Planning your next Ontario Parks adventure? We have highlighted a few reservation features to make it easier to find a campsite that checks your boxes!
Here are a few of the features — some new and some classics — that we think you’ll love:
1. Set filters
Simply put, using filters is the simplest way to avoid common mistakes and find the best campsite for you.
Filters narrow your search, so you only see sites that meet your needs. This helps prevent issues like booking a non-electrical site when you need power or choosing a pet-free area when you plan to bring a dog.
Key benefits of using filters:
- Accuracy: select site size, electrical service, barrier-free access, and restrictions (such as pet-free or radio-free).
- Efficiency: quickly find suitable options without scrolling through hundreds of sites.
- Confidence: avoid surprises like a site that’s too small for your trailer or doesn’t allow pets.
Before searching, enter accurate details about your equipment and preferences. Use the “View More Details” option to check slope, shade, and photos. If your preferred site is unavailable, the “Find Similar Experiences” tool can suggest alternatives.
2. Sign up for availability notifications
Our parks get thousands of cancellations every year, many at the last minute. While the park may be booked solid when you first check, many sites will become available later.
Our availability notifications system allows you to sign up for email notifications if the site on your selected dates at your favourite park becomes available.
Availability notifications even factor in the filters you’ve applied to your search. This means you’ll receive fewer emails for sites that aren’t your cup of tea.
For example: if you’ve filtered for only electric sites at Arrowhead, you won’t get emails about non-electric Arrowhead spots or electric sites at Algonquin.
Remember: availability notifications do not guarantee you the campsite; you still have to make the booking. Every visitor has an equal opportunity to book.
3. Try our new “Flexible Dates” option
The Flexible Dates feature allows you to search which sites are available at your favourite park for one month at a time rather than having to enter specific dates.
This feature is intuitive and is controlled by you with a toggle switch. When selecting your arrival and departure dates, simply switch to “Flexible dates”.
How it works:
- Once you’ve selected the park, choose the date option and toggle on ‘Flexible dates’. Then select how many nights you would like to stay, which month you’d like to search and if you’re only interested in weekend camping opportunities. Lastly, select your equipment of choice, and press search.
- Use additional filters if needed. The search results display with campsite photos and earliest available date ranges that match the number of nights you’d like to stay. Lastly, select the ‘View on Map’ button to view additional date availability and select an option to complete the reservation as usual.
1. Find similar experiences
Some of the best camping memories can happen when exploring a new park.
Our new similar experiences feature helps you easily find alternate locations to the park you’re searching.
The alternate parks will have similar amenities and be located in the same general area of the province. The feature even indicates whether there are sites available for your dates!
This feature is available for all types of camping, including roofed accommodations and backcountry.
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2. Sign up for availability notifications
We know it’s disappointing when you miss out on a campsite at your favourite park.
Our parks get thousands of cancellations every year, many at the last minute. While the park may be booked solid when you first check, sometimes sites will open up later.
Our availability notifications system allows you to sign up for email notifications if the site on your selected dates at your favourite park becomes available within the five month booking window.
This feature makes it easier for you to find a car campsite by providing up-to-date information on campsite availability.
Remember that availability notifications do not guarantee you the campsite, and every visitor will have an equal opportunity to book.
Did you know: availability notifications considers the filters you’ve applied to a search!
This means you’ll receive fewer emails for sites you might not be interested in.
For example: if you’ve filtered for only electric sites, you’ll only receive an email when an electric site that meets your search criteria becomes available.
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3. Book a specific backcountry site
Planning a backcountry trip can be a lot of work.
We’re excited to offer backcountry campers the tools to make planning your trip easier than ever.
Many of our backcountry parks offer site-specific reservations. You can book specific campsites when reserving these backcountry experiences:
- Backcountry paddling at Killarney Provincial Park
- Backcountry hiking at Algonquin Provincial Park
This will help you more accurately plan your route, better predict your daily travel distance, and reserve your favourite backcountry site.
Visit our backcountry webpage to find out how to reserve at your favourite park.
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4. Reserve your daily vehicle permit in advance
Did you know you can reserve your daily vehicle permit in advance at many of your favourite destinations?
We know you don’t want to spend your time sitting in a line-up at park gates, only to be turned away because the park is already full!
Reserving your permit in advance guarantees you access to the park of your choice on the day you’re visiting.
There are two ways to obtain your permit up to five days in advance of your trip, beginning at 7:00 a.m.:
- Online at reservations.ontarioparks.ca
- By phone by calling 1-888-ONT-PARK (1-888-668-7275) – Open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time
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5. Book a generator-free campsite
Craving some peace and quiet?
Some of our radio-free campsites are now also generator-free!
To find a generator-free campsite, select the “Generator Free” filter when searching for a campsite.
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New to using our reservation service?
For some tips on how to reserve a campsite, check out the video below.
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