed many times- but not from the highest jump #toonervous Seriously, if you want to experience camping with your own piece of paradise that has private waterfront access, and has almost all the amenities that cottaging does... YOU'VE FOUND YOUR CAMPGROUND!!

Our site here was beautiful. There are a couple of site right along the lake, and there's nothing…read morebetter than being able to jump in the lake right from your temporary home. (Tip: 129,130,131 and there are few on the other side) Sites however, are pretty close together, and some in the oddest of places which remained empty all weekend. Between sites, are barely a few trees, if you're lucky enough, so if you're looking for something more private, I would avoid this park. I saw some sites where you're dining with your neighbour the entire time. I think there must be more trees in my neighbourhood at back in the city. I was also shocked and annoyed by the freight train that rumbles and honks its horn very loudly. Friday night, it was happening almost every hour until past 12am, less on the weekend, but unavoidable. Everytime it happened, it reminded me that I'm not secluded in the woods and that I will have to back to the city. It was great when it was quiet. They also had some weird rule about having only 1 car parked at your site, even though in most cases, there clearly was enough space. I don't know if this was just a cash grab of $12 a night, but highly inconvenient. This was the first place I've seen with non-outhouse toilets scattered about. They were even cleaner than the comfort stations (area with showers). That was nice for someone like me. There's not much to do here really, and it is perfect for those who want to just relax and not do much. Swim in the lake and enjoy being outdoors. For hiking, you'll have to drive 30mins to Seguin park as there are no trails here. They have canoe rentals (with ridiculous policies, more on that later), but really can go just around the lake and not much to see. There's a beach, but it's not big, and the sand was damp with tire marks. It seemed like the type of place you would stay, but during the day venture out to do other things. There was even movie times posted in the office for Parry Sound, and wondering if that is an activity people do here. Do not trust the signage in the office. For some reason they are wrong and are not updated. The girls in there, would give conflicting information and was extremely confused the more questions we asked. It was frustrating. Our canoe rental experience here has prompted us to go and purchase our own, as this was probably most convoluted process I've experienced. They state in the newspaper and signs that a full day rental $42, 4 hours $25. Apparently a full day means 8am-4pm, and not overnight. The canoe has to be returned at 3pm or 3:30pm (depends who you ask) as the office closes at 4pm. We had assumed that full day meant an overnight rental (we also called to confirm) so Saturday morning we weren't in a rush to go get the canoe or use it. most other parks have this policy. When we got to the office around 1pm, we were told we had to return the canoe at 4pm or be charged a penalty of $42. We only had the option of renting it at $25. Now if they just had stated an overnight rental would be $67.... After checking if there was other places to rent a canoe, we decided on the now 3 hours of canoe. But then filling out the paper work (she was so slow!) and then going out to check the scratches on the canoe so thoroughly like rental car ate into our paid canoeing time at least 30mins. And we were the only ones renting, so what was the fuss. There was also a $500 deposit. Upon returning the canoe she almost forgot that we rented 2 canoes, and therefore should be owed $1000 back. I wasn't impressed by the whole thing more infuriated by the consistent information given to us by the office. The area is great, but probably would only come back to this park wiser, with our own canoe, and stay longer (so that going out to excursions wouldn't seem like it was so wasteful) just to have access to the beautiful lake.

Nice campground, well maintained and now if the rain would hold off for another day! Solid place,…read moreI'd come back.

If you're going to go camping in Northern Ontario, this is a good starting point…read more I'm surprised that there's a lack of representation for camping sites and Ontario Provincial parks on Yelp. There's so much to do and see out there, and the quality of my recent camping trip to the Georgian Bay area was stellar. You would expect there to be a lot of reviews written about these places, considering some of them have the capacity to host hundreds of campers at any given time. My group ended up opting for Sturgeon Bay, a bit of a "starter park" located just off Hwy 529. It may not be the biggest or flashiest park around, but it makes up for it with a lower risk of encountering animals and a lower noise level. After getting our permit from the head office (from the park warden, who looked like he stepped off the set of a park forestry commercial), we settled into our site, a decent-sized area near the back of the park. The benefit to this location is that we didn't have to deal with a lot of the noise of other areas (and got up to our own shenanigans with a nearby group on the final night we were there). If there was a downside to the weekend we went, it's that it gets extremely cold extremely quick, even at the beginning of September. We were sitting outside on the first night grilling hot dogs, and I was wrapped up in my sleeping bag trying to keep warm. If you are going to come up to the park in August/September, make sure you pack a coat. The park amenities are decent. There are plenty of washrooms throughout the site, each with their own separate sink and soap receptacle. There are cabins located across the street from the park, along with the showers. If there's something the staff need to work on, it's adding more showers. There are only two of them, causing lineups nearly every time you go. Not to mention that (if my friend's account is any indication) the warm water runs out extremely fast, especially if you're using the laundry room next door. There's a nice beach in the middle of the park that looks out into Georgian Bay, but we were unable to go swimming due to algae in the water. Apparently, this is the first time in a while that algae levels had been that high. If there are bears in the park, I didn't encounter them. In fact, some of the people we met at the site were so nonchalant that they apparently slept with their tents open, not caring about mosquitoes. That's not... something I would have recommended, because I did hear something outside my tent swatting at a bag of garbage the first night I was there. That said, t would recommend Sturgeon Bay for those who want to get into camping. The service is decent, the sites are clean and well-monitored and the experience was fantastic. Can't ask for much more than that.

