Camping in Canada 2026

Camping in Canada

Camping in Canada was the highlight of our travel in 2026.   Our plan was very extensive with 26 total stops that included five provinces.  It was a year in the planning.  However, sometimes the best laid plans just don’t materialize. But, we still managed to see beautiful Ontario, meet some really lovely people, and have some very delicious meals

U.S. Stops Along the Way

We wanted the travel from our home to Canada to be meaningful.  Therefore, our stops were planned to include some places we wanted to visit.

Grayson Highlands State Park, Virginia

Grayson Highlands State Park in southwest Virginia was our first destination. It was comfortable while we were there in early June because the elevation is approximately 4,000 feet. It is very close to the famous Virginia Creeper, a gorgeous rail-to-recreation trail that we have done before. No bikes on this trip though because it was such a long one.

We were camping with our group, Southeastern T@Bs, T@Gs, and Friends.  One day, we had beautiful weather for a hike with several members of the group. On another, we had lunch and saw a play, Savannah Sipping Society, with one of our favorite couples, Patty and Steven in nearby Abingdon.  Overall, it was a lovely stop.

New River Gorge National Park

Next, we camped at the Outpost at Fayetteville, West Virginia.  We were there because we wanted to visit New River Gorge National Park.  Patty and Steven, our good friends from our camping group, were also there with us.  So, that made it lots more fun.

The New River Gorge Bridge, at over 3000 feet,  is the longest single-span steel arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere.  Opening in 1977, it reduced a 40 minute drive to less than a minute. It will never need painting because it was constructed from COR-TEN steel, which develops a rust colored patina that blends beautifully with the environment.

Bridge Walk Tour is a big attraction where people walk under the bridge. We considered it, but a couple of reviewers said it was terrifying. So, we passed on that.

Columbus Ohio

Next, we were Galloway, Ohio, at Alton RV, near Columbus.  We enjoy visiting capitols and we were there for two nights to see the Ohio Statehouse.

We took a guided tour of the capitol building, which was great, and had lunch  at the nearby Ringside Cafe—the city’s oldest restaurant, operating since 1897. Lastly, we stopped by a topiary park that pays tribute to one of my favorite paintings. It was a nice stop.

There were many beautiful and interesting things at the capitol, one of which was the Ohio seal. The wheat symbolizes Ohio’s agricultural wealth and the 17 arrows symbolizes Ohio becoming the 17th state in 1803. The rising Sun has 13 rays honoring the original 13 colonies. I would guess that this version of the seal was about 8 to 10 feet tall and it was quite beautiful.

Toledo Ohio

Our last U.S. stop before Canada was in Toledo at the KOA for two nights. Unfortunately, our trip took a bit of a bad turn. My husband was trimming his toenails and cut one of his big toes severely into the quick.

Our plans to see some local sights ended because of his injury. Instead, we spent the afternoon in urgent care. They checked him out and gave us wound care instructions, but no meds.

So, we picked up lunch at the legendary Tony Packo’s, known for its signature Hungarian hot dogs and hot dog buns signed by celebrities.The place became widely known from references on the television series, M*A*S*H.  It was a fun place to visit and the hotdogs  were delicious.

Camping in Canada, Ontario

Happily, we made it across the border into Canada with no issues whatsoever. I was so relieved as I was concerned about taking our pup across. They have rules about dog food not being opened and no fresh fruits or veggies.  However, they didn’t ask about any of that, just firearms, which we never have with us.

Goderich

Our first camping in Canada was at Shelter Valley campground for three nights. It is an about eight miles from the beautiful town of Goderich. The campground was very nice and everything around us was very green. Though we had full hook ups, they provided a service where they would for a price empty your holding tanks.

Beach Street Station is a fabulous restaurant located in an old train station in Goderich. The station dates back to 1907, but the last train left the station in 1988.

The Goderich lighthouse was built in 1847 by a Scottish stonemason and is about 33 feet high and stands about 140 feet above the lake.  However, it is not like typical lighthouses that were taller, cylindrical, and tapered. Queen Elizabeth II sold the lighthouse and land to the Port of Godrich in 2003. Sadly, I couldn’t go inside because it was locked.

Poutine is french fries topped with fresh cheese curds and smothered in a hot brown gravy. It is widely available in Canadian restaurants, but this particular serving was by far the best we tried.

Goderich Beach on Lake Huron was gorgeous, but it was very foggy on this day. My husband sat on a bench in the shade on the boardwalk while I took our pup up to check out the lighthouse.

Bronte Creek Provincial Park

Bronte Creek was within driving distance of Toronto and Niagara Falls on the Canadian side. So, it was our longest stay at four days. Most importantly, we had a beautiful shaded site with a lot of privacy.

Niagara

We visited the lovely area, Niagara-on-the-Lake,  at Queen’s Royal Park, which offered a breathtaking view of where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario.

