Camper Umo's Campground Reviews

Analysis of Ontario Parks Statistics 2004-2017

2019-08-22T17:03:00.001-04:00

2019 Update on Ontario Parks Statistics

Greetings fellow campers,

It's been a while since I last reviewed the state of camping in Ontario through their annual parks statistics report - nearly 4 years actually. A lot has happened in that time - Canada turned 150 years old, gas prices dropped and rose again, the Canadian dollar has dropped substantially in value relative to the US dollar, and Ontario recently elected a new goverment. While it's too soon to analyse the data on the last point, we can look at the implications of the other two.

Last time I had a look, the number of park visitors had been in decline for a decade, dropping from 10.5 million visitors in 2005 to 8.5 million in 2014, a stunning 19% decline in the number of visitors at a time when Ontario's population had risen by 11% (2006-2016). Looking at the latest data, this trend has reversed somewhat, which is good news. In fact, park visitation reached recent highs over this period, topping out at over 10.5 million once again in 2016 (I should reiterate though, this is drawing from a larger population, so if the number of out-of-province visitors has stayed constant, the proportion of people who are camping is still in decline).

As I mentioned, gas prices and the Canadian dollar have declined in that period (though gas prices have seen an increase lately), making visits from American tourists potentially more attractive in recent years. The data available in the 2014 report suggested this may have been a factor with the share of US visitors dropping from 11% to 6% between 2006 and 2011 (the only two years where data were available). Looking at the figure above, there does seem to be some sort of inverse relationship here, with annual visitors seeming to dip/stagnate when gas prices rise (to some degree), but the drop in gas prices in 2009 did not provide a bump in visitors. As well, I ran a regression analysis with visitors and gas prices (I know, a very limited data set) and for what it's worth neither seem to be statistically significant for the park system as a whole.

The number of camping nights per camper had also dropped in 2014, by around 10-15%, from around 3.7-3.8 to 3.3. So it seemed that campers are staying for shorter amounts of time. Unfortunately, this trend has not reversed much, with the average stay per camper still hovering at around 3.2 in 2017, down from the recent high of 3.8 in 2006.

A number of factors could be at play here, including increased nightly camping fees over that time period. For example, regular "premium" camping fees for an electrical site wish showers was $33/night in 2005, incl GST. In 2017, it was $51.13/night, incl HST. If you adjust the $33 for inflation, it would have been $40.18 in 2017 - so that would give us roughly a 25% increase in nightly fees. I should also point out that GST was only 7%, while HST is 13%. It's not much better in the backcountry; in 2005, Bon Echo and Algonquin were $7.50 and $9, respectively - $10.17 and $12.43, in 2017; these represent increases under 15% after adjusting for inflation, but it's worth noting that these are per person fees. In Algonquin, you can have up to 9 people on a site, so that would be a nightly fee of $112 for a fully-occupied backcountry site in the province's more popular interior camping park!

I should state that this average length calculation I've made may be flawed; when looking at the definitions provided in the park statistics, we can see that "average length" and "campers" data seem to contain a circular reference to one another; determining which is derived from the other isn't clear from their glossary (at least, I think we can say for certain that "camper nights" is taken from Ontario Parks gate data and I would guess that "campers" is too). I would expect this to be independent of factors such as gas prices or the CAD, and would have expected that that those campers who make the time and effort to visit a park would want to stay longer due to all that congestion and those high gas prices.

The number of campers per visitor, which might indicate levels of interest in camping, have stayed pretty steady - a very slight dip in the years between 2005-2012, but recovering back to 2004 levels by 2017. This suggests that overall interest in camping is stable, and day visitors are continuing to do what they do, with no new motivation to stay the night.

A topic that I didn't touch upon during my previous analysis was the backcountry, which is odd, because I love the backcountry. Personally, I have hope that if Ontario Parks see increasing interest in backcountry camping, they'll increase the total number of sites available by preserving and developing more crown land for this purpose. So I've decided to dig into the data this time to see how visitation has changed in this period. Ontario Parks doesn't do regional summary statistics in the annual parks stats report (which can be obtained if you ask very nicely to the folks at the MNRF), so all of the data needed to be entered manually into a spreadsheet. I only have the reports from 2010-2017 available, but hopefully that provides an interesting picture nonetheless.

I think that the results are indeed interesting. Looking at the overall picture, you can see that there has been an impressive increase in interior camping nights. If you simply compare 2017 to 2010, some shocking figures result; 25% increase province wide, 34% increase in NE Ontario, and a shocking 200% increase in SE Ontario. However, the numbers vary year-to-year; I would guess this has something to do with weather, perhaps particularly around long weekends, but this is just a guess without more detailed data. If you just take the 3 year averages around 2010-12 and 2015-17, you get more plausible sounding increases of 15% province wide, 9% increase in Algonquin, 80% increase in SE, and 22% in the NE. The only alarming figure is a 4% drop in backcountry camper nights in the NW. However, since there are just so many opportunities up there for crown land camping (free!), it could just be that any increases in interior camping are occurring outside of the parks system.

The overall changes in interior camping activity could mean that people are staying longer, more people are staying in the backcountry, or both. Ontario Parks doesn't publish data on the number of interior campers per park or per region (just camper nights), so we can't say for sure. But what we can say for sure is that this is more revenue for Ontario Parks from interior camping. Of course, over 50% of all these camper nights (270,000 in 2017) are spent in Algonquin park. Just for a point of reference, there are 1900 interior sites in Algonquin - "only" 25% of all the interior sites in operating parks. So yes, it can be said that Algonquin received a disproportionate share of the Parks system's backcountry revenue. But given its location within a 3 hour drive of the bulk of the province's 13 million people, this makes sense, especially if you think all rocks/trees/lakes look the same.

A few other points - while Algonquin is certainly an interior camping behemoth, there has only been a 9% increase in camper nights (on the order of population growth in that time). The NE, on the other hand, has seen a 22% increase, while SE Ontario has seen a 80% increase in interior camper nights. This SE growth is a phenomenal increase, even once you take into account that half of this increase is attributable to the switch of Kawartha Highlands from non-operating (free to use) park to operating park. I take this to be a positive story about increased interest in backcountry camping that can be reached within a day's drive and I hope that we can find more crown sites that can be developed for Provincial Parks.

I could go on with more analysis but I'll stop there. I'd love to hear from you if you'd like to see more analysis, fellow camping quants. I could do some analysis on individual parks, engagement with activities...anything you might be interested in, just ask and I'll see if I can tinker with the data. I might even do it if I don't hear from you, I'm that much of a camping nerd. Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Review: Sango Sands, Durness

2019-08-18T07:56:00.003-04:00

View overlooking sandy cove at Sango Sands Oasis

Location: Durness, 5 hours north of Glasgow or Aberdeen, 6 hours north of Edinburgh,
Website: Sango Sands Oasis
Map: Google
Camping Facilities: Car camping
Grade: B
Stargazing: Overcast on our visit but probably quite good
Summary: Nice option to camp along Scotland's northwest coast
Thoughts: Seven days isn't a lot of time to see a big city, let alone an entire region/nation the size of Scotland. With it's varied scenery and abundant hiking opportunities, there's a lot that one can do to experience the "natural" environment (gotta use the quotes folks, the UK as a whole is on the extreme development end of rural area modification spectrum). But when you're doing a circuit of the nation, trying to get a flavour for the coasts, the lochs and the mountains, and factor in the travel time (lengthened due to the many single-track roads in the northern regions of Scotland) and you're lucky if you can solid day hike in. Camping then becomes a huge part of getting the full out-of-doors experience when you're cooped up in a car for so much of your journey.

Sloping but relatively spacious campground

We had planned to make Durness part of our trip from the very outset, given it's seeming remoteness at the far NW corner of Great Britain. Surely it must be unlike anything we'd experienced to that point, we thought. And we were right, the trip up there was spectacular, with many beautiful coastal bays and mountains to drive past. And we were also lucky to find a nice campsite in Durness where we could take in the sea air while we slept, at the Sango Sands Oasis campground.

Path to the edge of the bluff overlooking the Atlantic

The campground was relatively spacious, nestled amongst inspiring coastal scenery. The is a nice short hiking path with a boarded path that takes right to the edge of the bluff overlooking the North Atlantic Ocean. It's a mesmerising sight to take in, even on the cloudiest of days.

A very handy sheltered dining area

The amenities were good, with tables provided for sit-down, leisurely dining in the cooking shelter. It sure beats having to battle the wind and rain while you try to shovel your breakfast down before it loses all remnant warmth. The layout of the campsite was haphazard (per usual for UK car camping), setting up where ever you could find a suitable spot. The area we were able to find was sloped, so it didn't make for the most comfortable sleep, but you pitch your tent right next to your car, so that affords a certain convenience.

Delicious haggis at Smoo Cave Hotel

There is also excellent food available in town, with the Smoo Cave Hotel serving some of the (purported) best haggis in the area. In fact, it isn't made in Durness, sourced from a specialist butcher a few towns away. This was my first time tasting haggis, so I can't comment on its ranking, but it was delicious; a buttery flavour that reminded me of black pudding. When I mentioned this to the barman, he glared back at me with what I guessed was a mixture of irritation reserved for tourists and pity that I didn't know what I was talking about.

Panorama of the Durness coast

Review: Lazy Duck hostel, campsites and eco-huts, Nethy Bridge

2019-08-17T08:34:00.002-04:00

A campsite adjacent to a fire pit (with log bench)

Location: 30 mins NE of Aviemore, 3 hours N of Edinburgh
Website: Lazy Duck Hostel
Map: Google
Camping Facilities: Car camping, space for 4 tents
Grade: B+
Stargazing: Good, but not much open space to view...
Summary: Good campsite to explore the Cairngorms
Thoughts: I was pretty excited to find some rustic camping opportunities in the Cairngorms, someplace that was central, with good access to the many hiking opportunities in the area. After some on-the-fly internet searching, my partner found Lazy Duck and it seemed to tick most of the boxes:

Forested tent sites without many neighbouring sites (only 4 sites available)
Opportunities for hiking nearby
Relatively good access to pubs (in Aviemore)
Option to use a fire pit.

