Aaron Provincial Park is a cute little campground near Dryden, known for its boating and fishing. Here's everything you need to know!
We had a planned trip through Northern Ontario in the spring of 2025. Everything planned meticulously... under we blew two tires along the way, got stranded at Rushing River Provincial Park while we waited for a replacement tire from Canadian Tire in Kenora, and ended up having to cancel or reschedule several stops at other provincial parks, as a result.
Whew!
Anyway, Aaron park made the short list, and we were able to stay - albeit, a shortened stay from the original plans - for a couple nights.
Luckily, Aaron park was not only conveniently located - right off the Trans-Canada highway, in the city of Dryden - it’s also a very small park. With a bit of work a determination, we were able to experience almost everything the park had to offer, truncated stay or not!
It seems to be an ideal family stop - due to size, location, and general vibe - and it’s a great place for engaging in fishing, or other water based recreational activities.
For being so small and so close to the city, it’s a surprisingly scenic park, with many different environments to explore - forest trails, lookouts over the water, even a little waterfall with a bridge over it.
Anyway, lots to talk about, so let’s get right to it!
The Basics:
Campground Name: Aaron Provincial Park
Address: Hanslip Rd, Dryden, ON. Click Here for the Google Maps location.
Website: https://www.ontarioparks.ca/park/aaron
Price: Ontario Provincial Parks uses a pricing matrix across all their parks. See 2025 Camping Fees for more details.
Reservations: Ontario Parks Reservations
Park Classification: Recreational
Season: May 16, 2025 to September 14, 2025
Logistics
Some basic information to help you plan your stay at Aaron Provincial Park:
Registration and Check In
We booked our stay at Aaron Provincial Park 5 months ahead of time, at 7am. As it turns out, that was sort of unnecessary - we ended up having to change our dates at the last minute, and there was plenty of availability, when we did.
Upon arrival, we signed in at the park office. Quick service, friendly staff as always - and it’s a completely paperless permit park, which is always nice!
As a note: The park has some weird hours - they don’t open til late on weekdays, and close pretty early.
Unfortunately, the trip ended on a sour note
We decided to cut out stay at Aaron short by a day, and move on to Ojibway. We’ve never had a problem doing this, you just go in to the office before noon on that last day, and they do the cancellation and refund.
Because we made this decision BEFORE the last day, I called the reservations line to see if it could/should be done with them instead. Nope - they had no ability to do it once we checked in, it would have to be at the office.
SO we showed up at the office at 10am the day we wanted to leave... and they didn’t even open til 12. So, we probably weren’t going to get a refund, as it seemed that noon was a systemic cut off time.
We went back to our site and hung out for a bit, getting back to the office - on the way out of the park - just before noon.
They refused to cancel our last day for some reason, and said that both the cancellation and refund would have to be done via a mail in form on the website. WHAT?
So I started a chat with the reservations office, who - once again - said their hands were tied and could not cancel or refund. They also said they had no idea why the Aaron people were refusing to cancel, and “maybe they didn’t have a computer” (they had a computer).
The reservations line told me I’d need to submit proof that we left the park (difficult, given that Ojibway is an unstaffed park office!), print the form and MAIL everything in. It’s 2025!!
The whole thing was very frustrating. This has been a simple, 2 minute refund in literally any other park we’ve had to shorten a stay at.
Maps and Signage
Some basic information to help you get around Aaron Provincial Park:
Park Map
The park map - an 8.5 x 11 sheet - is a bit annoying. The scale seemed weird, and I think they simplified curves in the road, especially in that first intersection that splits off to the two halves of the park.
There are also a lot of cut-throughs, walking paths, etc that aren’t reflected on the map, which can also make it a bit weird to figure out where you are.
Our first time through, there were a few instances where things weren’t quite lining up with what was mapped.
Also, there are at least two sets of staircases that aren’t represented on the map - the east side of the bridge between the two campground areas, and a second set of stairs up from the east beach.
