This is a wonderful park! We had the greatest site ... a walk in, with it's own little access to…read morethe waterfront. We were conveniently located, right beside the Dog Beach (we have two dogs who need to run and swim). The dogs had a great time doing doggy things: swimming, running and playing with new dog friends. Sadly, for the people, the swim wasn't quite as satisfactory, as it was quite shallow water, and we couldn't get a really good open-water swim. Then, we found a new possibility. We drove to the start of the Ranger's Trail, followed it, then cut down a path toward the lake to find a magnificent open water swim !location. Clear, calm water, and you can lounge on the rocks and swim in from them. The water gets deep very fast, so be careful! My walk-in site had the most amazing toilet. OK I don`t usually write toilet reviews, but this Clivus was something to behold. The port-a-let cubicle was clean and well ventilated. The ventilation was something that surprised me, as I'd never seen a ventilated vault toilet before. It was such a great toilet: no smells at all. The staff came and cleaned it three times a day. OK, on to the landscape, which is beautiful: rolling hills, mixed forest, Canadian shield. There are so many lakes 8in this area that, I am told, the kayaking is very good. I may not do kayaking, but I do love stargazing. We were lucky to be at Restoule on August 12, when the annual meteor showers arrive. It was also my daughter's birthday. We took a blanket and pillows down to the waterfront and looked at the stars, which appeared so much larger than they do in the GTA. Our goal was to see 12 shooting stars. Within 45 minutes, we had our targeted quota and more! It's a lovely little park, and if you like an electric site, their electric sites are relatively private and spacious. I found the staff quite friendly, but I did not have cause to interact with them very often. It is also close to nearby towns, in case you forgot something (I recommend Gerry's General Store in Restoule)

Restoule Provincial Park is located north of Algonquin Provincial Park along Hwy 534. The closest…read moretown is Township of Restoule which is just a few blocks (only one restaurant in the whole town). The closest large town is Town of Port Loring. I want to review it because it is a great park but is almost a best kept secret to Torontonians, though people living in up north frequent there. The park has 3 campgrounds, two are non-electrical (Putts Point, Bells Point) and one is electrical (Kettle Point). The campsites in Putts Point and Kettle Point campgrounds are in good condition. The sites in Kettle Point seem smaller than Putt Point's, where I stayed. I estimate that an average sized campsite in Putt Point is a large campsite in Kettle Point. However, Kettle Point is more popular and the sites get booked faster, because there are a lot of RV and trailers campers. I don't like the sites at Bells Point campground. There is a comfort centre in Kettle Point and another one in Putts Point. There is no comfort centre in Bells Point. They are both in good condition. The shower water is hotter in the morning and afternoon. It becomes lukewarm in the evening. The park has access to both Stormy Lake and Lake of Restoule. The water is really clear. Both lakes have boat launch ramps. During my long weekend stay, I saw people playing motor boating, water skiing, sea-doo, fishing, sailing (only in Stormy Lake), canoeing and kayaking. The park office gives out a water way map that shows the good fishing spots. I didn't see many swimmers, probably because the water is quite shallow in the beach areas. There is also a separate dog beach. Hiking and wildlife sighting are good as well. I saw a deer up close on the Angel Point Trail (took pictures too). The best and longest trail is Fire Tower Trail. It has a spectacular lookout point overseeing Stormy Lake. This park is honestly beautiful. The water is clear; the air is clean. It is so natural and unspoiled. Star gazing is lovely on the boat launch docks, so bring your telescope. There are additional reviews on this park on Tripadvisors, should you want more details.

I'm so glad to read the detailed reviews of this park from Allison and Laura, because my experience…read morewas super brief and kind of a blur. The camp store was full of cute, well-designed things right next to the rental shack with boats and the spot to get your firewood. We rolled in to our camp site just before sunset, quickly put up our tent and through on our swimsuits and ran to the end of our little dirt road to jump in the water in the last of the golden light. It was glorious. After dinner we walked around the campground and checked out the other beach where teens were playing and bugs were gathering hungry for blood. We tucked into bed early, really glad we'd gotten that perfect swim in. We were gone the next morning early, on to the next one.