All things that aren't easy to find while camping in the UK.

On-site hiking trail

One of the staff feeding the
namesake ducks

We were quite happy with the experience overall. The cooking area was sheltered and you access to flush toilets. The "lazy ducks" were fun to watch while you enjoy a peaceful rest by the pond. And we even appreciated the onsite hiking trail, which allows you to get a feel for the woods. The outdoor forest shower was also unique, one that I recommend if you want a "getting in touch with nature" hygiene experience.

In sum, this is a fine camping option that gives you the comforts of home in a peaceful outdoor setting while allowing you access to some great hiking in the nearby mountains.

An additional fire pit was located next to the cooking shelter

A bench at the terminus of the hiking trail

First Donation to CPAWS!

2018-07-06T02:56:00.003-04:00

Hey fellow campers,

When I started this blog, I wanted to find a positive way to use the ad revenues generated. CPAWS has been an organisation that I've admired for all their good work in protecting wild places and their ecological integrity. I received my first Google Adsense payment this month, and made my first donation from this website. I want thank you all for your support of both this blog and for CPAWS. Please see this thank you card to you all. A correction: This blog has been up for 7 years, not 6 (!) crazy how time flies....

Tax Receipt for Google Adsense Payment to CPAWS

In case you were wondering, this is what a Google Adsense payment looks like
(along with a creepy smiley face)

Review: Cashel Campsite, Loch Lomond and the Trosachs National Park

2018-06-17T16:28:00.000-04:00

Loch Lomond from Ben Lomond

Location: An hour from Glasgow
Website: "Camping in the Forest" website - Cashel Campsite
Map: Google map
Camping Facilities: Car camping
Grade: C+
Stargazing: Very good
Summary: No caravan? Sleep in the ditch.
Thoughts: Before I get into my review of the campground, I need to talk about midges. This was the first place I ever camped in Scotland, having wanting to see Loch Lomond ever since I first heard John McDermott crooning about her bonny shores when I was wee. But the Irish Tenor never paid sufficient tribute to the Highland midges. To be honest, I had been warned of midges, but didn't think much of them because, you see, I'm from Canada and we have mosquitoes the size of ravens, stalking around our campgrounds, and dreaded black flies that carelessly tear your flesh as they finish feasting on your delicious circulatory fluid. Clearly nothing can compare to these. I mean, really, how bad can a tiny flying flea really be? Listen Canadians, they're bad. They're really bad. They're actually horrifyingly bad. They're relentless, they don't fear the sunlight and they strike in swarms when you're tired & sweaty and simply trying to reap the rewards of your arduous hike! We got halfway up Ben Lomond on a beautiful late summer (mid-Sept) day and were stunned. Just as I was snapping a few photos, they descended with their fury, a dozen tiny, itchy pin-pricks all at once, never pausing for a moment's mercy. Then they'll itch for a good day or so. So be warned - bring some DEET or bring some meshy hats. Cover your skin as much as you can bear. Otherwise, take shelter.

You can camp on the verge if you don't have a caravan

Okay, enough about midges, on to the review of Cashel campsite. First, it's very conveniently located, just off the main road to Ben Lomond. I noticed a lot of people complain about the quality of the road leading up to it, but truth be told, I don't recall it being that bad. We pulled up and tried to track down the person responsible - the office closes a bit earlier than I'm accustomed to, and I believe we caught them right at the end of their shift (I think it was around 5ish). I was a bit taken aback when we were told where to camp at Cashel campsite. "You can set up anywhere on the grass there". "There" being the grassy median between the roads in the campground. Adjacent to the toilets and wash-up area. Convenient, yes. Pleasant? No. I definitely felt like a second-class citizen (resident?). Yes, it's true, we didn't have a camper van or a caravan or whatever you want to call it. But we're still human beings. I mean, the campground itself couldn't be more beautifully situated along Loch Lomond. But if you don't have a vehicles that gets 2 miles per gallon, you cannot by any means sleep next to the Loch? It's a bit odd. I would have thought we would be rewarded for having versatile accommodations that can be plopped down anywhere we can squeeze. But the nice sites are for the folks who camp with kitchens and duvets, I'm afraid.

A handy map of the Ben Lomond hike

Look, I get it. A lot of the sites are rented seasonally by folks who own these homes-away-from-home. I know the site is not intended to preserve the natural environment or encourage low-impact camping. It's a business, with a first-come, first-served attitude for access to the prime waterfront campsites. But a tiny patch can't be reserved for the tourist who might be passing by, looking for a place to stay next to the beautiful lake nestled amongst the mountains?

I guess I'm just disappointed with it all. But it doesn't mean you can't find a nice spot to snap a few photos of the sun setting behind the mountains, casting a few golden rays on the lake (see below). You just can't fall asleep while doing.

Some final comments. The campground itself is in very good condition, where the toilets are spotless, the washing-up area is tidy and useful. Again, I noticed on the reviews on their website that a number of people thought the toilets were shocking. It may just be a matter of differing standards, but I thought they were quite good overall. Plus the setting is absolutely gorgeous - this on its own is a good reason to stay. The hiking close by is also excellent, with many beautiful views available (see the map provided here for some inspiration for Loch Lomond). My only major complaint is that better accommodations should be provided for campers who sleep on the ground, rather than on beds.

"The steep, steep sides of Ben Lomond"

Sunset over Loch Lomond

Review: Badrallach Campsite, near Ullapool, Scotland

2017-01-23T16:45:00.000-05:00

A site on the Badrallach campground

Location: 45 minutes from Ullapool
Website: Badrallach
Map: Google Maps
Camping Facilities:

Bothy, campsites, and cottage
Grade: B
Stargazing: Very good
Summary: Beautiful location, simple facilities, sloped spots for tents, watch for midges
Thoughts: We had been driving all day, not really sure where we would end up when we did our internet search and found Badrallach Bothy. The Guardian informed us that this was one of the best campsites in the UK - to that point this was damning with faint praise (keep in mind my being accustomed to Canadian camping). But after considering it a bit, it seemed like everything we would want; close to the ocean, remote, and a genuine Scottish camping experience. I can say that we were not disappointed, by any standard of campsite.

The string of sites at the campground
(bothy in background)

We pulled up and knocked at the cottage located on site, and asked about a campsite. The price (£7.50 pp per night; Sept 2015) seemed reasonable and the setting looked fantastic. You drive in on a undulating, narrow road dug into side of the hills. It is a phenomenal spot and you get a sense of excitement to think that you're going to sleep rough in a place like this. You are tucked into the side of the hill, which doesn't afford the grandest of views, but you can look up the side of the hill to look at the heather (in the autumn at lesat) and a little waterfall that trickles its way down the slope. In addition, you can walk to the bottom of the hill on the main campsite and stroll down to the seashore and catch a good view of inlet, especially if the weather is clear.

One of the more secluded walk-in sites,
just a few steps from the main camping area

The campsites themselves are green and grassy, but the ground is generally sloped which can be create a bit of a challenge if you're trying to stay comfy in a sleeping bag. We were really impressed with the walk-in sites, which had a very private feel to them. We didn't feel like lugging our gear and setting up on one and I seem to recall the firepits being a bit better in the main camping area (though overall, they're still not great and you need to bring your own wood). The amenities (washing up facilities, washroom) are shared with the occupants of the bothy, which is fine and we had a few friendly chats with the occupants. The facilities were all in good order and sufficient for the small crowd that we had sharing the plots with us that day. The Badlarrach website suggests that the bothy becomes a common social/eating area for campers if it isn't reserved for sole use, but we did not have the pleasure of using it for that purpose.

We were visiting in Autumn, so I must warn that the midges were out as a merciless force; I suppose the midge buster was down for the season. However, as you can see from the photos, the site merits a look (just be sure to put on a midge hat). A great spot to begin a drive up the west coast of Scotland.

The setting of Badrallach Campsite

View from the nearby shore
(20 mins walk from campsite)

You mostly only share the landscape
with the sheep

Review: Rossport Campground, Rainbow Falls Provincial Park

2016-08-29T14:24:00.000-04:00

View from one of the spectacular waterfront sites
at Rossport Campground

Location: 2 hours E of Thunder Bay; 5 hours NW of Sault Ste. Marie
Website: Ontario Parks
Map: Google
Camping Facilities: Frontcountry / Car Camping
Grade: C+
Stargazing: Good
Summary: Some nice car camping with lake-front campsites, even though it's right on the highway.
Thoughts: Well it served me right for not doing too much research. I had planned to do some backcountry camping in Sleeping Giant PP, so that I could spend the afternoon enjoying its fantastic hiking trails. It turns out that the backcountry camping required a substantial chunk of hiking just to get set up. In fact, from what I could see, it was a 5 km hike just to get into the sites (I've included the backcountry map below - I really wish that Ontario Parks would post these on their website!), which was too far for one night IMHO. So I had to bail on my camping plans and settle for the bumpy drive up to the lookout over Thunder Bay (which is unreal! you have to check it out!).

A nice spot to stargaze if the skies cooperate

So I did the 2 hour drive down to Rainbow Falls instead, and it was a good thing as it would have been pretty miserable drive to Lake Superior PP the next day if I hadn't. I arrived pretty late at Rainbow Falls, getting close to supper time. I had the choice between the Rossport Campground (which is right on Lake Superior) and the Whitesand Lake Campground. So essentially, your choice is a view over shrubbery or a view over Lake Superior - it's an easy one to make. I drove around Whitesand just in case there were some nice ones that actually overlook the lake, but couldn't find any (at least, none that were available), so I just headed back to Rossport.