Neither of those staircase symbols actually show the right orientation of the real staircase, and both look to just randomly drop you off in dead space. It’s odd.
A lot of the map icons are kind of placed randomly in the general area they’re supposed to be, but not necessarily on the correct side of the road, orientation to other icons, etc. It’s sloppy and annoying!
Signage
The signage is generally good on its own, the big issue is that there are quite a few places where it contradicts the map.
Mostly, it’s that the signage doesn’t always line up with the one way directional arrows on the map. A lot of roads marked with directional arrows on the map aren’t signed as such, in reality.
In one really annoying case, there’s a section of road near the day use area with a big “do not enter” sign when you’re coming from the boat launch / day use area... and that section of road isn’t even marked as being one-way, on the map.
In other cases, you’ll have signage, but only facing one direction... even on streets not marked as being one way.
In general though, the signs are large, high-contrast, and clearly communicate what they’re pointing you to.
Waste & Water Services
The trailer filling station situation at Aaron Provincial Park is weird.
As you pass the park office on the way in, the fill tower is on the right side of the road. So, you’d have to fill on the passenger side, if you go in the way that makes sense, given the layout.
If you need to fill from your driver’s side, you’ll need to turn the corner to the right, loop around the dump station, then drive back to the fill tap, crossing traffic and facing the wrong way - on the main park road - to do so.
It’s just an awkward place to put it, even if that WAS a common side to fill from.
It’s also a bit nonsensical, as the trailer dump station is located very close by, on a large enough loop to accommodate a fill platform as well, easily!
On that note... there’s really no good way to fill your tank, if you need that threaded connection for a filter. The two potable taps are set far enough back from the road that it would need a LONG hose, and both are situated such that getting a trailer near them would be difficult / rude to other campers.
There are a ton of garbage and/or recycling areas all over the park, and they’re actually indicated on the map.
Finally, there’s also a stand with a rake and shovel between site 65 and the outhouse next to it - that’s not reflected on the map. We just happened across it, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more in the park.
Connectivity
On Rogers Wireless, we had great cellular reception all throughout Aaron Provincial Park. I think I might have lost some signal on one of the roads at one point, but that’s about it.
Accessibility
Aaron Provincial Park is NOT a very accessible park.
First off - both beaches involve stairs and/or climbing down a steep, rocky trail to get to. The beach on the west side of the park is a bit easier - much shorter set of steps - with the bonus of it being the nicer of the beaches.
None of the trails are wheelchair accessible, and the one that’s marked as being easy doesn’t have any parking at the trail head.
The little trail at the peninsula - I’ll talk about it more in the activities section is very short. It’s narrow, but quite flat, with very little in the way of obstructions. If you have to budget your mobility, this one has a lot of scenic payoff for a very short, easy trail.
I did it when I was having a really bad tendon day and was having trouble even standing!
It might be wheelchair accessible, but it’s not necessarily wheelchair *friendly* - There are no designated accessible parking spots, and there’s a 2" lip to get up to the accessible shower.
By the way, the only thing that makes it an “accessible” shower is the bench. The shower head is fixed up high, with the tap handle at a “normal”, standing height.
Also note: The comfort station is only barrier-free when accessed from the parking lot. There’s a trail down to that west side loop of campsites, but it’s definitely not wheelchair accessible. Probably ok for those with other mobility issues, though.
Weirdly, the accessibility icon is placed on the west side of the comfort station icon for some reason? That’s the opposite of the side it’s accessible from.
Pets
The dog situation is a bit weird at Aaron Provincial Park, mostly on account of a lack of information. There’s NO information about dogs either on the park website or the printed park map.
There are a few signs telling you where they CAN’T go - including in the area around the comfort station.
The road that extends out from the east campground, past the group camping area, and towards the Aspen trail has a sign indicating it to be a dog walking / exercise area.
The beach on the east side of the park has a sign calling it “Buddy’s Beach”, with a symbol of a dog swimming. Again, not listed as a dog beach on the map or site - and I don’t see mention of “Buddy’s Beach” anywhere else, but apparently it is a dog beach.
