voyageur provincial park

The most eastern provincial park in Ontario lays peacefully on the shore of the Ottawa River. Wildlife abounds, Eagles, pleated woodpecker, barred owls for a few unusual birds and all the regular suspects, deer, raccoons and perhaps a wild pig or two! Great camping for the whole family!

We stayed at the Champlain.The campground was just 5 minutes drive from the checkpoint away and really easy to find.Every spot was separated from the next one by a group of trees to give some sort of privacy. As we arrived, summer season (peak) was over and we had plenty of privacy and space, but we can imaging, that during the season or weekends it can be really crowded.The washrooms and toilet - facilities were really clean and specious.As we don´t mind walking, we went to the beach 15 minutes (walking) away from our camp-spot. As we arrived very early, we were the only ones there and had a great time and were able to plan our ongoing journey through east- Canada.

Customer service/check-in: Upon arriving to the park, I was greeted by a friendly employee who checked me in and provided a map and asked if I had any questions.Rangers: They seem to put more of an emphasis on issuing fines than protecting the well-being of park guests. At approximately 9 pm, our site were playing music at a low to medium volume and just laughing and talking around the fire when we were approached by the ranger lecturing us on being loud and to turn the music off, insinuating that the cigars we were smoking was weed and to 'put them out'. He said if we don't keep it down and he had to come back that he would be issuing fines. We weren't being any louder than the neighboring sites and I personally made sure the music at a reasonable volume because I hate it when others are inconsiderate with loud music. This gives us the impression that the rangers have free run of the park to do whatever they want and just pick a random group to hassle even before quiet time at 11 pm. I would have completely understood if it was after 11 pm and we were asked to be quieter, but this was at 9 pm. Also, whoever was shooting off guns or fireworks at 5 am the first morning, the rangers did nothing to stop that, since it went on for several hours. So once again the inconsistency of rule enforcement is unsettling. One group can get away with guns or fireworks, both of which are illegal inside the park, for hours at 5 am, but we were laughing and talking around a fire and got a warning and lecture about it.Last year when we were camping at this same park, the neighboring site were pumping bass extremely loud from their car late at night, around midnight, and the ranger didn't even bother to show up. Where's the consistency with enforcement? Either enforce all of the rules on everyone, or don't enforce it at all. Also, when I was exiting the park, one of them pulled a U turn and tailgated me nearly all the way to the exit. Unnecessarily intimidating especially when I did nothing wrong and was being tailgated for going the park speed limit of 40 km/h.Site itself: The electrical post had a burnt outlet with huge scorch marks which didn't work properly, it had a short in it. The park doesn't seem to care about fixing these defective and potentially dangerous problems. Shouldn't checking these services be a part of the daily inspection upon guest checkout?Facilities: The park store was closed, just like every other time we have gone camping at this park. The store only seems to be open only during peak season only and closed the remainder of the year. The showers and public bathrooms are kept clean by the maintenance staff several times per day. However the bathrooms and showers are very outdated with graffiti carved into the stalls and a broken hand dryer that didn't even have a sign on it, without paper towels for backup. If they don't want to supply paper towels, at least repair or replace the hand dryer.Overall: Camping was alright, but the experience with the rangers left me feeling that we were being singled out for laughing and having a good time at 9 pm. Ranger enforcement should be across the board and apply to all visitors, not just one specific group. The treatment from the park law enforcement comes across as anti-fun and jumping to conclusions without first proving those accusations. Cigars are not illegal and anyone with a career in law enforcement should be aware of the difference between cigars and other smokable items and not make false accusations without reasonable proof. For the record, we all went to bed around 11pm and left the music completely off for the remainder of the night, not wanting to risk a fine after paying over $100 for 2 nights of camping.Don't bother with this park if you want to go and have a good time. I would complain but it would be a waste of time, and I don't expect anyone from Ontario Parks to actually care or apologize for the poor experience.

My family and I stayed here when we were exploring Montreal and Ottawa. Great location to stay as it's not a far drive to either. Campsites were alright. I found the one we were in was very sandy which turned muddy when it rained but other than that a nice site. Bathrooms/showers/laundry were nice and clean. Park staff were very friendly. We didn't like that the firewood was only available at the store which was a distance from the upper campground and the bags were quite small for the price. Overall a nice park.

We stopped for the day here whilst enroute to Montreal. The road winds on and on after you enter the site but keep going !. There is plenty of parking and spaces large enough for big RV's. There is an excellent beach area with protected swimming area . The view is fantastic from the beach alone. There are plenty of picnic benches around the beach area. The water in August was nice and swimming was great fun. Swimming area has sand below it so you can stand up without worrying about anything sharp etc.

