Ontario Parks

Canada, as diversified as the land, and seasons are has a magnificent scenery to offer.Ontario parks are among the most revered in the world for their majestic trees and natural places. Ontario, Canada is known for its metropolitan cities, and growing urban areas however in this mix of multi-layered expanses are beautiful forests and parks that exhibit some of Canada’s most treasured natural places.As a traveller you will not want to miss the natural experience of Ontario parks.If you crave the outdoors, and desire to see animals in their natural environment, and wild forests, Ontario’s parks will not cease to fulfill your dreams.

Getting together with friends is an important Ontario Parks tradition. Even if you only see those special parks friends once a year, you’re somehow able to manage to squeeze an entire year’s worth of memory making into those few days enough memories to carry you over until the next time you get together.

Family getaways have a habit of becoming an annual tradition once you put down stakes in one of our parks. It’s hard not to get hooked on the chance to build giant sandcastles on the beach with your kids and to swap crazy stories around the campfire with your parents. Family fun, served up with marshmallows and memories!

Here are some of the ingredients in the recipe for family fun, served up Ontario Parks style.

  • Romp around in the children’s area at Springwater.
  • Check out the view from the lighthouse at Presqu’ile.
  • Get sprayed by the mist at Kakabeka Falls.
  • Study pond ‘ooze and gooze’ at the Pinery.
  • Venture into a pioneer graveyard at Fitzroy.
  • Head out on an evening wolf howl at Algonquin.
  • Spot animal tracks at Killbear.
  • Make snow angels at Silent Lake.

Where do you go to make a memory to the rocky shores of Lake Superior or the windswept sand dunes of Sandbanks; to the rapids of Samuel de Champlain or the boardwalk at McRae Point; to the winding trails of Sleeping Giant or the take-your-breath-away landscapes of Killarney? Only you know your recipe for that perfect Ontario Parks memory, the one that will keep you warm all year long.

Planning Your Trip

Most southern Ontario provincial parks are in full operation from the second weekend in May until mid October. In northern Ontario, the season is shorter, running from early June until Labour Day. Seventeen of the parks operate year round, providing inspiration to off season day trippers and winter camping enthusiasts alike.

While they may close their gates at the end of the official operating season, that doesn’t mean the parks areclosed to you. Even after camping season is over, you’re still welcome to hike or cross-country ski into the parks. The roads and parking lots inside the parks aren’t plowed during our off-season, and very few services and facilities such as water and comfort stations are maintained, but vault toilets are generally open.

Now that winter camping is gaining in popularity, some parks, such as Algonquin, MacGregor Point, Silent Lake, and Pinery, feature winter camping amenities: yurts, heated comfort stations and winter campsites with electrical hook-ups for RV enthusiasts. Call your favourite Ontario Parks winter getaway destination to find out what that particular park has to offer. During the off-season, park fees are collected through self-serve registration. Some parks have pay and display parking meters that accept cash, VISA, MasterCard or American Express. Other parks ask you to register yourself as you check into the park by filling in a form at the park gate and depositing the form and the correct amount of cash in the collection box provided.

The best way to find out about what a particular park has to offer in park facilities, opening and closing dates, park fees and so on is to visit online at www.ontarioparks.com.You’ll also find park news, vacancy reports, fire bans, cross country ski reports and boil-water advisories everything you could ever want to know, and more!