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When Globe Travel asked readers last week to submit their favourite places to pitch a tent in Canada, more than 140 suggestions came pouring in.
Some adventurous souls touted camping near remote glaciers in Nunavut. The amenity-rich, family-friendly provincial parks of Ontario's lake country proved popular. Still others gushed about watching seals frolic in Newfoundland's Chance Cove.
After extensive research – with a nod to variety and geographic diversity – this six-pack of reader recommendations aims to enable and inspire memorable communions with Mother Nature:
LONG POINT PROVINCIAL PARK, ONTARIO
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Comment “The beauty of the flames as they curl into the summer night sky, the sound of the firewood crackling and the frogs serenading each other as the sun slowly melts into the lake are all priceless.”
– Annabel Lamagnere, Markham, Ont.
Highlight This 40-kilometre-long sand spit on Lake Erie – a UNESCO biosphere reserve – is legendary among birdwatchers as a refuge and stopover for migrating waterfowl in the fall and spring.
Ambience The 256 campsites are often booked solid in the summer but manage to avoid a circus atmosphere by being split into three sections.
Amenities All sites are within a five-minute walk of the beach, and 78 have electricity. A laundromat, showers, flush toilets, three children's play areas, a boat launch and a convenience store are all on site.
Diversions The sandy beach and shallow swimming area are ideal for families. The boat launch lets you head out in search of perch and pickerel or to explore the marshes.
Flora and fauna Along the park's southern shore, low ridges and dunes are covered by a blanket of sedge, prairie grass and trees. On the north side, the boundary between land and water is blurred by marshes and wetlands. A bird checklist includes 321 species. In early June, as many as seven species of turtle can be seen making their annual trek from the marshes to the sand dunes to lay their eggs.
Pest factor As usual, raccoons can be a nuisance.
Insider tip Several campsites are within a beach-ball bounce of the beach, including Nos. 237, 311 and 432.
InformationLong Point is a two-hour drive southwest of Toronto. Reservations: 1-888-668-7275; ontarioparks.com.
DINOSAUR PROVINCIAL PARK, ALBERTA
Comment “Spectacular badlands scenery, great hiking through the hoodoos, a small dinosaur museum on site with the Royal Tyrell Museum an easy drive from this park.”
– I. Ignatius, Toronto
Highlight With a rich legacy of fossil hunting and with hoodoos, pinnacles, coulees and buttes rising up on all sides, this UNESCO World Heritage Site makes visitors feel like time travellers.
Ambience At twilight, with the hoodoos resembling all manner of monsters, this 81-square-kilometre park can be downright spooky – in a cool way. But you'll have plenty of company in the summer. Overnight crowds are kept in check, however, as there are just 126 sites split over the north and south campgrounds.
Amenities The two campgrounds include 59 powered sites. There is also a 10-unit group camp that has its own shelter, outdoor toilets, fire ring and water tap. There is also an indoor theatre, outdoor amphitheatre, bookstore, showers, a concession stand and a laundromat.
Diversions There is a brontosaurus-sized selection of guided hikes, tours and lectures. For sedentary visitors, the Badlands Bus Tour provides a two-hour overview of the park's geography, wildlife and history. For more active types, the 31/2-hour Great Badlands Hike rambles through rugged terrain. And for the studious, a Fossil Lab Talk explores the preparation of excavated fossils.
Flora and fauna Along the riverbanks, cottonwood and willow trees mingle with saskatoon, rose and buffalo-berry bushes. Cacti, greasewood and sage mottle the badlands. Coyotes may be spotted but are more often heard – again with the spookiness. Warblers, woodpeckers and waterfowl live among the cottonwoods, while golden eagles and prairie falcons soaring above.
Pest factor Watch your step: Rattlesnakes, black widow spiders and scorpions call this park home.
Insider tip Plan to spend at least two days in the park – there's too much to do and see in one day.
Information The park is a three-hour drive east of Calgary. Visit www.tpr.alberta.ca; reservations: 403-378-3700.
MER ET MOND, QUEBEC
Comment “The views of the river and the whales are remarkable – both transporting and mesmerizing.”
– Birthe Jorgensen, Toronto
Highlight Leave your alarm clock at home – you'll likely wake up to the sound of surfacing whales. This stretch of the St. Lawrence River is a vast feeding ground for several species.
Ambience Strung along a rocky stretch of shoreline, campsites are nicely set apart. And the only noise you may hear at night is whale music.
Amenities What Mer et Monde lacks in modern conveniences – there are no electrical hook-ups, potable water taps or showers – it makes up for in personality. The 25 walk-in sites are either set on nifty wooden platforms affixed to the rocky shore or on more conventional sandy lots. Each has a fire pit and picnic table, with two chemical toilets and an information booth serving the facility.
Diversions Beyond whale-watching from shore, there are sea-kayaking packages out of the towns of Tadoussac and Bergeronnes.
Flora and fauna It's all about the baleines here – minke, fin, humpback, beluga and blue.
Pest factor Because the shoreline rocks can be slippery and the waters unpredictable, children aged 10 and under are not permitted on the campsites closest to the shore.
Insider tip Mer et Monde has added bivvys – one-person waterproof shelters – to its camping options this year, allowing visitors to sleep just a few metres from the water and get even closer to the whales.
