Winter is no longer ‘off-season' for many campers.
The next time you get a craving to be at one with the snowy wilderness, forget about pitching your tent on the ice-cold ground. Consider the merits of select provincial parks, which offer less-than-rustic roofed accommodations in addition to winter camping.
The 11 parks described below – from Quetico in the Northwest corner of our province to Sandbanks in the Southeast - offer cozy, winter accommodations. And, for the keen winter camper there's always Frontenac, with its primitive, backcountry campsites.
Unless otherwise specified, call 1-888-ONT-PARK (668-7275) or click on the reservation link on our main web page, to reserve a yurt or other type of roofed accommodation. For more information about the parks described briefly below, call each park directly or visit each park's individual web page on this site.
Quetico
Quetico, near Atikokan, is the only Northwestern Ontario park with semi-permanent tents with plywood floors, called yurts. The park has two of these roofed accommodations which sleep six and are available for rent throughout the winter months. Each yurt is electrically heated and is equipped with two sets of futon bunk beds, a table and six chairs, shelving unit, fire extinguisher, broom and dust pan, propane barbeque, picnic table, and fire pit.
The staff house at Quetico is ideal for larger groups. Sleeping up to 12 people comfortably, the Quetico staff house features a fully equipped kitchen with stove, microwave, cookware, cutlery and dishes. Bring your own food or arrange for catering by nearby restaurants. After a fun-filled day of cross-country skiing, relax in the snug living room with its television, VCR and leather couches.
To reserve Quetico's staff house, call the park's trip planning number at (807) 597-2735.
Algonquin
Algonquin, located outside of Whitney, has seven vehicle accessible, electrically heated yurts that are available for rent year-round. All seven of Algonquin's yurts are located in Mew Lake Campground along the park's Highway 60 corridor. Each yurt is equipped with basic furniture and sleeps up to six people. Yurts are popular alternatives to sleeping outdoors in a tent on the cold ground, so make your reservations early!
The park also offers trailer and RV camping in Mew Lake Campground on a first-come, first-served basis from mid-October until early May. Sites 1 through 66 have electrical hook-ups. You may purchase firewood from the woodlot in Mew Lake Campground. A heated, winterized comfort station provides drinking water, flush toilets, showers, and laundry facilities.
Camping away from Highway 60, in the interior of the park, is also available to hardier souls during the winter months. Enter the park interior on one of many groomed ski trails, but please do not camp within sight or sound of the trails or trail shelters, on designated summer campsites, or within 30 metres of shorelines or portages.
Interior campers are encouraged to seek out low-lying, sheltered and secluded areas where there is a good supply of standing dead wood for cooking and warmth.
Killbear
The staff house at Killbear, outside of Parry Sound, is available to rent for winter getaways. This lovely winter retreat in Ontario's snow country features 16 bedrooms with two single beds each; accommodating groups from a minimum of 15 to a maximum of 32 people.
There is a large, fully equipped kitchen, with fridge, six-burner commercial propane stove, dishes and utensils, pots and pans, coffee maker and microwave. You'll need to bring your own linens and toiletries. Catering is available from nearby restaurants, or you can prepare your own meals.
The staff house also includes separate men's and women's washrooms, with three, private shower stalls each; and a private, three-piece, barrier-free washroom. The large common room includes a television with satellite dish, VCR and fireplace. A fire pit is located outside the lodge for outdoor gatherings.
Call (705) 342-5492, to reserve the staff house at Killbear.
Bronte Creek
After a day of hiking, cross-country skiing, skating or other outdoor activity, fall asleep beneath the stars in a tent, tent-trailer or RV at Bronte Creek near Oakville. The park's campground offers electrically serviced sites and showers, flush toilets and laundry facilities. Group camping sites are also available.
Call the park at (905) 827-6911 for more details about winter camping opportunities.
Frontenac
For something truly adventurous, consider backcountry camping in the semi-wilderness setting of Frontenac, north of Kingston.
