Please do not remove my post concerning a real problem with an app called 'Camping bot.' CBC news revealed this trouble last year and campers need to know it exists and is taking many of the camp sites. It is valuable information.
@@davidbrown3572 The only comments I have ever knowingly removed are spam posts. I don't think I removed your post. The camping bot problem is very real. Making people aware of it is causing people to speak up about it. Ontario Parks are going to have to do something about it to appease the rising swell of anger.
@@CampingwiththeColes I placed a posting just before which also disappeared? I just feel this is a real problem and everyone should be aware and on board. The more it is evident to all concerned. The more action can be placed to make this type of app illegal. Just want to make things fair for all.
You have just informed and educated thousands of viewers about the exploit. The problem will just keep getting worse. Ontario Parks sends you a form letter if you email them to complain about the exploit. The form letter denies that anything is happening. They are forcing us to use this method even though we don't want to.
With the amount of frustration regarding this system I think the simplest fix would be to eliminate the ability to book a site longer than 7 days at a time. The Provincial Park system is there for the enjoyment of all Ontarian’s and those visiting our wonderful province. With limited sites and a short season I don’t believe it is fair for one person to be able to book a site for 23 days in a row. Consider the fact that instead of one family having the site for 3 weeks that three families could each enjoy that location for a weeks holidays during the peak summer period. And that is for legitimate bookings not someone playing games booking sites ahead of the days they really want / need. If someone wants to book for that long perhaps a seasonal site at a private campground would be a fairer option to others who also want to travel.
Extremely frustrating to book sites at Provincial Parks this year. Was able to get a site at a campground for 5 nights then had to book an non-electric site at a different campground that was not on our list and then move to an electrical site for 5 more days. It worked out in the end. I have no tips, just patience I guess and lots of coffee.
Great tips! We have used some of the same but you certainly gave us some new ones! Our tip is selecting sites at the park before you plan to book, then at 7am go straight to the site and reserve, need to be quick or have another account setup. This year we are taking your advice trying new parks!
Thanks for the practical advice. Only managed one booking so far and it’s from Sunday-Friday. That only happened because someone on one of the FB groups noticed a bunch of sites opened up in Pinery. Was super grateful that I caught it. I think the next step is to watch at the 4 month mark for all the people cancelling those extended bookings.
Exactly, at the 4 month mark the cancellations will come quickly. You'll have to check the website everyday and be ready each morning at 7am. Good luck. Happy camping!
We will be at Wheatley, Rondeau, Mcgregors Point, Turkey Point, Tobermory, Balsam Lake and the Pinery. Cannot wait!! Have a safe and happy season and hope to meet up with you! Huge Fan!
One tip I can say is if you get the last electric site it’s usually the one that you need a 100’ cord to plug in. Thank god I had made a 100’cord for my plug in at the house. Saved us a 2 camping spots last year
gotta say, im not a huge camper but its something i love deeply. this channel even though ive only watched my 4 or 5 videos so far has been fantastic. i love the quality of it and the consistent vibes you guys have, itd be great to see you guys out there one day! thanks for the great informative videos
A good tip is to choose 3 sites you like at the same park and try to reserve them at the same time. Good chance to score one of them and then it's happy camping. You can use your PC, phone and laptop with family and then choose the desired vacation spot. Should you get all 3 leaves you the option of getting your favourite and only pay for that site. Just decline the other 2 sites reservation. Your not reserved until the monetary transaction.
Great video guys. I was aware of the practice of booking in advance and then cancelling - I despise that too! I was not aware of the FB group for cancellations. Interesting. I have to say I agree about the narrowness of provincial park roads sometimes. We also found the roads in the Riverside areas of the Pinery to be narrow.
let’s hope this video does not give campers who didn’t know about the 23 days and how you can miss use it the idea to starting booking 23 days. It’s hard enough to get a site as it is!
We went up north a couple of years ago to pancake bay. It's beautiful in North Ontario. As long as you don't mind the lake being very cold. Definitely want to go up north again.
I'm loving your tips and videos! Thank you so much! We will be camping for the first time ever this year!! Pinery and Bon Echo are on the list! Now we are trying Arrowhead, Algonquin or Grundy... what would you recommend for a young family with a 3y little girl? :D
I'm glad you like our videos. It's so exiting that you're going camping for the first time this year. You picked some great parks. Between Arrowhead, Algonquin or Grundy, you can't go wrong. Arrowhead and Grundy are smaller so you don't have to leave to do lots of stuff. Algonquin is HUGE so you're often driving to other parts of the park to do stuff. It's all about what you're into. Have fun. Happy camping!
Hope you guys are doing great and are still considering the multi-park trip We try start your weekend on a Wednesday or a Saturday for usually 4 or 5 nights we find that has worked for us. Have about 8 parks that you are interested in and both of us login and split up the list and go crazy. This morning we had 7 parks and finally got something on the 6th park. We also just bought a house in Kawartha Lakes so our drive times to parks has decreased drastically allowing us to easily go further north for just a few days. We are considering solar for non-electric sites if we have issues booking. So far this year we have Bass Lake, Mew Lake, Marten River and Silent Lake. We are having issues getting Charleston Lake and Mikisew.
Sounds like you have a good summer planned. Booking really is a team effort. You have to split up the work and go crazy. I'm glad it's mostly working out for you. We haven't had an issue booking yet but we haven't tried booking any real popular parks yet. That's coming up in a couple of weeks.
Water pump and the interior lights and have propane for the rest. Lithium power packs such as the Jackery would be great if you needed 120v plug directly into it and no additional inverter needed. Solar can be used to recharge the unit. All for about $1000 and no trailer modifications. That's what I think is the best bet on a budget
We have booked 4 campgrounds so far Sandbanks, Silent Lake, Killbear and Champlain...had no trouble at all. Got the sites we wanted. We are retired and camp only through the weekdays.
Not wanting to anger anyone but they should be progressive in their cancellation fees . If someone books 23 days then trys to cancel , it should increase substantially as the number of days cancelled increases . 7 days maybe 5% , after that $$. There are many not well off families trying to give their kids a taste of the woods , especially from the cities . It is for their healthy state of mind , not just establishes rv’ers . It will only get more difficult .
Good to hear you're having success. Flexibility is definitely an asset when trying to book camping. Fingers crossed that we get a full camping season this year. Happy camping!
We do everything you suggested plus we had 3 of us up at 7AM and we still had a really hard time ! Trying to reserve in 2021 has just been BRUTAL ! On top of that many times the reservation system would freeze up at 7AM due to yolume . I have been camping for years but I have never seen a year like this one...we Finally got a decent site at Lake of Two Rivers..Wew and yes..because we are retired we do camp for 23 days
Yah, this year is way harder than any other year. Way more people getting into camping. It's good that you got into a great campground in Algonquin Park. Happy camping!
Great tips guys! I have been booking on my mobile and do not have access to as much information. Will be using my computer from now on. Happy that the rules have changed to not allow for the “work arounds” this year.
We find that using a computer is much easier than a smart phone for reserving a site. but that could just be us, because we're technologically challenged when it comes to mobile apps.
Hi! I hope the parks will be open for camping because of covid🤞 I have a lot of reservations for the summer. from mid-May to the end of July. I don't want to skip none of them!