This is a review for day-use only, as the park is actually closed for camping during this time of…read morethe year. There are a couple of day-use lots on the outside of the actual park for locals to use, I don't believe you can drive into the park proper to use it for day use. At the time we visited, Orillia was close to peak color, so it was a fantastic time. It was a nice day for a hike, and there were quite a few other people using the park as well -- there's a little beach area in the day use part as well as a playground and places for taking your dog on leash. We went and followed the trails in the park, there seems to be a few that can be used, one in the treeline and one along the lake. You can make a decent little loop of a couple of kilometers. There's nothing incredibly challenging about this little hike, to be honest, but the tree colors make for some gorgeous photos. I'll definitely want to come back and visit here and go camping during the season. A really lovely provincial park!

Nothing really compares to the uniqueness of a national park... not like I've been to many, but I…read morehad an excellent time here. We went in the summer and it was a 2.5 - 3 hrs drive but it took us much longer since we took the motorcycle and had to take breaks. The trails were fun and they let us experience them for free since we didn't hog up a parking spot! We met a family going there to do some camping and were surprised to see a few people we knew from Toronto there to do some photography work. The beach there is really nice, the water was very clear but looked freezing since it was early summer when we went there. There's no soft sands, the beach bed is scattered with rocks but it makes the hike a little more difficult (just for fun) - but there are easier trails too. This is an excellent place to take your wife/girlfriend to impress her or show your kids the wildnerness. My boyfriend has suggested this place to his guy friends several times already. Great place to experience nature first-hand and not have to go too far from the city. Also, it's not crowded like Wasaga Beach and much more natural.

Spectacular views. The park is well maintained and it looks like a lot of work went into it…read morerecently. The trails are well maintained and easy to navigate. Most of the trails are suitable for the less-fit among us or children, however things get a little hairy on the coast line. We were able to navigate our dog through it fine, but even had to pick him up to lift him off/onto some big rocks near the grotto. The camping situation is decent. We stayed in the Tamarak section and there was a lot of privacy between the sites. Be forewarned though, there are vault toilets. There is running water for a sink by the toilets and the watering spickets. There are no showers! Sites come with a fire pit, an over-the-fire grill, and two picnic tables. Another word of caution: you have to get a pass from the park office in order to park and go to the grotto. We camped, so we were able to hike to the grotto (also it was the quiet season still) however it is my understanding that they often turn people away once parking is full (and it sounds like that happens frequently on the weekends). So try to be flexible about your schedule and plan out other things to do/see in the area during your stay on the peninsula.

This is a wonderful park! We had the greatest site ... a walk in, with it's own little access to…read morethe waterfront. We were conveniently located, right beside the Dog Beach (we have two dogs who need to run and swim). The dogs had a great time doing doggy things: swimming, running and playing with new dog friends. Sadly, for the people, the swim wasn't quite as satisfactory, as it was quite shallow water, and we couldn't get a really good open-water swim. Then, we found a new possibility. We drove to the start of the Ranger's Trail, followed it, then cut down a path toward the lake to find a magnificent open water swim !location. Clear, calm water, and you can lounge on the rocks and swim in from them. The water gets deep very fast, so be careful! My walk-in site had the most amazing toilet. OK I don`t usually write toilet reviews, but this Clivus was something to behold. The port-a-let cubicle was clean and well ventilated. The ventilation was something that surprised me, as I'd never seen a ventilated vault toilet before. It was such a great toilet: no smells at all. The staff came and cleaned it three times a day. OK, on to the landscape, which is beautiful: rolling hills, mixed forest, Canadian shield. There are so many lakes 8in this area that, I am told, the kayaking is very good. I may not do kayaking, but I do love stargazing. We were lucky to be at Restoule on August 12, when the annual meteor showers arrive. It was also my daughter's birthday. We took a blanket and pillows down to the waterfront and looked at the stars, which appeared so much larger than they do in the GTA. Our goal was to see 12 shooting stars. Within 45 minutes, we had our targeted quota and more! It's a lovely little park, and if you like an electric site, their electric sites are relatively private and spacious. I found the staff quite friendly, but I did not have cause to interact with them very often. It is also close to nearby towns, in case you forgot something (I recommend Gerry's General Store in Restoule)

