Considering we are barely halfway through the winter semester, it may seem a bit strange to think about summer camping plans. However, Ontario Parks have already begun to allow campsite bookings. I’ve personally had it happen to me where I went onto the Ontario Parks website to book a campsite at a certain park, and to have every single campsite booked for the entire summer! It really is the worst, and it can seriously throw a wrench into your vacation plans. So what is the best way to combat this? Lots of planning! Luckily, if you aren’t too sure where to begin, I dissected the booking process all the way down to the bones and have picked up some good tips along the way.
Get comfortable navigating the Ontario Parks website
The Ontario Parks Reservation System really is a planner’s dream come true. It is super simple to use. All you need to do is select the dates you are planning on camping, select a specific park if you have one in mind, add in your party size, and pieces of equipment. After pressing the search bar, the map and legend of the park will be brought up and you can look at the site options available. If you click on a site, more information will be brought up such as any site rules, the type of site, and sometimes a picture of the site so you can see what the location looks like. The map will also mention whether certain campgrounds are radio-free, if any washrooms or comfort stations are located nearby, and any other amenities such as hiking trails and beaches.
Take note of the sites you’re interested in
When I’m planning a trip, I like to write down my ideal campsites, some backup sites, and some backups for my backups. I know that most parks have 100s of campsites, but there are most likely 100s of people also looking to go camping at the same time as you. Each campsite is graded on a fee level scale from level C, $34.25 for a non-electrical site, to level AA, $46.50 for a non-electrical site. Knowing the size and cost of the sites can further help you to decide the best campsite for your trip.
Look up the weather for the time you are planning to go
Ontario is a huge province with multiple different weather variants happening simultaneously. Although people of Essex County may be in shorts and t-shirts, those further north may just be ditching the snow coats. That’s why it’s important to look up the typical weather at the location during the time you’d like to go. For example, during the month of May, I have a couple of camping reservations around the Thunder Bay area. I know that it is not going to be very warm, and I’ll probably be in pants and a light jacket for most of the time, but I specifically chose to go early in the camping season to avoid the mosquitos and blackflies that will arrive later in the summer months.
Wake up early the day you’re planning on booking
The Ontario Parks website allows you to reserve campsites up to five months in advance. That means you can now begin booking for late July. Bookings for a date five months ahead will open exactly at 7:00 am EST, so it’s important to wake up early if you are planning to book a campsite at a high-traffic park such as Pinery, Killarney, or Bon Echo. It’ll help if you are already signed in to your Ontario Parks account, as well as have your dates and party all filled in. Once you have selected a campsite in your cart, you have 15 minutes to complete your reservation so there is no need to panic! Just simply fill out the remainder of your reservation. One last thing to keep in mind is that if you are planning a trip at multiple parks, you can book them all into one booking, but you’ll still be charged a service fee for each park.