Great tips, except I wish you hadn’t shared the way some people take advantage of the system by booking the 23-day max. You’ve just told people how to cheat the system, if they weren’t already aware. I agree-ON Parks needs to penalize people for doing this.
We have never had so much trouble getting sites. Our group of friends has been camping at the same park for 18 years and we are still short one site. This year we are spread out through the whole park. WE started trying on Feb. 8. If we didn't start then we wouldn't have any sites at all.
Very informative. Thanks for the tips. It can get frustrating cause for Canada Day was impossible. We had 4 of us ready to book sites at the park for seven and not one of us was able to get one. Though we did find one at another park so that's good. As long as we go camping we're happy. We did get lucky for our holiday camp. We booked lakeside at Charleston. So very happy about that. Again thanks for all your videos.
We're with you...as long as we're camping we're happy. We've been to lots of new parks over the last couple of years and new explorations and experiences are the best. Happy camping!
@@CampingwiththeColes yes. Just because you didn't get the park you wanted you may be pleasantly surprised. Many beautiful provincial parks out there. And once you're at you're site just pretend you're at you're favorite park. Cause most provincial parks the sites are pretty similar. An example would be when you guys went to Charleston last year for the first time and it ended up being in your top 5.
Really well done!!! I’m well acquainted with OP’s site and learned a couple of things, like how to see their system clock and the FB page, which is brilliant. After looking at other reservation systems I have to say OP has their act together. It is a bit wobbly at times but probably because of traffic. Your observation regarding their disincentive to change their highly structured cancellation policy because of profits is interesting. I wonder how profitable they are. I always thought our parks system must be running at a loss. Does anyone know?
Yeah sibbald and Darlington always seem to have spots. Been to both actually going to Darlington for Canada Day. They're both nice parks. Only complaint I have against Darlington is the sound of the trains.
@Findantruth yes and possibly be prepared to book a campground you've never been to. You may be pleasantly surprised. There are many beautiful provincial parks our there. Best of luck.
I think it’s people with poor internet that are having an issue. We booked Dunes area 1 at the Pinery for June, a hard to get area. We got waterfront at Killbear and Lakefront at Grundy. People get upset, but there’s always something available.
We have fast internet (or at least the fasted that Rogers offer right now, but still no luck getting a spot at Killbear. We were able to get Pinery, MacGregor, Awenda, even Bon Echo no issues, but not Killbear. Luckily someone from the Ontario Cancellations site saw my post and offered me their cancellation.
Hello and thank you. Toward the end of the video, at 15:54/15:55 you show a beautiful water scene, curious as to which park it’s in . Thanks in advance.
I was up for over 2 weeks straight trying to book a Killbear site (for 2 tents - but electric) with NO luck. As soon as the clock turns to 7 everything goes red. Luckily someone on the Ontario Cancellations page reached out to me and released their site to us. So frustrating.
Well I guess we have a few thousand more people to compete against now. It took me a few years to figure all this out. It's great to help people out but shooting yourself in the foot is another story.
There are no real secrets here. It's all available on line. In fact, CTV News had a story telling the same tips the day after this was posted and Global News did it two days later. Then CBC did an interview with The Happy Camper who again said virtually the same thing. We are trying to draw attention to the issue, to help people out, and hopefully get things working better. Happy camping!
With all the Ontario Provincial Park reservation booking issues this year, we decided to cancelled our travel plans and get a seasonal site instead. If we do decide to travel, it will be last minute bookings or Crown Land camping.
Hmmm. Regarding playing the system and booking 23 days.... so I've been up every a.m. at 6:30 a.m. preparing for the 7:00 booking for over 3 weeks now. Zero success. My getting a site has nothing to do with how long ppl are booking but the volume of ppl booking. I'm not sure that what your doing by having a 2nd system up and "holding " another site is any different, nor is booking a non electric then cancelling later if you get a better site (for the very reasons you point out re ppl being unable to book so loosing out on their trip or having to wait a month and watch for cancellations. It's a deceitful game/system isn't it!
I wouldn't say that what we are doing is deceitful. As far as holding up another site with our second account, it's holding it for a maximum of 15 minutes. As far as booking a non electrical site, we are fully prepared to boondock if we can't get an electrical site. So we aren't needlessly keeping anyone from getting a site. We are using it. We aren't holding anything up and cancelling. The big issue is people holding a site for months then knowing they are going to cancel most of the dates. I hope you have success in your bookings. Happy camping!
Last year I had 3 Ontario Parks reservations cancelled due to 'Covid' nonsense. I could shop at Costco or Walmart but I couldn't camp 😡 I was spitting nails I was so mad. Monday my sister and i were each were on a computer and hit reserve site (for Bon Echo) at exactly 7am. The site just kept spinning and spinning. It would finally come up that the site was not available for that time. 🤬 Fortunately my sister was quick and chose another (I guess less desirable site (Hardwoods)) and she got it. Hurray 😁 Hardwoods is farther from the water but more secluded so perhaps it will be fine. So far I have 3 booked for the summer. If they get cancelled due to covid I think I will get so frustrated that I will sell my trailer. This is just to stressful to go through all that stress to get a site then have the government cancel it.Good luck every one.
Thanks so much for this video - I found it so helpful. My first possible booking day is today, and I've never camped in Ontario before - trying for Algonquin, Lake Superior and Sleeping Giant (and also Pukakswa and Bruce Peninsula). One of the tips you had was to try for a non-electrical site, and so I'm wondering, does that suggest that tent campers have an easier time securing a spot in Ontario parks? Or will we be competing with RV campers this year because of the high demand? I've also loved watching your review videos - especially Pog Lake. Looking forward to this season's reviews! I'm wondering if you have considered doing any videos for general camping tips and tricks regardless of whether it's for RVing or tenting. For example, packing up wet gear after rain, or proper tarp techniques, water-proofing your site, recommended equipment (bug and bear repellent, fire making equipment, camping essentials etc..) In the last few years I've only done backpack multi-day hike camping, so car camping will feel luxurious, but I'm out of practice with what to pack for car camping. Love the channel! Thanks again!
Thanks for your support in watching our videos. We used to do all back country camping, then progressed to car camping in tents, then to a travel trailer. We do tips and tricks for car camping but mostly geared toward the RV people as that's what we do now. We don't set up tarps anymore or really put much away that's wet. RVers and tenters still deal with lots of things in common such as campfires, campfire cooking, bug protection and the need to critter and bear proof the sites and we'll talk about that kind of stuff in our videos. We plan on doing an essentials video but again, it's more geared toward the RV crowd as that's what we do. We'll try to consider the tenters more when doing videos that apply to both. Happy camping!
We have been trying to book 4 sites together for the August long weekend and the following week. If we don't book extra nights of camping we would never be able to camp together. I would argue if you don't book extra nights, you won't get a site period. We've tried for a total of 12 sites and have been successful on 3 of them. I don't see how the reservation system could be any different than what it is. There are far too many variables to accommodate everyone.
They could eliminate the fraudulent booking scheme by not offering any refunds for cancellations. You book you pay period. Thats a pretty expensive 3 days of camping at the rate of 23 days. I have been trying to book sites within 3 hours of Ottawa since January and everything has been booked since May 15th at Charleston Lake, Murphy's Point, Bon Echo and lately since mid February even Fitzroy, Silver Lake, Sharbot Lake are booked in blocks. They need to change the system. Some people cannot afford to lay out 23 days of camping fees to secure three days of camping and then wait for a refund. Totally bogus practise and I suspect it is being done regularly. Last year I showed up at several campgrounds that said they were 100% full and they were only 45-55 % full. In mid September Murphy's Point said they were 100% full and I went to find out they had about 30 campers total in the park. People just didn't show up and got full refunds because of COVID but didn't bother to cancel in advance which denied other people that wanted to camp.