First lookout on Rainbow Falls trail

The check-in at the gate was typical Ontario Parks - friendly, helpful, trying to make sure you get the camping experience you're after. At both gatehouses they insisted that I roam around and have a look for a site that I like best. (Aside: this is something that will only happen in less busy parks - in Bon Echo or Pinery, you pretty well take what they have, because your site will probably be gone by the time you get back to the gatehouse). Highway noise is again an issue, but that's the price of convenience. I mean, pulling over and camping next to Gitchigumi with no reservation in peak of summer for about $40 - you can make do.

Sure, it's loud but a primo seat for
watching thundering water

A few of the sites afford a fantastic view of Lake Superior as they are right on the shore; but I must say, there are only about 4 high quality sites, and the campsites that are not adjacent to the lake were not very good. Even still some of the sites next to the lake were not actually on the water - in fact, the lake wasn't even accessible for a few of these. However, many of those sites had good under story for privacy though astoundingly, these were sometimes positioned directly across from one another (hello privacy...so long privacy).

Blueberries in various
stages of development

Rainbow Falls -
photos do not do it justice!

The following day I ventured up to the hike to Rainbow Falls (fantastic) in the Whitesand Lake campground, followed by the two lookouts (which were well worth it, mainly because of all the wild blueberries near the lookouts!). I recommend the hikes, the thundering water of Rainbow Falls takes no time to reach and will keep you entertained for a while (especially if try out your best Ansel Adams impersonation).

Backcountry map of Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
(circa 2015)

Review: Fenton Lake, Lake Superior Provincial Park

2016-08-29T07:47:00.004-04:00

View South from Fenton Lake Campsite,
a few hours after sunrise

Location: Fenton Lake, Lake Superior Provincial Park
Website: Ontario Parks or Friends of Lake Superior PP
Map: Friends of Lake Superior PP or Google Maps
Camping Facilities: Backcountry
Grade: C
Stargazing: Decent
Summary: A serviceable last-minute backcountry option, but not a reflection on the quality of the park - highway noise is an issue
Thoughts: It was getting late by the time I arrived in Lake Superior, on my way back from my first trip exploring the true "up north" in Ontario. I had the chance to explore Thunder Bay with some old friends and have a peak at Quetico, so I was happy to return to Lake Superior PP for a relaxing evening. As I've said in my other posts, Lake Superior is my favorite Ontario park, mainly because of its diversity of camping opportunities and the unparalleled beauty of its shoreline.

The single campsite on Fenton Lake

There were a few options available to me; I could stay at Old Woman's Bay at the backpacking site on its shore; I could try one of the car camping sites at Rabbit Blanket Lake campground; or I could backtrack (never a desirable option) to Fenton Lake or one of it's interior lakes. Old Woman's Bay was available but looked far too conspicuous for my liking - your tent would be in clear view of anyone who came to visit it's spectacular shores (but yes, Old Woman's Bay is hard to beat for a lunch stop or picnic). Rabbit Blanket Lake's sites were decent, but nothing too exciting (not scenic in any way, but decent privacy). But I didn't know much about Fenton and wasn't sure if it was worth it. I consulted a member of park staff at the Rabbit Blanket Lake gatehouse. We had a chat about the park in general, how underused it was, and how even the summer staff (mostly university students) didn't do very much exploring on their days off. While she hadn't been up to Fenton herself, she said that I'd have it all to myself as nobody else had registered there that night, so I decided to go for it.

Fenton Lake Put-In

By the time I put in at the end of the 500 m downhill, well-maintained portage (score!), it was nearly 6 pm. I decided that it wasn't worth the trip into one of the deeper lakes (Treeby, Shakwa, Junction or Underhill). In hindsight, if I had given myself more time, I would have.

Transport truck roaring by Fenton Lake

Fenton is a narrow lake, especially by the campsite (there is only one site), which means your view of the sky is mostly obstructed. The bigger problem is that the highway is aligned parallel to it, with traffic clearly audible from any site, especially the big rigs. Late at night, when the traffic dies down and the fire is crackling, you can nearly ignore it. The highway noise was mostly gone by 10 pm, and it's peaceful enough that I could hear the sound of a duck taking off on the other side of the lake. But if you're trying to get some peace and pretend like you're actually in the deep woods, Fenton Lake is a bummer. The big rigs just don't really ever stop. Plus I had a hard time finding a flat spot for the tent, and the site itself isn't terribly scenic. It's main saving grace is that there is a beautiful old white pine tree out front.

Not much beats a big stack of firewood
with an hour to spare before dusk

But it's not all bad news. For the anglers - the fish were constantly jumping 2 hours before sunset so I think you might have some luck there. For the swimmers, the water was calm and warm, so you might enjoy a dip. For the campfire lovers, there is so much firewood around the site. As well, there are beautiful hills surrounding the lake. Other than the highway, the lake is very peaceful (cause you'll be the only person on it). Important to note that interior sites are not reservable in Superior PP, but they are mostly available due to low attendance.

Canoe route map for Fenton Lake -
erected during Ontario Parks' glory days

Some pointers from the MNR

Review: Pickerel Lake, Quetico Provincial Park

2016-03-26T14:56:00.003-04:00

Location: 2 hrs West of Thunder Bay

Website: Friends or Ontario Park
Map: Google
Camping Facilities: Backcountry (Wilderness)
Grade: A+
Stargazing: Didn't have the good fortune, but probably pretty good
Summary: Wish I had more time...
Thoughts: I remember the first time I heard about Quetico, back in 2001, calling up the Ontario Parks reservation line and being told that "a $100 deposit was necessary for any bookings" in the park. I remember thinking "Where? Why?". It seemed odd that this random park needed an arbitrary deposit fee, but there must have been a good reason. That reason is still a mystery, mainly because I've never bothered to ask anyone up until this point. But I did look up the park to see what all the fuss was about and it is an enchanting concept: imagine a park that's about half the size of Algonquin park, where logging activities are strictly forbidden (i.e., no false vistas for the paddling thoroughfares like those found in Algonquin), where motorboats are not welcome, where the current natural state is preserved in perpetuity, where there are no grandfathered resorts in the interior, where the campsites are unmarked, where the portages are unsigned, and where you can cross the Canadian-American border by canoe. It all sounds like what a backcountry park should be. But this is one of the few in the park system where all this is true.

The call of a calm bay is hard to resist on Pickerel...

I had myself one night to check out Quetico. One night - 400,000ha. Needless to say, you can't even scratch the surface. And it had to be somewhere that wouldn't crush us in our attempt to access the park in the midst of a fierce late-summer storm. Plus it had to be a reasonable drive from Thunder Bay. It's limiting, to be sure, and our first pick (Baptism Creek - a fitting name for one's first foray into the park) was not taking any new campers that night. So we took the next best thing in Pickerel Lake. It's a 30-minute drive off the Trans-Canada, down a pretty sketchy road, till you're finally at the Pickerel Lake parking lot. Then you have to do a long 500m portage. I say "long" because it's one of those ones that feels a lot longer than what's marked for some reason. It's narrow and rocky, plus I found some folks on the trail less than respectful of portage etiquette (the person with the canoe on their head has right of way, people). It's also pretty mucky, but staff do their best to keep your boots clean with some boardwalks. Note: there is no park office on this road, so you'll have to check in at the park pavilion / car campground. The pavilion is probably worthwhile stopping for in itself, one of the nicer park gatehouses I've seen. Nice facilities too.

A panorama of Pickerel

Pickerel Lake is a monstrous, wind-whipping East-West lake. All the canoeists we met on the lake were raring to go and we all smelt a whiff of competition in the air as the sites are first-come first-served. More so than in the Algonquin or Killarney spirit, because there's no guarantee a good, clear campsite will be waiting for you (at least in those other parks, you book a spot on Big Crow Lake, you know you have a spot on Big Crow Lake). There a quota systems in place which limit the number of people in the backcountry, so there's probably no reason to worry that you won't find anything good; plus seeing as you can technically camp anywhere, well, all you need to find is an open flat-ish piece of ground.

We set off into strong gusts that nearly swamped us within the first 15 minutes; they slowed our progress to a crawl as we tried to make our way east into the Lake. Our fellow canoeists were off to the races, everybody seemed to know what they were doing and where they were headed. We fell to the back of the pack and quickly realised that if we wanted to enjoy what was left to enjoy of the day, we had to take the first campsite that we could get. After two false stops (they looked like sites from the water, but on shore they were not worth unloading for), we found a keeper. And it was a pretty nice one to be sure, but that's the trick of unmarked campsites - you never know where the next one is and if it might be a bit better.

Nothing beats knowing you have

a good stack of firewood

Our site was full of dead fall, even though it was on a narrow point with sparse tree cover. The bugs were kept at bay and we were able to enjoy a roaring fire for 6 hours while we polished off a bottle's worth of bourbon (no bottles or cans allowed!). There are no picnic benches, no privies, no firepits with accompanying grills. It's all as basic as camping gets. Sometimes it left me wanting, but the benefits outweigh any of the strikes against. Oh, and contrary to what my ignorant Southern Ontario brain guessed - yes, you do get leeches in lakes up north. So watch where you're swimming, a number were trying to make a meal out of my canoe (nice try, jerks).

Endless wilderness...

