It’s winter, but that doesn’t mean camping season is over! If you want to get away from the city this winter and out into nature, but you’re not loving the idea of sleeping in a freezing tent, roofed accommodation could be the happy medium you’re looking for. You get the outdoorsy feel, just with a few extra comforts of home, such as running water, electricity and washrooms (depending on the type offered). Plus, there’s more privacy than staying at a hotel or resort, and many national and provincial parks are catering to winter campers with more yurts, cabins and soft-sided shelters. Get all snuggled up wth our list of winter roofed camping accommodations in Ontario…
(Click on the title link for more information)
Bruce Peninsula National Park
Where: Cyprus Lake Campground, Tobermory
Accommodation: 10 Yurts (Soft-Sided Shelters)
Bruce Peninsula has become an extremely popular destination in the summer, and you can still enjoy its hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, fishing, birding and animal watching throughout the year.
MacGregor Point Provincial Park
Where: 1593 Bruce Road 33, RR#1, Port Elgin
Accommodation: 6 Rustic Cabins, 10 Yurts (Soft-Sided Shelters)
Extra winter accommodations have been added this year (two more cabins and four more yurts) so more families can partake in skating on the park’s natural paths, plus cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling.
Pinery Provincial Park
Where: 9526 Lakeshore Road RR2, Grand Bend
Accommodation: 4 Rustic Cabins, 12 Yurts (Soft-Sided Shelters)
On the shores of Lake Huron, glide across the large outdoor skating rink and also enjoy cross-country skiing, hiking, snowshoeing, and even tobogganing!
Point Pelee National Park
Where: 1118 Point Pelee Drive, Leamington
Accommodation: 24 oTENTik
Spend the night in an oTENTik, a cross between a tent and a rustic cabin, and check out the stars at their mesmerizing dark sky nights, as well as paths for hiking and birding.
Algonquin Provincial Park (Mew Lake)
Where: Whitney, Algonquin Provincial Park
Accommodation: 4 Rustic Cabins, 6 Yurts (Soft-Sided Shelters)
In Ontario’s best-known provincial park, you can skate on an outdoor rink, and also go cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. If you want to do a day trip further into Algonquin, there’s also dog-sledding and fat-biking options.
Arrowhead Provincial Park
Where: 451 Arrowhead Park Road, Huntsville
Accommodation: 13 Rustic Cabins
Arrowhead is the best to be over the winter because of their natural skating path in the forest, including special Fire and Ice Nights. Don’t forget to do some cross-country skiing and snowshoeing too.
Killarney Provincial Park
Where: 960 Highway #637, Killarney
Accommodation: 2 Rustic Cabins, 6 Yurts
In the wilds on the top of Georgian Bay, Killarney Provincial Park offers many opportunities to get back to nature, such as hiking and fishing.
Windy Lake Provincial Park
Where: P.O. Box 560, Levack (Near Sudbury)
Accommodation: 2 Rustic Cabins, 4 Yurts (Soft-Sided Shelters)
Further north from Killarney and closer to Sudbury, at Windy Lake there’s lots of active pursuits available, like cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing and hiking.
Sandbanks Provincial Park
Where: 3004 County Rd. 12 RR#1, Picton, Prince Edward County
Accommodation: 2Â Cottages
At the jewel of Prince Edward County, Sandbanks offers two year-round cottages, including one with four bedrooms! In the area, there are also hiking, fishing and birding options.
Silent Lake Provincial Park
Where: 1589 Silent Lake Park Road, Bancroft
Accommodation: 10 Rustic Cabins, 8 Yurts (Soft-Sided Shelters)
With a name like Silent Lake, you can assume you’ll get plenty of peace and quiet in this provincial park. Indeed, feel free to engage in some gentle activities, like cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing.
Quetico Provincial Park
Where: 108 Saturn Ave., Atikokan (Near Thunder Bay)
Accommodation: 3 Rustic Cabins
Ever heard of “skijoring”? It’s a combination of cross-country skiing and dogsledding, and it’s popular at the Quetico Provincial Park, outside of Thunder Bay. There’s also cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing and dogsledding.
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
Where: R.R. #1, Pass Lake (Near Thunder Bay)
Accommodation: 5 Rustic Cabins
Near the top of Lake Superior, this park is best-known for its summer backcountry hiking trails. But there’s lots to do in winter too, such as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing and hiking.
If you want to “bring your own roof”, winter car and trailer/RV camping is also available. Find more info on Ontario Parks’ website here.
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