If you plan to visit Ontario Parks this summer, did you know that you can reserve your campsite or roofed accommodation up to five months in advance of your arrival date? Book online at OntarioParks.com or by calling the Ontario Parks reservation line, 1-888-ONT-PARK (Canada & USA). These tips will also make your Ontario Parks trip planning easier:
1. Sites are not all booked in advance.
Less than 30% of all reservations made in a year at Ontario Parks, are booked before March 31. This online tool allows you to explore different parks, campgrounds, and dates, and check for availability. It even includes park photos.
2. Try a new park
Over 50% of the reservations made between January 1 and March 31 are generally for Ontario’s top 5 busiest provincial parks; Algonquin, Killbear, The Pinery, Sandbanks and Bon Echo. To find out which parks are good alternatives to Ontario’s busiest five, check this Park Blog post.
3. Booking last minute
Campsites and cabin/yurt rentals book quickly at some Ontario Parks especially on weekends and during peak vacation times. Weekdays are best for last minute bookings or try a park a little further north. To check for availability, log on to Ontario Parks’ reservations and select:
1) Choose your reservation type: select type of accommodation you require
2) Select your arrival date and number of nights
3) Pick your park and/or campground
4) Pick your site requirements
5) Click on tab for “Availability Calendar and the site will show you all of the dates with availability of yurts by campground. Once you’ve selected your campground, click on “Availability List” tab and then be sure to “Sort by availability” so all parks with any availability will be at the top of the list.
