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    Home » Campground Reviews

    Killbear Provincial Park

    Published: Jul 25, 2025

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    Killbear Provincial Park is a gorgeous - and HUGE - campground on the Eastern shore of Georgian Bay. Here are our thoughts on our stay there!

    Originally Posted September 7, 2023, Updated on 7/25/2025.

    The famous killbear tree, with sunrise in the background. Overlaid text says rv campground review killbear provincial park.

    Killbear is one of the most popular parks during the summer months, and it’s not hard to see why - it’s pretty much the ideal location!

    The park is located in the Parry Sound District, around 3 hours from the GTA. It’s a WHOLE lot of nature, just a reasonably short drive away.

    Like many of the Provincial Parks along the shores of the Great Lakes, this one has stunning views of the lake, and rocky islands just off shore.
    The park’s beaches are framed with rocky outcrops - perfect for spreading a blanket out on, for a fabulous view of the beautiful sunsets that Georgian Bay is known for.

    It’s a great way to get away!

    Unfortunately, that popularity can get in the way of getting a good site, so we booked our first trip to start JUST after the Labour Day Long Weekend that year.

    ... and we were shocked to see how full the campground was, even by the end of our stay!

    I guess we weren’t the only ones thinking “let’s avoid the crowds...” LOL!

    On a personal note:

    We had to rush to get the bulk of our “must do / must see” list done the first day we arrived, as the weather called for rain that night, continuing for the remainder of our stay.

    The rain didn’t end up arriving til our last day - and barely, at that - so we had a really pleasant stay. It was HOT the first few days, so we spent some quality time on the gorgeous beach in our campground.

    Ahhh... it was great! Great enough that we’ve been back several times since - including two winter camping trips!

    Anyway, let us tell you all about it!

    A view of Georgian bay.  The water is blue and crystal clear, there’s a rocky shoreline in the foreground.

    The Basics:

    Campground Name: Killbear Provincial Park
    Address: 35 Eddie Ramsay Parkway Nobel, ON P0G 1G0
    Website: https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/killbear
    Price: Ontario Provincial Parks uses a pricing matrix across all their parks. See 2024 Camping Fees for more details.
    Reservations: Ontario Parks Reservations
    Park Classification: Natural Environment
    Season: January 3, 2025 to March 17, 2025 (Winter Camping), May 9, 2025 to November 3, 2025 (Regular Season)

    The Killbear Provincial Park road sign.

    Logistics

    This is a HUGE park. Between the size of the park and the date of our arrival - the day after labour day - I was shocked at how clean and well maintained it was.

    We were actually bracing for some degree of disaster, given all the stories we’ve heard about long weekend campers!

    Anyway, LOTS to talk about here, so let’s get started - here’s some basic information to help you plan your trip to Killbear Provincial Park:

    Registration and Check In

    As always, booking online went quickly and easily, no problems at all to report. Check in was also quick and easy, once we figured out parking.

    When we pulled into the parking lot in front of the office, there was a backlog of campers, with people blocking each other in. Kind of a mess.

    The thing is, if you go just past the building to the left, there’s a large parking lot with plenty of room for RVs.

    The more you know!

    Checking was inside a wide open building, and they used a paperless permit setup .

    2 part image showing the front gatehouse and park office at Killbear Provincial Park.

    Maps and Signage

    Some basic information about getting around Killbear Provincial Park:

    Park Map

    The size and layout of this large park makes it a bit difficult to navigate.

    You really need two maps to get through - the one that’s an overview of the entire park, then the newspaper type map they offer at the front office, with individual maps for each campground.

    It’s just way too big to fit everything on a single map. Once you’ve been through a couple times, you don’t necessarily need the overview map as much - everything’s laid out along one straight-shot of a road.

    The maps were accurate though, so no complaints there.

    Signage

    The road signs throughout the park are generally well placed, easy to read, and informative. Between the signs and the map, we didn’t have any problems getting around - so long as one person was navigating, and the other driving.

    While getting anywhere from the main road was easy enough, getting around within some of the campgrounds could be a bit confusing at times.

    2 part image showing the Killbear Provincial Park map.

