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Planning a canoe trip in Killarney Park can be tedious. Which lakes should I reserve? Where are the nicest campsites in Killarney Park? Will the campsites even be big enough for my group? It’s time to put the guesswork aside. With the campsite reports documented below, there’s no better resource to help you plan your next trip.
A membership is required to view campsite reports. One campsite reports is included below for free, as a sample.
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In 2021 Ontario Parks announced that Killarney Provincial Park would move to a campsite-specific reservation system. Previously, campers would reserve a lake, not a specific campsite, and campsites would be first-come-first-serve when arriving on the lake. With the new changes, campers reserve a specific campsite on a specific lake.
Note that this is different than Algonquin Park backcountry canoeing, which is still reserved on a lake-specific basis.
This is a question I get asked all the time. Unfortunately, it’s just not possible for me to rate campsites. That’s not to say that there aren’t campsites that I like better than others. I definitely have my favourites, and I definitely have a list of “you couldn’t pay me enough to camp here” campsites. But overall, there are too many variables that come into play. A certain campsite might be spectacular on a warm summer afternoon, but would not be very appropriate for shoulder season camping when wind and rain are more likely to occur. There are so many other factors as well… group size, accessibility, water levels, length of stay. I wrote an article titled “Finding the Best Campsites in Algonquin Park — Backcountry Camping” and Sections 4 and 5 in particular do a better job of explaining this in more detail. Even though the article is in reference to Algonquin Park, my thoughts are the same for Killarney Park.
There are two ways that I collect campsite reports. Either I’m camping at the campsite, or I’m just visiting during a day trip. If I’m camping at the campsite, I get to experience everything that the campsite has to offer. Sunsets. Sunrises. Stargazing. Actually using the fire pit, seating, and tent spots. My experience assessing the site will be very thorough. That’s not to say that my “Day Visit” reports are not useful. They still show everything that the campsite has to offer, and I’m still able to determine everything that’s good and bad about the campsite. There just might be some tiny details that are impossible to know without actually staying overnight. There’s also a third way that campsite reports get into my database… Guest Submissions! Want to submit your own report?
Backcountry campsites need to be reserved directly through Ontario Parks. You can either visit reservations.ontarioparks.com or call 1-888-ONT-PARK (1-888-668-7275). Reservations can be made starting at 7:00 AM from up to five months in advance of your arrival date. For example, if you’d like to book a campsite for an arrival date of September 1st, you can make your reservation as of 7:00 AM on April 1st. Please note that Algonquin & Beyond (this website) is a personal blog and is not affiliated with Killarney Park or Ontario Parks. Reservations cannot be made on this website.
Everyone knows the expression “a picture says a thousand words”. Considering that each of my campsite reports have several photos, plus a detailed written description, it’s safe to say that every campsite is thoroughly documented. But it’s important to remember that things change over time. Some physical features can change throughout the seasons (eg. water levels, leaf fall) and some features can change due to human intervention (fire pit, seating). This is why I make sure that every single report has the month and year that the information was collected. The month is important for seasonal changes, and the year is important because human intervention is more likely to occur over a longer period of time. But at the end of the day, a nice campsite is probably going to stay a nice campsite!
Please respect your campsite! The past few years during COVID has seen a big increase in demand for camping, and as a result many campsites are left in poor conditions. Follow “Leave No Trace”. Don’t cut down live trees. Put out your fire before you leave your site. Don’t leave any food or garbage in the fire pit or anywhere at the site. Pack out everything that you pack in. The site should look exactly the same, if not better, than when you arrived. No, unfortunately your sweet bushcraft creation is not making the campsite better. Leave no trace means leave no trace. The only thing that should be left behind when you leave a campsite is firewood for the next campers, if you’re able. And some people even argue whether that should be done! Please do your part in helping to preserve this beautiful park of ours for future campers and future generations.
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