Killbear Provincial Park August 2014

Our family stayed at Lighthouse Campground in Killbear Provincial Park this past August Long Weekend.
The weather was beautiful! Killbear is a beautiful park with beautiful sandy beaches and pristine water.  We hiked the Lighthouse Point Trail which is a short loop that takes about half an hour to walk, and also did the Lookout Point trail which is longer at about 3 kms and takes about two hours with complaining children.
Unfortunately the campsite privacy at Killbear has gotten even worse with the removal of so many trees.  We stayed at campsite 1441 and it was literally the worst campsite I have ever stayed at.  There was absolutely zero privacy and the site itself was so small that having a camper trailer and our friend's tent on the site left us no room to even walk about.   It felt like we were camping in a parking lot and because it was a long weekend, the place was packed.  There was a line up to use the toilets in the comfort station at 11:15 pm.
Fortunately the weather and beach were so awesome that we spent most of our time at the beach but I will never stay at that campground again, nor will I stay at Killbear on a long weekend.  The park isn't THAT nice to put up with those kinds of crowds and crappy campsites.
Killbear also does not rent out any boats nor does it have a park store.  We discovered the White Squall Paddling Centre www.whitesquall.com nearby.
They rent out kayaks, canoes & SUP's.  We rented a tandem kayak and the staff was very helpful at teaching us how to secure the boat to our Caravan's roof.  We paddled around Scott's Island in Georgian bay and around all the boats anchored by the campground's Day use area and many beaches.

Electrical Site @ Killbear = Winning the Lottery

Well it's officially happened.  Booking an electrical campsite at Killbear is akin to winning the lottery. Literally.  It is only March 2nd and already most campsites at Killbear Provincial Park are fully booked until late August.  I spent tireless hours last week researching which sites were to come available to book for 5 months in advance for Killbear.  This means the August Long weekend.  As per the ONT PARK customer service staff's suggestion, I woke up at 6:45, picked my site, prefilled the required fields then hovered over the "reserve" button until the very second the clock turned 07:00 am. At 07:00:01 I was too late.  I lost out by milliseconds.  Their website then completely froze rendering me unable to book something, anything that may still be available.  At 7:02 when it unfroze the park was completely sold out.
I am shocked and saddened that this is what it has come down to.

Algonquin Provincial Park - Canisbay Lake Reviews

Algonquin Provincial Park is a provincial park located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River in Central Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1893 and is the oldest provincial park in Canada. The park is about 7,653 square kilometres.  Highway 60 runs through the south of the park, which is the entry point for Canisbay Lake. We have camped at both the car camping sites and twice at the Paddle In campsites.  
The regular campsites are a little close together and lack privacy to a certain degree. We have been there four or five times now in the Fall.  There is NOTHING like Algonquin Park in the fall.  NOTHING.  
Although the campsites themselves may lack privacy, anyone who just stays at their campsite while visiting Algonquin Park is simply missing out.   There are hundreds of km's of hiking and biking trails, canoe & kayaking routes, beaches, wildlife viewing etc.   Due to the fact that we go in the Fall, it is quieter, with most campers staying in their trailers.  The comfort stations are clean and there are laundry facilities on site.  We went in September 2013 and it rained on us the entire time! Our campsite was flooded, but not our spirits.  The park was still beautiful and the dryer certainly came in handy. 
There are 16 paddle in only campsites located on Canisbay Lake.  You park your car near the beach, pack your gear into the canoe (your own or you can rent one from Algonquin Outfitters) and paddle to the vacant campsite of your choice.  It is first come first serve.  You still get the benefit of backcountry camping without the portaging.

 The beach is clean and safe and if you don't like the one at Canisbay Lake, your park permit allows you to visit any and all of the other campgrounds located along the Hwy 60 corridor.  
I would highly recommend Canisbay Lake for family camping and give it a big Thumbs UP!


Campsite 214 Sept 2013. It was a little soggy. 

 View from Hardwood Lookout

Arrowhead Provincial Park Review

Arrowhead Provincial Park is located about two hours north of Toronto in beautiful Huntsville.  This park has it all.  The campsites are some of the best we've ever visited.  There are lots of electrical campites (bring a long extention cord) and they are big and private. There is lots of wildlife viewing and we usually get a glimpse of a Doe or the snapping turtle that lives under the dock.