    Waste & Water Services

    The trailer sanitation station is located near the front of the park, shortly after turning onto the road that goes to the day use area.

    It’s 2 lanes with no bypass lane. There are 2 dump platforms and then 3 fill platforms, and the fill hoses are threaded.

    This entire area is inaccessible during the winter, though - so you’ll have to plan on dumping and filling elsewhere.

    As with most Provincial Parks, none of the campsites have water hookups. That said, there are water taps located throughout the park, as well as a couple of fill stations near the front entrance.

    The dumping station at Killbear Provincial Park. There are 4 separate dumping sites shown.
    The Trailer Sanitation Station

    Connectivity

    We were pleasantly surprised to have at least decent coverage pretty much everywhere in the park on our first trip. I lost reception for a minute or two in a couple places along the main road, that’s about it.

    We were actually able to stream an episode of Reservation Dogs, with only one quick buffering delay part way. Impressive!

    We had slightly spottier service during a Summer 2025 stay, but it’s usually pretty decent.

    A view of georgian bay at sunrise.

    Accessibility

    You’ll definitely need a car to get around Killbear Provincial Park if you have any mobility issues - it’s a huge, very spread out park.

    Beyond that, here are some notes on how accessible Killbear Provincial Park is:

    Comfort Station Accessibility

    All comfort stations are designated as being barrier free, though there’s definitely a range in how accessible they are.

    Kilcoursie Bay: The most accessible of all of them. Easy to get to, parking, a shower and laundry that are all accessible AND each of those doors has a button door opener. I think this is the first and only time I’ve noticed that on a campground comfort station. It’s the only one at Killbear, too.

    Beaver Dams: Has a nice ramp up to it, and the accessible shower also has a toilet in the same stall.

    Georgian Bay: Weird setup - it’s not wheelchair accessible from the parking lot itself. You have to go back down to the road and few meters down it is where you can access the fairly steep - but decent - ramp up to the comfort station. Like Beaver Dams, the barrier free shower has a toilet in it.

    Blind Bay: There’s a fairly big comfort station, but no designated accessible parking spots. No ramp to get up to the comfort station, but there are fairly wide, well-packed gravel areas to get through. That whole campground is probably the least accessible in the park, though - especially the roads.

    Harold Point: As of Summer 2025, the comfort station did not appear to be barrier-free. There’s a very rough trail to get down to it, as the area is a construction zone for the new comfort station being built.

    Lighthouse Point, Non-Electrical Side: There’s no designated accessible parking, but there’s a decent ramp up to the comfort station... as long as no one is parked in front of it. (As was the case when we visited). The accessible shower was closed at the time of our visit.

    Lighthouse Point, Electrical Side: Weird setup. The comfort station parking - as listed on the map - does not have barrier-free access to the comfort station. From there, you have to take a rough trail up a big, steep hill to the building. The other side of the building has a small parking area that’s NOT shown on the map. I’d consider that side to be “technically wheelchair accessible, but not wheelchair FRIENDLY” - it’s a rough path up, and there aren’t any designated parking spots. Also, despite the park’s site saying that all comfort stations are barrier free, this one didn’t have a barrier-free shower.

    Campground Accessibility

    As a quick TL;DR - If you’re a wheelchair user, the Kilcoursie campground is your best bet... and you’ll probably want to avoid Blind Bay and Lighthouse Point if you’re going to need to use a comfort station.

    Anyway, the park has 9 wheelchair accessible camp sites.

    Those barrier free camp sites are located in Kilcoursie Bay (3, all electric sites), Beaver Dams (2, both electric), Georgian (2, both non-electric), Harold Point (1, electric), and Lighthouse Point (1, electric).

    Of these campgrounds, Kilcoursie Bay has the most easily accessed beach.

    6 part image showing accessible showers, all terrain wheelchairs, and a sad mobimat.

    Activity Accessibility

    In terms of the trails, none of the ones we checked out are wheelchair accessible, and I wouldn’t recommend using any of them if you’re relying on any kind of mobility aid.