Frontenac offers interior campsites that can be reached only on snowshoes or cross-country skis during the winter months. Its many interior campsites are grouped in small clusters that are scattered throughout the park's rugged landscape. Each campsite sports a tent pad and a fire pit; and each cluster includes a privy. For safety and environmental reasons, visitors are asked to camp at designated, registered campsites, not along trails or lakeshores.
You do not require a reservation if you plan to camp at Frontenac from mid-October to the end of April. However, it is a good idea to phone the park (613) 376-3489 before arriving so that staff can assist you in planning your trip.
MacGregor Point
MacGregor Point, near Port Elgin on Lake Huron, offers everything from tent camping to yurt camping year-round.
Staff set aside a sufficient number of electrical pull-through campsites in the Birch Boulevard Campground, along with 10 yurts, for winter outdoor enthusiasts.
Inside each yurt you'll find futon couches with bunks (to sleep a family or group of six), a table and chairs, electric heat, fluorescent lighting, and a shelving unit. The yurt site is also supplied with a propane barbecue, picnic shelter, fire pit and parking for two vehicles.
Or choose to bring your tent or trailer for a more rustic experience at the park. A heated comfort station with showers and flush toilets is available for campers' use.
Reservations are required for MacGregor Point's yurts, and recommended for its campsites. Please contact the park at (519) 389-9056 before leaving home for up-to-the-minute reports on weather and snow conditions.
Pinery
Winter camping (tent, RV or yurt) is available at Pinery, near Grand Bend, all winter long. There are both electrical and non-electrical sites, and heated comfort stations with showers. New this year, are 12 furnished campsites in Area 1 of Riverside Campground.
Pinery's yurts each have a wheelchair accessible platform; and include bunk beds for sleeping six people, a table and chairs, electric lighting and a heater. A gas barbecue and picnic shelter are also provided.
Pinery's Meeting Centre is also available for use as a lodge during the winter months. The lodge sleeps up to 22 people. Call Pinery at (519) 243-2220 for more details.
Presqu'ile
Maples Campground at Presqu'ile, on Lake Ontario near Brighton, is available for walk-in tent camping.
This is truly primitive camping. Vehicles and trailers are not permitted in the campground, and no water, hydro or comfort stations are available.
Parking is available at the Camp Office parking lot, and firewood may be obtained from the Park Office located near the front gate. Please register for camping at the Park Office. Call ahead at (613) 475-4324 for further details.
Sandbanks
Sandbanks, on Lake Ontario near Picton, offers two luxurious accommodations – Jacques Cottage or the Maple Rest Heritage House – for winter overnight stays.
Jacques Cottage sleeps up to six persons. It may be rented for $600 a week or $110 a night, with a minimum of two-night's stay required for off-season bookings. Amenities include a master bedroom with double bed, a living area with double-sized sofa bed (pull out style), an upstairs landing with two twin beds, a fully equipped kitchen with dishes and utensils for six, a four-piece bathroom, television, a fireplace, gas barbecue, picnic table, and lakeside campfire pit. All linens are supplied.
The Maple Rest Heritage House, with its antique and reproduction furnishings circa 1800, sleeps eight people. The Heritage House is available for rent, with a two-night minimum stay for off-season bookings, at $1,400 a week or $260 a night. Amenities include a master bedroom equipped with a whirlpool bath and queen-sized bed. There are four bedrooms and four, four-piece bathrooms. All linens are supplied. The kitchen is fully equipped and includes cutlery, cookware and dishes for eight, a coffee maker, microwave, full-sized stove, fridge and dishwasher. There are also a large screened in porch and upper deck with patio furniture, a gas fireplace, telephone, television with satellite dish, VCR and stereo.
Visit www.pec.on.ca for upcoming events and attractions in the area to round out your stay.
Silent Lake
At Silent Lake, south of Bancroft, visitors can rough it through primitive winter camping or rent one of three yurts, located just off of the ski trails. The park's sleep six, have safety-rated wood burning fireplaces, propane cooking stoves and kitchen utensils.
Contributed by Reena Besa, Public Relations Assistant, Ontario Parks
Last Modified: December 19, 2003
© Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2003