Great video! Thanks for the tips! We booked at arrowhead June 22-24 but I was wondering what the bug season was like there? Would we need a mosquito tent? Any tips or should we stick to an RV campground? TIA!
Why didn't you post this video earlier!?!? I had such a hard time getting our favorite sites, we ended up booking one not even on our list. I was wondering why someone was booking a non hydro lot for 3 weeks. That makes so much sense now.
Sorry for not posting earlier. The idea just came to me a few days ago when people kept asking us, in the comment sections of our videos, if we have any advice on booking campsites. I wish I would have thought of it in December when we were booking for the May two four.
@@CampingwiththeColes it's funny because someone I was just talking to today was mentioning about people booking that way and then I see your video today as well! I really don't think people should be able to book more then one week at a time. It is government run so we all pay for it and we should all get a chance to enjoy the province. If its a private campground then I have no issues booking long periods of time!
Any tips for a first timer trying to book roofed accommodations like yurts in July at any park been trying early months for days trying to reserve at 7 am . Even windy lake which is supposed to be less popular couldn’t get hurt for 3 nights .any tips from anyone please .? Great video by the way and thanks .
We got rid of the 30 foot trailer and got a new 21 foot to fit in the more plentiful smaller non-electric sites.Why cant they at least sell dry firewood at the parks??
The issue isn’t that it’s wet, it’s that it’s not properly seasoned. That’s why it doesn’t burn well. It’s all relatively freshly cut stuff these last couple years.
@@ProdigiousReturn We grab a bag at every provincial park we go to and season it in the back of the pickup for a month and its definitely better to burn. Best to just buy it from the Ma & Pa joints on the way to the park. Never disappointed.
Just experienced how difficult this is. My family book two side by side sites yearly and camp for 7 days. We were trying so hard to get Pinery but couldn’t make it work. Instead we will be doing Rock Point. Anyone else been to rock point ?
We've decided to try something different for us. We are doing a tour of Lake Erie. We've booked Wheatley, Rondeau, Port Burwell, Long Point and Turkey Point. Then we head north where we hope to book Murphy's Point, Bon Echo and Silent Lake. We may throw in a couple more too. Happy camping!
@@CampingwiththeColes interested in seeing this. I am not a fan of Lake Ontario, and have steered clear of Lake Erie due to the warning of ticks, but as I have already now have Lyme which I got from a corn field in Brighton during Thanksgiving, it isn't as huge a concern. Not sure what Lake Erie is like to swim in. Lake Huron, is my happy place right now (and Georgian Bay a nice 2nd)
I'm done with the provincial parks and their reserve system. Going to support the local campgrounds this year near me, and friends and family who run one. Better service and better maintenance!
I’ve heard nothing but bad reviews of the private camp grounds. Do you have any private ones in mind you’d suggest? Family friendly though. Not a party scene
Isn’t it true tho that all ontario parks have a same day reservations? I remember when i was younger we never booked our reservation and just packed up everything and went to mcgregor point and told them we needed a campsite and they had walk in resverations and many available. Even when I went to algonquin last year they had many empty sites that were same day reservable
It used to be that a certain percentage of sites in every park was non-reservable, so that people could just show up and get a site. As of last year they made every site reservable. Therefore the likelihood of just showing up and getting a site is greatly reduced.
Thanks for your tips. Do you have any tips re. boondocking. We are heading to a National Park in the next week which opens for booking tomorrow (though Prov. Parks are only open for day use, no camping of any sort). Private RV campgrounds are (almost) all closed so we plan to boondock one or two nights on our way to the National Park. Do you see any issue or have any experience of boondocking at an arena or school parking lot (they are both closed until provincial orders). Thanks
Any time we've done an overnight stay in a parking lot we got permission from somebody there. We've stayed at Cracker Barrel (USA) Cabelas and Premium Outlet Malls (USA) but always got permission. I know many Walmarts allow overnight parking but you have to go in and get permission from management. I wouldn't recommend staying in a school or arena lot without permission. I believe most schools even have signs on the property saying no trespassing after 7pm or something to that effect. Good luck and happy camping.
I thought I was the only one knowing these 'tips & tricks' ; -) LOL !!!! I have only got the exact site, once at 7am after a couple years of this, but keep trying every time! Usually if you are on early you can certainly get a site for the date you want, just might not be the exact site or even campground. My Best advice, with all said, is to be open (like the outdoors) to new parks, don't be afraid to drive a bit longer than you normally like. Grab a passport book from Ontario Parks to use as an incentive to try out new parks. If not for the sticker, for bragging rights!!! Do what we did last year, camp one night at a Park and then continue north afterward. Likewise if you are north and want to come south. Either way there are so many provincial parks in this province, the options are still endless.... Be Open like the Outdoor are!!!! If you are ultimately focused on a spot, feel free to play "whack-a-mole" which is periodically checking the campground and as soon as you see the green, click click click and reserve ASAP. (no time to check photo etc) Cheers!
You're exactly right. We've explored so many new parks over the past couple of years instead of desperately trying to get into the big ones. Happy camping!
Thanks for the support. I don't think the demand for camping will drop much post Covid. It will drop some as more forms of travel open up and the border opens but a lot of people are trying out camping for the first time and many will like it and want to keep doing it. The demand for campsites has been steadily rising every year before Covid and then soared once Covid hit. We need more provincial parks, conservation area and private campgrounds that allow organized camping to catch up to the demand. It takes time to build all that, so the various government agencies need to get working on that now. Just my opinion :) Happy camping!
Hi. Thanks for the video. I’ve tried to book a site at 7 AM a few times recently and have had no luck (I guess someone else clicked on the same site within seconds)! When is the best time to find a cancellation?
When you book at the earliest time (5 months in advance) you can't cancel any dates until a month later. Therefore, exactly one month later you'll see the cancellations start coming in. Good Luck!
@@CampingwiththeColes Thanks ... after watching your video and hearing about the no cancelations for one month rule I was thinking the same! I wasn’t aware of the one month cancellation rule prior! Good to know! 😀
We prefer the Provincial Parks and we wouldn't feel comfortable asking for free things or discounts in exchange for a review. We do this because this is our passion, not to try to get free things. It's hard to get into a provincial park this year but we're sticking with them. Although we have booked one Conservation Area this summer.
Camping with the Coles I hear ya. We have to go private for some of our vacations this summer, and I’m Leary of how it will turn out, but it’d be nice to have some reviews out there from people who enjoy the PP feel, as many opinions from private aren’t the same perspective. We are also doing 2 conservation areas- Valens and Wildwood.
@@chantellek3982 We'll be going to Valens too. It's only a half hour from home yet we've never been there. We'll do a review of it even though it's not a provincial Park. Maybe we'll run into you.
Just out of curiosity I’m surprised that any would be entrapuner would book a site then resale it for a profit given the absolute unavailability for major parks and campgrounds due to COVID-19
@@CampingwiththeColes on the site you can purchase seasonal day permits .... im assuming it just means not overnight stay. I also notice other permits.