The rainbow bridge from the US to Canada and a beautiful rainbow in the same shot. I think rainbows must be pretty abundant in this area because we saw one from the US side several years ago.

Toronto

Because of recommendations from park personnel, we took the train to Toronto. It was a really nice experience and we didn’t have to worry about parking our big truck. There was a covered walkway from the train station to the CN Tower and Ripley‘s aquarium. It offered a pretty good view of the CN Tower.

We made a quick visit to Ripley’s Aquarium.  This sawfish looks pretty happy. It’s my understanding that they are critically endangered in the wild. The Aquarium was really nice.

We had lunch at the 360 Restaurant in the CN Tower.  While we were having our meal, we could see the city from all the various sides of the tower. Lunch was quite fancy and pretty good. However, we really were paying more for the atmosphere than the meal. I’m glad we got to do it.

Presq’uile Provincial Park

Our next camping in Canada was at Brighton KOA to visit Presq’uile Park. However, we spent our free morning in downtown Brighton having a telemedicine visit.  My husband had an infection and they gave him a prescription for antibiotics.

The afternoon was devoted to the park and it was quite beautiful. I did a good bit of walking and seeing the sites and my husband mostly stayed in the truck to stay off his foot.

Most importantly, there was a nice path to the lighthouse.  I took the path while my husband and pup waited in the truck.  A gentle breeze was blowing and the temperature was perfect.  It was glorious to be in this environment on a day like that.

There are several beaches within the park.  I took a walk by myself to check out one of them.  I heard the geese before I saw them. They got quiet suddenly and turned to me when I appeared.  It was a little creepy—it felt like I was intruding.

Bon Echo Provincial Park

We stayed two nights at Bon Echo Provincial Park in Cloyne, Ontario, and it was the most remote stop on our trip. Consequently, we had all our meals in the trailer. Nonetheless, it was a nice stay and there was a beautiful lake to enjoy. Also, the staff went out of their way to make us feel welcome, particularly Grace, the Warden and Nicole in the Nature Center.

It is an ancient area and scientists have dated rock art on the cliffs at 300 to 1,000 years old. Some of the Eastern White Cedars growing in the shallow cracks on the top of the cliffs are 300 to over 900 years old.

 

Indigenous people created over 200 pictographs upon the cliffs.  The pictographs are reddish to reddish-orange and are located a few feet above the water line.

Fitzroy, Our Final

Fitzroy was a turning point for us.  We chose it to visit nearby Ottawa.  However, the toe was not looking much better and the antibiotics were almost gone.  Most importantly, we had eleven more stops in Canada, plus several to get home.  I didn’t sleep much at all that night weighing our options.  The next morning, I was exhausted, but resolved to head home. I had also mapped our path home.  So, our camping in Canada would go no further.

We mostly stayed at the campground while I canceled the remainder of our trip.  The highlight of our stop was a nearby restaurant that was extraordinary.  We had sandwiches and took back some casseroles they had just made to serve as a future meal.

Getting Home

We took fastest path home and it was way we had already come. A repeat stop at Bronte Creek was our last night camping in Canada.  Likewise, we kept it simple with no unhitching.  Next, we crossed the Blue Water Bridge into the U.S. at Port Huron.

After that, we had a delicious outdoor lunch at Freighters Eatery and Taphouse.  Next, we had a reservation at the Port Huron KOA for the night.  The campground and the city were certainly very nice.

A  Visit to the ER

The antibiotics were gone and my husband’s toe still looked angry. The next morning, we decided to go to a nearby urgent care.  They referred him to the Emergency Room.  Lake Huron Medical Center Emergency Room did x-rays and lab work. The doctor couldn’t promise us that he could be discharged that day until they got the results from all the tests. Our camper was parked in their parking lot and we had checked out of the Port Huron, KOA. I was wondering how that was going to work. They said we could park overnight in their parking lot if needed. Impressive!

Ultimately, the infection had not gotten to his bone and that he could be discharged with a stronger antibiotic and another ointment. So, we returned to the Port Huron, KOA for one more night.

More KOAs

Meanwhile, we stopped at two more KOAs, Dayton and Bowling Green. I was doing all the setting up because my husband’s toe was in open-toed shoes and he needed to avoid dirt and rain.  We needed the KOA’s predictably and convenience. Our favorite was the one in Bowling Green.

In Conclusion

Most importantly, we made it home and my husband saw his podiatrist a few days later.  The doctor performed a procedure to remove part of his toenail.  He said it would not have healed without it and it validated that we made the right decision to return home.  Above all, I’m happy to report that husband is doing great now.

This was our first camping trip to Canada, but we hope to go back and see the places we had to cancel. However, we have camped in 49 U.S. states.  So, check out our webpage States Visited, a Campsite Resource to see posts regarding those trips.

 

Happy Camping!