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RV'ing in Ontario Parks

Ontario Parks offers many advantages to the RV traveller:

  • Spectacular scenery, innovative public education programs and fascinating visitor’s centres
  • Easy access; signed from all provincial highways
  • Over 19,000 car camping sites including some seasonal camping opportunities and pull-through and larger sites for the RV traveller
  • Many sites with 15/30 amp electrical service
  • Trailer dumping and water filling stations in most camping parks
  • Comfort stations with hot and cold running water, flush toilets and individual shower facilities, (some parks have laundromats)

Facilities and Services

  • Over 3000 campsites offer electrical service (15 and 30 amp). More electrical sites are being added each year.
  • Waste and grey water dumping stations and water filling stations are located in most parks.
  • Campground maps and campsite photos are also available online (link to reservation service) to further help you select the right site for you and your equipment. You can also contact the park directly if you have any questions or concerns.
  • Cellphone service is still intermittent at some parks. Wi-Fi is available at the following provincial park visitor centres: Presqu’ile (Lighthouse Visitor Centre), and Restoule.
  • Showers are not coin-operated; washers and dryers are.
  • Dogs are always welcome at parks, but some rules apply. Here is a list of parks with pet exercise areas.

Rentals

If you don’t own an RV, organizations like the Ontario Recreational Vehicle Dealer’s Association or GO RVing provide links to businesses who offer rental services. Also, there are a few rental locations close to the entrances of some of our most popular park entrances (e.g. Pinery, Killbear, Sandbanks) that will also set up the pop-up tent trailers in the parks for you. Contact the park or the local tourism office directly.

Four-season travel in your RV!

Spring and fall are outstanding times to explore nature and camp in your RV, especially spring and fall bird migrations, hiking fall colours and wildlife viewing.

Winter is also a great time to visit Ontario Parks. There is a small group of people, we like to call “Winter Warriors”, who will camp year-round in their RVs. Provincial Parks like MacGregor Point and Algonquin (Mew Lake) cater to winter campers and feature heated comfort stations with hot showers. You’ll want to understand any potential issues for staying warm and maintaining water systems in your RV prior to attempting this! Bring a snowbrush or a broom. Sites are plowed and access maintained for picnic tables. The park locator will help you identify winter camping opportunities.

Travelling the Ontario Parks’ system in your RV

Touring is a popular way to explore Ontario and your RV makes this type of travel an easy vacation experience. Traditional routes like: Lake Superior Route, Georgian Bay Coastal Route and the Rideau Waterway are all well-supported by route information along with attractions and services. Check out more information on these and other suggested routes.

Did you know that your camping permit will allow you day access to other provincial parks for the duration of your stay. Some parks make a great base camp for exploring a region.

Tips:

Be sure to select the right site for your equipment. Camping sites can be reserved by trailer size - up to: 18, 25, 32, and over 32 feet. A few parks cannot accommodate trailers of more than 32 ‘.

Be sure to bring at least 100ft of extension cord. Many of our posts are quite far from a campsite.

If you are unfamiliar with the site you have reserved for your 32 ft+ RV, be sure to check with the park regarding access to the site. Many of our campgrounds were built years ago and their roads can be narrow and winding.

In our online reservation service, under step 4 “Pick your site requirements:” you can select more options and the opportunity to search for electrical and trailer pull-through sites are available. There are campground photos of all sites to further assist you in selecting your site.

Be sure to make yourself aware of all rocks, campfire pits and trees on your site before parking your RV. For new towable RV owners, it is advisable to practice in a parking lot before leaving home to familiarize yourself with parking and backing up. One tip is to place your hand at the bottom of your steering wheel and move your hand to the left to go left and right to move your trailer right.

Please use non-formadehyde-based chemicals to treat your black and grey-water tanks. There are many “green” options available.

In cases where an RV is towing a second vehicle and the RV remains stationary on the campsite, normally no additional vehicle parking permit is required for the campsite.

Keeping a neat and garbage-free campsite is just as important while camping in an RV. Be sure to secure all food, coolers and highly-scented products. Bears will go through screens and canvas. Garbage and recycle containers are located at the entrance to most campgrounds. For more information on being a 'bear wise' visitor please visit this site.

Your valid camping permit allows you free access to other nearby parks for day trip explorations. Also a seasonal permit is an excellent way to gain entry to provincial parks for the day while en route travelling throughout Ontario.

There are many more interesting tips from Ontario Parks and its users generated in our social media spaces – you may want to check them out.

Trailer Storage

The following parks offer Trailer Storage onsite. Please contact the park directly for availability and pricing:

Northwest
Blue Lake 807-227-2601
Caliper Lake807-484-2181
Quetico807-597-2735
Rushing River807-548-4351
Sioux Narrows807-226-5223
Sleeping Giant807-977-2526
Northeast
Esker Lakes 705-568-7677
Fushimi Lake705-362-4164
Ivanhoe Lake705-899-2644
Kettle Lakes705-363-3511
Lake Superior705-856-2284
Missinaibi705-234-2222
Nagagamisis807-868-2254
Pancake Bay705-882-2209
René Brunelle705-234-2222
The Shoals705-864-1160
Wakami Lake705-233-2853
White Lake807-822-2447
Near North
Driftwood 613-586-2553
Finlayson Point705-569-3205
Grundy Lake705-383-2286
Halfway Lake705-965-2702
Marten River705-892-2200
Restoule705-729-2010
Samuel de Champlain705-744-2276
Sturgeon Bay705-366-2521
Algonquin/Central
Emily705-799-5170
Southeast
Charleston Lake613-659-2065
Ferris705-653-1566
Fitzroy613-623-5159
Sharbot Lake613-335-2814
Voyageur613-674-2825
Southwest
Earl Rowe705-435-2498
Inverhuron519-368-1959
MacGregor Point519-389-9056
Port Burwell519-874-4691
Rock Point905-774-6642
Turkey Point519-426-3239