Best Dog-friendly Camping Ontario – One of Canada’s largest provincial park systems, Ontario Parks is full of fun outdoor recreation opportunities and adventures for you and your four-legged friend.
These parks are regulated under the State Parks and Preserves Act because of their significant natural and cultural features. However, because they are an important source of human recreation, pets are restricted in the park. In general, animals must be kept on a leash no longer than 2 meters (about 6.5 feet), even in areas where pets are allowed, and most swimming areas and beaches do not allow pets.
Best Dog-friendly Camping Ontario
Animals are allowed in all Ontario Provincial Parks, with some exceptions listed below. In addition, some places are more suitable for outdoor recreation of pets than others. To help dog owners choose the perfect destination, we’ve rounded up nearly 20 Ontario parks with dog-friendly exercise and beach areas.
11 Algonquin Park Campgrounds: A Helpful Guide To Camping In Algonquin
If you’re looking for a fun summer interpretive program, cross-country skiing or kayaking on Georgian Bay, you’ll find it at Awenda State Park. The location also includes an area along the coast of Georgian Bay that has been designated as a pet beach where dogs are allowed to play as long as they are kept on a leash.
Located about an hour and a half north of Napanee, this state park is famous for Mazinaw Rock, which rises 100 meters above Mazinaw Lake and contains more than 260 native icons. Travelers can take an interpretive boat ride across the lake to the cliff. The park also has a 1.4 km dog exercise trail and a pet-friendly beach on lower Mazinau Lake.
In addition to hiking trails, including a lookout from the highest peak in the county, Lake Charleston is also a popular spot for wildlife viewing, boating, fishing and swimming. The park sits on a rocky lake and is a forested landscape south of the Canadian Shield. The park has a designated pet beach adjacent to Shady Ridge Beach.
Cherry Beach in Toronto’s Clark Beach Park is located at the foot of Cherry Street on the north shore of the Outer Harbour. The park has seven bike paths, two picnic areas and an off-leash dog area on the beach’s western border.
Camp & Wildlife In Algoma, Northern Ontario, Canada
Located on Lake Ontario, Fifty Point is an 80-acre park perfect for swimming, bird watching, boating, picnicking and fishing. Enjoy lake views from the boardwalk and shaded areas. Fifty Point is a dog-friendly beach where pets can swim off-leash. However, they must be on a leash when they are out of the water.
A state park located between Timmins and Chapleau. This area has hiking trails through ancient glacial landscapes and soft sandy beaches. The shallow water and the nearby playground are especially popular with families with small children. The park also has a pet beach area near the fish shack for swimming and exercise.
Kettle Lakes State Park has many attractions. Late summer blueberry picking in the Jack Pine boreal forest. 22 glacier-shaped spring-fed boiler lakes. Translation programs for families. There are also 14 kilometers of attractive cycle paths. Four-legged visitors can enjoy Green Lake’s designated animal exercise area, including an area where dogs can swim in the lake.
If you’re looking for an Ontario park with an off-leash dog beach, this is the place to go. Killbear Park has a dog beach near the group camping area where pets can roam and play freely. The area is also popular for its six kilometers of recreational walking and cycling trails, excellent sailing and windsurfing conditions and a combination of rocky coastline and sandy beaches.
Tiny Village Woodland (formerly Woodland Park Arden)
Located on the northwest shore of Lake Erie, Long Point is Ontario’s fourth-oldest provincial park and has one of the most extensive migratory and roosting areas for birds and waterfowl in North America. The park has an off-leash dog beach and exercise area in the New Park section. However, if your dog is in other areas of the park, it must be kept on a leash.
Located in Eagle Lake, this park is a gathering place for friends and family, including our four-legged friends. Mixo has three shallow sandy beaches and areas for volleyball, basketball, disc golf and horseshoes. Adjacent to the day use area is an animal exercise area with agility and a bathing area.
The park is situated on the River Boyne, close to Parry Bay and Georgian Bay, and the waterside campsite offers stunning views of Lake Oastler. You can sail in a kayak and fish for pike, perch and trout. The park also has a grassy pet exercise area with a sandy beach where dogs can swim off-leash.
Listed by National Geographic as one of the 10 best sunsets in the world, this beautiful location offers 10 miles of sandy beaches on Lake Huron, as well as 10 hiking, biking and groomed ski trails. Picnic Area 1 has a dog beach next to the day trail, but dogs must be on a leash even on the beach.
6 Amazing Provincial Parks For Swimming And Camping Near Ottawa
Port Burwell is located on the northern shore of Lake Erie and is considered a bird paradise. It is a family-friendly park with large flat areas and a playground. The park also has a dog beach and pet playground on the east side of the day parking lot #1 side. However, pets must be played on a leash.
Quetico is located in Canada’s kayaking capital, Atikokan, in an area known for its rugged nature, including more than 2,000 lakes, sparkling waterfalls, majestic rock cliffs, and old-growth pine and spruce forests. Quetico also has a dog exercise area, a dog beach and the Pickerel Point trails at Dawson Trail Campground.
Located between Stormy Lake and Restall Lake, Restall Park is popular for mountain biking, hiking and rowing. The pet exercise area is located at the Bell’s Point boathouse and includes a small beach area where your dog can swim in the refreshing waters of Restall Lake.
In Ontario Provincial Parks, Rock Point is closest to Niagara Falls and has three beaches. One of the beaches has a limestone ledge embedded with ancient coral reef fossils. Some beaches allow pets. There is no designated exercise area for animals, but dogs are allowed in the day use area at the western end of the beach.
Discover The Best Dog-friendly Campgrounds In Ontario
In addition to rollerblading, biking, fishing and hiking, Rondeau Park offers extensive coastal wetlands with numerous Erie sand beaches and old-growth Carolina forests. The park is also a world-renowned birdwatching destination. Dogs are allowed in the designated beach area outside of Beach Access 11, but must be on a leash.
Sandbanks State Park has great trails, lots of interesting flora and fauna, and the beach has not one but two pet-friendly areas. The first is at Outlet Beach (where the Outlet River flows into Lake Ontario) and the second is at Sandbanks Beach. These areas are open to dogs, but dogs must be kept on a lead at all times.
Sibbald Point, about an hour northeast of Toronto, is home to Lake Simcoe’s vast sandy beaches, wooded hiking trails and boat launch. The park also has two beach areas where pets are allowed.
Easily accessible from Cambridge, Burlington, Hamilton and Guelph, Lake Valence Preserve features a man-made reservoir and is a great place for a day trip or week-long visit.
Take Your Dog To Grundy Lake Provincial Park (in Bear Country)
Dogs are not allowed on the main human-only beach, but they can swim on the pet beach next to the playground.
This state park has the world’s longest freshwater beach as well as large natural areas that protect nesting shorebirds and wildlife habitat. Wasaga Beach was the first provincial park in Canada to receive the Blue Flag designation for eco-friendly banking. East side of beach 3, between No. 22
This state park in the Sudbury area is one of the best parks for visitors with dogs. With 1.5 kilometers of coastline, the pet recreation area includes a large private beach where dogs can swim and run off-leash. There are also places to picnic and relax while watching your pet.
While it’s good to know where you can camp with your dog, it’s also good to know which spots are less desirable for you and your travel companions. Four Algonquin Park campgrounds have designated pet-free areas, including Ackley, Canis Bay, Mew Lake and Pog Lake. Balsam Lake, Pinery, Awenda and Voyager campgrounds also have restrictions.
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Ontario Provincial Parks has many helpful resources detailing dog-related rules and regulations. But in the end, you will find many interesting and wonderful places that are perfect for you.