@@Jamlife16 Ok, I think I get what you're asking now. Ontario Parks charges a nightly camping fee ($47) and that includes up to 6 people on the site. Parks Canada charges a nightly camping fee ($28) and then a day pass ($7.90) for each person on the site. So for two people at a Bruce Peninsula it's $43/night but if there were six people it would be $75.40/night. I hope this answers your question.
Bottom Line....our the Ontario Provincial Parks have been severely underfunded for YEARS and haven't kept up with the population and demand - thanks to our useless politicians. Most of these parks were designed and built in the 50s & 60s and have had very few upgrades and improvements ever since. It would also be nice if the MNR (again, controlled by politicians) would allow private development of more RV parks.
Not related to this video. I notice on your video's you always mention if the hoses are threaded or not. Have you ever tried a water bandit attachment. We also added Halfway Lake this year. Also everyone has really started to notice especially this week if you don't get a site at 7am keep checking till about 8am lots start to reappear, obviously being dropped out of peoples carts.
We have a water bandit and found that it only works if there is no pressure in the hose. So if the other end is open you can get the water to flow but if you have the other end attached to something like the black water flush or a water nozzle it will pop off the tap. I've started to use a 1.5 foot section of garden hose and a hose clamp to attach to the unthreaded black water hoses. It works well. I was going to use it a few more times before mentioning it in a video. Yesterday we tried to book Bon Echo and the website was a mess. I had a site in our shopping cart but couldn't get it. I know many other people had the same issue as numerous sites came up as available until shortly after 8am. Today I tried again and the website was smooth. We didn't get a site and none because available after 7am.
We've decided to try something different for us. We are doing a tour of Lake Erie. We've booked Wheatley, Rondeau, Port Burwell, Long Point and Turkey Point. Then we head north where we hope to book Murphy's Point, Bon Echo and Silent Lake. We may throw in a couple more too. Happy camping!
@@CampingwiththeColes that sounds incredible, I’ve only booked killbear, arrowhead, and soon to come mikisew... I might throw in a pog lake trip too depending if I get the time off or not. Can’t wait to see your third season, stay safe!
Question. How far can you click before 7:00 am? I'm only going as far as the campground, not the specific site, as the "not available " warning pop up will appear. In one of your videos, it looked like you actually went that far, and clicked the reserve button at 7:00. Will this work, or do I need to wait until 7 to click the site and then reserve?
That's a good question. Before 7am you should have the actual campsite you want selected and have your cursor on the reserve button for that campsite, ready to click as the clock strikes 7. Click reserve and hope for the best. Good luck and happy camping!
I Just tried hitting at exactly 7:00am and I lost out to someone else and can't imagine how I could be any more precise. It is soooo frustrating.!!! If you figure out a way please let me know. @@katiesaunders7936
There is no hope in HELL that im going to wait for exactly 5 months to the day when i want to go in. Id never get a site. So i use the 23 days reserve and cancel when i can. That means there is free money for the govt and people have a chance to takke that site now with the days i cancel. With the way the parks were run in summer 2020 and how people were sitting at the end of the camp site BEFORE 2PM check out time and how ignorant people have become while camping, i have no problem doing it this way. AND i book for 4 families. 4 different sites evch and every year. AND did i mention ive been camping in Ontario for over 50 years and in the last couple and since the parks are run by contracted companies, how dirty it has become.
I would be careful with comments about how much money Ontario parks is making on the bookings. Unless you are privy to their financials that strikes me as spreading rumours. Also, for those of us that remember the old booking system, this one is much better, in my opinion. Finally, regarding your statement that parks Ontario has no incentive to improve the system, if that was the case then they wouldn’t have paid for an outside software development firm to develop and maintain a new system. Thanks for shedding light on the 23 day rule. I agree that there are some legitimate reasons for booking 23 days and then cancelling later. Unfortunately, for backcountry sites there is no cancellation fee during the pandemic. So there is no disincentive.
There is a fee for cancellation or changing of backcountry. The fees have not been waived UNLESS the province is in lockdown and OP has canceled overnight camping
Should not be a secret there is more money to be made charging cancelation & change fees. They removed these in the 2020 season because of the showers. 2021 they still advertise no showers BUT all the fees are now back. Only difference is... money! I wouldn't call this a rumor, just calling out the situation for what it is.
hosting at provincial parks should be privatized and fees reflect market value. then the supply can be positioned to reflect the massive demand. I am saying the fees should go WAY up. then we will see the true value of these accommodations and maybe some more facilities will be created. the booking system is ABSURD akin to communist mismanagement of a markets.
![[TF2] The Russian Bear Trap](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YFNSwz2_rOA/mqdefault.jpg)
Please share with us your tips for booking an Ontario Parks Campsite. Lets help everyone out.
Please do not remove my post concerning a real problem with an app called 'Camping bot.' CBC news revealed this trouble last year and campers need to know it exists and is taking many of the camp sites. It is valuable information.
@@davidbrown3572 The only comments I have ever knowingly removed are spam posts. I don't think I removed your post. The camping bot problem is very real. Making people aware of it is causing people to speak up about it. Ontario Parks are going to have to do something about it to appease the rising swell of anger.
@@CampingwiththeColes I placed a posting just before which also disappeared? I just feel this is a real problem and everyone should be aware and on board. The more it is evident to all concerned. The more action can be placed to make this type of app illegal. Just want to make things fair for all.
Thank you so much for posting this! I truly hope every person considering camping at Ontario Parks watches this.
You have just informed and educated thousands of viewers about the exploit. The problem will just keep getting worse. Ontario Parks sends you a form letter if you email them to complain about the exploit. The form letter denies that anything is happening. They are forcing us to use this method even though we don't want to.
With the amount of frustration regarding this system I think the simplest fix would be to eliminate the ability to book a site longer than 7 days at a time.
The Provincial Park system is there for the enjoyment of all Ontarian’s and those visiting our wonderful province.
With limited sites and a short season I don’t believe it is fair for one person to be able to book a site for 23 days in a row.
Consider the fact that instead of one family having the site for 3 weeks that three families could each enjoy that location for a weeks holidays during the peak summer period.
And that is for legitimate bookings not someone playing games booking sites ahead of the days they really want / need.
If someone wants to book for that long perhaps a seasonal site at a private campground would be a fairer option to others who also want to travel.
Well said!
Extremely frustrating to book sites at Provincial Parks this year. Was able to get a site at a campground for 5 nights then had to book an non-electric site at a different campground that was not on our list and then move to an electrical site for 5 more days. It worked out in the end. I have no tips, just patience I guess and lots of coffee.
Great tips! We have used some of the same but you certainly gave us some new ones! Our tip is selecting sites at the park before you plan to book, then at 7am go straight to the site and reserve, need to be quick or have another account setup. This year we are taking your advice trying new parks!
Thanks for the practical advice. Only
managed one booking so far and it’s from Sunday-Friday. That only happened because someone on one of the FB groups noticed a bunch of sites opened up in Pinery. Was super grateful that I caught it.
I think the next step is to watch at the 4 month mark for all the people cancelling those extended bookings.
Exactly, at the 4 month mark the cancellations will come quickly. You'll have to check the website everyday and be ready each morning at 7am. Good luck. Happy camping!
