Camping in Ontario offers several different possibilities for terrain and outdoor activities. At Ontario's many parks, you can find lodges, campgrounds, even yurt camping. Most of the parks have hiking and biking trails, canoeing, fishing, and swimming. Below are some top Ontario parks that are known for their beauty and wildlife, so be sure to make a reservation early before the campgrounds are taken.
Killarney Provincial Park
The quartzite cliffs and La Cloche Mountains in this bit of wilderness in Ontario so inspired artists that they convinced the government to make it into a park. The park has only one campground at George Lake, and it has few amenities, so the wilderness is very much untouched. The surrounding area is full of white quartz hills and mountains as well as pine and hardwood forests.
Algonquin Provincial Park
Algonquin is by far the most popular wilderness park in Ontario. The park is well known for its diversity of topography and forests. Due to both deciduous and coniferous forests it is home to even more wildlife and plant life than other national parks in Ontario. Algonquin has thousands of lakes and rivers through the maple tree hills, making much of the park accessible only by foot and canoe. The main stretch of the park, off Highway 60, has campgrounds, museums and lodges.
Long Point Provincial Park
Long Point is a famous stopover for birds when they migrate in the spring and fall. The park is technically a 40-kilometer-wide sandpit in Lake Erie, and is considered to be a biosphere reserve by UNESCO. Compared to parks like Algonquin and Killarney, Long Point is extremely flat and bog-like, making it a great place to view water fowl. The park is divided into "Old Park," a group of cottages and campgrounds, and "New Park," which has larger, more spread-out campgrounds and a boat launch.
Silent Lake
Silent Lake has long been a popular fishing park. There is a trail that goes around the entire lake, as well as regular campgrounds and camping in provided yurts (large, woven huts). In the winter, there are cross-country ski trails, which serve for mountain biking in the warmer seasons. The lake is known for being not too far from Toronto, but far enough for a relaxing trip. Silent Lake does not allow any motored water craft.
Pinery Provincial Park
Pinery is a unique forest that sits 100 feet up atop a sand dune that meets Lake Huron. It is home to one of the last oak savanna forests in the world. The unusual landscape at Pinery was created as glaciers retreated almost 6,000 years ago. The park has campgrounds, beaches, hiking and biking trails. Like Silent Lake, you can camp in a yurt at Pinery Park.
About The Author
Originally from North Carolina, Heather Broeker studied journalism and advertising at the University of North Carolina. After graduation she moved to Los Angeles, where she worked for Fox Searchlight, Fox Reality and later as a writer and marketing director. Broeker now lives in Los Angeles and runs Head Over Heels, a writing and public relations company.