    The one designated as “easy” - Twin Point - had some weird terrain to get over - large rocks, uneven ground, etc.

    The Lighthouse Point one was designated as “easy to moderate”, but it was definitely moderate to ... almost difficult.

    That said, there’s a long 6 km trail that runs the length of the park. They advertise it as being good for cycling and jogging, so I’m guessing it’s a lot more flat - it looked it from the road - and possibly paved.

    We didn’t get around to getting a closer look, sorry about that!

    In terms of beaches, none of the beaches are really wheelchair accessible, though an attempt was made at the day use beach.

    There’s a partial Mobimat - starting several meters into the sand, and ending RIGHT at the beach. There’s no signage to indicate it’s even there, and it’s not mentioned on the website, etc.

    Just... why bother? Do it right, or don’t bother!

    That said, Killbear Provincial Park has two different types of all-terrain wheelchairs available to borrow, so the Mobi-Mat is probably less of an issue if you make use of one of them.

    A windswept tree with georgian bay and sunset in the background.
    This isn't THE Killbear tree, but it's another windswept tree at Sunset Rock.

    Pets

    Pets are allowed, and there are two areas that allow dogs - an off-leash area in the group camping section, and an on-leash area in the day use area by the front of the park.

    Big caveat: Our first time there, didn’t actually see the day use on-leash area despite walking right past it on the trail.

    Also, the off-leash area was a bit of a hike to get to - it felt like almost half a km to get there from the parking - it was only about 0.25 km to get there.

    It was relatively rough terrain on that trail - hilly, big rocks, etc.

    Definitely *felt* like a weird amount of effort to get there - the dog areas in every other park we’ve been to have been really close to parking / etc, and easy to get to.

    Between that and the weirdness with the on leash area, it doesn’t feel super hospitable to dogs. We’re not dog owners, though, so take that assessment with a grain of salt.

    2 part image showing both of the dog beaches at Killbear Provincial Park.
    Top: Day Use Dog Beach (On Leash)
    Bottom: Group Area Dog Beach

    Parking

    The car camping sites all seem big enough to accommodate an RV / trailer plus an additional car.

    There are a bunch of small parking lots throughout the park, with larger parking lots at the main attractions (Day use, visitor center, amphitheatre, trail heads, etc).

    The parking at sunset rock is fairly small and awkward though - if you’re driving there on a nice day, get there early!

    A man photographing a bright northern lights display at Killbear Provincial Park.

    Miscellaneous

    This is a VERY dark park at night, so if you can get out from under the tree cover, it would make for fantastic star gazing on clear nights.

    Though we didn’t luck into seeing the Aurora Borealis during our first stay (seriously, it was active like 3 days before!!!), we were treated to an absolute MONSTER of a show on a later trip, in October 2024.

    That was DEFINITELY an anomaly of a show, though... so don’t take these photos as being representative of any kind of norm there. It was directly overhead and all around us, rather than strictly being to the north.

    That said, the area to the left of the off-leash dog park (near the group camping) is facing directly north, with an amazing lake view.

    You can view north from the day-use beach and Sunset Rock, though - basically getting out as far as you can, then looking back at the campground.

    Additionally, there’s a boat launch in Blind Bay with a great north-facing view of the lake. Unfortunately, it’s closed the day after Labour day - which rules it out for some of the prime Northern Lights season!

    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.

    Bright pink and yellow northern lights over killbear provincial park, with the windswept tree in the foreground.

    Campground Amenities & Info

    We visited during the off season - and specifically over a holiday - so many of the regular campground amenities were closed for the season.

    Here’s some basic information, though:

    Creature Comforts

    With the exception of Granite Saddle, every campground has a comfort station with flush toilets, showers, and laundry facilities.

    There are also toilets located throughout the campgrounds and day use area - at least two per, though some campgrounds have several.

    A campground comfort station building.
    The comfort station in Kilcoursie Campground.

    Park Store

    Unlike the few provincial parks we’ve visited before it, Killbear doesn’t have its park store in the park offices / near the park entrance.

    Instead, it’s well within the park, inside the visitor center.