I agree! Four months out I check like crazy! Usually these people who are gaming the system just want the weekends.
We will be at Wheatley, Rondeau, Mcgregors Point, Turkey Point, Tobermory, Balsam Lake and the Pinery. Cannot wait!! Have a safe and happy season and hope to meet up with you! Huge Fan!
One tip I can say is if you get the last electric site it’s usually the one that you need a 100’ cord to plug in. Thank god I had made a 100’cord for my plug in at the house. Saved us a 2 camping spots last year
gotta say, im not a huge camper but its something i love deeply. this channel even though ive only watched my 4 or 5 videos so far has been fantastic. i love the quality of it and the consistent vibes you guys have, itd be great to see you guys out there one day! thanks for the great informative videos
Thanks for your kind words. We really appreciate it. Hopefully we'll meet in a park one day. Happy camping!
The notification alerts finally paid off! Pinery thanksgiving weekend! So excited!
A good tip is to choose 3 sites you like at the same park and try to reserve them at the same time. Good chance to score one of them and then it's happy camping. You can use your PC, phone and laptop with family and then choose the desired vacation spot. Should you get all 3 leaves you the option of getting your favourite and only pay for that site. Just decline the other 2 sites reservation. Your not reserved until the monetary transaction.
Great idea. Thank you for sharing that tip with us.
Great video guys. I was aware of the practice of booking in advance and then cancelling - I despise that too! I was not aware of the FB group for cancellations. Interesting. I have to say I agree about the narrowness of provincial park roads sometimes. We also found the roads in the Riverside areas of the Pinery to be narrow.
Gone are the good old days of camping out April 1st outside your favourite campground to reserve your preferred site and catch up with old friends!
Yep, loooong gone. This is the new reality. We just have to figure out how to make the best of it. Happy camping!
Ya not crazy about those that book the 21 day and only need 3-5 days.
They need to start hitting these people with heftier charges. The gaming of the reservation system has got out of hand
But as Ben & Cheryl said, the campgrounds are making money that way. So why would they want to change
I know everything you said and I agree with you. I know because I myself have gone through that frustration lol.
Thanks for the tips! Looking forward to your reviews this summer.
let’s hope this video does not give campers who didn’t know about the 23 days and how you can miss use it the idea to starting booking 23 days. It’s hard enough to get a site as it is!
I thought about that but realized it's not a secret. So many people are doing it now. No sense in trying to hide it. Happy camping!
I wasn't aware if this being done. They should limit it to 14 days.
I've started booking using map of Ontario. Then I'll pick what's available. Not my favorite way but at least I get a site.
That's a smart way to do it! That way you get to experience new parks and maybe find your next favourite park. Happy camping!
Great video. Looking forward to NEXT year to be able to book anything :P
We don’t mind a long drive so we’re checking out Kettle Lakes near Timmins in July. Wasn’t hard to get that. If you don’t mind the drive, go North!
You'll enjoy it, we camp at Esker Lakes PP just east of Kirkland Lake but try to make it to Kettle Lakes once a year.
We went up north a couple of years ago to pancake bay. It's beautiful in North Ontario. As long as you don't mind the lake being very cold. Definitely want to go up north again.
How's the fishing at Kettle Lake?
Ontario needs more campgrounds. It shouldn't be this competitive. When we have such a big country with so little people.
Very helpful, thanks. We got 2 reservations so far. I would love more campfire cooking tips and recipes 😋please 🏕 Happy camping
I'm loving your tips and videos! Thank you so much! We will be camping for the first time ever this year!! Pinery and Bon Echo are on the list! Now we are trying Arrowhead, Algonquin or Grundy... what would you recommend for a young family with a 3y little girl? :D
I'm glad you like our videos. It's so exiting that you're going camping for the first time this year. You picked some great parks. Between Arrowhead, Algonquin or Grundy, you can't go wrong. Arrowhead and Grundy are smaller so you don't have to leave to do lots of stuff. Algonquin is HUGE so you're often driving to other parts of the park to do stuff. It's all about what you're into. Have fun. Happy camping!
Great tips! Excited for SUMMER CAMPING!
Feb 25 at 7am the site crashed but was back up by 7:30 quite the nail biter but I was able to get my site booked today. Phew!!!
Thanks for this, very helpful and much appreciated
Thanks for the tips. I woke up at 6:30 this morning to book our July 28 start vacation in Algonquin Park. That is crazy how difficult it is.
Hope you guys are doing great and are still considering the multi-park trip
We try start your weekend on a Wednesday or a Saturday for usually 4 or 5 nights we find that has worked for us. Have about 8 parks that you are interested in and both of us login and split up the list and go crazy. This morning we had 7 parks and finally got something on the 6th park. We also just bought a house in Kawartha Lakes so our drive times to parks has decreased drastically allowing us to easily go further north for just a few days. We are considering solar for non-electric sites if we have issues booking. So far this year we have Bass Lake, Mew Lake, Marten River and Silent Lake. We are having issues getting Charleston Lake and Mikisew.
Sounds like you have a good summer planned. Booking really is a team effort. You have to split up the work and go crazy. I'm glad it's mostly working out for you. We haven't had an issue booking yet but we haven't tried booking any real popular parks yet. That's coming up in a couple of weeks.
Water pump and the interior lights and have propane for the rest. Lithium power packs such as the Jackery would be great if you needed 120v plug directly into it and no additional inverter needed. Solar can be used to recharge the unit. All for about $1000 and no trailer modifications. That's what I think is the best bet on a budget
@Findantruth sounds great
We have booked 4 campgrounds so far Sandbanks, Silent Lake, Killbear and Champlain...had no trouble at all. Got the sites we wanted. We are retired and camp only through the weekdays.
Sandbanks... Wow, I've been trying to book it for 3 weeks 😳
@@maryna5761 we book the opening day. I don’t think people want to camp in April but on the good side...no bugs
@@joni1 haha makes sense!
Not wanting to anger anyone but they should be progressive in their cancellation fees . If someone books 23 days then trys to cancel , it should increase substantially as the number of days cancelled increases . 7 days maybe 5% , after that $$. There are many not well off families trying to give their kids a taste of the woods , especially from the cities . It is for their healthy state of mind , not just establishes rv’ers . It will only get more difficult .
Great tips, we have been fairly successful but we have also been flexible. Lots of camping and videos planned, hopefully none of them get cancelled.
Good to hear you're having success. Flexibility is definitely an asset when trying to book camping. Fingers crossed that we get a full camping season this year. Happy camping!
We do everything you suggested plus we had 3 of us up at 7AM and we still had a really hard time ! Trying to reserve in 2021 has just been BRUTAL ! On top of that many times the reservation system would freeze up at 7AM due to yolume . I have been camping for years but I have never seen a year like this one...we Finally got a decent site at Lake of Two Rivers..Wew and yes..because we are retired we do camp for 23 days
Yah, this year is way harder than any other year. Way more people getting into camping. It's good that you got into a great campground in Algonquin Park. Happy camping!
Great tips guys! I have been booking on my mobile and do not have access to as much information. Will be using my computer from now on. Happy that the rules have changed to not allow for the “work arounds” this year.
We find that using a computer is much easier than a smart phone for reserving a site. but that could just be us, because we're technologically challenged when it comes to mobile apps.
