Did you know that you can obtain your daily vehicle permit up to five days in advance at many provincial parks?
Check the list to see if your favourite park is one of them!
Here’s what you need to know
Which parks can be booked in advance?
You can get your daily vehicle permit up to five days in advance to guarantee access at these parks:
- Algonquin
- Arrowhead
- Awenda
- Balsam Lake
- Bass Lake
- Batchawana Bay
- Blue Lake
- Bon Echo
- Bonnechere
- Bronte Creek
- Chutes
- Craigleith
- Darlington
- Driftwood
- Earl Rowe
- Emily
- Esker Lakes
- Fairbank
- Ferris
- Finlayson Point
- Fitzroy
- Forks of the Credit
- Frontenac
- Fushimi Lake
- Grundy Lake
- Halfway Lake
- Inverhuron
- Ivanhoe Lake
- Kakabeka Falls
- Kap-Kig-Iwan
- Kettle Lakes
- Killarney
- Killbear
- Lake Superior
- Long Point
- MacGregor Point
- Mara
- Marten River
- McRae Point
- Misery Bay
- Missinaibi
- Mono Cliffs
- Murphys Point
- Nagagamisis
- Neys
- North Beach
- Oastler Lake
- Pancake Bay
- Petroglyphs
- Pinery
- Point Farms
- Port Burwell
- Presqu’ile
- Rainbow Falls
- René Brunelle
- Rideau River
- Rock Point
- Rondeau
- Rushing River
- Samuel de Champlain
- Sandbanks
- Sauble Falls
- Selkirk
- Sharbot Lake
- Sibbald Point
- Silver Lake
- Six Mile Lake
- Sleeping Giant
- Sturgeon Bay
- Turkey Point
- Voyageur
- Wakami Lake
- Wasaga Beach
- White Lake
- Windy Lake
For all other provincial parks, permits will be obtained or purchased upon arrival.
Why should you book in advance?
1. It guarantees your spot
We know you don’t want to spend your time sitting in a line-up at your favourite park, only to be turned away because it’s already full.
Parks can get busy and we only have room for a limited number of visitors each day.
Our daily vehicle permit booking service guarantees your spot in the park, even on days where we hit full capacity.
2. It gets you into the park faster
Check-in lines move faster when everyone in line has reserved in advance.
That’s it. That’s the tweet.
3. It’s modern and convenient
Maybe you like saving time at the gate (or skipping it all together at our contact-less parks).
Maybe you’re not an early-bird, and you don’t want to risk a park filling up by afternoon.
Maybe you just enjoy the confidence of making a plan and the modern convenience of booking online.
For these reasons (and many more), more than 80% of visitors told us they liked being able to reserve their daily vehicle permit in advance.
We’re proud to be able to offer this convenient service to visitors from around the province, whether they’re visiting a popular hotspot or a quieter gem.
How to book your advance permit
Visit our reservation website to obtain a daily vehicle permit in advance for participating parks up to five days in advance of your trip, beginning at 7:00 a.m.
After securing your permit, you’ll receive a confirmation letter. Your email confirmation letter will tell you how to check in at your chosen park.
Check-in options may include:
- Showing your confirmation at the gate (either on your device or a printed copy)
- Printing your permit and leave it on your dashboard
- Being able to produce your confirmation if asked
Already have a seasonal daily vehicle permit?
That’s great! You’ll be able to use your seasonal permit to guarantee your park access, at no additional cost.
A seasonal vehicle permit on its own doesn’t guarantee a spot. To guarantee access, it is strongly recommended that you reserve your spot using your seasonal permit’s serial number.
Plan your visit with confidence by obtaining a daily vehicle permit up to five days in advance. Please remember to bring your reservation (printed or on your device) and your seasonal permit to the park.
Can’t I just get my permit at the park entrance or show my seasonal permit when I arrive at the park?
If we have room? Sure!
But knowing how much Ontarians love our parks, we strongly recommend securing your daily vehicle permit in advance for all our participating parks.
Otherwise, you may be turned away, even if you arrive first thing in the morning.
Learn more about planning your day trip here.
We look forward to welcoming you to Ontario Parks!
