My husband & I are nomads when it comes to vacations. In our 8 years together, we had never been…read moreto the same place twice (besides extended weekend getaways in Chicago or Vegas). Lake Superior Provincial Park & the Agawa Bay Campground have broken that trend.
We first stayed at the Agawa Bay Campground in July 2013, when we were partway through a 10-day roadtrip where we had the goal to stick our feet in all of the Great Lakes during the trip (we succeeded, it was awesome, I'm happy to share our route & tips if anyone is interested). We only got 1.5 days & 1 night at this beautiful location during that trip...and as we were headed back east on Highway 17 towards our next destination, I knew we HAD to return to Lake Superior Park & stay at Agawa Bay Campground again. This place had imprinted on this nomad's soul.
We returned for a week long camping/hiking trip to Lake Superior Provincial Park this past July, and are planning on returning again next summer. We love it THAT much. There are a few camping options available in LSPP, but we personally prefer Agawa.
Perks:
*CLEAN. The campsite, the bathroom facilities, the awesome visitor center, the trails, etc...Everything is CLEAN.
*FRIENDLY. I mean...it's Canada, the joke about people being friendlier up north, isn't a joke. Every staff member we interacted with was incredibly friendly. Our fellow campers, a few aside, were also incredibly friendly & jovial.
*BEAUTIFUL. I've been an avid camper for years...and for campground camping, the scenery doesn't get better than this. There are many sites that are basically right on the beach (for tent campers), or adjacent to the beach. I've seen the sunset in numerous ocean settings in the Western Hemisphere, and to me, nothing is more beautiful than seeing the sun setting over Lake Superior.
*HUGE sites. We typically book electric sites for longer campground camping trips, and those spots tend to be larger so they can fit RV's. But we have checked out the tent camping section of this campground, and for tent sites, they are quite sizeable compared to other places we have been.
*GREAT FACILITIES. The modern bathrooms are kept clean (sometimes the shower stalls get sandy, but that's inevitable when there's a beach nearby). I don't know how, but the pit toilets also tend to be impressively clean for pit toilets.
Cons:
*Sometimes you have rude people camping next to you...but can happen anywhere you campground camp. Luckily the spots are big enough here that it's normally not TOO Distracting.
Tips:
*Plan your time far in advance if you can (like months)...and scope out the Ontario Provincial Park's reservation system to see photos of potential spots. When the day for booking opens up, there is a frenzy for the prime spots. You can probably get some great spots with short notice booking, but if you are wanting to stay for an extended period of time, your odds of getting a prime spot are a lot lower. They do reserve a few sites for drive-up campers w/o reservations.
* Bring Canadian Cash for Firewood & Ice. You can not bring in outside firewood to the park...and it's kindof a long drive to other facilities.
* While you're driving around the HUGE LSPP to the different trails, be sure to keep an eye on your gas gauge. It's a LONG way to a filling station if you get too low. We did have one close encounter this summer where I'm pretty sure we coasted into a filling station on empty, and had to wait an hour for it to open (we had been on a dawn wildlife-viewing hike).
*If you are parking at an electric campsite & during set-up you realize that you didn't bring long-enough electric cords...the gatehouse has some you can borrow. We luckily had brought enough, but it was close...
*The water of Lake Superior is Cold, and is Very Cold at the Agawa Bay Campground. Be sure to practice proper hypothermia precautions :-) (swim with a buddy, or with a buddy watching from shore. Limit time & then warm up in the sun like a turtle...etc) There are some other nearby sandy coves you can drive to for swimming, if you desire. I also recommend bringing water shoes or sandals for the beach. The little rounded rocks are gorgeous, but are painful for sensitive feet.
*Mosquitoes can be B-A-D here. Be sure to bring your preferred bug repellants, lightweight skin protecting layers, and a "screen tent/dining tent" is also recommended as an area to give yourself a break from those little pests.
*Be sure to check weather in advance. It can be considerably colder in this area than you would expect, due to the breeze coming off of the lake. Also, if you are a tent camper, make sure you are well insulated from the ground. The cold it radiates, even in July, is impressive...