    This store carries some souvenirs and clothing, books, artwork, and fancier, park-branded treats like chocolate caramels and maple syrup.

    While it does have the park stickers, patches, etc... it doesn’t have the same sort of camping gear, snacks, ice, etc like other parks we’ve been to.

    They recommend visiting local stores - outside of the park - or going to the town of Parry Sound for things like ice and groceries.

    2 part image showing the friends of killbear gift shop.
    Friends of Killbear Nature Shop

    We didn’t see firewood available / advertised at the park store, but there were several small buildings throughout the park for selling firewood.

    A small building used to sell wood.
    Several of these buildings are scattered around the park. They're marked as being places to buy firewood, but didn't seem to be operational during our stay.

    Visitor Centre

    There’s a fairly large visitor centre located deep within the park, with 1000 square metres of exhibit space.

    The exhibit space features life size moose, bear, owl, and other displays about the nature and history of the park and surrounding area.

    On the second floor, there’s a viewing platform that looks out towards Georgian Bay, with gorgeous views.

    2 part image showing the exterior and interior of the visitor center.
    The Visitor Center.

    EV Charging Station

    Killbear Provincial park has a single charging station for electric vehicles - that surprised us!

    It’s a FLO model, level 2 charger, and all vehicles can use it.

    The Ev charging stations at Killbear Provincial Park.

    Day Use Area

    Killbear park has a single picnic shelter, located in the day use area - reservations should be made with the park directly.

    Beyond that, the day use area has a beach with a swimming area - it’s the far end of the long, horse shoe shaped beach shared with the Kilcoursie Bay, Beaver Dams, and Georgian camp grounds.

    2 part image showing a beach and picnic area overlooking georgian bay
    The day use area.
    If you’re looking for a fantastic place to have a picnic, though, I’d skip the day use area entirely and head over to the parking lot for the off-leash dog park, in the group camping area.

    There’s a trail entry - on the side of parking lot perpendicular to the one with the dog entrance, to the left. It’s a very short trail to an area that opens out onto Georgian Bay.

    There are at least two picnic tables down there, with AMAZING views.

    If it weren’t for the threat of rain for most of the trip, I would have been making the case for having lunch at a picnic table by the shore every day.

    Absolutely spectacular - and there was no one there, any of the times we went!

    I don’t know if it’s just because we were there slightly off-season, but it definitely felt like a hidden gem.

    2 part image showing lakeside picnic tables.
    Killbear has some AMAZING picnic table locations, these are just two.

    Campsite Details

    There are several different campground areas throughout the park, with different restrictions and vibes.

    Some have power, some don’t.

    We saw a wide range of camping equipment on our drive through during our first visit - everything from tents to a class A at one point. Most sites were back in, though we saw a handful of pull through sites in the Beaver Dams campground.

    A campsite with 2 picnic tables.
    Our Campsite - #73, Kilcoursie Campground
    I think everyone we saw in our campground - Kilcoursie - was car camping, while tents were used in other campgrounds we drove by.

    Pretty much every campground seems to either have its own beach or access to another campground’s beach, with some having access to more than one beach.

    So far as we could tell, everything seemed tidy and well maintained, with most sites having some degree of privacy.

    In general, the camp sites closer to the water don’t have the best privacy... but I’d 100% trade privacy for those VIEWS. We had a bit of jealousy going on, LOL.

    8 part image showing various campsites at Killbear Provincial Park.
    Some of the campsites we've seen.
    Anyway, some additional details on the campgrounds. In order from the park entry to the furthest campground, along the main road:

    Kilcoursie Bay Campground

    The one we stayed at the first time. All are electrical sites, and every site is a really short walk from the beach.

    We were about as far away from the beach as you can get, and it was only about 5 minutes - we one of us walking slowly.

    Beaver Dams Campground

    A huge campground next to the Kilcoursie Bay campground, this one is the home of Sunset Rock and the famous Killbear Tree.

    Most of the sites are electrical, with a loop of around 20 non-electric sites right near sunset rock.

    Some of the sites are very close to the water, a bunch of them would definitely be a bit of a hike.