I can't say I'm a big camper. I like my comfort and convenience, and cleanliness. It's my third…read moretime camping, and I know what to expect now. I was really happy with this park, and the facilities they had. All the toilets are flush toilets, so no pinching your nose and squating on top of a hole, afriad you'll fall in. And it wasn't too stinky either. There were 4 + 1 handicap showers. The 1st one had warm water. And I never saw a line up or had to wait. The facilities were kept some what clean, and I liked that. The site also had a beach that fell on to the Moore Lake. It was a nice secluded beach and perfect for a swim and to put all your stuff. They had rental canoes and kayaks you can take out to the lake. Algonquin Northern Outfitters down the street has cheaper ones than the park. The Park store has anything you could want (including ice cream) yum. And life jackets you can borrow. The park staff also organize some events every evening (perfect for kids) like star gazing or history hikes. There is also a small museum that explains the history of Samuel de Champlain and his trade routes. I also liked seeing the park staff patrol occasionally throughout the day. The park itself had a few trails that go along the Mattawa river. It was a tortuous 5 hr hike that had us wishing we had a machete to cut through the ruffage. I guess that's how M. Champlain travelled thru the trading routes. I like going to new places all the time, but if I had to choose one to come back to , this would be it.

Park is nice, but has signs of overuse. Washrooms are kept…read moreclean. Some people abuse the facilities. I watched a guy come use the restroom, wash his hands and leave not turning the tap off. BEWARE... there is one spot in the park to get potable water, with no signage to tell you so....until you get to the campground and have to turn around go back on the highway to fill, and especially to dump your waste water.AND at the dump station there are only two dumps! We are waiting in a long lineup to dump and some people are very slow at going thru the process. I'm not amazed at any of this as it is run by the government. This is Ontarios premier park and not run very premier ....

Both times we camped there we lost power. The last time we woke up with no heat and it was -3…read more The bathrooms weren't working and the toilets were overflowing. Absolutely disgusting and we won't be back.

We recently visited Arrowhead Provincial Park for their Fire and Ice skating nights. What an…read moreamazing experience! The skating trail is a 1.3km loop that goes throughout the forest and is lit at night with tiki torches on both the trail and the paths between the trail and parking. Beautiful surroundings, fire pits to stay warm, storage area for your belongings while you skate. Very family and community friendly. Both bathrooms and change rooms are available, along with skate rentals if needed. You do need to book in advance. Highly recommended!

Arrowhead Provincial Park is a nice medium-sized park with a few hiking trails and a great place to…read morecome see the Fall colors. Entrance into the park is easy to find, but entry is a bit slow because not everyone reserved a day pass and had to turn around. So don't forget to make a reservation ahead of time. Once you're in the park, drive to the visitor's center to get a printout of your day pass. I'm not sure why we're asked to print out the day pass only to also get another copy. The visitor's center is a good place to start as it's close to most place you'll want to see. Within a short distance walk is the Big Bend lookout. There's a small parking lot there, but it was a little flooded and park employees weren't allowing cars through. There isn't any hiking in this area, so snap that photo of the iconic landmark and go on your merry way. The lookout is fairly small and crowded with maskless visitors. On the other side is Stubb's Falls, which is an easy 2.6km loop trail. It's 1.6km to the falls on the side closest to the vistor's center, and 1km on the other side. The 1.6km trail is fairly dry, but the 1km side is very muddy, so make sure to bring waterproof hiking shoes. The falls themselves are very touristy and the majority of people who visit don't wear masks or keep their masks wrapped around their wrists. After the falls, you can head straight across to view a bridge and Arrowhead Lake. The beaches are pretty nice, but there are lots of mosquitoes here, so make sure to pack some repellant. I tried to park in this area to hike parts of the Arrowhead Lake Trail, but was turned away because parking was full. Overall, Arrowhead is a decent park, but there isn't too much to do or see here.

Had a great stay. Sites were big and clean and very well spaced apart. Didn't see the neighbors if…read moreyou didn't want to.

Only $30CAN per night! Rolled up on a beautiful Thursday at 9pm, just trying to get a bite and…read moresome smoked salmon/trout for breakfast the next morning, but the place was so nice, we rested our bones there instead of the other campsite we had planned to stay at. For $30 we got a spot 10' off the lake! Tons of room. Enough space for 3 tents. Had a table and fire pit built in. People seemed cool. Only there one night, and something bear-ish definitely crept past our tent and went for a midnight swim (loudly). The fishing was STRAIGHT. Caught a walleye after only 4 casts. Shoulda' ate it... The skeeters are why I have to withhold a star. Those Canadian mosquitoes are easily the most aggressive insects I've ever encountered. They didn't always bite you or leave you itching, but when they swarm, mahfucka's will LAND ON YOUR EYEBALL. No joke. I definitely huffed a few while smoking a jack too... The food at the front of the campsite (we got fish and chips) was only OK. The poutine style fries (covered in gravy and shredded cheese) were only OK too. The general store sold fishing/camping gear as well as limited groceries and such. Well, they also sold the best smoked salmon I've ever had. I bought rainbow trout, coho salmon, and atlantic salmon. The atlantic salmon, probably caught nearby and dated only 3 days prior, was drip down your forearm oily (which is a good thing when dealing with an oily fish-and besides, fish oil is about the healthiest thing in the world outside of blueberries). The coho and trout were tasty but nearly as good.

