Paddler's Guide to Happy Camping
This is Kevin Callan's blog about his trips, his (mis-)adventures, and his favourite gear.
Canoe camping in provincial parks with a large family is darn expensive!
The high-light of last weekend's Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show was running into Duane and Marian Sonntag (and family of four kids and two dogs). They paddle everywhere together as a family - with everyone in the same canooe - nicknamed the "yellow bus." Wow. It's a We-no-nah that measures 23 feet long. That's just awesome! They also choose to go interior canoe/camping . But during our conversation at the outdoor show they brought up a major concern that's becoming an ever increasing issue.
The cost of canoe tripping in a provincial park has got darn expensive recently. At a main campground you pay per site, not per person. While in the interior you pay per person, not per site. You also get less for what you pay for. Basically, a fire ring and maybe a make-shift outhouse (treasure chest) if you're lucky. And you're even luckier to find the route maintained properly in many provincial parks. And parks has annouced that there is a slight increase in fees for 2009.
If car camping, you're looking at between $25-$40 depending on it being an electrical site and/or showers available (per site per night). Fore the interior you're looking at between $11-$20 per person per night ($5-$8 under 18). That doesn't seem to be much when you first look at it. But if you have a large family, it adds up. For the Sonntag family to go to canoe camping for 8 days last season it added up to just under $600 (that's including the reservation fees). Again, that may look like a cheap holiday...but $600 to poop in a treasure box may not be worth it to a lot of people this year. The response i received from the parks group at the show was that the Sonntag family was quite large and that normal family groups are much smaller??? They also added that $600 wasn't a lot of money for what you receive. That last point might hold true most of the time; after all, Ontario Parks offer an incredible experience to most campers. But I went on-line today and found a flight to Mexico under $500 for two. Interesting. Let's just say, the Sonntag family have their canoe trip organized outside the park system this year and will be paddling some Crown land near Sudbury. That's even more interesting.
I totally agree.
Last year my husband, myself and our 2 children spend 3 days in the west side of Algonquin interior ..rented 2 canoes to be delivered to the access point .....total cost of canoe rental ,canoe delivery, camping and registration fees.... $400.00.
Adding in gas prices to and from the Park I felt this was a very expensive way to spend 2 nights in the Park.
We are the average family in size.
What exactly did we get for our money?
Fire pit and a very disgusting thunder box ...not really value for your buck.
Totally!
It's the same here in the US too. They charge you for the car, to register, to camp. For the price of most car camping sites you can just get a hotel room for almost the same price. There are some ways to go cheap too. In the states National Forests are cheap to free similar to Crown Land On out last trip we went to Kawarthas for a cheap and unscheduled trip.
While I agree that camping in Ontario Parks can be expensive, you have to look at the big picture when it comes to what you get for your money. You may think that all you get is a fire pit and a wooden box to take care of business. There is much more that you are paying for.:
-The roads into the park as well as the parking lots
-Garbage disposal
-Trail maintenance(every tree falls, that is their destiny) those trees often fall on the portage or hiking trails. Also the bridges and boardwalks over wet areas and crossing streams.
-Then there is your safety and protection. In most parks there are wardens to ensure the peace and enforce the rules that keep our parks beautiful. Also if you have an emergency the park is there to help out when you need it, often in less then desirable conditions.
-Then there is that dreaded reservation system along with its fees. If a park like Algonquin did not have a strict permit system it is quite likely you could be paddling until next week to find a campsite to stay on. Just ask anyone who has paddled the BWCA south of Quetico what overcrowding can do for your trip.
-Finally there are the subtle lesser known variables. Fish and Wildlife research and protection that makes seeing that moose or caribou possible. And the planning that ensures future generations will be able to come to the park and enjoy it the way it should be enjoyed, with wonder and amazement of some of the most beautiful places on earth.
I have paddled more on crown land than in parks and while cheaper and less crowded then parks you will likely stumble upon some undesirable aspects of crown camping; hunting and fishing camps, unmaintained or no portages, and unsightly logging...everywhere.
To me paying $11 a night is pretty cheap when you take a complete inventory of the services provided. And remember every dollar spent by a visitor to a park is spent on a park.
Good points Jeremy. I agree, but it is also an interesting point that a lot of campers are concerned over this point in itself. I'm always concerned that if you give a reason for them to stay home now-a-days, they will.
Kevin
Add your comment to “Canoe camping in provincial parks with a large family is darn expensive! ”
To post a comment, you must be logged in. If you do not have an account you can register now—it's free, and it takes only a few seconds. If you have an account, log in now.
Note: Neither the author nor Outdoorsica necessarily agree with the comments posted here. Read our privacy policy.