    Sunset over georgian bay.
    Sunset Rock
    Georgian Campgrounds

    Radio free campground, mix of electric and non-electric sites.

    We didn’t actually see where the beach access was for this one, but - looking at the map - I’m guessing they share the small beach over by Harold Point.

    So if the beach is the main draw for you, this one wouldn’t be my first choice.

    A view out over Georgian bay, over some large, flat rocks.
    The Blind Bay boat launch may be jacked, but the views are stunning!
    Blind Bay Campground

    This campground is exclusively non-electric and has a shorter season - they were closing it up for the season just as we finished doing a quick drive through, the day after Labour Day.

    We drove through it - not knowing it was about to close - because we wanted to suss out its potential as a viewing site, should the Northern Lights hit during our stay.

    I have to say - it was incredibly frustrating to navigate, and that was with one person reading the map off to the driver. I can’t imagine trying to get around it, solo.

    This campground also has the distinction of being home to the most sketchy boat launch I’ve ever seen in my life!

    As a note: the map has an icon for “comfort station with showers and laundry” in this campground... with text saying “no showers or laundry”. Bizarre!

    Harold Point Campground

    Radio free, mix of non-electric and electric sites. The electrical site loop one is the closest to the amphitheatre, and has a small beach at one end of the long, narrow loop of camp sites.

    The larger, more spread out campground of non-electric sites has access to 2 other beaches - a bit on the smaller side, but still nice. Really scenic!

    Granite Saddle Campground

    Radio free, non-electric campground.

    Basically: campsites on either side of one road, which ends in a couple small loops of sites situated between 2 small beaches.

    Group Campgrounds

    A set of 3 group camp sites located near the off leash dog park. These are for tents only, with a big sign banning RVs and trailers.

    Site number 1501 would be AMAZING for early risers - the way the light hit that campsite at sunrise was amazing!

    2 part image showing the Killbear Provincial Park group campsites.
    Group Campsites
    Lighthouse Point Campground

    Radio free, a mix of electric and non-electric sites - about half and half, in distinct wings.

    Campsites at lighthouse point are small and not private at all, very rough looking. This campground has a boat launch, but I wouldn’t plan your trip around that. See the boating section - below - for more details!

    sunrise over georgian bay.

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    Entertainment and Activity

    With the size and landscape of the park, it’s no surprise that there are plenty of things to do.

    Here’s some info on the popular activity options:

    Hiking

    There are 4 official trails throughout the park, with 3 being hiking trails. The final trail is a mixed use trail suitable for jogging, cycling, etc.

    Some details:

    A mostly flat, clear trail surrounded by tall trees.
    The entry to the Twin Point Trail
    Twin Point Trail

    Twin Points Trail is a 1.6 km loop, located in the day use area of the park. It was about a 35 minute walk for us - mostly easy trail, with some areas that were leaning more towards being moderate hike conditions.

    Of the 3 hiking trails, it’s the easiest one.

    This trail winded through a bunch of woods, over some large, flat rock areas, and had a few spectacular views of Georgian Bay along the way.

    2 part image showing various rocky path views of the twin point hiking trail.

    As a note: the trail markers appeared to have been tampered with at several points along the trail, partially ripped off and turned in the wrong directions.

    The trail was NOT particularly clear in those areas, so it’s helpful if you have some sort of mapping app that shows your progress along the trail, to know where you are and where you’re going.

    A view along the coastline of georgian bay, as seen from the twin point trail.
    One of the gorgeous views along the Twin Point Trail.
    Lighthouse Point Trail

    This 800 m loop is labeled as being “easy to moderate”, but I’d definitely side-eye the inclusion of “easy”, there. It’s definitely a workout.

    It takes you across some pretty wild terrain, navigating over roots, rocks, hills, etc along the tip of Killbear Point (originally known as “mukwa nayoshing”, btw);

    4 part image showing various rocky trail views from the lighthouse point trail.
    Lighthouse Point Trail
    The actual tip of the point - where the lighthouse is situated - is at approximately the midway point of the walk.

    I’m glad we took the trail in the direction we did - starting out towards the right from the parking lot, hitting the hardest terrain first.