Beyond that, I would assume all the standard rules apply - dogs are to be leashed at all times and never left unattended. They’re not permitted to make excess noise or harass other dogs / people / wildlife, and must be picked up after.
Parking
Unlike some recent parks, the parking lots are more or less indicated on the Aaron Provincial Park map... as I mentioned earlier, the symbols for them might not be EXACTLY on the spot/the orientation that the parking is in real life... but it’ll get you there.
There’s no parking anywhere near the Cedar Trail head, which was annoying... but other than that, there seemed to be ample parking for any of the destinations in the park.
Miscellaneous
The east beach and the tip of the boat launch peninsula are both north facing, and the park is in an area of relatively low light pollution. Had there been any aurora activity - and/or clear skies - those are the two locations we were scouting for Northern lights viewing.
That said, it rained both nights, was cloudy our whole stay... and if that hadn’t been the case, the wildfire smoke would definitely have been an issue.
So... we caught up on some sleep, knowing we had no chance of chasing!
I bet the views from either one would have made for some spectacular aurora borealis photography, though!
If you’re interested in possibly seeing the northern lights, check out our posts: Aurora Hunting, How to Photograph the Northern Lights, Can I See the Northern Lights Tonight?, and Where to See Northern Lights in Ontario.
Campground Amenities & Info
Some basic information on the amenities at Aaron Provincial Park:
Creature Comforts
There’s a single comfort station, located on the west side of the campground area. It has flush toilets, showers, and laundry facilities - in theory.
The laundry room was out of order at the time of our visit.
There was a sign saying the building would be closed from 2-3pm daily, presumably to clean facilities. Probably good thing - even just walking by it, it smelled REALLY bad. I mean, like something you’d expect walking by a vault toilet.
Anyway, on that note, there are vault toilets - and apparently some flush toilets - located throughout the park. They’re not differentiated on the park map, though.
Park Store
There’s a small park store inside the park office, with a modest selection of camping supplies, ice cream, snacks, souvenirs, etc.
Dryden is only about 10 minutes west of Aaron Provincial Park, though, and there are grocery stores, a Canadian Tire, restaurants, etc.
Visitor Centre
There is no visitor center at Aaron Provincial Park
Day Use Area
The main day use area is accessed from the road up to the boat launch area.
It’s got a large, grassy field, a picnic shelter, picnic tables, and playground equipment, vault toilets, and water taps. (Not potable, though!)
Personally, I prefer the little picnic area at the tip of that peninsula, overlooking the lake. It only has a single picnic table, though... and it seems to be a popular spot!
There’s also a small picnic area at the east beach / dog beach area - it’s just a bit of a hassle to get to. Stairs down, a rough path across, etc.
Rentals
The aforementioned picnic shelter is available for rent, and can be reserved on the Ontario Parks Reservations portal, or over the phone.
Beyond that, you can rent canoes and kayaks from Aaron Provincial Park. Those are available at the park office, along with Personal Floatation Devices (PFDs) that are available to borrow. (There’s a $25 refundable deposit required)
Campsite Details
There are around 100 campsites at Aaron Provincial Park, including one walk-in campsite, and a single group campsite.
Here’s some more info:
Car Camping
The car camping sites are split across two lobes of the park, with Thunder Creek running between them. About ⅓ of those sites have electrical hookup, and there’s a pretty decent selection of different styles and vibes.
The east side seems slightly more secluded, though the main loop is definitely more packed than the pull-through row, or sites #82-92, which are large, secluded, and definitely more private.
The west side campground is more open, crammed and with a bit more of a chaotic vibe, at least at the time of our stay. That one seemed to be the destination for families with kids - probably on account of its proximity to the playground, etc.
1. On the reservations page, the non-electric sites on the peninsula leading out to the boat launch look to have water views - only one (33) does. The rest are definitely more heavily treed than thee reservations page looks.
2. Campsite #39 is the cutest campsite in the park, but it’s a walk in site.
You park on the side of the main campground road and walk down to the campsite, which is right beside the water, with a view of the dam!
