Pet-friendly Ontario Provincial parks ?
 

Are any of you here tent campers ?

Our family is, and this is the first year where we'll be looking at taking along a pet. Our tent is large enough to place Pugsley's crate in one area (an attached screen room at the front, and we'll have his leash, tie-out, toys and food dishes with us.

What parks (Ontario Provincial parks specifically) have you had the best luck with for dog-friendliness ? Which ones to avoid ? Any other hints for tent-camping with a dog ?

The cat and fish will stay at home.

What part of Ontario do you plan on camping in? I've done a lot of camping in the parks in N. Ontario, so I could probably help you there.

Somewhere between Kingston and Toronto likely.

We've camped at Algonquin (though that's a little far in the car with 3 kids and a dog), Emily, and Charleston Lake Parks.

I'd like to find some reviews on Bon Echo, but I'm open to other as well.

We go to Voyageur Provincial Park every summer and they are very pet-friendly. It is near Hawksbury, Ontario. You just can't bring your dog to the sandy part of the beach, on the grassy part it is o.k.

We used to camp every summer at Long Point PP near Simcoe, Ontario and the tobacco belt (or what used to be the tobacco belt which is now the soy/ginseng belt...). Decent swimming even though it is Lake Erie, clean beaches, great boating (theres a beach you can only get to by boat everyone raves about)...

We never brought animals with us, but I did always see dogs and even a cat or two tied up at camp sites or walked by their owners or running at the beach.

We camped at Bon Echo, but it was a few years back, very, very nice. If you want to head towards Ottawa (Perth), there is Murphy's Point [url]http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/murp.html[/url], a little inconvenient to get to but some nice trials to walk your dog.

There is also Sharbot Lake which is very nice. [url]http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/shar.html#which[/url] is north of Kingston. at hwy 7. There is another park not too far from Sharbot lake, but can't remember the name of it.

Sandbanks I think is a little crowed to me anyways.

Charleston is our favourite.

[url]http://www.ontarioparks.com/ENGLISH/feedback.html[/url]

From the link above the following is taken:

[QUOTE]DOGS/ PETS
Q: Are pets allowed in Ontario’s provincial parks?
A: Pets are allowed in all parks – with the exception of designated campground areas in Awenda, Balsam Lake, Pinery and Voyageur and Achray, Canisbay, Mew Lake and Pog Lake campgrounds in Algonquin. Pets must be on a leash not exceeding 2 metres (6 feet) in length and are not permitted in swimming areas or on beaches or roofed accommodation sites. Pet owners should ensure that their pets are not left unattended, are properly leashed, do not make excessive noise and that any waste is cleaned up. Many parks now offer pet exercise/beach areas. Parks that offer these areas are listed below:

PET EXERCISE & BEACH LIST

Northwest Region
Aaron Beach only
Blue Lake Beach only
Neys Beach only
Pakwash Beach only

Northeast Region
Driftwood Exercise only
Esker Lakes Exercise and Beach
Fairbank Exercise and Beach
Halfway Lake Exercise and Beach
Ivanhoe Lake Exercise and Beach
Killarney Beach only
Kettle Lakes Exercise and Beach
Lake Superior, Agawa Bay Exercise and Beach
Obatanga Exercise and Beach
Pancake Bay Exercise only
Samuel de Champlain Exercise only
White Lake Exercise and Beach
Windy Lake Exercise and Beach


Southwest Region
Bronte Creek Exercise only
MacGregor Point Exercise
Rock Point Exercise and Beach
Rondeau Exercise only
Pinery Beach only
Point Farms Beach only
Turkey Point Exercise only
Port Burwell Beach only

Southeast Region
Bon Echo Exercise and Beach
Sandbanks Beach only
Sharbot Lake Exercise only

Central Region
Arrowhead Exercise and Beach
Awenda Beach only
Grundy Lake Exercise and Beach
Killbear Exercise and Beach
Mikisew Exercise and Beach
Oastler Exercise and Beach
Restoule Exercise and Beach
Sibbald Point Beach only
Wasaga Beach Exercise and Beach

Algonquin Exercise and Beach

Please check with the Park staff upon arrival to ask exactly where the beach and/or exercise areas are.[/QUOTE]

Mississagi, N. of Elliot Lake, is not on the list but we have enjoyed it for many years with our dog and found there were several places for her to swim. We usually go after Labour Day, though, and it may be different in the main summer season.

The following link also has some good information

[url]http://www.ontarioadventure.travel/media/press/Ont%20parks%20dogs_release%20copy.pdf[/url]

Yes, longblades, I've seen the list - but there's generally quite a difference between what is posted on a site as an official list, and what people's REAL experiences are.


That said - Bon Echo is the park I'm most interested in. It's far enough away to not feel like I'm camping on my door step, but close enough to not be too much of a drive with the kids in the car. Plus it's close to where my Dad lives, which is nice too.

Last year we took our two dogs to Meaford. I was so amazed at how pet friendly the campsite was. Almost every tent had a dog or two with them. A small part of the beach is designated for the dogs, and it is just so beautiful. In the early morning or late evening we had the whole beach to oursleves, so they ran free. And while we were there, we found out that they have a park dedicated to a dog named Joe. A book called Beautiful Joe was written, and the town had this park built in his memory. So they have special areas throughout the park with plaques of police dogs, 911, guide dogs, and so on. I was so moved by this, I will probably be visiting again! The park to camp in is called Meaford Memorial Park.

yes we dp camp with a tent we recently just came back from awenda park they are pet friendly also near hamilton ontario is a campsite called knights beach pet friendly clean a nd a nice settingon the lake you and your pet can walk forever on the beach and out into the water thoroughly enjoyable...

I used to take Bayley and my first dog to Murphy's Point in the off season. Very nice spot! It is a bit out of the way, but it is on the way to Perth, also worth a visit in the summer.

most provincial parks are dog friendly, but they have to stay leashed.

Fitzroy
 

We camped in Fitzroy recently, and it was an ok place for our puppy. If you have an older, more active dog it might not be the best place to go. Dogs aren't allowed anywhere on the beaches, but if you get one of the sites with a boat dock for a canoe, you can let your dog swim there. It's deep, however, so it was a bit scary for our first time swimmer. Also, the hiking trails were very short, and one was closed while we were there due to flooding.