Bon Echo Provincial Park

Park was the cleanest provincial park we've been too. Surrounding views from all the waterfront was gorgeous. Loved how there were 3 or 4 different beaches you could go to that all offered different benefits. One downside is I found the store far/difficult to reach without driving through the whole park. Also they offered a night time telescope experience that sounded great but there wasn't enough info provided. We went with our kids and didn't realize there was a very far walk through the pitch black trails to go from the observatory to a different location for telescope viewing. Not ideal with young children and even worse since ours have a physical disability and can't do far walks. We talked to the person who ran it and we ended up driving around but couldn't find it. Went to main desk, they seemed to think it was in a different direction. Was a hassle only to find out it was too cloudy to view the stars. Besides that one fiasco the rest of the trip was amazing. Will absolutely return.

One of the must see parks in Ontario, well maintained and has good paths/beachfront to go kayaking or simply stargaze. Multiple trails allow for active campers go hiking with wonderful views. It’s worth mentioning that you have enough privacy as the division is done smartly. You’ll not be bothered by your neighbours and they will not feel your presence, great camp planning. Highly recommend!

Beautiful park , but the campsites are pretty densely packed. Not much privacy at all. Staff was excellent. Needs more parking. Do the cliff top hike if you go. Next time we will try the canoe camping , at least then it’ll feel secluded.

Beautiful park to camp, just been here overnight one night so far. Enjoying the visit very much. The beaches are nice, the water clear. Going to kayak later, to absorb the gorgeous scenery. The comfort stations are so clean! Been to many provincial parks to camp, this is the cleanest bathrooms I’ve seen! Great job staff!

The park really is incredible. I'm lucky to have check off another Ontario Parks campground on my bucketlist, and it was the best three days of autumn. The midway campsite is family friendly with plenty of activities nearby. We stayed from Saturday to Monday in. Radio Free campground, it's busy on weekdays and really peaceful on weekday. There weren't many bugs except in shady areas, so keep that in mind during the evenings. Nature is breathtaking to explore. Overall, it's an incredible park for beginner campers!

Pleasant staff, very friendly and courteous. It is a beautiful park with stunning views of mazinaw rock. The guided boat tour was much worth it. Nice place to canoe/kayak and let the kids play in water. No wonder this stays on top of the list of best places to camp. Vault was better than other places. Comfort stations were clean.

This park has been part of my regular rotation for over 15 years. The kids love the beach because it’s shallow and quite big. Staff is always easy to work with and they keep the place running well. I visited this last weekend and it’s just as beautiful as ever. Any signs of the tornado from a few years ago has been cleaned up. I didn’t go on many hikes though. Just lots of beach time.

Lovely views. Loads of camp sites but you're on top of each other. If you are looking for camp sites for multiple people in your group and able to see each other then this is the park for you. Amenities were well maintained but for the number of camp sites there were too few showers. People were lined up to use them. While I appreciate the attempt to keep the odor down at the outdoor toilets the perfume used was over powering and I can't imagine it doesn't affect the wildlife.

This is an amazing spot to camp. Located about 3hrs from Toronto, it makes it a pretty accessible drive. Plenty of sites to book, they also have cabins/yurts to rent. There is also a small store in case you've forgotten essentials, or just want an ice cream! Check in was easy, the routes to the sites are marked clearly and plenty of space between sites. Washrooms are decently cleaned and throughout the park. Plenty of activities to do - rent kayaks/canoes (including life jackets) and enjoy a fun day on the water while trying to catch the pictographs! Lots of trails to take in the views, some beach areas for the kids to splash and play as well. The park rangers do a good job of patrolling to make sure no issues.

Would love to rate this but unfortunately my family missed our boat tour time which was almost the entire reason for our trip. We did not realize we had to drive through the park to a parking lot and then find our way to the company/gift shop beside the visitor centre. By time we found where to go, we were about 15-20 minutes past our time. Colour me shocked when they would not even entertain the idea of letting us go on another boat if there were empty seats available. 10 minutes in advance of this is not enough time. It should be clear for those who have never visited Bon Echo that you should plan a half hour in advance by time you pay your park entrance fee, park and give yourself enough time to hike the many trails around the park if you get turned around and go to the wrong place (we went to the canoe rentals first by accident, then the visitor centre, and then the boat company's gift shop who own the tour). I am disgusted that they would not even try to work with us. We weren't asking to displace anyone else or block other last minute people from purchasing tickets. It was just to fill seats that were going to be empty. Their response was, "sure, you can go later this afternoon but you have to pay again". So ultimately we drove 5 hours from Hamilton to give you $160 for nothing. I should make this extremely clear that this is in no way Bon Echo's fault, it is the private tour company operator.

