Category: Safety & Regulations

How to be a Bear Wise visitor

Black Bears live across Ontario in forested areas where they can find enough food, shelter, and denning sites. Our provincial parks are their home, and over 90% of our parks are in bear country.

A safe bear sighting during one of your adventures with Ontario Parks can be a lasting memory. Educating yourself about bears before your visit is important and the mark of a responsible park visitor.

We want to share space with bears, keeping our human visitors and all our wildlife residents safe.

If you’re planning a visit, here are some important safety tips about Black Bears:

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Campfire safety: If you love Ontario Parks, don’t burn them!

Today’s post comes from Marketing and Communications summer student Mitch Jackson. His campfire talents include cooking stuffed peppers, grilling barbecue chicken, and always managing to forget to pack a lighter. 

For many campers, a fire is a must. Gathering ’round the flames, sharing stories with friends and family, making s’mores, and burning marshmallows are all part of the quintessential camping experience.

While you may have the perfect campfire recipes, or the perfect campfire building technique, you should also be aware of how to keep your campfire perfectly safe.

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Our free PARKsmart PFD Lending Program

While swimming, boating and other water activities are a centrepiece of many Ontario Parks adventures, there are also risks associated with these activities.

We want our visitors to stay safe when they hit the waves.

And that starts with a PFD (personal flotation device)!

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7 things to remember when arriving at the park gatehouse for day use

In today’s post comes from Discovery Leader Matt Cunliffe at MacGregor Point Provincial Park. 

When the big day comes, if you’re like me, all you want to do is get to your site: tent set, chairs out, feet up.

I’ve worked for Ontario Parks since 2006, afnd last year had the opportunity to run a gate house.

This gave me an increased respect for the amazing work our gate staff perform and valuable perspective on just how busy the park can be during check-in time for a long weekend…or any weekend for that matter.

And after a season of answering questions and helping campers, here are a few considerations for this year:

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Find a site that fits your needs using filters

Five months ago, you woke up early, sat down at your computer to book a campsite at your favourite park.

The big day’s finally here, and you load your gear, family, and pets into the trailer. You drive to the park, get to your site and….

…your heart drops.

Your RV is too big for your campsite.

What’s worse, it’s a busy summer weekend, and the park is completely full! You have no choice, but to turn around and head back home.

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The dos and don’ts of using live bait in provincial parks

Ontario is home to more than 250,000 lakes, thousands of kilometres of streams and rivers, and more than 150 species of fish.

There are endless fishing opportunities at Ontario Parks, and dropping a line is a great way to connect with and learn about nature.

From Lake Trout to Brook Trout, Walleye to Northern Pike, we’ve got some of the best recreational fishing opportunities in the world!

But before you head out to hook a big one, let’s talk about some of the dos and don’ts of using live bait in Ontario Parks:

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