I can't recommend a trip up to Quetico enough. It's the true canoeists mecca in Ontario, maybe Canada. The setting is magical, mainly because you know that it just goes on forever and that it's as pristine a spot as you'll find this far south in the province. The promise of all the countless wilderness lakes, pictographs, old growth forest, giant white pines, waterfalls, and human history that reach far beyond big Pickerel Lake's treeline, it's enough to blow one's mind. Support our great Northern Ontario parks and don't worry about the $100 deposit.

Review: Hattie Cove Campground, Pukaskwa National Park

2016-02-12T05:08:00.005-05:00

Playter Harbour, Coastal Hiking Trail

Location: Hattie Cove Campground, Pukaskwa National Park
Website: Parks Canada
Map: Parks Canada
Camping Facilities: Car Camping
Grade: B
Stargazing: Good by the Lake
Summary:Average camping enhanced by being close to glorious Lake Superior and pristine forest setting
Thoughts: The plan was to make my way along the Trans Canada highway towards Thunder Bay, aiming to meet up with some friends along the drive for some camping. I originally had Slate Islands Provincial Park in mind, after reading this article about it's dense elk population (imagine having elk roaming through your site). I was stoked, but then I found out it would cost $500 for a return shuttle from Terrance Bay. Split between 6 couples for one week, you could make a strong case for it. But with just 3 people staying only one night, it would be a total waste. So my friends suggested Pukaskwa (pronounced Puck-a-Saw, as I quickly found out). I had been meaning to see it for quite some time, and figured that it's a low-stress option to enjoy the company of old friends whom I hadn't seen in a while.

Lookout over Halfway Lake

The camping itself was just okay. Some sites are a little more private than others; you'll find that some are inexplicably directly across from one another, with only your cars to provide the necessary screen to avoid any awkward eye contact. But a few sites are large and pretty private. I wanted to see 48, which is a bit off the road and sits next to Halfway Lake, but it was occupied and I was told it's a bit buggy (you can see in the photo on the right that Halfway Lake is a bit swampy). Site 46 would be a winner if it weren't clearly visible from the path to the comfort station. Speaking of which, the comfort stations in the park are clean and comfortable. And as with all National Parks, you pay twice - the entrance "day-use" fee and the camping fee - which I find a bit irritating, but it still ends up being cheaper than car camping in Ontario Parks (by about $3 - 2015 fees). The park staff I dealt with were really thoughtful and allow you to take a drive around to see what site you like best, then register after you've had a gander. You're likely to find something good, but yea, nothing special.

Middle Beach, with it's piles of driftwood

But putting the camping aside, the setting of the park itself is phenomenal. Just a short 5 minute walk from the campground, you're on Lake Superior, with its thunderous waves drowning out any thoughts of the real world that might have followed you on your trip. You could stare at the Lake for hours, watching it play Hot Potato with the beach, as the waves toss the driftwood to the beach and the beach rolls it right back. And at night you'll find that the Middle and North Beaches (probably Horseshoe Beach too) are spectacular for stargazing. The day hikes to Manito Mikana, Horseshoe Beach, and the Southern Headland Trail are all well worth the trip and you'll be entranced by the vistas. I thought the lookout over Halfway Lake (above) was worthwhile (just after you start a counterclockwise tour from the trailhead), but the rest of the hike looked a bit boring so I skipped it. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Boardwalk at the beginning of the
Pukaskwa Coastal Hiking Trail

The highlight of the park is the Coastal Hiking Trail. With its many campsites and nearly pristine Lake Superior coastal scenery, it is a worthy adventure. There is justification for the use the word "pristine", as you can see from this map that Pukaskwa is one of the last remaining intact forest landscapes in the southern half of the province, as discovered by the IFL mapping team. I was only able to hike to the first campsite, but even that one (Playter Harbour) was something to behold (top of the page here). The backcountry site itself was really spacious, with an outhouse, fire pit and food locker. I'm curious about the other sites, as they contain up to six individual sites - are these clustered together? Or are they somewhat private? Please comment below if you know. As well, I should point out that the trail is well marked and easy to follow, but would be very slippery in spots after a bit of rain.

Lookout from Southern Headland Trail

I'd love to come back and at least make it to the White River Suspension bridge, but it's a full day hike (leave before 10am). A fellow hiker informed me that he wanted to do a one-way hike and get a shuttle back from the North Swallow river, but the guiding company was going to charge him $500 for the trip back so he just walked the whole stretch in a return trip (solo no less!). What is it with $500 shuttling fees in this part of the province? Regardless, Pukaskwa is worth your effort because it's just a beautiful spot - the camping is a means to discover the splendor of this unique wilderness refuge.

Food locker on the
Coastal Hiking Trail

Outhouse on the Coastal Hiking Trail

Review: Canoe-in Sites, Grundy Lake, Grundy Lake Provincial Park

2016-02-12T03:50:00.003-05:00

Backcountry Site Map of Grundy Lake
(From Park Tabloid, 2005)

Location: 80 km N of Parry Sound
Website: Ontario Parks
Map: Google Maps
Camping Facilities: Car Camping with some pseudo backcountry
Grade: B-
Stargazing: Good, in fact we saw the Northern Lights each time visit.
Summary: Some very easy-to-access backcountry but some sites close to beaches & railroad, eliminating any sense of wilderness
Thoughts: A last-minute interior camping trip from Toronto in August can be a challenging thing to arrange. Joeperry? Full. Frontenac? Full. Killarney? Full. Canisbay? Full. However, there's always Grundy lake; the paddle-in sites are non-reservable (first come, first served basis), and there are often plenty of sites available (twice I've found sites in the middle of the peak season, even on a Labour Day weekend).

Site 119 on Grundy Lake

Like I said in my review for Gurd Lake, Grundy's sites have it all: short paddles, easy access, some isolation, nice sites, and its reasonably quiet. I would say that Gurd offers a bit more privacy than Grundy, as we found that Grundy is shared with both "backcountry" campers and car campers. But the fishing must be great on Grundy, because there were so many people out exploring the lake by canoe and kayak. Not that it's all that bothersome, since they aren't motorboats. But yea, expect lots of traffic. After nightfall though, it's a different story. On site 119, I would say that you can easily convince yourself you're in Algonquin or some other less densely populated park. As long as you're as far away from the car camping sites as possible, you'll get some peace and quiet.

Peaceful night on Grundy Lake

I can honestly say that you're not going to do much better than Grundy if you want to get a pseudo backcountry site on a weekend where you haven't done any planning. It's a shorter drive from Toronto than most Algonquin access points, and you never need to make a reservation (you can't make a reservation!). So if you find yourself in need of a campsite with some sense of being in the woods, Grundy is a great option. And the park itself has an interpretive centre for the kids, and both Gut and Grundy Lakes attract rock jumpers to their steep, rocky shores. When I visited in August of 2015, there were some issues with bears (we saw a juevenille running through the car camping area, my first bear sighting in a provincial park after 15 years of camping), so be diligent with keeping your site odour free.

All things considered, it's your last, best option for a spontaneous camping weekend in peak season. And it's a pretty good one, all things considered.

Update: the sites are now reservable, so the spontaneity has been cut out of this option. You're probably going to have to book in advance.

Review: Interior Camping, Mississagi Provincial Park

2016-02-08T11:34:00.001-05:00

Semiwite Lake

Location: 30 mins from Elliot Lake
Website: Ontario Parks or Elliot Lake Tourism
Map: Google
Camping Facilities: Backcountry (excellent car camping also available in the park)
Grade: B-
Stargazing: Good on a clear night
Summary: Disorganized but easily accessible backcountry camping
Thoughts: I had been dreaming about backcountry camping in Mississagi for quite a while. It's a bit further than the backcountry crown jewels of Algonquin, Killarney or Temagami, but it was smaller and promised smaller crowds as a result of its distance. I finally had an opportunity to get in my boat and paddle out into the interior in the summer of 2015, exploring beyond the excellent car camping that's available in the park. Unfortunately, I must report that I was disappointed.

The first thing I should state is that Helenbar Lake and Semiwite Lake are beautiful lakes. Semiwite

Well-marked trailhead from Semiwite Lake

does host motorboats but Helenbar is free of them. While paddling solo, it took me about an hour to paddle to the portage into Helebar (so it should take 45 mins or less with a partner). The portage into Helenbar is a dream: pretty flat, nice and wide, not very buggy, and relatively short. Plus there are clear markings to the hiking trails that branch off of it, so you won't get lost. Unfortunately, this is where my problems began. I put in to Helenbar and was excited to see this gorgeous lake and know that I had it all to myself. I say "all to myself" because I booked the lake's only site with park staff upon registering. Hence, it was going to be just me. Or so I thought.

Helenbar Lake

As I paddled into the lake, in search of the site, I noticed a splashing in the water along the shore. I thought it must be a deer or a moose going for a swim but I looked more carefully and noticed it was a human being. There were no canoes docked on the shore, so it I was confused. I figured they must have stashed their boat in the weeds, somewhere invisible. I disregarded it and kept searching for the site. I consulted my map and it seemed like I had must have passed the site. I went back to roughly where I saw the person swimming and noticed a campsite sign tucked away on shore. The swimmer was no longer in the water so I started to get the sense that something was amiss.

A horrible campsite on Semiwite Lake

I paddled up to the (my) site and discovered the person had already set up camp and was prepping a fire. She came up to greet me and I explained the situation, showed my park permit as evidence of my booking. She apologized but explained that she was hiking the McKenzie Interior Trail. As part of the permit for the trail, hikers can camp at any site along the way without expressly booking them. It just so happened that the Helenbar Lake site is also a site on the McKenzie trail. She expressed discomfort at sharing the site with me (which would have been a reasonable solution in most cases, as the site was very large), as she was a single woman and I was a single man (awkward turtle, indeed). Besides, both of us came there for seclusion, and we'd both lose that if we shared the site. I could appreciate her discomfort so I decided that the first-come, first-served rule had trumped my booking and headed back to Semiwite. Her apologies seemed sincere, if uncompromising, and she did offer me an energy bar as a consolation prize. I declined and grumbled my way back to my boat.