This was my first time at Bon Echo and won't be my last. The views are amazing and any staff I dealt were very helpful/informative. Next time I'll stay much longer. I tried to upload some photos but they could not upload for some unknown reason.

Excellent campground for families and big groups. The sites are big and spacious. The park consists of several campgrounds around the area. We camped at the Hardwood Hill Campground. It wasn't electrical, and it was a 10 minute drive from the gate. It was a huge space between us and the next site with tall trees, so it made it seem very private. We never saw the other people really. There's also lots of wildlife around the area. We had visitors like frogs and small forest mice, and an owl and unfortunately a racoon who was smart enough to tear down our garbage from the tree. Bon Echo provides canoe and kayak rentals at Mazinaw Lake. At $30 a day, and other shorter times, you can paddle around the big Mazinaw rock that has remnants of the pictographs from the natives. You can also rent a canoe or kayak to go to the other Joeperry Lake and they will take it there and leave it there for you. There is also a ferry at Mazinaw Lake for $3.25 per person (including a long wait time - they only fill the boat to 12 ppl even though it can fit 18 due to some law) to the rock, where you can climb up and get a panoramic view of the lake. It's quite worth it, but I'm disappointed in the money making schemes. There are beaches around, but they are quite crowded. If you take your canoe to Joeperry lake, there is a nice secluded beach at the end of it. The facilities at Hardwood Hills were terrible. No flush toilets in the outhouses, and there were only 2 showers for women, and 2 showers for men. It was stalled inside the bathroom. And the water was cold. We took a very worthwhile 15 minute drive to the other electrical campgrounds and borrowed their awesome showers everynight. Overall, I would very much recommend the site for kids and big groups. The staff are nice and accomodating.

I went to this park during the thanksgiving weekend and the fall colours were just gorgeous! There are several high points in the park especially on Mazinaw rock. They offer a spectacular view of the rest of the park. The cliff top trail is accessible with a short canoe or ferry ride. We did not go on the Kishkebus canoe route as the wind was too strong at the narrows. The Abes and Essens Lake Trail was a nice long hike with beautiful spots to explore. The campgrounds are pretty standard. Each campsite has a composting toilet and water tap close by. There were quite a few raccoons where were were camping. It can get pretty chilly at night. Temperature can fall below zero as early as the beginning of October. So carry appropriate gear. Overall it is pretty amazing and I look forward to exploring the other trails and canoe routes in this park

Bon Echo, my apologies, but you don't make the five stars. At least, not for a camper like myself who owns two dogs. Bon Echo boasts a diversity of sites, some electric, some private, some exposed, and walk in sites with a full frontal view of the Bon Echo cliff. As with most Ontario Parks sites, you may want to pay close attention to the descriptions when you register. If they say that the privacy is "Poor" or "Good", then it generally is. There are many flush toilets also. Even though they might look like old-style out-houses, many have flush toilets, and this is indicated on the Site Map. The flush toilet is worth it, if you are someone who doesn't want to endure the smell of a vault toilet. However, I will go "to the vault", as it were, if I have a really exceptional site. I know why they call it Bon Echo: the large, signature cliff of the park creates a resounding echo if you shout across the lake. I know this because I was out there in a kayak (oh and that is great too) and heard some poor dog barking and barking. He seemed to be intrigued by the fact that another dog, with exactly his bark, answered him seconds later. The cliff really does have remarkable acoustics. However, the poor pup really needed some time at the dog beach. It is not conveniently located, and is at the mouth of the lake and the river. Also, it isn't really a beach. It's more like a lawn that ends in water. For the numbers of people in the park, I think that it is a bit small. Now, my cousin totally disagreed with me. She said, "I always prefer grass because then your dog isn't bringing beach sand into the tent." While that may be true, a lawn is NOT a beach. The cliffs are spectacular, the hiking is divine and there are wonderful sites if you take the time to search them out. The cliffs even have the Petroglyphs of First Nations still visible, and an excellent visitors centre which interprets the park. If I was not a dog owner, I would likely give Bon Echo 5 stars. As a dog owner, the dog beach is too disappointing. I will just hope that, next summer, Killbear is not under a fire ban (it's a great place for dogs).

Overall was a great experience. People were great to be around, campsites had enough privacy, and enough space. The only problem I had was with the guy who rented canoes. His sarcastic remarks were very demeaning and provided no help after I asked advice about fishing. This guy was a joke. I hope the campsite does something about this volatile human.

I've been camping here three times with different groups of friends, and everyone has enjoyed themselves. The last time I visited I brought my dog and she had a wonderful experience. The pet exercise trail and pet beach are excellent. Beautiful views and park staff are wonderful.