Jacked Up Price when Returning Canoe…read more The owner of the shop named a price when we picked up the canoe, charged my friend's credit card, and told us to just put the canoe on the wash racks when we return. However, when we came back, they pulled us into the shop and said that the credit card didn't go through. Being the nice and trusting person my friend is, he handed over his credit card. The amount they are charging now has more than doubled. When we asked for clarification from the owner, he said that this is the going rate and our 'expectation is unrealistic'. What is more terrifying is that the fun, nature-loving facade that he had on retracted to reveal the face a greedy, dishonest businessman. His face literally changed on a dime. My friend has since cancelled his credit card to prevent further cash grabs from these folks. After reading Mike Badus' review - yeah, that's a smart move. What a sour ending to an otherwise beautiful canoe trip.

BEWARE. TERRIBLE CANOE RENTAL EXPERIENCE! Dishonest Owner…read more Some friends and I went for a camping trip and because of unforeseen circumstances ended up renting a canoe from Voyageur Quest. The staff member was friendly - at first. He told us the price of $37 for the rental and that upon return we can just hang it on the wash rack in the back if no one was here. He rushed me through the paperwork and took and imprint of my credit card and had me sign it. There was no reason to not trust him at this point. The next day, when we came back from our trip, him and a younger staff member were at the shop. After returning the the canoe in the back, we got pulled into the office under pretences that my credit card did not go thru. In fact, what was happening was they had change the price and claimed that it was 2-Day rental now and the price has now ballooned to $85.88?? Seriously! When we confronted the gentlemen that had rented us the canoe, his demeanour changed from friendly to aggressive and accusative. Calling us 'unreasonable' to think we can rent a canoe for less than that. However twisting the fact that he gave us the price!! Honestly being worried about his sudden change in behaviour, I was forced into paying. All of this seems just like a tourist trap and they just wanted more money. Also at every step of the way, he failed to provide us with copies of the paperwork and at the end they nearly squeezed out of printing the receipt. So be ware of this place they are extremely unprofessional and unfriendly. I have since cancelled my credit card.

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.

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.

Outdoor nature walk at its best. This conversation area is a beautiful spot for a hike within city…read morelimits. The trails are well maintained, it's common to see birds, chipmunks, squirrels, but sometimes you can spot a deer or a beaver. We take our dog on walks here a few times a month, and it's a great for him as there are so many smells for him to enjoy during the walk. This place is a family favourite. We have been enjoying this space for years and will enjoy for many more years to come.

If you're willing to sacrifice a few odds and ends, Finlayson Point is a fantastic campsite to…read morevisit. Since coming here back in September with four of my buddies, I've been reflecting on the experience. As part of our now seemingly-annual camping trips, I found this to be a better overall experience than last year's stay at Sturgeon Bay -- but not without some caveats. There is no question that if you're looking for prime views of the lake and ease of access to nearby towns and activities, this is the place to go. A relatively-quiet space just outside the town of Temagami, this site is much further removed from the action and offers a lot of opportunities for hiking, boating and fishing. My friends and I stayed in the site's sole cabin, which has a prime view of the lake and featured a whole bunch of amenities and tools, including a barbecue, cleaning supplies and four beds. Despite the additional features, I wasn't as big on this cabin as my friends were. For one, the place turns into an absolute sauna at night, even with all the windows open and fans going. I ended up sleeping on the couch and could barely get any sleep for the first two days due to the heat and other external factors. That being said, the cabin was an undeniably beautiful place. Filled with plenty of rustic touches, it was incredibly peaceful when I just wanted to sit and read a book. The attached barbecue also came in incredibly handy, and I ended up cooking for the group for the majority of the trip. Most of the campsites are big, and it wasnt uncommon this late in the season to see couples and large families braving colder weather and bringing their RVs or camps to enjoy the season. In fact, the weather may have made it even busier, as I saw a number of people walking around nonchalantly with heavy raingear just days before the park closed for the season. The staff are a bit strict on the campers, but then again, we were acting like a bunch of schmucks on the first night and had built a campfire that was too large. Coming off the heels of a nearby forest fire, it's no surprise that we were read the Riot Act for it. The warden, Hannah, was fairly polite otherwise, and the rest of the staff were good. The warden's office doesn't have much in the way of amenities (only one central bathroom/set of showers, balanced out by unique services like a fish cleaning station), but it's adequate. Luckily, the site was fairly close to the town of Temagami. My friends were able to paddle down to the town (forgoing the truck) to pick up supplies. More than one review online has mentioned how the park is a nightmare for boats (to the point that it's been referred to as "the 407 of the north" on one forum), and it's hard to argue with that point. You'd best hope you have no plans to sleep regularly, because big boats and biplanes will roar past the lake in the middle of the night. I didn't even get any sleep for the first two days because of the constant noise from large biplanes flying at impossibly-low altitudes overhead, and my friends very nearly had a collision with a plane landing in the lake when they were out canoeing. It's also a bit tough for some trucks and vans, as the paths are narrow and it can be hard to maneuver around the site. There is no question that the park has character, though. Whether it was befriending some of the local wildlife (don't tell the staff that the chipmunks love chocolate bars) or dipping your feet into the lake at the docks at sunset, this is an impossibly beautiful site that offers a lot of great views and makes you feel like you're in the heart of cottage country. Well worth a visit if you're in the area. Recommended!