Information Mer et Monde is a 31/2-hour drive east of Quebec City. Reservations: 1-866-637-6663; www.mer-et-monde.qc.ca.
GARIBALDI PROVINCIAL PARK, BRITISH COLUMBIA
Comment “Watching the glacier change colours with the setting sun is a delight at dusk, preferably with a refreshing and well-deserved beverage in hand.”
– Wendy Royle, Vancouver
Highlight More than 90 kilometres of hiking trails wind past evocatively named alpine geography such as Black Tusk, Panorama Ridge, Sphinx Glacier and Castle Towers.
Ambience It's a nine-kilometre trek from the access-point parking lot to the reader-recommended Garibaldi Lake Campground, so it's safe to assume few campers will have toted boom boxes or beer kegs.
Amenities Garibaldi Lake Campground is a bare-bones, 50-site setup: four day-use cooking shelters, pit toilets and a sink (the water isn't potable). Open fires are prohibited, as are pets.
Diversions In summer, it's all about hiking around Garibaldi Lake. Several renowned trails branch out from the access parking lot or the campsite, including treks to Panorama Ridge and the Black Tusk. Swimming is refreshing to say the least, as all the park's lakes are glacier-fed.
Flora and fauna Many dense Douglas fir, western red cedar and western hemlock forests cover the park, as do alpine meadows. Grizzly and black bears, mountain goats and deer roam the area.
Pest factor Visitors should take precautions against bear encounters.
Insider tip Sites 12 to 18 are clustered right next to Garibaldi Lake.
Information The Garibaldi Lake parking lot is a 90-minute drive north of Vancouver. Campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks.
KILLARNEY PROVINCIAL PARK, ONTARIO
Comment “Crystal-clear waters backed by the beautiful white quartz of the La Cloche mountain range; interior campsites with lots of peaceful canoeing, hiking et cetera. Can't be beat in all of Ontario.”
– Andrew Slater,
Highlight This rugged wilderness of crystalline lakes and jack-pine ridges continues to lure paddlers and hikers more than 50 years after artists such as the Group of Seven's A.Y. Jackson petitioned the Ontario government to make it a park.
Amenities Beyond dozens of hike- and paddle-in campsites, Killarney's sole organized campground is at George Lake. It offers 126 sites with no electrical hook-ups and is home to a pair of beaches, an Outpost shop, hot showers, flush toilets, a laundromat, a boat launch and canoe rentals.
Diversions Many hiking trails set out from George Lake. The two-kilometre Granite Ridge Trail, for example, starts off winding through fields and forest, then leads up to lookouts offering views of Georgian Bay and the La Cloche Mountains. The 100-kilometre La Cloche Silhouette Trail takes a week to complete.
Flora and fauna
Moose, deer, wolves, bobcat, marten and beaver live in Killarney along with more than 20 species of reptiles and amphibians and more than 100 species of birds.
Pest factor With so much water around, mosquitoes and blackflies can be particularly nasty.
Insider tip Pre-assembled, furnished and heated yurts are available.
Information Killarney is about five hours north of Toronto by car. Reservations: 1-888-668-7275; www.ontarioparks.com.
RATHTREVOR BEACH PROVINCIAL PARK, BRITISH COLUMBIA
Comment “ A beautiful spot with lots of hiking trails, a fabulous beach that goes for miles and a great campground that is well-maintained and monitored.” – Anonymous, Nanaimo, B.C.
Highlight It's a short stroll from any of Rathtrevor's many campsites to the celebrated sandy beach. At low tide, the Strait of Georgia's waters recede almost a kilometre; when the ocean rolls back in over the hot sand, swimming prevails.
Ambience The park is especially popular with families, but the sheer size of the beach prevents overcrowding.
Amenities The park's 174 vehicle-accessible campsites include three hot-shower buildings, flush toilets, an adventure playground and several freshwater taps. There are 25 more walk-in campsites, with pit toilets and two picnic shelters nearby, and four group sites.
Diversions Rathtrevor buzzes with activity over the summer. A Nature House and amphitheatre run interpretive programs seven days a week; there are 5.5 kilometres of easy walking trails; and swimmers, fishers, paddlers and windsurfers flock to the beach. The park is famous among birdwatchers for the Brandt geese migration, from March 15 to April 15, in which these shore birds use the beaches of Rathtrevor and Craig Bay as staging and feeding areas on their spring migration to Northern Canada and Alaska.
Flora and fauna Along with Douglas firs, Western red cedar, hemlock, balsam, spruce, arbutus and maple trees cover the park. Several species of wildlife can be spotted in the park, including deer, otters, mink, eagles, osprey, hawks, vultures and owls.
Pest factor During the Brandt geese migration, dogs are not allowed on certain parts of the beach. Backcountry areas are also not suitable for dogs, owing to possible bear encounters. Raccoons
can be troublesome in the campsites.
Insider tip Campsites 20 and 21 are among the closest to the beach – less than 50 metres away – and there's no road separating them from the sand.
Information Rathtrevor is a two-hour drive north of Victoria. Reservations: discovercamping.ca.
Readers share
Click here to see the complete list of reader recommended camping spots.