The campsites in "East River" campground are the best in the park and close to the comfort station.  Most of the washrooms are being replaced and modernized throughout the park.   There are four different beaches on Arrowhead Lake.  You can rent a canoe or kayak and paddle down the river to Stubb's Falls for some site seeing and natural whirlpools.   There are many kilometres of hiking and biking trails.
The wardens travel around quite a bit during the night and day which can be a little bothersome, but it keeps the noise and rowdiness to a minimum.
Recently, Arrowhead built some camping cabins which can be rented out for almost all year round.  My husband and I rented it for a weekend in January for some winter camping.  Nirvana was at hand.
We were the only ones in the entire park.  It was peaceful and beautiful.  Arrowhead also built a skating path that winds through the deserted campsites.  At night they light tiki torches and call it "Fire & Ice". They also have a free tubing hill.  We went snowshoeing, skating, cross country skiing and tubing.  There is nothing like being in a provincial park in the winter.
Overall this parks gets a big Thumbs UP for family camping, great beaches, big, private campsites and a back to nature environment.

Killbear Provincial Park Review

Book Early for camping in Killbear Provincial Park.  Reserving a site at this popular park takes a special kind of determination.
Located on Georgian Bay Killbear has rocky shorelines with miles and miles of sandy beaches.  The beach and swimming areas are definitely the main attraction.   The water is clean, calm and shallow; great for families and little children.   The campsites along the beach are at premium rates and feature stunning views of the Georgian Bay shoreline and sunsets.   These book up fast!  Killbear is a huge campground with over 1400 campsites!  Most campsites are non-electrical.  Roughly 300 are electrical and book up right away, five months to the day.
For the most part Killbear's campsites are very close together and lack privacy.  Worsening matters, in the fall of 2012, Killbear Provincial Park was forced to cut down thousands of American beech trees infected with beech bark disease. Fortunately, the beach and all of the hiking & biking trails (over 6 km) make up for the lack of privacy at the campsites. The wildlife viewing is also plentiful.  Most people see a bear each visit. We had a doe come visit our camp.  A perfectly clean campsite is definately essential in this bear country.
We have found a gem at Killbear, site 37 which is not electrical but has "good" privacy, is close to the flushing toilet, water tap and is a 30 second walk to the beach.
Killbear gets a Thumbs UP for family camping.

Haliburton Forest & Wildlife Reserve Review

1095 Redkenn Rd, Haliburton, ON K0M 1S0
 http://www.haliburtonforest.com/activities/camping

Haliburton Forest is a 3 hour drive from Toronto in beautiful Haliburton.  Opened in 1996 it is privately owned with hundreds of acres of land and over 50 lakes.  It is an outdoors enthusiasts paradise.  There are 17 semi-wilderness campsites that can be reserved on a first come-first serve basis and can be reserved many, many months in advance  unlike it's Ontario Parks counterpart. 
The term "semi-wilderness" refers to the fact that these sites do not have any electrical hook ups or other services. There is no water tap to walk to, your water is either brought in or boiled from the lake you are staying on. All the sites are situated directly on a lakeshore, meaning you have your very own private beach and swimming area.  They are well spaced, extremely private, without back lots and totally out of site from any neighbor. Sites are equipped with a picnic table and outhouse.  Some of the activities that are available include: The Wolf Centre, 300 km of trails for hiking, biking, snowmobiling, dog sledding, fishing, forest canopy tours etc.  This is a true Ontario camping experience.  Thumbs UP!
We went in October and it was truly a beautiful spot. 

Bass Lake Provincial Park Review

Bass Lake Provincial Park is off the 400 about 5 km West of Orillia.  It is a smaller park, about 1 1/4 hours from Toronto.  It's convenient location make it easy for novice campers as it's close to Walmart or shopping in case you forgot something.  It has a very small beach and children's play area.  There is a 2.8 km hike along the beach which is quite nice.  The beach can get quite crowded and is very dirty with Goose droppings as the Canada Geese have taken it over.  The children's playground is also very, very small with antique (old & out of date) equipment.  The campsites are small and quite close together and lack privacy.  It is packed during Long Weekends and the peak season of July & August.  This past year my husband took our family there for Opening Weekend which was Mother's Day- I enjoyed bacon & eggs lovingly prepared for me on the open fire! Only 5 sites in total were booked which was perfect.
It felt like we had the whole park to ourselves.  This particular park is best enjoyed in May, June and September when it's less busy and more peaceful.
Overall, I would not recommend this park as the campsites are not very good, the beach is not good and there's really nothing to see. It's just OK. Thumbs halfway between up and down.