Wow. Thanks soooooo much for these tips. Happy camping.
Our pleasure. Good luck on getting a good reservation. Happy camping!
Hi! I hope the parks will be open for camping because of covid🤞 I have a lot of reservations for the summer. from mid-May to the end of July. I don't want to skip none of them!
Great tips, except I wish you hadn’t shared the way some people take advantage of the system by booking the 23-day max. You’ve just told people how to cheat the system, if they weren’t already aware. I agree-ON Parks needs to penalize people for doing this.
We have never had so much trouble getting sites. Our group of friends has been camping at the same park for 18 years and we are still short one site. This year we are spread out through the whole park. WE started trying on Feb. 8. If we didn't start then we wouldn't have any sites at all.
Very informative. Thanks for the tips. It can get frustrating cause for Canada Day was impossible. We had 4 of us ready to book sites at the park for seven and not one of us was able to get one. Though we did find one at another park so that's good. As long as we go camping we're happy. We did get lucky for our holiday camp. We booked lakeside at Charleston. So very happy about that. Again thanks for all your videos.
We're with you...as long as we're camping we're happy. We've been to lots of new parks over the last couple of years and new explorations and experiences are the best. Happy camping!
@@CampingwiththeColes yes. Just because you didn't get the park you wanted you may be pleasantly surprised. Many beautiful provincial parks out there. And once you're at you're site just pretend you're at you're favorite park. Cause most provincial parks the sites are pretty similar. An example would be when you guys went to Charleston last year for the first time and it ended up being in your top 5.
Really well done!!! I’m well acquainted with OP’s site and learned a couple of things, like how to see their system clock and the FB page, which is brilliant. After looking at other reservation systems I have to say OP has their act together. It is a bit wobbly at times but probably because of traffic. Your observation regarding their disincentive to change their highly structured cancellation policy because of profits is interesting. I wonder how profitable they are. I always thought our parks system must be running at a loss. Does anyone know?
A lot of people book fridays or Saturday to begin their trip try booking thursday or Monday you will see more availability when you try that
Thank you very much for the tips
Why does Ontario Parks have a 5 month window for reservations? What is the purpose? It causes all the problems.
Awesome tutorial thank you it’s frustrating getting a decent spot but we found one are first provincial park bronte creek
Booking our site for July 4 this Friday and all our camp grounds that we like to visit are booked.So I think we are going to try McRea or Sibbald.
Yeah sibbald and Darlington always seem to have spots. Been to both actually going to Darlington for Canada Day. They're both nice parks. Only complaint I have against Darlington is the sound of the trains.
@Findantruth yes and possibly be prepared to book a campground you've never been to. You may be pleasantly surprised. There are many beautiful provincial parks our there. Best of luck.
Great video. We had a couple questions in mind which you answered. Thanks
I'm glad we could help. Good luck on booking your sites. Happy camping!
Good information, thanks
I think it’s people with poor internet that are having an issue. We booked Dunes area 1 at the Pinery for June, a hard to get area. We got waterfront at Killbear and Lakefront at Grundy. People get upset, but there’s always something available.
We have fast internet (or at least the fasted that Rogers offer right now, but still no luck getting a spot at Killbear. We were able to get Pinery, MacGregor, Awenda, even Bon Echo no issues, but not Killbear. Luckily someone from the Ontario Cancellations site saw my post and offered me their cancellation.
Hello and thank you. Toward the end of the video, at 15:54/15:55 you show a beautiful water scene, curious as to which park it’s in . Thanks in advance.
That was Charleston Lake Provincial Park. It was when we were checking out one of the backcountry sites.
I was up for over 2 weeks straight trying to book a Killbear site (for 2 tents - but electric) with NO luck. As soon as the clock turns to 7 everything goes red. Luckily someone on the Ontario Cancellations page reached out to me and released their site to us. So frustrating.
Thank u great tips
Well I guess we have a few thousand more people to compete against now. It took me a few years to figure all this out. It's great to help people out but shooting yourself in the foot is another story.
There are no real secrets here. It's all available on line. In fact, CTV News had a story telling the same tips the day after this was posted and Global News did it two days later. Then CBC did an interview with The Happy Camper who again said virtually the same thing. We are trying to draw attention to the issue, to help people out, and hopefully get things working better. Happy camping!
careful with the gypsy moths I was there last year, and the moths were a nightmare.
With all the Ontario Provincial Park reservation booking issues this year, we decided to cancelled our travel plans and get a seasonal site instead. If we do decide to travel, it will be last minute bookings or Crown Land camping.
We've heard from many people that they are doing that this year. It sure saves a lot of headaches. Happy camping!
Any recommendations for a family friendly seasonal site?
Hmmm. Regarding playing the system and booking 23 days.... so I've been up every a.m. at 6:30 a.m. preparing for the 7:00 booking for over 3 weeks now. Zero success. My getting a site has nothing to do with how long ppl are booking but the volume of ppl booking. I'm not sure that what your doing by having a 2nd system up and "holding " another site is any different, nor is booking a non electric then cancelling later if you get a better site (for the very reasons you point out re ppl being unable to book so loosing out on their trip or having to wait a month and watch for cancellations. It's a deceitful game/system isn't it!
I wouldn't say that what we are doing is deceitful. As far as holding up another site with our second account, it's holding it for a maximum of 15 minutes. As far as booking a non electrical site, we are fully prepared to boondock if we can't get an electrical site. So we aren't needlessly keeping anyone from getting a site. We are using it. We aren't holding anything up and cancelling. The big issue is people holding a site for months then knowing they are going to cancel most of the dates. I hope you have success in your bookings. Happy camping!
Last year I had 3 Ontario Parks reservations cancelled due to 'Covid' nonsense. I could shop at Costco or Walmart but I couldn't camp 😡 I was spitting nails I was so mad. Monday my sister and i were each were on a computer and hit reserve site (for Bon Echo) at exactly 7am. The site just kept spinning and spinning. It would finally come up that the site was not available for that time. 🤬 Fortunately my sister was quick and chose another (I guess less desirable site (Hardwoods)) and she got it. Hurray 😁 Hardwoods is farther from the water but more secluded so perhaps it will be fine. So far I have 3 booked for the summer. If they get cancelled due to covid I think I will get so frustrated that I will sell my trailer. This is just to stressful to go through all that stress to get a site then have the government cancel it.Good luck every one.
Thanks so much for this video - I found it so helpful. My first possible booking day is today, and I've never camped in Ontario before - trying for Algonquin, Lake Superior and Sleeping Giant (and also Pukakswa and Bruce Peninsula). One of the tips you had was to try for a non-electrical site, and so I'm wondering, does that suggest that tent campers have an easier time securing a spot in Ontario parks? Or will we be competing with RV campers this year because of the high demand?
I've also loved watching your review videos - especially Pog Lake. Looking forward to this season's reviews!
I'm wondering if you have considered doing any videos for general camping tips and tricks regardless of whether it's for RVing or tenting. For example, packing up wet gear after rain, or proper tarp techniques, water-proofing your site, recommended equipment (bug and bear repellent, fire making equipment, camping essentials etc..) In the last few years I've only done backpack multi-day hike camping, so car camping will feel luxurious, but I'm out of practice with what to pack for car camping.
Love the channel! Thanks again!
