12 Breathtaking Places to Camp in Ontario: A Nature Lover’s Ultimate Guide
The weather is warm and if you’ve been bitten by the camping bug and thirsting for your next outdoor escapade, Ontario is calling your name. This beautiful province, packed with lush forests, glistening lakes, and magnificent landscapes, is a camper’s paradise.
There are so many spots to choose from but here are 12 stand out camping destinations that Ontario has tucked away just waiting for you to experience:
Bruce Peninsula National Park
What to expect: Breathtaking cliffs, turquoise waters of Georgian Bay, rare orchids, ancient cedar trees, and diverse wildlife.
Amenities: Offers a variety of camping options including backcountry camping, yurt accommodations, and front country camping. Other amenities include comfort stations with laundry, showers and toilets, and picnic areas.
Activities: Hiking, bird-watching, stargazing, exploring the Grotto (a natural sea cave) with clear blue waters, and swimming.
Sandbanks Provincial Park
What to expect: World’s largest baymouth barrier dune formation, three expansive sandy beaches, bird migration hotspot in the spring and fall.
Amenities: Offers three campgrounds with over 500 campsites including electrical sites. Amenities include washrooms, showers, playgrounds, and picnic areas.
Activities: Swimming, hiking, bird watching, fishing, canoeing and kayaking, and exploring local wineries in Prince Edward County.
Algonquin Provincial Park
What to expect: A vast landscape of maple hills, rocky ridges, spruce bogs, and thousands of lakes, ponds, and streams. Wildlife includes moose, bears, and wolves.
Amenities: Offers both drive-in campsites and backcountry camping. Amenities include comfort stations with showers and toilets, laundromat, picnic areas, and a park store.
Activities: Canoeing, fishing, bird watching, swimming, and exploring the visitor centre for educational programs.
Killarney Provincial Park
What to expect: Spectacular landscapes with white quartzite hills and sapphire-blue lakes, old-growth forest, and diverse wildlife.
Amenities: Offers car camping, backcountry camping, and yurts. Amenities include comfort stations with showers and toilets, and a park store.
Activities: Hiking, canoeing, bird watching, wildlife viewing, fishing, and exploring art in nature (inspired Group of Seven).
Bon Echo Provincial Park
What to expect: The 100-meter high Mazinaw Rock with over 260 Indigenous pictographs, a beautiful lake, and abundant wildlife.
Amenities: Offers car camping, backcountry camping, and cabins. Amenities include comfort stations, laundry facilities, picnic shelters, and a park store.
Activities: Hiking, swimming, canoeing, fishing, interpretive boat tours to view pictographs, and exploring the visitor centre.
Killbear Provincial Park
What to expect: Majestic views of Georgian Bay, great swimming beaches, and beautiful landscapes. Plus, an abundance of trilliums – Ontario’s provincial flower!
Amenities: Offers car camping and radio-free camping. Amenities include comfort stations, laundry facilities, and a park store.
Activities: Hiking, swimming, wildlife viewing (particularly black bears), sailing, windsurfing, and attending natural heritage education programs.
Pinery Provincial Park
What to expect: 10 km of sandy beach on the shores of mighty Lake Huron, Oak savanna and coastal dune ecosystems, an array of wildlife including the endangered Spiny Softshell Turtle.
Amenities: Offers over 1,000 campsites including group camping and yurts. Amenities include comfort stations with showers and toilets, picnic shelters, a park store, and visitor centre.
Activities: Swimming, bird watching, canoeing, cycling, fishing, and winter activities like cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
What to expect: High cliffs for panoramic views of Lake Superior, the dramatic “sleeping giant” mesa, rich wildlife, and diverse vegetation.
Amenities: Offers over 200 drive-in campsites and backcountry camping. Amenities include comfort stations, laundry facilities, picnic shelters, and a park store.
Activities: Hiking, wildlife viewing, fishing, cycling, and cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in winter.
Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park
What to expect: Second-largest provincial park in Ontario, numerous picturesque lakes, and a mix of forest types.
Amenities: Offers several canoe-in campsites with basic facilities such as a fire pit and privy toilet. There’s no vehicle access within the park.
Activities: Backcountry camping, canoeing, fishing, wildlife viewing, and bird watching.
Lake Superior Provincial Park
What to expect: Stunning vistas of Lake Superior, ancient rock paintings or “pictographs,” and a diverse mix of forest wildlife.
Amenities: Offers drive-in campsites, backcountry camping, and yurts. Amenities include comfort stations, picnic shelters, and a park store.
Activities: Hiking, wildlife viewing, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and learning about Ojibwe culture at the visitor centre.
Quetico Provincial Park
What to expect: Remote wilderness with over 2,000 campsites scattered on and around its many serene lakes.
Amenities: Offers backcountry camping with basic amenities like pit privies and fire rings. Vehicle access to entry points only, and then it’s a canoe-in park.
Activities: Canoeing, fishing, wildlife viewing, and exploring archaeological sites featuring Indigenous pictographs.
Pukaskwa National Park
What to expect: Ontario’s only wilderness national park with breathtaking views of Lake Superior, a diverse range of wildlife, and rugged landscapes.
Amenities: Offers drive-in camping, backcountry camping, and oTENTiks (a cross between a tent and a cabin). Amenities include comfort stations, picnic areas, and a park store.
Activities: Hiking, wildlife viewing, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and exploring Indigenous Anishinaabe culture at the visitor centre.
As always, check with the park for the most current information as amenities and activities can change due to seasonality or other factors, and leave every campsite the same or better than you found it, leaving nothing behind. Remember, it’s important to respect wildlife and keep a safe distance. Never feed wild animals, and be sure to secure your food and garbage at your campsite to avoid attracting them.
ONTARIO IS MORE THAN JUST A CAMPING DESTINATION
Ontario is a vibrant mosaic of breathtaking landscapes that tell tales of nature’s grandeur. From the serene to the sensational, these 12 camping spots offer experiences as varied as the nature that cradles them. So, gear up with one of Napier’s vehicle or ground tents, and set out on your camping adventure. The magic of Ontario’s wild awaits!