This provincial park and campground is so easy to reach from Highway 417 and is sandwiched between Ottawa and Montreal. As a result, there is a great mix of people from all over Canada and elsewhere who enjoy the park. The camp store is usually well stocked (they lacked kindling when we were there) and they can do burgers and fries, or poutine and the like right in the store for those who do not want to cook. The staff was very friendly and officers patrolled the park regularly keeping an eye out for anyone who needed assistance or who had questions. We booked in Champlain on site #76 with the two of us (Hubby and myself) our four-year old, and two teens. We put three tents on the site: one large family tent, one small dome tent (teens) and one kitchen tent. There was ample space for all of that plus two cars. There is one new comfort station in Champlain and we went there for showers rather than the older one closer to our site. Our daughter swam a bit in the cordoned off area (NOTE: No lifeguards on duty) and she had fun on the climbing structure and the swings (one of the swings is broken which leaves one infant swing and one swing for older children). We just spent the provincial holiday (first weekend in August) in this park and had a wonderful weekend in the great outdoors. 'Checkout' time is 2 p.m. but you can stay in the park until it closes to day visitors. Go check out Voyageur; you will be pleased.

An awesome camp ground only seconds from the 417! This was a great surprise for us! Clean, quiet, well managed! The facilities are old but kept very clean. The camp store is well stocked and reasonably priced. The friendly park staff are constantly monitoring the beach for goose droppings, etc.I reported a mess left by a flock of geese and it was cleaned up immediately, then extra attention was paid to the situation at that beach. A lovely location for everyone, especially families with young children. Bonus: The only Ontario Provincial Park we have ever stayed in that kept the fire wood inside!

We booked campsite #93 in Champlain. We were right beside the lake and the view was amazing. We arrived on Saturday and it was noisy due to a party on the boats. Sunday was quiet, as most of the lots were empty. There was a new comfort station around the corner and it was very clean with excellent showers and washing machines. The only downfall is that dogs are allowed and negligent owners left poo around the small beach area near the Champlain campgrounds. We did not see any dogs/poo on the main beach area though.

Although not all the camping spots are equal (some will have more shade, some will have a barbecue pit hole) this is still a great place for camping. You have showers, rest rooms, a small store but most important of all you have an amazing park. you can do water sports or just chill on the beach. you can take a night walk and see all the cool fire flies. I really liked the fact that there are areas with no pets but for me, as a dog owner, there was also YES-PETS area !!! very cool !!

we stopped here for one night on our way to the east coast. Average park, was clean and quiet. older but clean washrooms and showers.

Mid September offers lots of privacy. Comfort stations were clean and stocked with soap, toilet paper etc... Very quiet. Campers store was closed so the warden got our ice for us and delivered to our site. Very nice park.

Very nice campground, very well kept, super clean, great staff but you can hear the trucks and cars on the highway :-(

A large park with lot of potential. Seems to be understaffed and undermaintained. Washroom facilities are older style in most cases. Unforturately, it is close to Montreal and lots of Quebecers come on down and stay here. They are too often loud and disrespectful of nature here and the other campers rights to a quite weekend. Maybe it's better during the week. Too many people drinking beer too. This is the only camp I've been too where the OPP was INSIDE the park looking for drunk drivers... I kid you not.Only camp here if you can't find somewhere else closer.

This beach is about 1 hour from downtown Montreal. I have never stayed here for camping, only for day trips to the beach. To get it, it costs $14 / car. After that, there are no fees except if you want to rent a boat. They have kayaks, canoes, and pedalos. THe pedalos are the cheapest and the canoes are the most expensive. You can rent for 30 minutes or 1 hour blocks. They give you life jackets to wear.The only thing I don't like about this beach is that there are often boats that come right up to the beach. It is not monitored by lifeguards. It is also quite shallow, and then suddenly gets very deep. There are picnic tables and bbq's (charcoal). But you must get there early to get a table and/or a bbq. It's important to bring your own chairs if you don't want to sit on the ground. It's also important to mention that since there are no lifguards, this is a ideal place to go if you feel uncomfortable in a bathing suit for whatever reason (religious etc.) People can frequently be seen going in the water fully clothed or with t-shirts.Overall, this place is good for a day trip out of Montreal for people who don't want to go far. We like to go because since it's so close, it's not a big deal to come back if it starts to rain etc.There is a little shop where you can get food and supplies. But the only food it offers is very unhealthy (burgers, fries, hot dogs). So if you are looking to eat healthy you must bring your own food.

This is a large campground along the Ottawa River on the Ontario Quebec Border, about 20 minutes away from Hawkesbury. The campground offers several campsites with space for tents or trailers. We had no trouble finding a site with sufficient shade and sunlight. The park provides great access to the river, with decent beaches for swimming. Boating is also popular. Paddle boats and canoes are available for rent. The trails are well marked and provide a glimpse into the different habitats in the region. My one caution is that it appears the campground is a popular spot for weekend party goers.