First time campers from Greece, looking for an experience that would turn me to a regular camper. I love the idea but have never experienced it myself.
Please drop best locations don’t worry I have a pro camper with me for help so it can be extreme as well.
Feel free to share we are also camp sit inspectors in making🤓
Rode this solo in late June — Verona up to Sharbot Lake Provincial Park via the K&P Trail and South Frontenac's gravel and cottage roads, overnight at the park, back down through Frontenac Rd and Long Lake. 135 km total (78.8 km out, 56.0 km back), mostly gravel and quiet paved township roads, one soft-gravel stretch near Burridge Lake — gravel or CX bike with 38-45mm tires is the right call.
I wrote up the full route with GPX for both days, a breakdown of all four campgrounds at Sharbot Lake PP (privacy, noise, electrical — not just "book here"), and two one-day loop options if you don't want to carry overnight gear (112 km, or a tighter 58 km). Read my full story here.
Looking for places that are 2-3 hours away from the Pickering area. Have landed on either but I can't decide which is better. Looking to camp the first weekend of October to satisfy the camping bug until next year.
Open to other suggestions too!
The Quebec version of Ontario Parks passed new rules this year. In order for people to enjoy nature and a peaceful time, the new rules include: no music or speakers, no guitars, no generators during certain hours, and nobody not registered at your site after 10pm.
Should Ontario apply the same rules for Ontario Parks campgrounds?
Just got back from a 5-day loop through the French River Delta (the boat-access-only part west of the 400). GPS-measured 55.1 km, split 14.0 / 10.9 / 7.4 / 8.5 / 14.3 — off the water by mid-afternoon every day.
Site notes, since the reservation page tells you nothing:
- 687: blueberries everywhere, steep granite scramble to the pads
- 661: only stopped for lunch, would happily camp there
- 692: sandy beach, sits right above the rapids — best lunch or overnight spot before the Five Fingers
- 812: gorgeous granite slab, BUT about ten yachts anchor in the bay next door. Book 813 instead if you want quiet.
- 801: excellent lunch stop on the Georgian Bay shore
- 733 (Sabine Island): excellent
- 647: three fire pits, flat pads for 2-3 tents, good swimming, near the Dalles. Yellow bear-activity sign posted; we saw nothing.
Other things worth knowing:
- No whitewater skill needed. Take the most eastern channel through the Five Finger Rapids: two easy swifts, then a short steep 160 m portage at the Lily Chutes. Motorboats run the chutes, which is its own argument for portaging.
- "Remote" ≠ alone. Cottages, motorboats, and a yacht anchorage. Last day into Ox Bay, watch for wake — not everyone slows for canoes.
- Booked in March for August and had lots of choice. Site-specific booking, 5 months ahead. Parking and canoe rental out of Hartley Bay Marina (hartleybaymarina.com).
- GPX tracks for all five days are downloadable from the post if you want to load the route onto a GPS or into a planner.
- If you want to redraw the loop around different sites, gpx.studio makes it easy to plot it and get real distances before you book. For on the water, the Maps by Jeff "West French River" sheet (waterproof, portage elevation profiles, comes with Avenza/Garmin files) is the one that covers the delta.
- Shortcut worth knowing: day 4 can be cut from 8.5 km to about 5 km by going straight north from Sabine Island to the Dalles rapids and taking the 300 m portage through to 647, instead of looping west via Bass Creek and Bass Lake.
Full report and gpx files in my blog.
I have been to these parks since I was a kid. But I remember I loved them!
We have a 30 ft trailer. What are you favorite sites? I’d like something close to washrooms and showers, no slope and some shade. Oh and we’re going in Sept or Oct.
Hi folks. Where to pick some mealworms for fishing in Oshawa/Whitby area? PetSmart seems to be out of stock.
I wish I had the guts to handle night crawlers. I just built up enough courage to rig with meal worm to take my kid out to fish.
There are few good days coming up and weather is nice.
Thanks in advance.
I am fairly new to camping and have been trying to be mindful about the fact that many of the parks and areas we camp in are on the traditional lands of indigenous people.
I am just wondering if there are any specific things I should be aware of when camping in indigenous lands?
Are there any cultural practices, protocols, or things that we should be aware of? Are there ways you personally try to acknowledge or show respect for the land beyond the leave no trace practices?