Toronto 
Reservations for Ontario Provincial Park camping grounds are open around the year, and you can book your campsite up to five months before your arrival date.
Algonquin Park/Credit: Jaime Dantas/ Unsplash
As you can book reservations five months in advance, you will have to plan your Ontario summer camping trip within the next 80 days as the best and busiest parks (Algonquin, Killbear, Pinery, Sandbanks and Bon Echo) will be booked within a few minutes of reservation opening time of 7:00:00 a.m.
Parks Canada has not released the reservation dates yet for the 2023 season but is expected to do so by the end of January. Campground reservations usually open in mid-February for most national sites in Ontario.
When to book:
This year, the statutory federal holidays during the summer and autumn seasons fall on:
- Canada Day: Saturday, July 1, 2023
- Labour Day: Monday, September 4, 2023
- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Saturday, September 30, 2022
- Thanksgiving: Monday, October 9, 2023
August long weekend or Civic Day, a public holiday for many Ontarians (and Canadians), is on Monday, August 7, 2023.
As Ontario Parks allows campsite reservations up to five months in advance of your arrival date and if you are planning to book a campsite to take advantage of these long weekends, here are the dates you should book your campsite on:
- Father’s Day Weekend (June 18) — to arrive on Friday, June 16th, book on January 16th.
- Canada Day Weekend — to arrive on Friday, June 30th, book on January 30th.
- Civic Day Weekend — to arrive on Friday, August 4th, book on March 4th.
- Labour Day Weekend — to arrive on Friday, September 1st, book on April 1st.
- Thanksgiving Weekend — to arrive on Friday, October 6th, book on May 6th.
Ontario Parks says you need to prep your device before reservations open by updating your browser, synchronizing your system clock with the server at Boulder, Colorado, and clearing reservation system cookies from the cache so that you can book as soon as the window opens 7:00:00 am.
You also need to have a list of campgrounds ready so that you can enjoy camping at your preferred campground or roofed accommodation.
This does not mean it is impossible to camp at popular Ontario Parks campgrounds on your preferred dates if you miss the opening day. There is a high chance that you will find them nearer to the date due to cancellations.
In case you are unable to find Ontario Parks campgrounds (or National Parks sites), you are sure to find camping in the same area with 36 Ontario conservation authorities areas like Halton, Grand River, Quinte, Lake Simcoe, and Niagara Peninsula.
For an overview of Ontario Provincial Parks, see here.
The maximum number of camping days:
Last year, Ontario Parks decided to reduce the maximum length of stay from 23 nights starting summer of 2023 at its most popular parks to allow more people to avail of campgrounds during the busy summer season.
Between July 1 and the Saturday of the Labour Day long weekend (Sept 2, 2023), the maximum allowed length of stay would be seven or fourteen consecutive nights. It will remain for 23 consecutive nights for the rest of the year.
- The maximum number of consecutive nights stay at Algonquin, Bon Echo, Killbear, Sandbanks, and Pinery Provincial Parks will be seven.
- Aaron, Arrow Lake, Bronte Creek, Caliper Lake, Ferris, Kakabeka Falls, MacLeod, Missinaibi, Ojibway, Pakwash, Sandbar Lake, Silver Falls, Sioux Narrows, Voyageur, Wakami Lake and White Lake will be retained at twenty-three days.
- The length of stay at all other parks will be reduced to fourteen consecutive nights.
The number of days allowed to stay at the park will also change with the booking date.
- Those who arrive at Algonquin, Bon Echo, Killbear, Sandbanks, and Pinery Provincial Parks on June 15th can stay until July 8th, the same as those who plan to begin their camping trip on Canada Day.
For parks with a 7-night maximum length of stay:
- Arrivals between June 15th and June 30th can book a maximum stay to the departure date of July 8th.
- Arrivals on August 26th or later will be eligible to book a maximum stay of 23 nights.
Parks with a 14-night maximum length of stay:
- Arrivals between June 22nd and June 30th can book a maximum stay to the departure date of July 15th.
- Arrivals on August 19th or later will be eligible to book a maximum stay of 23 nights.
You may like:
How to Book:
- Buy Online
- Calling the Ontario Parks reservation line, 1-888-ONT-PARK (Canada & USA).
It is next to impossible to get a site now. Should be 7 days max.But then again, there are ways to get around that so yu be greedy and can stay 1 month in prime season.
Some days the parks are even closed because of too many daytime visitors.
This country is ruined. Sad.
And this pm is planning for the population to reach 100 million. Kids will soon see a beach like they see a live sporting event. …never. Or if they do go to a beach they wont see the sand with all the people lying around like seals .
soon there wont be things called nature trails, they will all be human garbage can walking highways with all animals scared off long ago somewhere else.
You cant even walk along beach shores anymore./They are all built up by cottages and the shoreline are roped off with signs TRESPASSERS STAY AWAY, THIS IS OUR LAKE.