So I trudged back across the portage trail, I plunked back into Semiwite. Two out of three campsites on Semiwite Lake are terrible. The eastern-most site is the best, hands-down. The other two are rocky, grassy messes and I doubt that you could comfortably pitch a tent anywhere except if you squeeze it up in the fire pit / dining area. Not ideal. The eastern site is along a narrow sandy beach that also seems to be part of the McKenzie trail, so it's entirely possible that hikers will tramp through your site while you eat your lunch or sleep in some morning. It also gets too shallow to paddle about 30 meters from the shoreline, so you'll have to drag your canoe across the sand.

In summary, this is a beautiful spot, and, given it's distance from major urban centres, there is a high likelihood that you'll find seclusion on scenic Helenbar. I sincerely doubt my experience was typical and I imagine you'll have the Helenbar site all to yourself if you book it. But if you're arriving late in the evening and a hiker has usurped your site, you're going to be mightily annoyed. So if you think a late arrival is a possibility, you might want to reconsider, or at least spend the first night in the excellent car camping area (I stress this because so much of the car campground is top notch). There are also other canoe camping options in the area that you might consider, but I can't speak to their quality. Good luck!

The best site on Semiwite

- also has a hiking trail cutting through it

Moonrise over Semiwite Lake

Review: Mijinemungshing Lake, Lake Superior Provincial Park

2016-02-07T12:19:00.001-05:00

View over Agawa Bay, the Montreal River

and the Trans Canada Highway

Location: 1.5 hours from Sault Ste. Marie, 8.5 hours from Toronto
Website: Ontario Parks or Friends of Lake Superior PP
Map: Friends of Lake Superior PP or Google Maps
Camping Facilities: Backcountry (at Mijinemungshing)
Grade: A+
Stargazing: As expected up north

Summary: A large inland lake for jump-off backcountry camping with plenty of campsites and access to lakes further inside the park
Thoughts: I feel like Lake Superior Provincial Park is Ontario's hidden gem. Everyone knows about Quetico, Killarney, Algonquin, Temagami, Haliburton, etc. but I don't know if I've ever heard anyone say much about Lake Superior PP. And that is a great oversight. There are very few camping spots in Ontario that can give any camper everything they're looking for. I am willing to wager that Lake Superior Provincial Park is one of those places. To list the most important features:

Reasonable drive from Toronto (well - 8 hrs, but you can do it in a day)
Numerous access points to observe the violent beauty of Gitchigumi herself
Plenty of car camping and interior camping dispersed throughout the park
Rich in interesting natural and human history (in fact, you can observe the native Canadian relationship with the area through the parks pictographs)
A variety of hiking trails providing a range of difficulty levels, with rewarding vistas
Incredibly scenic drive along the Trans Canada highway through the park

There is something for everyone here. And it's bound to provide you with some of the best quality experiences of whatever it is that you seek.

I was able to make a stopover in Lake Superior PP on my way to explore Northern Ontario, ultimately reaching Quetico for a few days of camping. You make your way into Mijinemungshing Lake via a gravel road off the Trans Canada highway, which was in better condition than most of the backcountry access roads I've used in my life. After a 15-20 minute drive, you'll reach a parking lot that's just a couple minutes walk up from the docking point. You can unload at the put-in and drive your car back up to the parking lot. The put-in comes complete with a wooden dock large enough for at least a couple parties to launch simultaneously. As well, the park staff have provided a weathered old pavilion just a few metres from the dock, probably installed ages ago when this park saw a lot more visits from our American neighbours. It has a map, a little information about the history and the ecology of the area, but overall, the content didn't seem to warrant the sturdy structure. Maybe once upon a time it was a shelter for park staff? Or for canoeists looking to embark? Be warned: the stony beach next to the dock is very soft - do not attempt to park on the slope here, you're liable to get stuck (confession: I got stuck).

Mijinemungshing Lake put-in

When I first arrived in Mijinemungshing, the skies were dark and ominous. The winds were blowing fiercely from the south and the clouds looked ready to shed their load at any moment. I thought that I should embark as soon as possible, find myself a campsite and set up camp before things got too messy. Mijinemungshing is a larger lake, with islands and lots of hiding places from foul conditions, so I figured that it should be safe. However, when I set out south from the dock, it quickly became clear that in a battle between me and the wind, the wind had the advantage; the minute I tried to make a turn east out of the bay, I would be broadsided by the gusts and either pushed ashore or dumped in the lake. I was having a hard enough time just keeping the boat straight (my canoe has quite a bit of freeboard when paddling solo and no tumblehome, so it catches the wind very well). So after 5 minutes of paddling, I turned around and headed back to shore with the aid of the wind and waited for it to die down.

While I was waiting for the situation to improve, a car pulled up with a friendly man and woman in their 70s from Northern Michigan, a pair of retired teachers. They came to a similar conclusion as I did, to wait until the winds become a bit more manageable before their leisurely afternoon paddle on the lake. The gentleman had visited this area 20 years before with his late wife and mentioned how impressed he was by the park (which I found surprising, given that they were from Northern Michigan - I had just assumed a similar experience could be found on the other side of the border). He mentioned that the loons on Mijinemungshing Lake would let you to paddle right up next to them, and that the fishing was good here. "But there don't seem to be any loons here now", he said wistfully. He spoke as though he was attempting to recapture the experience of his visit to Lake Superior all those years ago and I really hoped he would be able to.

We both looked out onto Mijinemungshing in silence for a few moments while the wind pressed against our faces. It seemed to evoke memories of his late wife: "Coming back to this lake, you know...it brings everything back". I clumsily said something like "I can imagine", not really knowing what to say to such a profound thought. But it made me think about all the times I had spent with friends and family camping in the outdoors and how they produced deep, vivid memories that can fuse the sentiments you hold towards your traveling partners with the beauty of these places. I think the quality of the memory would be amplified by the majesty of the location, and I guessed that a beautiful spot like Mijinemungshing would provide some visceral memories. It made me briefly wish that I wasn't paddling solo, but later I thought that my time here will give me a fond memory of introspection and solitude that I could always come back to, something that would be valuable in the days when I was daydreaming about the Ontario woods.

Tent pads can turn into above-ground swimming pools

if the rains get heavy

The wind died down enough that the couple thought they'd head out. I saw them push out into the waves and thought maybe now I could give it a shot again. The previously relentless gusts had calmed down considerably so I kept pushing while rounding the corner of the bay. Then the weather turned. What had seemed to be the weather calming was in fact the calm before the storm. The torrents of rain were slowly filling up my boat, so I headed to the large island with four campsites that wasn't too far from the dock. I picked the spot on the top-right corner of the island (as presented on the Lake Superior PP map) and rushed to set up camp in the rain. I quickly discovered that my tent was leaky and the fly didn't hold it's shape well when wet, and seemed to funnel rain into one of the vents/windows. Ace design, Woods! As the downpour continued, my tent started to accumulate a nice little indoor swimming pool. Finally, the sound of the rain starting to lighten came like music to my ears and I would have some time before sunset to dry things out. I stepped outside into a newly-formed puddle that had collected during the time I took shelter in the tent. I rotated the tent away from the pool and the rocky/sandy soils soon drained the water away.

I filtered some water, poured a mug of rye and sat by the lake. Mijinemungshing was everything I was after; a good-sized, quiet lake with plenty of interior campsites, just a short distance off of the Trans Canada highway. It's possible to portage deeper into the backcountry from Mijinemungshing, but I just didn't have the time; I was on a mission to see as many of the parks between Toronto and Thunder Bay as possible in the 10 days that I had off and I hoped that what I learned about these places would inform future trips back to Ontario. Indeed, I realised that I would have to come back to Lake Superior another time to explore the many backcountry camping opportunities it provides.

There are tent pads at the sites on Mijinemungshing, in addition to privies, picnic tables and fire pits; all the backcountry comforts that you desire from a provincial park. The water is crystal clear. You can definitely get a sense of wilderness and seclusion, even though my closest neighbour was only 50 metres away. The stargazing is splendid. The effort to get here is minimal, where you can go from the dock to setting up a campsite in less than an hour. Everything a lazy interior camper in search of serenity can ask for. The only thing that left me wanting was the short amount of time I had to spend there.

Loon on Mijinemungshing Lake

As I paddled back to the car the next morning to resume my journey up north, a loon popped out of the water in front of me. It seemed to be a demonstration that this place was indeed still flourishing, still able to support wildlife as it had throughout the centuries. It gave me some comfort and made me think of my fellow canoeists from Michigan who had paddled this spot the day before. I hoped the loons of their memories found them before they left the park. But I guessed that it didn't much matter - the lake hadn't changed, it must still held the aura of twenty years ago, and of the centuries that came before.

Review: Pancake Bay Provincial Park

2016-02-05T10:33:00.004-05:00

Location: 75 km North of Sault Ste. Marie (1hr drive)

Pathway to beach at

Pancake Bay Provincial Park

Website: Ontario Parks
Map: Google Maps
Camping Facilities: Car Camping
Grade: C-
Stargazing: Good on the lake shore
Summary: Highway noise, beautiful beach, radio free sites are a downer
Thoughts: When you're making your way north towards the splendor of the upper regions of Ontario, you may be tempted to make your first stop in Pancake Bay PP for the night. It makes sense - it's about an 8-hour drive from Toronto, 9 hours from Ottawa, which is about as much as any average driver can take in a single sitting. But a good location and provincial park status don't always equal happiness in adventuring in Central/Northern Ontario.