Our Campsite
We booked a pull-thru site, in a small area that seemed popular with RVs and travel trailers.
Our site said that there was no pad slope - that was ABSOLUTELY not the case. We were in site 75e - not only was the ground sloped - well, crowed left to right - but the campground road also make you go up and around a pretty tight, steep corner to get there.
Bizarrely, you pretty much have to back in, rather than pull-through for that site, if you follow the map directionality. Otherwise, you’re having to pull a REALLY tight U-turn... that wasn’t going to happen, with our set up.
Also, the picnic table and fire pit would have been on the wrong side, had we pulled through where it directed us to.
If you’re staying in that row of pull through sites- 75, 76, 78, etc - I’d turn left *before* where the arrow sends you, and enter from the other direction.
We ended up backing in, which made a lot more sense, when it comes to exiting. If we’d actually pulled through, I think we’d have to exit the wrong way, on what may or may not be a one-way street? (Again, that’s not super clear, between the map and signage!)
Group Camping
There’s a single group campsite at Aaron Provincial Park, that’s stated to accommodate 15-50 people.
It’s a nice set up - a little loop that’s near the campground area, but far enough away to be separate and private. There are two outhouses, and it actually looks to have enough parking - something that seems rare, from the group camp sites we tend to see!
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Entertainment and Activity
Aaron’s a really small park, but it’s definitely got some great options when it comes to outdoor recreation. I was especially looking forward to doing a some short hikes, as my mobility had been improving in the lead-up to our stay.
Anyway, here’s what you’re looking at in terms of outdoor activities:
Hiking
There are two shortish, named trails at Aaron Provincial Park, as well as an unnamed path:
We did part of the Aspen Trail on the way back from a visit to Ojibway Provincial Park, just curious to see if the trail that led out from the parking lot at the front gate was where the waterfall and bridge was.
I’d seen plenty of photos of that area of Aaron, but there was no mention of its location on the park’s website!
Spoilers: Yes, that’s how to get to the bridge. It’s also an incredibly steep section of trail that took me out before I could see any of the other trails. Beautiful view, though.
Porter did more of the Aspen Trail the next day - and the Cedar Trail the day after, here’s what he thought:
Aspen Trail: 2km, Moderate
“Starting from our campsite, I decided to take the trail that cuts through the Aspen trail to the pedestrian bridge, then follow one side of the trail back to the campground.
The part that cuts through the middle is labeled as a dog walking trail off the road to the group camping site.
It's a maintenance road to a firewood storage area, then proceeds as a slightly narrower road toward the river, which is still a pretty wide trail. This path is easy until you're very close to the bridge, where it turns moderate for a very short distance.
Turning on the actual Aspen Trail on the way back, the path is much narrower.
Much of the trail is easy, but there are multiple short portions that are rocky, has roots, with elevation changes. So I have to rate this trail a moderate because you have to watch your step and there are a couple of short steep areas - but it's on the easy end of moderate.
It's a nice walk through a fairly dense forest, but the portion I walked didn't offer any specific scenic payoff such as outlooks. It's a great way to get a quick walk in, and that's about it.”
Eastern White Cedar Trail: 1.2 km Loop, Easy
“There isn't any parking at the trail head and our campsite was on the other end of the park, so the closest parking I could find was at the picnic shelter, which nobody was using at the time. Parking is indicated on the map, but it's not obvious exactly where you're supposed to park, so I chose a spot under a tree with no grass so I wouldn't cause any damage.
A short walk along the park road brings you to the trail head, marked only with a small sign with a picture of a hiker. The trail begins with a fairly steep drop, with roots across the path. Most of the rest of the trail is pretty level, with only a few areas of moderate elevation changes but continuing with roots across the trail for much of the trip.
Since you have to watch your step a bit and there are some elevation changes, I rate this a moderate trail. It's on the easier end of moderate though, nowhere near a difficult trail.”