    As we came to the halfway point of the walk - in that direction - the terrain became so much easier, headed back to the car.

    Had we gone the other direction, I would have been lulled into a false sense of security with the first half of the trail fitting that “easy” description... then wondering WTF was going on as we came across the wild parts of the trail, after passing the rocky point.

    Also, there were sections of trail where we had to go UP some rocks... and I can’t imagine having to go down them, the other way.

    4 part image showing rocky and shoreline views from the lighthouse point hiking trail.

    As a note: The sign at the beginning advises sturdy footwear for a reason!

    I let hubris - and exhaustion at the end of a long day - get in the way, and walked it in flip flops. Yes, they were Archies flip flops (the walk would have destroyed other flip flops.. And my feet along with them!), but still.

    Still not entirely sure if completing that walk in flip flops gets my badass points... or dumbass points.

    2 part image showing rocky and shoreline views of the lighthouse point trail.

    Lookout Point Trail

    Lookout Point trail is a moderate 3.5 km loop, starting next to the entrance to the Blind Bay campground. The description for it says that it takes you out through forests and rock outcrops, ending with a fantastic view of Georgian Bay.

    Weather got in the way of us checking out the trail on our first trip, but we finally did this trail in 2024.

    It starts out with a fair amount of boardwalk, then advances into some steep hills, rocks/roots, rustic stairs, a rock face to walk up, etc.

    4 part image showing various views along the Lookout Point Trail at Killbear Provincial Park.
    Lookout Point Trail
    As you reach the lookout, you walk a more narrow trail along kind of a cliff, overlooking trees and the bay.

    From there, it goes more downhill, back into the forest. More roots, rocks, and rock face to walk over, as well as some more boardwalk.

    In the end, I’d say this was legitimately a moderate trail... and a nice walk through the woods!

    4 part image showing various views along the Lookout Point Trail at Killbear Provincial Park.
    Lookout Point Trail
    Recreational Trail

    This is a 6 km linear trail that runs along the main road, from the park entrance all the way out to lighthouse point on the other side of the park. (6 km from end to end, so 12 km there-and-back.)

    It’s a shared use trail - walking, running, and cycling.

    Slabs of jagged, flat rock jutting up from the ground at steep angles.
    This was on the Lighthouse Point Trail. Yes, I walked down over these rocks while wearing flip flops. Whoops!

    Biking

    The Recreational Trail I just mentioned is the only trail designated as being available for cycling... and all of the other trails wouldn’t have been suitable for biking.

    That said, we tend to see a LOT of people cycling through the campgrounds as well. I’d probably avoid Lighthouse Point and Blind Bay if I was looking to do a lot of campground cycling - especially if little kids were involved.

    The roads are definitely less safe in those areas.

    Several people biking on the campground road at Killbear Provincial Park.

    Swimming

    There are numerous sand beaches throughout Killbear Provincial Park - well, some sandy beaches, and some are more rocky.

    There’s at least one beach - or at least access to beach- at each of the camp grounds, as well as at the day-use area.

    The biggest beach is shared between Kilcoursie, Beaver Dams, and the day use area - 2 km of Georgian Bay shoreline.

    The beach and lake at Kilcoursie Bay.  A rainbow coloured beach umbrella is in the foreground.

    Though it was after labour day by the time we visited Killbear, we had a couple days of gorgeous beach to enjoy.

    It was wild to wade out, butt-deep into Lake Huron, and look back at the shore to admire the start of the fall leaves changing colour!

    Sunrise over georgian bay.
    It may be called sunset rock, but the sunrise there is pretty spectacular!
    In general, the beaches are all gorgeous, with clean, clear water.

    I think my favourites are the two at Harold Point, but they’re all nice.

    8 part image showing various campground beaches at Killbear Provincial Park.
    Row 1: Granite Saddle Beach
    Row 2: Harold Point Beach
    Row 3: Kilcoursie Bay Beach
    Row 4: Lighthouse Point Beaches

    Birding, Wildlife, and Nature

    I’m going to be honest, I don’t think I saw a single bird the entire first time we stayed at Killbear park - just a couple of chipmunks and a water snake. We had even worse luck during our two winter stays, where we didn’t see or hear ANYTHING!