I'm not going to pretend that I am an expert at anything camping. This was a nice Saturday drive,…read moreright up to our reserved spot at Killbear, complete with a designated firepit and list of infractions to keep the place clean and safe. What a beautiful piece of country; Parry Sound and Georgian Bay. Trying to disconnect with the fam and enjoying some homemade burgers and roasting marshmallows, I cannot overstate the tranquility of nature and small slice of Canadiana here. Sure, we shleped to Tim's the next day for coffee and drove back, but enjoyed a long track to Lookout Point, with neither rattlesnake or Bear to be found. I guess it might be considered 'Glamping,' with restrooms and clean showers right across. But its definately a safe place for the kids to bike, hike and enjoy each other's company as a throwback to simpler times. Definately worth the 2 hour drive, but book in advance! -Zuk

From my 2019 review: This is one of my favourite parks, and as a veteran camper, who has many…read morepleasant memories of Killbear, I cannot reduce it's rating. I say this, because we had few unfortunate experiences on our last trip. First, the positives of Killbear: - beautiful, unspoiled, Canadian Shield scenery - spectacular rocky shores, which you can use as a swimming platform, and then you don't get sand in your tent - not one, but two, dog beaches; they love the doggos! - large campsites The downsides - the campsites are large, but choose carefully, as many lack privacy and are very exposed. The old growth forest means that there is little bushy undergrowth to hide you from your neighbours (I like privacy! My dogs need it or they just bark. Then we get in trouble, sometimes) - you can't buy ice in the park, but you have to drive out to get it Update 2020: Killbear is such a beautiful park, AND now you can buy ice there!! This time, we were in Lighthouse A, which I would highly recommend. Close to the beach and nice hiking trails, but choose your site wisely and pay attention to the descriptions on the website when you reserve. If it rates privacy as "poor", then be prepared for a fully exposed site. That said, there are many beautiful sites, and TWO dog beaches. This year, the Anti-Fun, Anti-Noise Police-like Neighbors did not appear (do I sound resentful? You bet I am. Last year we had to leave a day early because of these noise fanatics. Really, they should have gone on a yoga retreat. This is family camping, people, not a monastery. We paid a fee when we reserved; we did not take a vow of silence). OK, I'm done the rant. Now, back to how great this park is. It is simply beautiful. The lake is wonderful: not the Muskoka soggy bottom lake, but nice, hard granite of Georgian Bay. The granite itself is beautiful. We had such a great vacation! Go off the grid! Try it!

Nice campground, well maintained and now if the rain would hold off for another day! Solid place,…read moreI'd come back.

If you're going to go camping in Northern Ontario, this is a good starting point…read more I'm surprised that there's a lack of representation for camping sites and Ontario Provincial parks on Yelp. There's so much to do and see out there, and the quality of my recent camping trip to the Georgian Bay area was stellar. You would expect there to be a lot of reviews written about these places, considering some of them have the capacity to host hundreds of campers at any given time. My group ended up opting for Sturgeon Bay, a bit of a "starter park" located just off Hwy 529. It may not be the biggest or flashiest park around, but it makes up for it with a lower risk of encountering animals and a lower noise level. After getting our permit from the head office (from the park warden, who looked like he stepped off the set of a park forestry commercial), we settled into our site, a decent-sized area near the back of the park. The benefit to this location is that we didn't have to deal with a lot of the noise of other areas (and got up to our own shenanigans with a nearby group on the final night we were there). If there was a downside to the weekend we went, it's that it gets extremely cold extremely quick, even at the beginning of September. We were sitting outside on the first night grilling hot dogs, and I was wrapped up in my sleeping bag trying to keep warm. If you are going to come up to the park in August/September, make sure you pack a coat. The park amenities are decent. There are plenty of washrooms throughout the site, each with their own separate sink and soap receptacle. There are cabins located across the street from the park, along with the showers. If there's something the staff need to work on, it's adding more showers. There are only two of them, causing lineups nearly every time you go. Not to mention that (if my friend's account is any indication) the warm water runs out extremely fast, especially if you're using the laundry room next door. There's a nice beach in the middle of the park that looks out into Georgian Bay, but we were unable to go swimming due to algae in the water. Apparently, this is the first time in a while that algae levels had been that high. If there are bears in the park, I didn't encounter them. In fact, some of the people we met at the site were so nonchalant that they apparently slept with their tents open, not caring about mosquitoes. That's not... something I would have recommended, because I did hear something outside my tent swatting at a bag of garbage the first night I was there. That said, t would recommend Sturgeon Bay for those who want to get into camping. The service is decent, the sites are clean and well-monitored and the experience was fantastic. Can't ask for much more than that.