I began by following the trail at the shore, since I love those views of Thunder Lake and the little islands!
There are many little rocky outcrops that offer a great panoramic view of the lake. At some points the trail is quite narrow, you have to sort of dodge small tree trunks left and right. Branches aren't an issue though, as the tree canopy was tall enough to avoid that issue.
The narrow portions of the trail make it fun though, it feels like you're the first one to explore it, except for the obvious foot path you're following. I didn't see any trail blazes at all for some significant length sections, making me wonder if I was on the official trail or simply a well-worn offshoot.
Some sections are marked really well with trail blazes, then they just stop and let you take whatever route you want. You can't really get lost though, since you're bound between the water, campsites, and highway in a pretty small zone.”>
The trail stopped at tall grass, I'm not sure if this was a maintenance yard for the park or private property but either way it was obvious I wasn't supposed to proceed. I went back and simply took a different offshoot heading back north toward the trail head.
The trail back was a wide path cut through the woods, a bit boring compared to the shore views I just had.
I recommend following the shore as long as you can, and when the trail turns away from the water into the woods, just turn back and follow the same path back. You still get those cool forest views either way, but you might as well get the more interesting water views as well. ”
Peninsula Trail
This one isn’t named on the website, but it’s indicated on the map - SORT of.
The map depicts it as a short, straight shot trail from the boat launch loop out to the water. In reality, the trail branches off several times, allowing for multiple really nice views of Thunder Lake.
If you keep to the trails to the right, it’s mostly flat and level, with just a few roots to walk over. I walked this section, and had no problems - even though I was having a really low mobility day.
If you take the trail when it splits to the left - as Porter did - it’s more of a moderate difficulty trail, with some steeper sections and rocks to walk over.
As Porter says, though, “It’s less of a trail, and more of an area you can explore with branches that lead to different areas.”
Biking
There aren’t any cycling trails in Aaron Provincial Park - and the hiking trails really aren’t suitable for biking on.
That said, campers are welcome to bike on the park and campground roads. They’re mostly even and well packed, so this seems like a reasonable option!
Swimming
The Aaron Provincial Park beaches are advertised as being sandy beaches - and I guess that’s technically true - they’re just not really NICE beaches.
The stairs at the east beach pretty much dropped you off right at the waterline, and there really wasn’t sand - you’d walk in ankle deep water to walk “along the beach”.
There’s also a lot of plant matter in the water, and it’s very shallow. Overall, just not really inviting as a swimming area - a great example of why I’m not fond of swimming in smaller lakes!.
The west beach was a little nicer - there was actually a sand beach there - but it was flanked by marshy areas. This one had a couple of change room huts, but they weren’t in great condition. There’s also a washroom right there at the parking lot.
As is the case at all Ontario Provincial Park beaches, there are no lifeguards on duty at either beach.
Birding, Wildlife, and Nature
There was a LOT of bird activity during our time at Aaron Provincial Park, but not a lot of great opportunity to photograph them. Between weather, tree cover, and the birds staying up really high... definitely some difficult conditions!
We did get to see a loon real close to shore at the west beach, and FINALLY got a photo of a Northern Waterthrush, though.
Overall, we heard and/or saw:
American Crow, American Redstart, American Robin, Bald Eagle, Baltimore Oriole, Bay-Breasted Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Black-Capped Chickadee, Blue-Headed Vireo, Blue Jay, Canada Goose, Cape May Warbler, Cedar Waxwing, Chipping Sparrow, Common Grackle, Common Loon, Common Raven, Dark-Eyed Junco, Eastern Phoebe, House Sparrow, Magnolia Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Northern Parula, Northern Waterthrush, Ovenbird, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-Breasted Nuthatch, Red-Eyed Vireo, Red-Winged Blackbird, Ruffed Grouse, Song Sparrow, Swainson’s Thrush, Swamp Sparrow, White-Throated Sparrow, Yellow-Rumped Warbler.
Also: a TON of dragonflies!