    That said, apparently they do get a variety of birds throughout the park - the bird watchers tend to flock (HAH!) to the hiking trails to see them.

    Bald Eagles apparently stop by from late September until January or so - we missed that window by a few weeks, though! Anyway, birding checklists are available at the visitor center.

    A road sign that says you are in bear country, with commentary on how to stay safe.

    Update: On subsequent trips, we’ve seen a bunch of deer, and even a raccoon.

    Much better luck with birding, also.

    Across the last couple of non-winter stays at Killbear Provincial Park, we’ve encountered:

    American Redstart, American Robin, Black-and-White Warbler, Black-Capped Chickadee, Black-Throated Green Warbler, Blue Jay, Brown Creeper, Canada Goose, Cedar Waxwing, Chipping Sparrow, Common Raven, Dark-Eyed Junco, Double-Crested Cormorant, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Golden-Crowned Kinglet, Great Blue Heron, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pine Warbler, Red-Breasted Nuthatch, Red-Eyed Vireo, Ring-Billed Gull, Scarlet Tanager, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-Breasted Nuthatch, White-Crowned Sparrow, White-Throated Sparrow, Veery, Wild Turkey, Wood Thrush, Yellow-Rumped Warbler.

    A Note on Wildlife

    The park is in bear country, and is known for black bears - so you’ll want to be careful when you’re out and about, and when dealing with food storage.

    Additionally, Killbear Provincial Park is known for SNAKES.

    11 species of snakes, including Massassauga Rattlesnakes - Ontario’s only venomous snake.

    So unless you’re looking for a bad time, you’ll definitely want to keep an eye - and ears - on alert for them.

    A road sign that says please brake for snakes.

    During our October 2024 stay, we saw a TON of different types of fungi, all along the trails.

    20 part image showing various types of fungi.
    Some of the Fungi we saw in 2024.

    Boating

    The literature for Killbear Park made mention of it being a great spot for boating, but I feel like it needs a GIGANTIC asterisk on that point.

    Yes, the location - in terms of the shoreline, surrounding islands, etc - is an ideal place to go boating.

    It’s gorgeous, and many people were taking advantage of the boating opportunities during our stay, with sailboats, yachts, and various other vessels anchored just off shore.

    There were even a few Seadoo riders out there, the first night.

    Someone stand up paddle boarding at Killbear Provincial Park.

    The thing is, there are two boat launches in the park, and neither one of them are anything I’d want to launch anything but the smallest of watercraft from.

    The first we saw - in Blind Bay - requires navigating a ton of twists and tight turns over narrow camp ground roads - We couldn’t imagine taking any kind of trailer through there.

    Once we got to the launch, there was a sign advising people to investigate the launch before using it - it didn’t look like it had been used as a boat launch in a very long time.

    2 part image of a forlorn boat launch, with a sign warning people to investigate the launch before using it.
    Honestly the sketchiest boat launch we've ever seen. Photos do NO do it justice.
    There’s a second launch at Lighthouse Point, which was marginally better - but still really awkward to get a trailer through, very shallow water, etc.

    If you can portage a canoe yourself, go for it... otherwise, if you’re looking to go boating in the area, I’d recommend looking to external marinas and boat launches.

    A boat launch.
    The Boat launch at Lighthouse Point. Better than the one in Blind Bay, but ... not by much.

    Fishing

    As for fishing, you can fish for various species - smallmouth bass, lake trout, walleye, perch, pike etc - in the area.

    Kilcoursie Bay is a lake trout sanctuary year round, though - so lake trout fishing is limited to the other side of the peninsula, in the Big Sound waters.

    A small building in the woods.
    The Interpretive Center, near the amphitheatre.

    Discovery Program

    Like all of the provincial parks we’ve visited to date, Killbear Provincial Park has a “Discovery Program” to encourage people to learn about nature.

    There’s an interpretive centre near the large ampitheatre, where evening programs and concerts are held from time to time.

    A bulletin board with 3 sheets of Killbear Provincial Park discovery program events.