View south along Pancake Bay Provincial Park

You might notice from any map that Pancake Bay is sandwiched between the Trans Canada Highway and Lake Superior. As a result, I challenge you to find a site that doesn't automatically provide you with a complimentary Highway 17 white noise machine to lull you to sleep at night (or wreck any sense of being one with nature). The sites are very close to the highway. Highway noise is even cleary audible in the radio free sites, which are nearly as far as you can get from the highway in this park. I was camped on site 25 near the comfort station at the Hilltop Campground and was pretty disappointed. Radio free sites are not scenic and the ones close to the marsh were very buggy, even in August. But if you have a high tolerance for highway noise, or are positioned close enough to the crashing waves of Lake Superior, you might be able to bear it.

To be fair, the park isn't simply a random sliver of sand wedged between water and pavement. The beach is beautiful albeit a bit narrow. I think it's probably a great place for families, due to the shallow waters on much of the beach and the overall quality of the amenities. For a camper who wants seclusion and peace, look elsewhere.

Map of Pancake Bay Provincial Park Campground

(Source: Pancake Bay PP Tabloid, 2015)

View north along Pancake Bay Provincial Park

Review: Car Camping, North Lees Campsite, Peak District National Park, United Kingdom

2016-01-17T10:43:00.002-05:00

Peak District from Stanage Edge

Location: 30 mins from Sheffield (10 miles)
Website: National Park or Campsite
Map: Google Maps
Camping Facilities: Car camping
Grade: C
Stargazing: Good
Summary: Acceptable camping experience in the UK (my first)
Thoughts: After entering the park with little fanfare (the color of the terrain on my GPS changed from beige to green, if I'm not mistaken), I knew that I had to keep my expectations in check. No park office, no visible change in land use, sheep eyeing you suspiciously - clearly things are done differently here. As we zigged and zagged along the country roads, we had hopes that the vast wilderness that is the Peak District National Park would eventually reveal itself around the next bend. It does, but not in the way that we're used to. But that's okay. The UK is a small country with a relatively large population (compared to Canada), so one can only expect a certain level of solitude and remoteness. And maybe within the campground itself things would be different. Well it was, and it wasn't.

Sheep and grazing fields

- mainstays of UK National Parks

The flocks of sheep that greet you on the roadsides within the National Park were not welcome in the North Lees Campsite. No sir, gates and fences made their access impossible. A win for conservation! The camping experience, however, was consistently frustrating as the rest of the drive to that point. First off, the site was sloped, and quite dramatically so. Good luck finding a level spot to sleep comfortably. Second, there is no demarcation of campsites. It's a total free-for-all. Where ever you'd like to stop walking/carrying gear, well, that's as good as any spot, friend. Thirdly, no demarcation of sites also means no privacy. None. Nor are there many picnic benches to cook your breakfast (most people seemed to be happy to do so on the ground but we grabbed one of the few that there were). Last, there are no campfires. Given that there are so few trees in the region to begin with, it's probably for the best. But yeah: "sigh".

Nice spot to wash dishes

Bears aren't an issue...

Sheep - you are fenced OUT!

Some good points that I need to bring up. The place is very tidy. You have nice shower facilities as well as running water for washing dishes (a bit of a hike from some of the "sites", so bring a container of some sort, like a bucket or camping sink). You also have recycling facilities and very kinds, friendly staff running the place. And the connectivity to the splendid hiking trails within steps of the campground is excellent. Another bonus - you can walk to the pubs in Hathersage in about half an hour. In doing so, you'll stroll through quaint English countryside and maybe learn to appreciate it on its own merits, and not in relation to those of a totally different country that has no physical resemblance to the one you're living in, so you might as well stop whinging about it.

A second camping space that is a bit flatter

As a Canadian out on their first camping trip in the UK, I could have done worse than North Lees. Once you have acclimatized to the setting and your eyes have adjusted to the local scenery, you'll probably find that it does what it does pretty well. It's just different, that's all.

Interpretive sign maintenance varies...

Weather may vary as well

View from Stanage Edge

Peak District National Park

Mam Tor

Mam Tor was a gusty spot that day

Some trails veer onto private land,

but the signage will get you back

on track

Roadway carved right into

a drainage channel

Review: Grundy Lake Car Camping

2016-01-17T09:05:00.000-05:00

Location: 80 km N of Parry Sound

Website: Ontario Parks
Map: Google Maps
Camping Facilities: Car Camping with some pseudo backcountry
Grade: B+
Stargazing: Good, saw the Northern Lights both times I've visited.
Summary: Nice car camping with plenty of privacy and large sites
Thoughts: I was taking my chances when I pulled into Grundy Lake at 8pm on a mid-August evening. I didn't have a booking and I had planned to pull into one of the paddle-in sites on one of the three park lakes. It being as late as it was, my camping buddies and myself decided to take it easy and just grab whatever was available in the car camping areas. When you show up that late on a weekend in August with nothing booked, your expectations are low. Fortunately, Grundy PP doesn't do a lot of things wrong.

Huge car campsite in Radio-Free Area

The sites that we found were excellent. Not only were there sites in the radio-free area, those that were available were well-treed, sandy and private. We were stunned at the size of our site and that it was right next to the water. Lots of nice flat spots to set up a tent, amenities (water, toilets) were close by. And this was with zero planning.

View out on Grundy Lake from Radio-Free Area

The one problem the park seemed to be having at that time was a few rogue bears that were pillaging campsites. While there had been no dangerous encounters reported, the bears were having their way with any food that was improperly or semi-properly stored. It really just reinforces the need to ALWAYS lock your food away when you're done with it and keep your site free of food scraps and odors (including from toothpaste and deodorant).

We headed out on Grundy Lake to our canoe-in site the next day, but were pleased with the experience of "settling" for car camping. Great spot.

Park Statistics for 2014

2016-01-17T08:38:00.005-05:00

Park Visitors, 2004 - 2014

I've been tracking park visit statistics in recent years and the results have been troubling. For some reason, the number of visits to most parks has been in decline. Ontario has added nearly 700,000 hectares of park land in the past 10 years, which means more of the province is receiving this higher level of legal protection. I think that most conservation enthusiasts can see this as a win. However, an area of concern also seems to be emerging; visitation to parks seems to have peaked in 2005, declining from the high of 10.5 million to the 2014 level of 8.5 million. Does this mean people are less interested in Ontario's parks? It's not clear.

Gas prices and the Canadian dollar have increased in that period, making visits from American tourists less attractive. The slim data available in the 2014 report seems to suggest this has been a factor with the share of US visitors dropping from 11% to 6% between 2006 and 2011 (the only two years where data were available). As well, the number of camping nights per camper has also recently dropped, from around 3.7-3.8 to 3.3. So campers that are still visiting seem to be staying for shorter amounts of time. One would expect this to be independent of factors such as gas prices or the CAD, and guess that perhaps it's possible that those campers who stay longer are the same who come from far away and make a longer holiday out of it. Unfortunately, this is a more recent phenomenon that occurred after the presumed drop in American attendance, with 2012 being the year that seems to be the start of this trend. Are campers not enjoying their stays? Perhaps these are weather related issues? I don't have the data on hand to make a guess.

A Canadian's Guide to Camping in the UK

2015-01-26T17:29:00.001-05:00

So, fellow campers and campers-to-be, I've found myself living in the UK, away from my home of 35 years that provided endless rustic camping opportunities. Seeing as camping is something that defines who I am, it didn't take long before I was compelled to venture off into Britain's out-of-doors, to feed my wind-whistling-through-the-pines addiction. Well, it's my duty to inform North Americans who haven't tried camping in the UK yet that you're going to have to adjust your expectations.

Camping in Peaks District National Park

You see, calling something a National Park on this side of the Atlantic does not necessarily mean the UK government has attempted to preserve or restore the natural character of the landscape. No sir, it does not mean that at all. Here, there are sheep. Yes, from what I can tell, National Park means maintaining feeding opportunities for future generations of farm animals: the government has reserved a tract of land where livestock can graze for all eternity. It doesn't seem to prevent quarrying, since one is clearly visible from the top of Stanage Edge in Peak District National Park (see Kiera Knightly gaze longingly at it here in a recent incarnation of "Pride and Prejudice"). There are also villages and hamlets dotting the National Parks, as well as plenty of roads and train tracks. I don't doubt that restrictions do exist, but they surely not in the Canadian tradition (which is itself far from pure).

Of course, I realise that it's probably impossible to create grand wilderness areas in a small island hosting 60+ million people. No, a kingdom that has been thoroughly developed for many centuries can't possibly provide you with an experience that is akin to that which you'd find in the sparsely-settled great white north (population density of 250/km2 vs. Canada's 4/km2). In fact, it was British expat John Muir who realized over 130 years ago that national governments should be setting aside areas of natural magnificence in North America to be enjoyed in perpetuity. But regardless, the National Parks in the UK have been set aside to "...make sure that nature and wildlife are protected and that people can continue to benefit from nature without destroying it" (says the UK Government), so the intent isn't all that different, even though the circumstances surely are.

So if you've read this blog before, you'll know that I'm quite particular in the things that I look for in a car camping site (which I generally perceive to be awful). Canadian guidelines cannot be applied here. Camping in the UK = tent in a field. At best. I suspect that most of the time, you're sharing that field with livestock, if not dozens of other tents. Privacy outside of your tent is not an option. If I were to apply my North American standards of camping to my UK reviews (spacious, private, pristine, secluded), the needle would be unable to move past a failing grade. But I can appreciate that camping cultures are context-specific, so I'll try to focus on the criteria that are within a local campground operator's control and try to put aside those that aren't.

