Camping at Killbear Provincial Park
It’s been a very long lockdown for us all in Ontario, Canada. It is finally time to head out into nature and enjoy that quintessential Canadian camp magic amongst our beautiful forests and lakes. Killbear Provincial Park is one of my absolute favourite parks in Ontario, and I created a short recollection of my experience there to inspire your upcoming visit. I’ve broken it down into sections; give it a quick read so you know what to expect before you head out to enjoy the park!
Killbear Provincial Park is one of the most popular provincial parks in Ontario. It is said that the peninsula’s name likely originated from the local Ojibway people, who called it ‘Mukwa Nayoshing’ (translating into ‘Bear Point’), as bears are said to swim back and forth from the tip of the point to Parry Island (where Wasauksing First Nation is located). In terms of the name ‘Killbear,’ stories told over the years refer to a logger killing a bear (or vice versa) during the logging boom between 1860 and 1920. However, this is all speculated.
Killbear Provincial Park is located about 2.5 hours (approximately) from Toronto. It is in the Parry Sound District and located on Georgian Bay. The most notable features here are the whimsical windswept pine trees, the large portions of exposed Canadian Shield and rugged shorelines, the mesmerizing sunsets, and the sandy beaches - the lake being popular spot for windsurfers.
Campsites
Things To Do
Things To Note
Downfalls
Campsites:
All 7 of the campgrounds are pull-in (3 of them offer electrical sites and 4 of them are radio-free). Most of the campsites are about a 5-10 minute walk to the shore! If camping is not for you, you can stay at Killbear Lodge nearby!
We visited the park last summer when the province just opened up (July 2020). What was great about our experience was that upon arrival, I was able to walk up to the front desk window to check all of us in, instead of entering the building. Checking in with Ontario Parks is really quick, as they ask for your name(s), campsite number, license plate, and swiftly provide you with your receipts. The attendant was completely behind the window, with only a small opening at the bottom for receipt pick up. The exchange felt efficient and safe - since this was the first time everything was opening up after the initial hit of Covid.
We then headed to the complete other side of the park to our campsite. We stayed at the ‘Lighthouse Point’ campground, which was about a 10 - 15 minute drive from the entrance of the park. It seemed as though mostly all of the campgrounds in the park were tree covered, and the rest were lining the sandy beach areas and rocky shores. The campsites in our campground were all mid to large with decent-sized entrances. My Jeep had no problem entering ours. Although they were not very private, as you could hear and see the neighbours quite a bit, it was not uncomfortable. For the most part the trees added a thin layer of privacy so that we were not completely exposed (except for the full view of our neighbours directly across). Our campsite was at the corner of a fork in the road, with a drinking water tap on the outside of our lot and the bathrooms mere steps away. Therefore, the foot traffic was a bit busier in our location. We decided to explore the park for the majority of the trip and everyone was very respectful of noise levels once the sun set; we had no complaints. Frankly, after months of quarantine, it was quite refreshing to hear joyful chatter and feel some much needed uplifting energy.
Campsite
Water Station
Bathrooms
The washrooms near us actually contained flushable toilets (which was a pleasant surprise), and they were equipped with a communal sink with running water and soap. They were well maintained and felt clean.
An opening to the lake was a minute walk from our campsite, and the notable lighthouse was only about a 10 minute walk away too. This made it the perfect location to sit and watch the sunset!
Since we arrived quite late the first night, we set up our tent and spent the rest of the evening basking in the natural oasis we were craving for months. We built a large fire and relived our childlike happiness by roasting marshmallows and partaking in life chats, reminiscing about past adventures. There was barely any cell reception, which was wonderful. No distractions, just friends and laughs. Luckily (and strangely), we didn’t come across many mosquitoes during our stay. There was an excessive amount of chipmunks in this park though!
There are many recollections online about bears running around this park and low and behold, we did actually see one rummaging through several campsites in our campground during the day.
Spots here do fill up quite fast, so I recommend booking a few months out if possible.
We stayed in Lighthouse Point B - lot 1448
Things to Do:
Whether you are looking for a low or high energy activity, Killbear Provincial Park has got it all. While here, you can opt into biking, bird watching, boating and sailing, canoeing/kayaking, fishing, hiking, swimming, cliff jumping, and they even offer various programs and shows on occasion.
There are 4 trails that you can hike inside of the park: Twin Points Trail (2.1 km loop - easy), Lookout Point Trail (3.5 km - moderate), Lighthouse Point Trail (800m loop - easy to moderate), and Recreational Trail (6km linear trail - easy to moderate).
It was a scorching weekend when we went; we decided on a mix of adventure and relaxing by the water, so we chose the ‘Lookout Point Trail.’ As mentioned, the trail is a moderate 3.5 km and generally about a 1.5 hour hike. It was a really lovely hike; a winding path mixed with sections of boardwalk and bare terrain, as it passes through the forest (teeming with giant lush ferns). This forest trail eventually leads to a stunning panoramic lookout of Georgian Bay at the midway point (hence the name) and loops back down through the forest to the parking lot.
The lookout was quite unique to the rest of the hike, as it consisted of the Canadian Shield’s* open-faced rocks, which were safe enough to scale down to the lake. We ended up finding a great spot on the rocks that met the water, so we spent half of the day enjoying the lake (which was exceptionally warm and incredibly blue) and exploring the terrain, admiring all of the interesting biota in the area. This area consisted of diverse habitats, which was wonderful to witness. We came across a very minimal amount of people during this entire hike, as most people seemed to be congregating on the central beaches.
After dinner we decided to head to Lighthouse Point in the hopes of catching a beautiful sunset, and the universe certainly did not disappoint. Lighthouse Point has beautifully large sections of exposed rock to sit on to watch the sunset from every corner.
Things to Note:
The visitor centre offers free WiFi and all information you need about the park. Ontario Parks will always give you a park map upon arrival as well.
You can purchase firewood and other basic items at the visitor centre as well.
There is a shop where you can pick up essentials about 3 minutes away from the park (nearest major grocery store is 25 minutes away in Parry Sound).
You have to try the smoked fish at ‘Perk’s Smoked & Fresh Fish’ 3 minutes away from the park. It is absolutely delicious! Make sure you call in advance as they sell out fast.
Make sure you store your food properly inside your car, as animals do frequent this park. Bears are common here.
Before you visit, do keep in mind that this is one of the most popular provincial parks and it will most likely be quite busy.
Two downfalls of the trip:
The beach near our campground was quite busy and crowded. Though, luckily the iconic Canadian Shield rock faces with the windswept pines near the beach were not excessively crowded.
We went to pick up a few items from the store outside of the park and when we came back there was a huge line of cars waiting to check in. We had to wait at least 20 minutes in that line until there was space to go around, simply to get back to our campground. The best way around this is to ensure you have every possible item you need, and if you want to pick up something, try to head out super early or later into the evening.
*The Canadian Shield refers to the exposed portion of the continental crust underlying the majority of North America.
I always recommend reading about the history of a location (making sure to read about and acknowledge the Indigenous groups it belongs to), information about delicate species and environments, and how to respect and protect the land and others.
You can find the history of Killbear here: Friends of Killbear
You can find the park details here: Ontario Parks
Something I found interesting was that there are 11 species of snakes in the area (including the Massasauga Rattlesnake), and there are actually tunnel systems created for them to safely travel.