Thanks for your support in watching our videos. We used to do all back country camping, then progressed to car camping in tents, then to a travel trailer. We do tips and tricks for car camping but mostly geared toward the RV people as that's what we do now. We don't set up tarps anymore or really put much away that's wet. RVers and tenters still deal with lots of things in common such as campfires, campfire cooking, bug protection and the need to critter and bear proof the sites and we'll talk about that kind of stuff in our videos. We plan on doing an essentials video but again, it's more geared toward the RV crowd as that's what we do. We'll try to consider the tenters more when doing videos that apply to both. Happy camping!
We have been trying to book 4 sites together for the August long weekend and the following week. If we don't book extra nights of camping we would never be able to camp together. I would argue if you don't book extra nights, you won't get a site period. We've tried for a total of 12 sites and have been successful on 3 of them. I don't see how the reservation system could be any different than what it is. There are far too many variables to accommodate everyone.
Key word is PATIENCE or you will drive yourself crazy
They could eliminate the fraudulent booking scheme by not offering any refunds for cancellations. You book you pay period. Thats a pretty expensive 3 days of camping at the rate of 23 days. I have been trying to book sites within 3 hours of Ottawa since January and everything has been booked since May 15th at Charleston Lake, Murphy's Point, Bon Echo and lately since mid February even Fitzroy, Silver Lake, Sharbot Lake are booked in blocks. They need to change the system. Some people cannot afford to lay out 23 days of camping fees to secure three days of camping and then wait for a refund. Totally bogus practise and I suspect it is being done regularly. Last year I showed up at several campgrounds that said they were 100% full and they were only 45-55 % full. In mid September Murphy's Point said they were 100% full and I went to find out they had about 30 campers total in the park. People just didn't show up and got full refunds because of COVID but didn't bother to cancel in advance which denied other people that wanted to camp.
Great video! Thanks for the tips! We booked at arrowhead June 22-24 but I was wondering what the bug season was like there? Would we need a mosquito tent? Any tips or should we stick to an RV campground? TIA!
You guys are so good
Thanks so much. Happy camping!
Why didn't you post this video earlier!?!? I had such a hard time getting our favorite sites, we ended up booking one not even on our list. I was wondering why someone was booking a non hydro lot for 3 weeks. That makes so much sense now.
Sorry for not posting earlier. The idea just came to me a few days ago when people kept asking us, in the comment sections of our videos, if we have any advice on booking campsites. I wish I would have thought of it in December when we were booking for the May two four.
@@CampingwiththeColes it's funny because someone I was just talking to today was mentioning about people booking that way and then I see your video today as well! I really don't think people should be able to book more then one week at a time. It is government run so we all pay for it and we should all get a chance to enjoy the province. If its a private campground then I have no issues booking long periods of time!
Any tips for a first timer trying to book roofed accommodations like yurts in July at any park been trying early months for days trying to reserve at 7 am . Even windy lake which is supposed to be less popular couldn’t get hurt for 3 nights .any tips from anyone please .? Great video by the way and thanks .
We got rid of the 30 foot trailer and got a new 21 foot to fit in the more plentiful smaller non-electric sites.Why cant they at least sell dry firewood at the parks??
The issue isn’t that it’s wet, it’s that it’s not properly seasoned. That’s why it doesn’t burn well. It’s all relatively freshly cut stuff these last couple years.
We bring kindling from home and as the fire is burning we lean all the firewood against the fire pit to help it dry a bit.
@@ProdigiousReturn We grab a bag at every provincial park we go to and season it in the back of the pickup for a month and its definitely better to burn. Best to just buy it from the Ma & Pa joints on the way to the park. Never disappointed.
@@sylviebrindamour6980 I sometimes will cut a broken hardwood skid up...They burn great!!
Lake Superior Provincial park is first come first serve, no reservations needed
Just experienced how difficult this is. My family book two side by side sites yearly and camp for 7 days. We were trying so hard to get Pinery but couldn’t make it work. Instead we will be doing Rock Point. Anyone else been to rock point ?
Any teasers for which campgrounds you’re going to this year?
We've decided to try something different for us. We are doing a tour of Lake Erie. We've booked Wheatley, Rondeau, Port Burwell, Long Point and Turkey Point. Then we head north where we hope to book Murphy's Point, Bon Echo and Silent Lake. We may throw in a couple more too. Happy camping!
@@CampingwiththeColes we did that circuit last summer and it was great! A lovely surprise at Selkirk awaits.
Great question, I wondered the same!
@@CampingwiththeColes interested in seeing this. I am not a fan of Lake Ontario, and have steered clear of Lake Erie due to the warning of ticks, but as I have already now have Lyme which I got from a corn field in Brighton during Thanksgiving, it isn't as huge a concern. Not sure what Lake Erie is like to swim in. Lake Huron, is my happy place right now (and Georgian Bay a nice 2nd)
I'm done with the provincial parks and their reserve system. Going to support the local campgrounds this year near me, and friends and family who run one. Better service and better maintenance!
I’ve heard nothing but bad reviews of the private camp grounds. Do you have any private ones in mind you’d suggest? Family friendly though. Not a party scene
Isn’t it true tho that all ontario parks have a same day reservations? I remember when i was younger we never booked our reservation and just packed up everything and went to mcgregor point and told them we needed a campsite and they had walk in resverations and many available. Even when I went to algonquin last year they had many empty sites that were same day reservable
It used to be that a certain percentage of sites in every park was non-reservable, so that people could just show up and get a site. As of last year they made every site reservable. Therefore the likelihood of just showing up and getting a site is greatly reduced.
Thanks for your tips. Do you have any tips re. boondocking. We are heading to a National Park in the next week which opens for booking tomorrow (though Prov. Parks are only open for day use, no camping of any sort). Private RV campgrounds are (almost) all closed so we plan to boondock one or two nights on our way to the National Park. Do you see any issue or have any experience of boondocking at an arena or school parking lot (they are both closed until provincial orders). Thanks
Any time we've done an overnight stay in a parking lot we got permission from somebody there. We've stayed at Cracker Barrel (USA) Cabelas and Premium Outlet Malls (USA) but always got permission. I know many Walmarts allow overnight parking but you have to go in and get permission from management. I wouldn't recommend staying in a school or arena lot without permission. I believe most schools even have signs on the property saying no trespassing after 7pm or something to that effect. Good luck and happy camping.
I thought I was the only one knowing these 'tips & tricks' ; -) LOL !!!! I have only got the exact site, once at 7am after a couple years of this, but keep trying every time!
Usually if you are on early you can certainly get a site for the date you want, just might not be the exact site or even campground.
My Best advice, with all said, is to be open (like the outdoors) to new parks, don't be afraid to drive a bit longer than you normally like. Grab a passport book from Ontario Parks to use as an incentive to try out new parks. If not for the sticker, for bragging rights!!!
Do what we did last year, camp one night at a Park and then continue north afterward. Likewise if you are north and want to come south. Either way there are so many provincial parks in this province, the options are still endless.... Be Open like the Outdoor are!!!!
If you are ultimately focused on a spot, feel free to play "whack-a-mole" which is periodically checking the campground and as soon as you see the green, click click click and reserve ASAP. (no time to check photo etc)
Cheers!
You're exactly right. We've explored so many new parks over the past couple of years instead of desperately trying to get into the big ones. Happy camping!
Great tips, do you think the demand will drop post covid?
