A big change is coming for campers who like to book long-term at provincial parks.
Starting this summer, campers will only be able to book a maximum of seven or 14 nights for car camping between the Canada Day and Labour Day long weekends.
However, these new rules don’t apply to backcountry camping and roofed accommodations.
With the increased demand for campsites over the pandemic, the province became aware of some back-alley style deals where people would book sites and then re-sell them at a profit, as well as booking long-term camping, then reschedule at the last minute. The limits in bookings are aimed at curbing that behaviour.
Ontario Parks says that interest in camping has grown steadily, going from 4.3 million campers in 2014 to 6.6 million campers in 2021.
The maximum length changes only apply to select parks, but most appear to be popular and busy destinations.
There also may be flexibility for longer stays for trips that overlap with the two long weekends.
These parks are where campers can only book a maximum of seven nights during peak summer:
- Algonquin
- Bon Echo
- Killbear
- Pinery
- Sandbanks
These parks are where campers can only book a maximum of 14 nights during peak summer:
- Arrowhead
- Awenda
- Balsam Lake
- Bass Lake
- Blue Lake
- Bonnechere
- Charleston Lake
- Chutes
- Craigleith
- Darlington
- Driftwood
- Earl Rowe
- Emily
- Esker Lakes
- Fairbank
- Finlayson Point
- Fitzroy
- Fushimi Lake
- Grundy Lake
- Halfway Lake
- Inverhuron
- Ivanhoe Lake
- Kap-Kig-Iwan
- Kettle Lakes
- Killarney
- Lake St. Peter
- Lake Superior
- Long Point
- MacGregor Point
- Mara
- Marten River
- McRae Point
- Mikisew
- Mississagi
- Murphys Point
- Nagagamisis
- Neys
- Oastler Lake
- Pancake Bay
- Point Farms
- Port Burwell
- Presqu’ile
- Quetico
- Rainbow Falls
- Rene Brunelle
- Restoule
- Rideau River
- Rock Point
- Rondeau
- Rushing River
- Samuel de Champlain
- Sauble Falls
- Selkirk
- Sharbot Lake
- Sibbald Point
- Silent Lake
- Silver Lake
- Six Mile Lake
- Sleeping Giant
- Sturgeon Bay
- Turkey Point
- Wheatley
- Windy Lake
These parks are where campers can only book a maximum of 23 nights during peak summer:
- Aaron Provincial Park
- Arrow Lake Provincial Park
- Bronte Creek Provincial Park
- Caliper Lake Provincial Park
- Ferris Provincial Park
- Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park
- MacLeod Provincial Park
- Missinaibi Provincial Park
- Ojibway Provincial Park
- Pakwash Provincial Park
- Sandbar Lake Provincial Park
- Silver Falls Provincial Park
- Sioux Narrows Provincial Park
- Voyageur Provincial Park
- Wakami Lake Provincial Park
- White Lake Provincial Park
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