As part of a province-wide plan to make camping more accessible to more people, three-week-long stays at campsites in some provincial parks will be unavailable most of the summer.
During the peak season from July 1 to Labour Day weekend, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks will reduce the maximum length of stay from 23 nights to either 14 or seven nights at the more popular parks across Ontario. Outside of these dates, the maximum stay will be 23 nights.
Area parks, including Bass Lake, McRae Point and Mara, are impacted, with the maximum permitted stays in these parks during the peak summer months at 14 nights.
Five of the province's most popular parks — Algonquin, Bon Echo, Killbear, Pinery and Sandbanks — now feature seven-night maximum stays.
"We've heard from countless visitors how frustrating it can be to miss out on a summer camping reservation," the ministry stated. "With reservations in high demand, it can be difficult to get a campsite at some of our campgrounds."
According to the ministry, camping in provincial parks has grown steadily from 4.3 million reserved campsite nights in 2014 to over 6.6 million in 2021.
More information about booking and staying at provincial park campsites is available online.
Ontario continues to allow campers to stay at the same campsite on Crown land (outside provincial parks) for a maximum of 21 days, although it's proposing to change some regulations related to Crown land camping.