Restoule Provincial Park is located north of Algonquin Provincial Park along Hwy 534. The closest…read moretown is Township of Restoule which is just a few blocks (only one restaurant in the whole town). The closest large town is Town of Port Loring. I want to review it because it is a great park but is almost a best kept secret to Torontonians, though people living in up north frequent there. The park has 3 campgrounds, two are non-electrical (Putts Point, Bells Point) and one is electrical (Kettle Point). The campsites in Putts Point and Kettle Point campgrounds are in good condition. The sites in Kettle Point seem smaller than Putt Point's, where I stayed. I estimate that an average sized campsite in Putt Point is a large campsite in Kettle Point. However, Kettle Point is more popular and the sites get booked faster, because there are a lot of RV and trailers campers. I don't like the sites at Bells Point campground. There is a comfort centre in Kettle Point and another one in Putts Point. There is no comfort centre in Bells Point. They are both in good condition. The shower water is hotter in the morning and afternoon. It becomes lukewarm in the evening. The park has access to both Stormy Lake and Lake of Restoule. The water is really clear. Both lakes have boat launch ramps. During my long weekend stay, I saw people playing motor boating, water skiing, sea-doo, fishing, sailing (only in Stormy Lake), canoeing and kayaking. The park office gives out a water way map that shows the good fishing spots. I didn't see many swimmers, probably because the water is quite shallow in the beach areas. There is also a separate dog beach. Hiking and wildlife sighting are good as well. I saw a deer up close on the Angel Point Trail (took pictures too). The best and longest trail is Fire Tower Trail. It has a spectacular lookout point overseeing Stormy Lake. This park is honestly beautiful. The water is clear; the air is clean. It is so natural and unspoiled. Star gazing is lovely on the boat launch docks, so bring your telescope. There are additional reviews on this park on Tripadvisors, should you want more details.

French River is an amazing place for canoeing/kayaking in Ontario. There are many possible routes,…read moresome of which may include whitewater or a side-trip to Georgian Bay. Read more about our recent trip/check out the photos here: http://blog.compasstales.com/2011/12/09/canoeing-on-french-river/ http://blog.compasstales.com/2011/12/10/canoeing-on-french-river-p2/ Tips: - permits are available on walk-in basis in some of the marinas. - winds get really strong in the afternoon (up to the point that it's impossible to paddle), so start early! - this is bear territory! Learn how to avoid/deal with bears before going.

My BF and I have been camping since we started dating and this year we decided to branch out from…read moreour car camping. I picked a new location, The Massasauga Provincial Park and we set to our adventure. Here is a breakdown of the weekend: 1. Arrive at the information point and mention that we have a site. The girl there gives me a map of the access point and sends me on my way. 45 minutes later we find out that at the information point is where we get our Canoe (BTW- no one told me I was strapping a canoe to my car!) and register... back to the information office. 2, 1.5 hours later we get in the canoe and head to our site. there were 5 portages, 1 of which wasn't labelled accurately and there wasn't a defined trail, another didn't even have the sign up!. Anyways, we finally arrive at our very isolated site, only to find that it was a site on a rock surrounded by marsh (site 108 if you ever care to go). 3. We high tailed it back to the last site we saw that looked vacant (Site 107) - it was 45 minutes away from 108 and we set up camp as the sun went down. This site was brilliant. On a beautiful isolated lake. We never saw another human the entire time. Brilliant location. 4. On our return, there was another portage that wasn't labeled that also led us to the labeled exit which wasn't actually an exit. We have to go thru the beaver trees to get over to the other lake. The reason why I am giving this park an A-Ok is because although we went thru absolute intensity to get to our site, it was the most beautiful site and most beautiful lake I have seen. Ontario has some incredible landscape and this was no exception. I highly recommend you check out the sites on Massasauga and perhaps only endure 1 or 2 portages. all of the sites were fabulous minus 108.

Beautiful paddling in Georgian Bay area! You will see lots of cottages, though. Most campsites…read moreare generous and well maintained, though popular ones will often show signs of use. Knowledge of your route before you go in is important. Most kayakers access through Pete's place because there are fewer portages to surrounding campsites. Canoe rentals also seem to happen at Pete's Place. There is also an access point at 3 Legged Lake. Be cautious if you are planning on bringing a canoe out into the more open water of Georgian Bay.