Middle: Canada Goose, Common Loon
Bottom: Northern Waterthrush, Pink Lady Slipper
Boating
The boat launch is located at the end of a bit of a peninsula, on the west section of the park.
It opens out into fairly shallow water, but we watched an entire family launch a motorboat there, so it must get deeper, quickly. There’s also a cute floating dock, that seemed to be VERY popular with a group of kids. We also saw quite a few people launching kayaks from it.
Also note: the West Beach looked to be a popular place to use as a canoe launch. Apparently the park is an access point to several major canoe routes, but that’s WAY out of our wheelhouse!
Fishing
As with Pakwash’s official page, the page for Aaron Provincial Park describes the lakes in and around the park as “teeming” with Lake Trout, Northern Pike, and Walleye. Apparently Smallmouth Bass is another catch possibility.
There’s also a little fish cleaning hut by the boat launch, complete with cutting tables, lights, and running water. From the outside, it looks like it hasn’t been used in ages.
When I peeked in, though, I was shocked - the countertops looked REALLY nice, and potentially even new. It was cute - something I haven’t seen at any of the other fish cleaning buildings. Those are usually either stainless steel or (iirc) wood.
Discovery Program
There’s no mention of Discovery programming on the Aaron Provincial Park website, which kind of makes sense - it’s a very small park!
We also didn’t see any posted mentions of any Discovery programming or other events, during our stay.
That said, there’s a pretty decent amphitheatre... so they probably do something.
Niantic Games
There are 4 Ingress game points (Pokestop/ Gym / Ingress Portal/etc) in the park. Two are located near the entrance to the park (at the highway road sign), and the other two are located in the central picnic/playground area of campground A.
We had enough cellular reception to get our dailies done, but didn’t really have time for a lot of Pokemon Go!
Final Thoughts
This is one of those parks that is definitely more about what you make of it - with the company you keep - than what you’re looking for IN the park, if that makes sense.
We enjoyed the park, but - to us - it’s a bit more of a stopover park, than a destination.
That’s more of a focus thing, than anything actually being wrong or offensive about the park. I’d imagine it’s a great park for families with young kids, or people who are really into boating or fishing.
As a childless couple that doesn’t have a boat on hand, and where one of us is disabled? There’s not a lot at Aaron Provincial Park for us. A couple short trails, some nice views, decent enough sites, etc.
Maybe we’re a bit spoiled, having recently stayed at Quetico Provincial Park - it’s definitely not fair to compare everything against Quetico, but Aaron feels almost a little anticlimactic, you know?
I think part of that might be location - it is quite close to a city, and I think that was reflected in the wildlife (lack of) encounters, etc. For us, coming this far north... I think we’re looking for something a bit different.
That said, the proximity to the city would definitely be a plus for some!
If we do that northwestern route again, we’ll probably stay at Aaron again, out of convenience.
More Northern Ontario Provincial Parks & Places to See
Want to read some more about the parks we've camped and at places we've seen in Northern Ontario? Here are some more posts!
Northern Ontario Campground Reviews:
Agawa Bay Campground, Lake Superior Provincial Park
Blue Lake Provincial Park
Caliper Lake Provincial Park
Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park
MacLeod Provincial Park
Neys Provincial Park
Pakwash Provincial Park
Pancake Bay Provincial Park
Pukaskwa National Park
Quetico Provincial Park
Rabbit Blanket Lake, Lake Superior Provincial Park
Rainbow Falls Provincial Park
Rushing River Provincial Park
Sioux Narrows Provincial Park
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
White Lake Provincial Park
Northern Ontario Places to See:
Aguasabon Falls & Gorge
Amethyst Mine Panorama
Batchawana Bay
Chippewa Falls
Kakabeka Falls
Mink Creek Falls
Old Woman Bay
Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park
Sand River Falls
Scenic High Falls
Temagami Fire Tower
Terrace Bay Beach
Want to explore beyond Northern Ontario? Check out our full list of Campground Reviews, Ontario Waterfalls, and other Places to See.
We also have a ton of Camping Recipes to cook up, while on your adventures!
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