Lake District National Park -
Complete with Hedgerows and Stone Walking Paths

Review: Backcountry, Charleston Lake Provincial Park

2014-06-29T00:31:00.000-04:00

Charleston Lake from Site 505

Location: 15 mins NE of Lansdowne (30 mins from Kingston)
Website: Ontario Parks
Map: Google Maps
Camping Facilities: Pseudo-Backcountry (and excellent car camping)
Grade: C
Stargazing: Good
Summary: Not to be mistaken for backcountry, but you gotta love tent platforms
Thoughts: (Dear reader, prepare for a rant).

Site 504 - with two picnic tables (grrr...)

Without exception, every lake that's accessible by car in the fair province of Ontario (indeed, the entire continent) must be frequented by those who own motorboats. A boater has got to boat. It's not enough that motorboats have superior stability relative to the graceful canoe (though that never held a true Canadian back, said Pierre Berton). It's not enough that they're sometimes furnished with seating that is readily interchangeable with that found in the most luxurious of suburban man-caves. And it's not enough that they can travel vast distances through no greater effort than a single yank of a pull cord, on the same water that those with self-propelled watercraft. Sure, we canoeists struggle to displace the choppy water while charging headlong into the pummelling wind (one back-wrenching paddle stroke at a time), while the boaters bombard us with their wakes. The simple truth is that motorboats must be on all lakes, all summer long, buzzing along carefree, completely oblivious to the havoc they play on the nerves of paddlers and campers with whom they share the water. And, of course, a lake the size of Charleston Lake is a special motorboat haven.

Site 503 - swampy and only two tent platforms
(don't bring a third tent)

There is no peace, quiet or solitude to be found in Charleston Lake's backcountry. Note the subtle hint on the Ontario Parks website (the emphasis is my own): "These sites are excellent for visitors who want to see a different side of the park or for those who are developing their interior camping skills." Motorboats, humming away, swinging by your campsite to gawk at your quaint low-impact ways, fishing in your cove (okay, it's not really yours, but I'm sure they wouldn't welcome you to paddle up to their dock...). So when the Ontario Parks website tells you all about Charleston Lake's "interior" campsite offerings, take that wording with a grain of salt. I mean seriously, interior relative to what? Lake Ontario? The Atlantic?

And motorboats are just one of the things to disturb your peace. Among the list of things that intrude upon your wilderness experience are:

Trains (audible from nearly 10km away!);
Barking dogs;
Large-screen TV screens flickering in the windows of neighbouring cottages;
Morons loudly yammering on while they trawl for fish at dusk.

Taking shelter from the waves in Bob's Cove

Okay, so my rant has gone on long enough. But here's the bare truth. The sites are positioned in clusters (a la Frontenac Park), which is not apparent from the reservation site (instead, have a look at this map, which is much more truthful about the camping situation). Be prepared to be sharing your quiet patch of wilderness with others (i.e., you're going to have to be considerate and keep your exuberance to a minimum, no matter how many tallboys you've downed to drown the sorrows of your disappointing backcountry experience). As well, to be fair, the boat traffic was at a relatively low level on the weeknights that we were there.

These sites don't even get
individual site markers

Our cluster was housed in the quaintly-named "Bob's Cove", and I'm sure Bob deserves a better memorial to his earthly accomplishments. The website will tell you that each site "comes equipped with three elevated tent platforms, a picnic table, a fire grill and a privy)". This statement is mostly lies. We stayed at 503 (not recommended, as it's nestled right in the armpit of a swampy, mucky mess), which only had 2 platforms, and the same was observed at 505 (also not recommend, as it was a bit cramped and lacking any natural shade for the picnic table). As well, 503's picnic table wasn't even there (some group of ninnies moved it over to 504 - thanks, ninnies). The privy does indeed exist, but it is shared with the campers at 503, 504, and 505 (it is a real outhouse, stocked with toilet paper and dozens of well-fed spiders). So it's a bit misleading to say that each site is equipped with a privy - in this case it's more like a third of a privy. The saving grace of camping on Charleston Lake is the ease in setting up your tent on the platforms provided. Beautiful. In the rain, they'll save you from flooding and damp misery. Plus it'll save you the trouble of searching for the flattest piece of ground to sleep on.

Site 504 in the centre, 503 on the left

Now, I know there is a lot of kvetching going on here, but it's meant to counterbalance the magical imagery that often accompanies one's reverie of peaceful solitude when Ontario Parks carelessly throws out the words "backcountry camping". Let's face it - there just isn't very much true backcountry camping south of Algonquin Park. Charleston Lake is no exception. It's a half-assed attempt to eke out an interior camping zone without actually providing the experience one would expect. The cottagers and pleasure boaters have already conquered this lake.

If you insist on camping in the "backcountry" here, aim for sites 504, 507, 508, maybe 510 (though there only seems to be one platform on 510 - Please, OntarioParks.com, accurately disclose on the reservation site exactly what us campers should expect, no surprises).

Site 505 - hope you're not looking for shade

On the positive side of things, I want to point out that the car camping sites in this park seem to be a bit of an anomaly for anything south of Sudbury. They are roomy, well-treed and spaced appropriately apart (i.e. private). As well, they're arranged in loops, not grids. I highly recommend this park for car camping, it seems to be well worth the drive.

Site 505 - just two platforms

Research: Camping in the Thousand Islands National Park

2014-05-25T12:58:00.000-04:00

A bit of a departure from my usual format - I've been doing some research on camping in the 1000 Islands National Park and thought that I would share some of this consolidated information for people who are interested. The park is an unusual camping experience, where you'd be camping alongside an important waterway of both touristic and commercial value, so you may share the water with cargo ships, speedboats, yachts, sailboats, motorboats, kayaks, and/or canoes. This is enough to turn off a lot of the backcountry camping set, and with good reason. But if this doesn't deter the intrepid, adventurous spirit that compels you to explore every last patch of nationally or provincially controlled parkland, then I've created list of pointers from various sources to help get you on your way. Personally, with all the logistical issues, I'm hesitant to head out to these campgrounds. However, it certainly is a unique camping opportunity in Eastern Ontario, which is sorely lacking in quality camping opportunities (though this one may not qualify).

Things to consider

There are 20 islands of varying distance from the mainland available for camping, dispersed along an approximately 75 km linear stretch of water. This means that some islands will be very far from mainland pubic docking points, while others might be more conveniently located - consult the following services chart from Parks Canada and Google Maps. Some docks require payment, some do not (likely watercraft dependent).
There are no water taps at any of the island campgrounds. This means you'll either want to lug in bottled water or filter from the river. Most sites I've seen are written by folks who are put off by this, as am I; as great as my water filter is, I'm not confident in its ability to remove the potentially wide array of contaminants flowing in from neighbouring municipal wastewater treatment plants, boat traffic, cottages and industrial effluent. This is likely an overly cautious position to be taking, as the concentrations are likely low and dosages are small, but the uncertainty here is also high - hence I'd choose to avoid it (has anybody seen any testing on St. Lawrence water quality in the area?)
The islands typically have multiple docks, with many campsites scattered along their hiking trails. Some of these require payment, some are free, some are designated for paddlers. Hiking into your site on an island hiking trail sounds great until you consider you're likely lugging in your water. Fortunately, it seems most sites are located within a few hundred metres of the docks. As well, be warned that many of these sites are clustered together - e.g. Camelot Island, Beau Rivage
You're on a busy seaway - you will not find solitude, peace & quiet, nor dark, starry night skies here. In addition, many islands have mooring buoys just offshore, so the potential for noisy neighbours exists both on land and on the water
A few campers have recommended certain islands:

From Trip Advisor (lecdm) - Camelot, Aubrey
From CCR (Kim Gass) - Endymion, Camelot and Gordon and Mulcaster

Valuable Resources

Parks Canada - It's in dire need of a redesign since this website feels very "early 2000s", but we must appreciate that Parks Canada gets shamefully little funding. If you do enough digging, you'll find a lot of valuable information here. Most notable are the pages with the maps for the individual islands and the chart of the facilities and services.
Frontenac Arch Biosphere - Trail information, maps, outfitters, route info, etc., just a fantastic resource for this area and the rest of the Frontenac Arch Biosphere
My Canadian Canoe Routes - The forum should be browsed for the latest information, though in truth this park doesn't get much discussion.

Review: Snaring River Overflow, Jasper National Park

2014-02-17T15:44:00.004-05:00

Location: 4 hrs from Edmonton or 15 minutes from Jasper
Website: None
Map: Google
Camping Facilities: Car Camping
Grade: D+
Stargazing: Okay, but some interference from Jasper
Summary: Free-for-all car camping madness, with no campfires allowed - but in a nice mountain setting
Thoughts: Planning to go to the campgrounds immediately surrounding the Town of Jasper on a long weekend without a reservation? Well, this is probably one of your few options. Most of the other campgrounds will be full, friend. That's what we discovered when opting to head up to the Jasper townsite instead of the tried-and-true Columbia Icefield Campground along the Icefields Parkway (which did have vacancies). What we discovered was beyond comprehension for an Ontarian used to the calm and order found in the Ontario Park system.

If you're early to arrive, find a decently-sheltered patch of dirt near(ish) to a latrine and set up. If there's a picnic table, bonus. If there is a flat surface to set your tent up on, double bonus. Chances are high that if you're late to arrive, you'll find none of these. We discovered people just setting up anywhere that looked reasonable. There are no comfort stations, just latrines; neither are there any fires allowed (though many plumes of smoke were observed rising over the campground...no enforcement was evident). The campground has little else to offer. There are some scenic views of the surrounding mountains, but this isn't where you want to view them from.