Thanks for the support. I don't think the demand for camping will drop much post Covid. It will drop some as more forms of travel open up and the border opens but a lot of people are trying out camping for the first time and many will like it and want to keep doing it. The demand for campsites has been steadily rising every year before Covid and then soared once Covid hit. We need more provincial parks, conservation area and private campgrounds that allow organized camping to catch up to the demand. It takes time to build all that, so the various government agencies need to get working on that now. Just my opinion :) Happy camping!
The last thing we need is non experienced campers in the parks taking up space and trashing the place
Hi. Thanks for the video. I’ve tried to book a site at 7 AM a few times recently and have had no luck (I guess someone else clicked on the same site within seconds)! When is the best time to find a cancellation?
When you book at the earliest time (5 months in advance) you can't cancel any dates until a month later. Therefore, exactly one month later you'll see the cancellations start coming in. Good Luck!
@@CampingwiththeColes Thanks ... after watching your video and hearing about the no cancelations for one month rule I was thinking the same! I wasn’t aware of the one month cancellation rule prior! Good to know! 😀
Have you considered approaching a few private parks near popular PP and asking if you can stay for free/discount in return for a review?
We prefer the Provincial Parks and we wouldn't feel comfortable asking for free things or discounts in exchange for a review. We do this because this is our passion, not to try to get free things. It's hard to get into a provincial park this year but we're sticking with them. Although we have booked one Conservation Area this summer.
Camping with the Coles I hear ya. We have to go private for some of our vacations this summer, and I’m Leary of how it will turn out, but it’d be nice to have some reviews out there from people who enjoy the PP feel, as many opinions from private aren’t the same perspective.
We are also doing 2 conservation areas- Valens and Wildwood.
@@chantellek3982 We'll be going to Valens too. It's only a half hour from home yet we've never been there. We'll do a review of it even though it's not a provincial Park. Maybe we'll run into you.
Just out of curiosity I’m surprised that any would be entrapuner would book a site then resale it for a profit given the absolute unavailability for major parks and campgrounds due to COVID-19
I have a question regarding the permits.... how do the permits work.I am not sure what it means because of the wording. Thank you Coles !!!
Do you mean camping permits or the parking permits for The Grotto and Halfway Log Dump?
@@CampingwiththeColes on the site you can purchase seasonal day permits .... im assuming it just means not overnight stay. I also notice other permits.
@@Jamlife16 Ok, I think I get what you're asking now. Ontario Parks charges a nightly camping fee ($47) and that includes up to 6 people on the site. Parks Canada charges a nightly camping fee ($28) and then a day pass ($7.90) for each person on the site. So for two people at a Bruce Peninsula it's $43/night but if there were six people it would be $75.40/night. I hope this answers your question.
It's time to book winter camping?
OMG, it is too!
what are your favorite parks
Bottom Line....our the Ontario Provincial Parks have been severely underfunded for YEARS and haven't kept up with the population and demand - thanks to our useless politicians. Most of these parks were designed and built in the 50s & 60s and have had very few upgrades and improvements ever since. It would also be nice if the MNR (again, controlled by politicians) would allow private development of more RV parks.
Any Provincial Park has sites for 45’ Class A motorhomes?
Not related to this video. I notice on your video's you always mention if the hoses are threaded or not. Have you ever tried a water bandit attachment. We also added Halfway Lake this year. Also everyone has really started to notice especially this week if you don't get a site at 7am keep checking till about 8am lots start to reappear, obviously being dropped out of peoples carts.
We have a water bandit and found that it only works if there is no pressure in the hose. So if the other end is open you can get the water to flow but if you have the other end attached to something like the black water flush or a water nozzle it will pop off the tap. I've started to use a 1.5 foot section of garden hose and a hose clamp to attach to the unthreaded black water hoses. It works well. I was going to use it a few more times before mentioning it in a video. Yesterday we tried to book Bon Echo and the website was a mess. I had a site in our shopping cart but couldn't get it. I know many other people had the same issue as numerous sites came up as available until shortly after 8am. Today I tried again and the website was smooth. We didn't get a site and none because available after 7am.
@@CampingwiththeColes we had 9 parks on our list yesterday went down the whole list and got nothing and 25 minutes later we got our first choice
Where are you planning to go this year and when?
We've decided to try something different for us. We are doing a tour of Lake Erie. We've booked Wheatley, Rondeau, Port Burwell, Long Point and Turkey Point. Then we head north where we hope to book Murphy's Point, Bon Echo and Silent Lake. We may throw in a couple more too. Happy camping!
@@CampingwiththeColes that sounds incredible, I’ve only booked killbear, arrowhead, and soon to come mikisew... I might throw in a pog lake trip too depending if I get the time off or not. Can’t wait to see your third season, stay safe!
Question. How far can you click before 7:00 am? I'm only going as far as the campground, not the specific site, as the "not available " warning pop up will appear. In one of your videos, it looked like you actually went that far, and clicked the reserve button at 7:00. Will this work, or do I need to wait until 7 to click the site and then reserve?
That's a good question. Before 7am you should have the actual campsite you want selected and have your cursor on the reserve button for that campsite, ready to click as the clock strikes 7. Click reserve and hope for the best. Good luck and happy camping!
@@CampingwiththeColes This might be the game changer for us. Thanks!
I Just tried hitting at exactly 7:00am and I lost out to someone else and can't imagine how I could be any more precise. It is soooo frustrating.!!!
If you figure out a way please let me know. @@katiesaunders7936
10:42 Thanks 11:39 Wow! really?
There is no workaround. It is completely booked all summer.
There is no hope in HELL that im going to wait for exactly 5 months to the day when i want to go in. Id never get a site. So i use the 23 days reserve and cancel when i can. That means there is free money for the govt and people have a chance to takke that site now with the days i cancel. With the way the parks were run in summer 2020 and how people were sitting at the end of the camp site BEFORE 2PM check out time and how ignorant people have become while camping, i have no problem doing it this way. AND i book for 4 families. 4 different sites evch and every year. AND did i mention ive been camping in Ontario for over 50 years and in the last couple and since the parks are run by contracted companies, how dirty it has become.
I would be careful with comments about how much money Ontario parks is making on the bookings. Unless you are privy to their financials that strikes me as spreading rumours. Also, for those of us that remember the old booking system, this one is much better, in my opinion. Finally, regarding your statement that parks Ontario has no incentive to improve the system, if that was the case then they wouldn’t have paid for an outside software development firm to develop and maintain a new system. Thanks for shedding light on the 23 day rule. I agree that there are some legitimate reasons for booking 23 days and then cancelling later. Unfortunately, for backcountry sites there is no cancellation fee during the pandemic. So there is no disincentive.
There is a fee for cancellation or changing of backcountry. The fees have not been waived UNLESS the province is in lockdown and OP has canceled overnight camping
Should not be a secret there is more money to be made charging cancelation & change fees. They removed these in the 2020 season because of the showers. 2021 they still advertise no showers BUT all the fees are now back. Only difference is... money!
I wouldn't call this a rumor, just calling out the situation for what it is.
hosting at provincial parks should be privatized and fees reflect market value. then the supply can be positioned to reflect the massive demand. I am saying the fees should go WAY up. then we will see the true value of these accommodations and maybe some more facilities will be created. the booking system is ABSURD akin to communist mismanagement of a markets.