Summer 2021 news at Ontario Parks and Parks Canada sites

Planning to head to a provincial or national park in Ontario this summer? There’s lots of news you should know—including the fact that overnight camping will once again be permitted when Step One of Ontario’s re-opening plan kicks in on Friday, June 11. Here are the highlights of the park-related news you need to know.

Top photo: Early morning at Bonnechere Provincial Park.

Ontario provincial parks

• Day visits to all Ontario provincial parks will be FREE from Monday through Thursday (including statutory holidays) from May 1 to September 2.
• Even on free days, visitors in cars need a free vehicle permit. In a pilot program this year, you can get your day permit online (up to five days before your visit) for 17 of the most popular parks—including Sandbanks and Algonquin in Eastern Ontario.
• Plan to visit the parks a lot? You can get a seasonal day use vehicle permit that gives you unlimited admission on any day of the week (capacity permitting) to more than 100 Ontario Parks sites. The validity of the annual passes for 2021 has been extended until November 30, 2022. So you get two years for the price of one!
• Alternatively, you can borrow a vehicle permit from many Ontario libraries. (Scroll down the linked page for the full list.)
• Many summer campsites have already been snapped up, but there ARE still a few spots left. Check Ontario Parks’ reservation website to see what’s available.
• Ontario Parks also posts its latest information on its COVID-19 protocols.

Parks Canada parks in Ontario

• Camping reservations at Parks Canada sites have also been going quickly, so if you have your heart set on setting up your tent in a particular spot, I’d advise checking the Parks Canada reservation website soon.
• The Rideau Canal National Historic Site is now open for boat navigation.
• The Parks Canada Discovery Pass gives you 12 months of unlimited admission to more than 80 sites across the country.
• Note that the interiors of national historic sites in Ontario will remain closed under Step One of Ontario’s re-opening plan. It looks to me as though they will not be permitted to re-open until Step Three, which won’t happen until late July at the earliest.
• Here’s where Parks Canada post its current COVID-19 protocols.

Looking for more tips on things to see and do in Eastern Ontario? Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter and check out my new book, Ottawa Road Trips: Your 100-km Getaway Guide.