Canda RV Parks and Fshing

[down_home]

We have not had a successful RV experience and fishing trip in Canada.
We came close once but we could not manuever even the 32 ft fifth wheel in the province park and left. Since them we have only taken our Motor Home up there twice.
Looking on one site the several parks rates are outrageous, for us, 54.00 a night for what I would call marginal sites, and the most adequate only for small pops ups and shorter trailers. And rates for boat rentals 300.00 per day or so.
This time around we are going to stop the rush to crowd a trip into the schedule and reverse course and make the schedule fit.
Two weeks on or near the water fishing when we want and possibly visiting small towns for antiques, different foods.
Fitting the RV park and boat etc into 1,000.00-1500.00 hopefully.

We plan on taking whatever foods can get past the border in our fridge freezer and pantry.
So... this is not the first time I've asked questions along this line, but again anyone have a park, resort or other suggestion.
This all assumes we will be able/allowed to travel by June.

[MDKMDK]

Or the USA, in general. :B

[Mike_E_]

luv2tup wrote:
British Columbia provincial parks were all turned over to private contractors to operate and have become nothing more than cash registers. It's become very difficult if not impossible to get a site since almost all have been moved to on-line reservations. RV rental companies have been allowed to book large blocks of sites to be used with their rentals to European tourists. The contractors want the easy money. As long as the government gets its money, they'll not change the system. It's all about the dollars!

That's why we camp in Oregon. 🙂

[luv2tup]

British Columbia provincial parks were all turned over to private contractors to operate and have become nothing more than cash registers. It's become very difficult if not impossible to get a site since almost all have been moved to on-line reservations. RV rental companies have been allowed to book large blocks of sites to be used with their rentals to European tourists. The contractors want the easy money. As long as the government gets its money, they'll not change the system. It's all about the dollars!

[down_home]

The Provinical Park we tried was the Boundry Waters Canoe Area. We saw some canoes, with people returning with fish.
We had already paid the fees and been assured they had larger RVs, Motorhomes in there. It took us a long time and jacking the fifth wheel around to get out just missing one tree by less than an inch.
The Park Office was relatively new and they were working on the park. That was 2002-2005 or so.
Maybe we could get in now but I can no longer paddle a canoe for miles.

[Gjac]

To answer your question directly when the border opens up I would try Lake of the woods in Sioux Narrows Ontario. We stayed at Laughing Waters CG but there are others around including provincial parks. The fishing is very good, caught a lot of walleye pike and Northern pike. The largest was 36 ins and over 15 lbs. I just had a rubber raft so I did not go far from the campsite but those with boats did much better including lake trout down deep. The water in the CG comes from the lake so the water is fairly clean. Saw moose and wolves there when riding my Mtn bike on dirt roads. Met some other campers with boats and fished with them up a river and caught a lot of small mouth bass also. Fist place I camped when I retired you can also rent house boats and fish all day and night. Stayed here twice for a month at a time. Prices were good because of exchange rates. If traveling though Canada I caught 4 lake trout in Muncho Lake in BC and a 7 lb Lake trout in Kulane Lake in the Yukon. Fishing licenses were reasonable.

[MDKMDK]

pigman1 wrote:
In 2006 we took our first driving trip to Alaska and thought the Canadian Provincial Parks would make great stops. WRONG. Every park we stopped at had either polluted water, dumps inop, broken down campsites, tables, and toilets, but the rangers were Johnny-On-The-Spot to collect their fees, in some cases before we even got the RV fully pulled into the site. We finally found the reason in a pamphlet at one park. It stated that Canadian Provincial Parks were only open to generate funds for the province. Not display or promote Canada or the province, not preserve wild spaces or wildlife, and not to promote healthy outdoors living and recreation, ONLY TO GENERATE FUNDS FOR THE PROVINCE. After reading that, everything we experienced became very clear. We have since driven through Canada to Alaska 8 more times and have NEVER stayed in a provincial park again. Their choice on how they run their parks and my choice where I stay...Easy ! ! ! BTW, fishing in Alaska is to die for.

Many Canadian provincial parks in more remote locations offer a pay per use parking spot only. We actually prefer that kind of site. They can be reasonably priced for what you get, like some US NPS parks. Kinda depends on where you stop, or plan to stop. There are some really nice stopovers in northern BC and the Yukon. I don't know what they're priced at now, but when we did the AlCan HWY #97 in 2016, they were between $12 and $20 a night. No facilities except maybe pit toilets, but the scenery and the campsites we saw were neat and tidy and easy to get into and out of. If we had been towing it would have been different, but we weren't. If they ever open up the parks again, try Muncho Lake PP in northern BC. There's a nice campground called "Strawberry Flats" that is beautiful and located right on the lake. IIRC it only has back in sites, so if you're towing, be aware.

[shum02]

pigman1 wrote:
We have since driven through Canada to Alaska 8 more times and have NEVER stayed in a provincial park again. Their choice on how they run their parks and my choice where I stay...Easy ! ! !

That's ok with me, hard enough to get a site in Ontario as it is.

[pigman1]

In 2006 we took our first driving trip to Alaska and thought the Canadian Provincial Parks would make great stops. WRONG. Every park we stopped at had either polluted water, dumps inop, broken down campsites, tables, and toilets, but the rangers were Johnny-On-The-Spot to collect their fees, in some cases before we even got the RV fully pulled into the site. We finally found the reason in a pamphlet at one park. It stated that Canadian Provincial Parks were only open to generate funds for the province. Not display or promote Canada or the province, not preserve wild spaces or wildlife, and not to promote healthy outdoors living and recreation, ONLY TO GENERATE FUNDS FOR THE PROVINCE. After reading that, everything we experienced became very clear. We have since driven through Canada to Alaska 8 more times and have NEVER stayed in a provincial park again. Their choice on how they run their parks and my choice where I stay...Easy ! ! ! BTW, fishing in Alaska is to die for.

[shum02]

All Ontario Provincial parks are closed until further notice.

BTW the fee you pay in Ontario pays for around 85% of the cost of the campsite to the user. They are NOT subsidized like a lot of other Provincial/State parks. Also depending on the park you could get 60' of camper into the sites if need be. Check the websites before heading out, they have all the info on site size and layout including pictures.

[rexlion]

It might not hurt to have a backup plan. Here's a suggestion in Michigan... Alcona Park
It's on the water for boating and fishing, sites have some shade, and there's plenty more to see and do in the area if you want to take some day trips.

[down_home]

Northern Ontario to west to Thunder Bay or just east to Huron shore areas.

Budget considerations Nova Scotia Newfoundland another 2500 miles round trip added on, at least plus travel time.
Might take a clean sheet of paper and work it out if Dr's appointments permit.

[pianotuna]

Where in Canada were you intending to go? No point in recommending Newfoundland, if you are planning on Alberta or Saskatchewan.

[MDKMDK]

Another 30 days from April 17, is May 17, aka Victoria Day for us, and one week later Memorial Day for our US neighbors.
If the border does ever open again, get in get it done and get out before we become a Chinese satellite state. It's in the works. :B

[ourtravels]

The US dollar is equal to 1.41 CDN, so the price is not nearly as expensive as it seems.
Our Prime Minister has said the border will remain closed to non-essential travel as long as necessary, and at least until the end of May.
I don't know where you are planning to travel in Canada, but I'm from BC, and all our provincial parks are closed indefinitely. Sure hope we will be opened up a bit by June, but I won't be holding my breath.