Did you know that you can obtain your daily vehicle permit up to five days in advance at many provincial parks?
In 2023, we’ve expanded our advance daily vehicle permit service to 20 more parks! Check the list to see if your favourite park is one of them!
Here’s what you need to know
Which parks can be booked in advance?
You can get your daily vehicle permit up to five days in advance to guarantee access at these parks (parks new since October 2022 are marked in bold):
- Algonquin
- Arrowhead
- Awenda
- Balsam Lake
- Bass Lake
- Batchawana Bay
- Blue Lake
- Bonnechere
- Bronte Creek
- Chutes
- Craigleith
- Darlington
- Driftwood
- Earl Rowe
- Esker Lakes
- Fitzroy
- Forks of the Credit
- Frontenac
- Inverhuron
- Ivanhoe Lake
- Kakabeka Falls
- Kap-Kig-Iwan
- Kettle Lakes
- Killarney
- Lake Superior
- Long Point
- MacGregor Point
- Mara
- McRae Point
- Mono Cliffs
- Murphys Point
- Neys
- North Beach
- Oastler Lake
- Pancake Bay
- Petroglyphs
- Pinery
- Point Farms
- Port Burwell
- Presqu’ile
- Rainbow Falls
- Rideau River
- Rock Point
- Rondeau
- Rushing River
- Samuel de Champlain
- Sandbanks
- Sauble Falls
- Selkirk
- Sibbald Point
- Six Mile Lake
- Sleeping Giant
- Turkey Point
- Voyageur
- Wasaga Beach
- White Lake
- Windy Lake
For all other provincial parks, permits will be obtained or purchased upon arrival.
Why should you book in advance?
1. It guarantees your spot
We know you don’t want to spend your time sitting in a line-up at your favourite park, only to be turned away because it’s already full.
Our parks are becoming more popular, but we only have room for a limited number of visitors each day.
Our advance daily vehicle permit booking service guarantees your spot in the park, even on days where we hit full capacity.
2. It gets you into the park faster
Check-in lines move faster when everyone in line has reserved in advance.
That’s it. That’s the tweet.
3. It’s modern and convenient
Maybe you like saving time at the gate (or skipping it all together at our contact-less parks).
Maybe you’re not an early-bird, and you don’t want to risk a park filling up by afternoon.
Maybe you just enjoy the confidence of making a plan and the modern convenience of booking online.
For these reasons (and many more), more than 80% of visitors told us they liked being able to reserve their daily vehicle permit in advance.
We’re proud to be able to offer this convenient service to visitors from around the province, whether they’re visiting a popular hotspot or a quieter gem.
How to book your advance permit
Visit our reservation service to obtain a daily vehicle permit in advance for participating parks up to five days in advance of your trip, beginning at 7:00 a.m.
After securing your permit, you’ll receive a confirmation letter. Your email confirmation letter will tell you how to check in at your chosen park.
Check-in options may include:
- Showing your confirmation at the gate (either on your device or a printed copy)
- Printing your permit and leave it on your dashboard
- Being able to produce your confirmation if asked
Already have a seasonal daily vehicle permit?
That’s great! You’ll be able to use your seasonal permit with our new service to guarantee your park access, at no additional cost.
Using your seasonal vehicle permit’s serial number, you can secure your spot up to five days in advance. Remember: you will need to bring your confirmation AND your seasonal permit when you visit.
Just like daily vehicle permits, accessing a park with a seasonal permit is subject to park capacity limits.
Plan your visit with confidence by obtaining a daily vehicle permit in advance.
Can’t I just get my permit at the park entrance or show my seasonal permit when I arrive at the park?
If we have room? Sure!
But knowing how much Ontarians love our parks, we strongly recommend securing your daily vehicle permit in advance for all our participating parks.
Otherwise, you may be turned away, even if you arrive first thing in the morning.
Learn more about planning your day trip here: www.OntarioParks.com/dayuse.