7 tips for reserving an Ontario Parks campsite

Did you know that you can reserve your campsite or roofed accommodation up to five months in advance of your arrival date?

You can book online (and even see a sneak preview of your campsite) or by calling the Ontario Parks reservation line, 1-888-ONT-PARK (Canada and USA).

These are our top tips to optimize your reservation experience:

1. Plan in advance and book early

screenshot of the Ontario Parks reservation webpage

Competition can be fierce for favourite campsites at busy parks. Over 50% of the reservations made between January 1 and March 31 are for Ontario’s five busiest provincial parks.

Your best bet? Reserve early.

Our online reservation system opens at 7:00 a.m., five months in advance of the first date of your trip. If you want the best chance of getting your dream site:

pick your campsite in advance
prep your device
book as soon as the window opens

And if you’re aiming for one of our busiest parks (see below)? Have a few back-up sites on your list — those parks fill fast.

2. Try a new park

These are our some of our very busiest provincial parks:

We know many people camp in the same park, even the same site, every year. But many of our lesser-known parks are every bit as beautiful.

Here are some suggested alternatives to our busiest parks.

3. Book late (and use your availability notifications!)

campsite with picnic tables on the waterfront

Yes, we know — we just said reserve early.

But our parks get thousands of cancellations every year, many at the last minute. If the park you want to visit is fully booked when you first try to reserve, check back closer to the date.

Don’t forget to sign up for our availability notifications. Availability notifications allow you to be notified when a campsite matching your search criteria becomes available. Look for the “Notify Me” button when searching for sites.

We’ve heard from many happy campers who have used availability notifications to successfully reserve a campsite at their favourite park.

4. Be “flexible” with your dates

The “Flexible Dates” feature allows you to search availability at your park of choice over a full month, rather than for specific dates.

You can find this tool by selecting a park, then clicking into the “Dates” field and toggling on “Flexible Dates”:

A screencap showing the "flexible dates" menu dropping down from the "Dates" field in the reservations webpage

Next, select how many nights you would like to stay, which month you’re planning to camp, and whether you want to limit the search to weekends only.

Lastly, close the “dates” field, and select your equipment of choice.

Once you hit search, you’ll see all available campsites. Before picking one, remember to add any filters (such as barrier-free, electrical, or radio-free).

And speaking of filters…

5. Check your filters (and be willing to compromise)

sign indicating a radio-free campground loop

Using filters in the reservation system is the simplest way to avoid common mistakes. Filters allow you to narrow down your search so you only see sites that meet your needs.

Can’t find exactly what you’ve filtered for? The more flexible you’re able to be about campsite specifics, the easier you’ll find it to land a campsite, especially at a busy park or during a busy weekend.

Electric sites and sites that accommodate large RVs are extremely popular. Consider trying a non-electric site, or a different campground.

But remember: flexibility is good. Booking a site that’s too small or doesn’t meet your needs is not.

If it’s that waterfront electrical site or nothing, the next tip is a good one for you.

6. Book weekdays or shoulder seasons

Campsites and cabin/yurt rentals book quickly on weekends, holidays, and during peak vacation times (July and August).

However, we often have top-quality cabins and campsites (including electrical sites) sitting empty during the week, particularly in the spring and fall.