Only hearing about this cool place at the cottage (yay local guides!). This seems to be a private…read morelocation filled with unique stages flanked by these haunting concrete sculptures along with various metal structures. It is a hybrid of art/music/camping/hiking/local vendors. Oh and they have a local population of peafowls. If you are up in cottage country, definitely worth a look. Would love to attend an event hosted here in the night. It would be incredibly haunting. They only seem to have a FB page called: Screaming-Heads-Midlothian-Castle.

From the owner: Screaming Heads is a privately owned Park operated by the artist Peter Camani. The park can be…read moreentered at no charge to the public. The sculptures are large monolithic shapes made from reinforced concrete. Some being 18 feet tall and weighing many tons. They cover some fifty acres. You are encourage to wander around and through them.

Nice campground. Lake is accessible…read more No pet beach, but we managed with 2 dogs. Staffing is low, but the place is clean. Store has a great selection of gifts and snacks. We're coming back for sure

Going with 4 stars on this one because that's what it deserves, but honestly for me it was a 3 star…read moreexperience. If you DO have a dog (and u r bringing ur furchild with u) and/or if u DONT have a boat...then likely u will find this a 3 star experience as well, if not less. Location: 4h from Montreal, a super easy drive straight through Ottawa to the end of the 417 then off on some county roads. Easy peasey. Once you get to the county roads it's beautiful hills of forests with lakes and ponds that appear out of nowhere. Quite pretty. This campground is not even 1 hour away from Algonquin Provincial Park so that's why we chose it (Algonquin was fully booked, this was our 2nd choice). Campsites: Oh boy. Warning: objects in photos on the reservation site appear larger than they are in real life! We chose site 62 thinking its' marsh led into Bonnechere River, this was not the case. The marshes do NOT lead to the river so if you want a water front site (which I highly recommend) you're going to have to pick one that specifies RIVER ACCESS. (Basically you want sites: 71, 72, 73, 75, 76, 77, 79, 81, 83, 85, 87, 88, 89, 91, 93, 95, 97 or 99. Only some of these options are perfect, but hey, for direct river access it's worth it). The campsites are large enough for tents and/or trailer combinations with shelters, have 2 picnic tables which are movable and a decent short iron firepit with grill. You'll be pitching your tent on sand, so easy to peg. Scenery: the beautiful lake at this campground was stunning! Typical Ontario forestry in the valley of the mountains. The variety of trees at our campsite alone was awesome. Weather: It rained for a whole day and night but other than that we were pretty lucky, not too cold. Weather is more predictable here than other mountainous territory, so using your weather app is a good idea to prepare. Build a rain shelter stat. You'll thank me. Commodities/Accommodations: - DOGS ALLOWED! ***However you cannot bring your dog anywhere close to the gorgeous beach. That sucks and severely limits the areas you can enjoy if you don't have a waterfront site. (We spent all our time fishing off a boat launch area in between sites 91 and 93 'cuz that's as close as we could get to the water with Irie). - Several comfort stations all with flush toilets and showers, a few with laundry machines too. - Dry vaults with sinks to wash your hands, evenly spaced in the loops, quite stinky but did the trick. - Park store with variety of food, supplies, wood (2/12$, 5$ kindling), ice (3.50$), worms(4$), gifts etc. They even have wagons you can borrow to trek your wood to your car. - Kayaks and canoes rental (35$/d 8$/h) - A few rustic cabins to rent off in the trails with river access at some of them - The only sites with electrical access do not have access to the river (which is fine for me but I mention it for those who require outlets) - Very VERY well kept clean park with amazing friendly staff (even reimbursed 100% of one of our nights due to a family emergency) Activities: The "FIT trail" at Bonnechere Campground is much, much smaller than it looks on the map and while it's pretty and simple, if you don't happen to do this trail while here, trust me it's no big deal. GO TO ALGONQUIN PROVINCIAL PARK! Not an option, you cannot come to this campground and not go take advantage of the hiking trails at Algonquin for 17$ for everyone in your car to have access. It's an hour away down the 60 and my gawd! You have to do this! Wildlife: apparently there was an "Active Bear in Campground" for most of the days we stayed but we never ran into him/her. Plenty of adorable, obviously hand fed, chipmunks (they came right up to our feet without anything in our hand to offer them). Even saw some kool turtles basking on the fallen logs in the marsh behind our site. Plenty of different birds, friendly blue jays, even saw a Pied King Fisher!! Also saw a coupla turkey vultures chilling on posts on the roads. Tons of frogs and toads of all sizes. Caught plenty and plenty of pumpkinseed sunfish, someone else caught a pike n someone else caught a large mouth bass. Overall if your goal is Algonquin and you waited too long to book your site there...go ahead and come here but still plan your days to go to Algonquin. Otherwise, if you have a boat or don't have a dog you will seriously love this place!