We can at least appreciate Jasper Park's management and staff trying to accommodate anybody who is foolish, er, spontaneous enough to come up here without a reservation on a long weekend. But there's no certainty that you'll get anything that approaches a decent site. In fact, the night we were there, you'd have been lucky if you didn't end up sleeping on a uneven gravel-laden mound of dirt without a twig of privacy. Plan ahead, stay out of the overflow.

Review: Two Jack Lake Main Campground, Banff National Park

2014-01-07T12:31:00.001-05:00

Bighorn Sheep near lake Minnewanka

Location: 20 minutes outside Banff town site
Website: Parks Canada
Map: Parks Canada (scroll down)
Camping Facilities: Car Camping
Grade: B-
Stargazing: There are stars here?
Summary: Decent spacing for a National Park, but don't expect much scenery
Thoughts: Once you've spent some time car camping in the mountain national parks, your expectations begin to take form. What you miss out on in privacy and remoteness, you gain in scenery. You take the good with the bad, but the mountain scenery makes you forget the bad pretty quickly. Therein lies the problem with Two Jack Lake's main campground (not to be confused with the Two Jack Lakeside campground); it's the opposite of your typical mountain park, decent privacy (not great), but the canopy blocks any potential for enjoying the mountain viewscapes.

A bit of privacy is provided by the well-spaced loops

Fixed-grill fire rings
- the bane of the national park camping experience

You might see some mountains
through the trees

The accessibility to other more scenic areas (Lake Minnewanka, Two Jack Lake, and all the other great spots around the Town of Banff) is undeniable. The campground itself is just nice enough. The main benefit is the price for unserviced sites, which as just under $20 before firewood. Can't really beat that. As well, the comfort stations have running hot water and flush toilets.

All told, nice sites, decent camping, less-than-stellar scenery, but good access to some of the highlights around the Town of Banff.

Review: Dinosaur Provincial Park

2014-01-06T23:53:00.001-05:00

Coulee Viewpoint Trail

Location: 2 hours east of Calgary
Website: Alberta Parks
Map: Google Maps or AB Parks Campground Map
Camping Facilities: Car Camping
Grade: C-
Stargazing: Good - especially given that it doesn't rain much
Summary: Densely populated campground, book tours in advance, spectacular scenery only saving grace
Thoughts: Showing up at an Alberta park without reservations on a long weekend is like smoking a rack of back ribs in your tent in grizzly country during a seasonal berry crop failure - i.e. not advisable. Throw in the unfortunate situation that you've come to one of the most popular parks for families in the province and you're even deeper in the molasses. Those of you who have read some of my other posts have probably noticed I take a devil-may-care, spontaneous approach to car camping. I generally feel like the good spots are usually gone by the time I decide to book a site, I just skip the booking process, save the fees and hope for a last-minute cancellation of a sweet site - I must admit, it rarely works out well, but sometimes good things come out of that strategy. As it happened, Dinosaur failed to deliver with my approach. Though, ignoring my poor planning for a moment, it failed to deliver in a lot of other ways too.

View from Campground Area -
note puddles, flatness and tightly-packed sites

Campground Viewed from Above
- Privacy? Nay. Scenery? Yay.

First, the place has to have some of the worst drainage I've encountered in a provincial park. I know, it's clay soil, it's flat as a laminated pancake and it really doesn't rain that often anyways, but the last thing that most folks want is to be splashing around in puddles on those chilly evenings in the arid climes. Next, don't expect privacy. Wide open, densely-packed sites are the strategy here, with park planners looking to pack the Albertans in tighter than a ring of figs. Even with the loop design of the site layout that is typically more private (see Figure 2), the sites are so close together and lacking in good understorey that it's hopeless. Third, these had to be some of the worst smelling comfort stations I've ever experienced. I don't know if these are due to the soils again, but holy ammonia, Batman! If the sites weren't so close and the drainage so poor, I'd suggest a tree.

Lounging on coulees

Okay, complaining aside, there are some beautiful coulees here, with a few relatively easy hiking trails around for your enjoyment. While the scenery is fantastic, if you don't have reservations for the guided hikes, your options are very limited. On the long-weekend of our visit, the tours were booked up in advance, with none of them able to accommodate more than a couple from our groups. You might have better luck on a regular weekend, perhaps outside of July and August, but be warned, planning will go a long way here, especially if you want to enjoy this park to the fullest. Just bring suitable expectations for the quality of the camping.

River valley splendor

What to see in the Western Canadian Mountain Ranges

2013-04-01T10:58:00.001-04:00

This is by no means a comprehensive list. But at the same time, I think it's worth listing off some of the sights that impressed us the most, given that no trip to mountains of BC and Alberta is ever long enough.

Lussier Hot Springs
If you've never sat in a hot spring and aren't a fan of water parks, this is your best bet in the area around Radium Hot Springs. Avoid Radium! It's over developed and is like sitting in a public pool. This is all natural and hopefully it stays that way.

View from the Big Beehive
Nobody ever told me that I needed to see the Big Beehive. I'm not sure why it was never mentioned. Sure the view overlooks the Trans Canada as it follows the Bow River. That doesn't detract from the beauty though. Wow!

Bald Hills Summit
Another off season beauty. A long, but rewarding trail. I recommend departing from the trailhead around 10 or so; that way you'll have as much time as possible to enjoy the view from the top. Just pack a lunch and stare out into the endless wilderness.

Meadows in the Sky Parkway
Sure, it's a just a short jaunt up the Trans Canada. But don't let that fool you - the scenery is disproportionate to the effort it takes to get here. There's even a shuttle bus to take you directly to the fire tower lookout trail, providing access for nearly anyone who wants to experience this place.

Plain of Six Glaciers
While the tea house is definitely not without its charm, you shouldn't forget to see its namesake. This is the reason the tea house is here people! Try to come late summer, around noon, so you can catch the glacial avalanches. You'll feel the thundering snow deep in your core.

Peyto Lake
This spot has an aura that you'll never forget for the rest of your life. If you manage to escape the crowds at the main look out, you'll have the opportunity to stare out in wonder at Peyto's impossible blue hue with nothing but the pikas and ravens to keep you company. Transcendental.

The Entire Icefields Parkway
Wow. My wife says the Icefields Parkway is emblematic of Canadian Wilderness - a vast, pristine treasure trove of beautiful scenes, many of which can be easily accessed by car. There is some remarkable scenery here. But if you put in a little effort and venture past the first loop or the first lookout, you may find you have the amazing views all to yourself (especially in the off season)

Wilcox Pass
While there's probably a point where hiking here gets monotonous, we never reached it. Just a phenomenal place to visit in the off season, where the crowds are small, but the scenic value (and solitude) can be enormous.

Lake Louise at Dusk
Everybody has seen a shot of Lake Louise from the Chateau Lake Louise during the day. But how many have seen Lake Louise at Dusk? I imagine most people have taken shelter in their warm cocktails in the chateau's swanky restaurant at this point of the day, but they don't know what they're missing. Head to the western shore and watch the moonrise from one of the many trail-side benches. You won't regret it.

Review: E.C. Manning Provincial Park - Lightning Lake Campground

2013-04-01T10:25:00.000-04:00

View from Cascade Lookout -
many of the distant peaks are located in the US

Location: 3 hrs from Vancouver or the Okanagan
Website: BC Parks
Map: Campground Map or Google Maps
Camping Facilities: Car camping at this campground, backcountry available elsewhere in the park
Grade: B
Stargazing: Very good, if you can make your way to the lake at night
Summary: A nice campground in a fantastic park.

Thoughts: It was a good start to our camping experience - a great horned owl positioned itself just above our picnic table to get a better look at what we were doing. It was too dark for photos, but the memories will suffice. Not that these owls are in any way rare, but having one calling out, sitting at the fringe of your campsite gives you a sense of wilderness (even if he was just cruising for scraps). E.C. Manning park is beautiful spot that is probably well-loved by Vancouverites during the peak season, and fairly well attended by visitors in low season (the campground was probably half full on this Saturday night in late September). A fun fact - Lightening Lake campground is just 10 km from the US border. There is no shortage of backcountry camping sites in Manning, and hiking opportunities abound. There is also a beautiful drive you can take to the Cascade Lookout, then further on to the Subalpine Meadow trail, which offers some spectacular views.

Why is there a trail running through
these sites?

The Lightening Lake campground succeeds where many car camping parks have failed in the past. They do a pretty good job of providing good understory to improve privacy and sites are reasonably well spaced out. The staggering of sites isn't perfect, but if you try hard enough, you can probably position yourself so that you aren't peering into other peoples sites. One interesting feature is that there seems to be a trail running behind the sites in the southern part of the larger loop; good for connecting parties requiring multiple sites, but I can't figure out why else they would do that. I'm sure most people don't want strangers traipsing through the back end of their campsites, so it's a bit odd.

The shore of Lightening Lake

If you can make your way down to Lightening Lake at night, you might be able to catch a good glimpse of the stars. Otherwise, I'm not sure how much success you'll have; there is also a trail around the lake (the Lightening Lake Loop Trail, imaginatively enough) but it looks dreadfully boring since you're just circling the lake. There are plenty of great trails to be discovered in this part (unfortunately, due to time constraints, not by me), why would you waste 2 hours circling the same view? The Lake does seem to have a nice picnic area, and might be a nice change of pace to set up for breakfast, watch the sun rise, stuff like that.

Map of Subalpine Meadow Area

What I can highly recommend is the drive to the top of Subalpine Meadow, which has one short loop (for those in rush) that can give you a taste of the scenery in this park. If only there were enough time in a 2 week tour of the western mountain ranges to fully enjoy a place like this. But I must say, my friends, 2 weeks is probably not enough time to spend in this park alone, given the hiking and camping options available here. For those who are just searching for a fun weekend in the outdoors, you're sure to find something that suits your desires in Manning park. For those who plan on staying longer, I envy you.