    The park offers interpretive programming like guided hikes and children’s programs, focused on the nature and human history of the park and area.

    This programming can be found daily during the summer, and sporadically in the spring and fall.

    2 part image showing a large outdoor amphitheatre.
    The Killbear Park Amphitheatre.

    Photography

    Killbear Provincial Park is an amazing destination for amateur and professional photographers alike.

    The rocky shoreline is ripe with photographic gold - just amazing views in all directions. There are different types of forest all throughout the park, each with something interesting to photograph.

    Sunset over georgian bay.

    Then, there’s sunset rock - an area of large, relatively flat rocks overlooking Georgian Bay - where people gather to watch the spectacular Georgian Bay sunsets, and beautiful views of windswept pines along the shore.
    The silhouette of a windswept tree, with sunrise in the background.
    The Famous Killbear Tree
    This is also where you’ll find the famous Killbear Tree, which has the designation of being the most photographed tree in Ontario - and possibly all of Canada.

    Unfortunately, the tree is declining. Several years ago, media reported that death was looming for the tree.

    During our visits, the tree has been supported with a couple of poles, and included a sign talking about the need for support - and asking people not to climb on the tree.

    2 part image showing the killbear tree, and the sign telling that it's in poor condition, needs help to stand up, and asking people not to climb on it.

    Niantic Games, Etc

    There are a handful of Ingress Portals / Pokestops / Gyms in the park, but they’re few and FAR between.

    We visited during a Pokemon Go event our first time - so our observation may be skewed by that - but there were a TON of Pokemon spawns, all through the park.

    There was also good enough cell phone reception (Rogers) to take advantage of those spawns, and that sweet, sweet 4x catch XP.

    Again though - the plentiful spawns could have been on account of the event - not sure.

    In terms of Geocaching, there’s only one cache in the park - Lighthouse Trail - with a second one just outside of the park.

    A bright pink overhead aurora borealis.

    Nearby Attractions

    In our opinion, Killbear is definitely the kind of campground you go to with the expectation of holing up there for a bit.

    It’s a bit of a drive to Parry Sound - about half an hour by car - and pretty secluded.

    We didn’t venture outside of the park during our first stay, but found ourselves needing to make an emergency trip into Parry Sound on two subsequent stays, to get parts to make a couple quick repairs.

    Parry Sound seems nice. The Canadian Tire is definitely handy, LOL!

    A view of the sapphire blue water in georgian bay, with large rocks in the foreground.

    Final Thoughts

    Killbear Provincial Park is a GORGEOUS campground and park, with a lot going for it - we can totally see why it’s such a popular spot, even after Labour day!

    We’re definitely going to have to plan another trip for a bit later in the season, as I’d love to see it in the height of fall colours season.

    The views are amazing as it is, I bet it’s absolutely spectacular when the leaves change.

    We had a great time, and barely noticed other campers, even with as full as the campground was / close proximity of the other camp sites.

    The only real strike against it is its size and difficulty to navigate.

    Overall, we loved it!

    The famous killbear tree, with sunset in the background.
    The Famous Killbear Tree, at Sunset Rock.

    More Near-North Ontario Provincial Parks & Places to See

    Want to read some more about the parks we've camped and at places we've seen in Near-Northern Ontario? Here are some more posts!

    Near-Northern Ontario Campground Reviews:

    Arrowhead Provincial Park
    Chutes Provincial Park
    Driftwood Provincial Park
    Fairbank Provincial Park
    Grundy Lake Provincial Park
    Mikisew Provincial Park
    Oastler Lake Provincial Park
    Six Mile Lake Provincial Park
    Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park

    Near-Northern Ontario Places to See:

    Big Chute Marine Railway
    Fielding Bird Sanctuary
    French River Provincial Park
    Hardy Lake Provincial Park
    Onaping Falls
    Oxtongue River-Ragged Falls Provincial Park
    Screaming Heads

    Want to explore beyond Near-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!

    Thanks for Reading!

    If you loved this post - or have any questions about it - please leave a comment below! We'd also love it if you would consider sharing the link on social media!

    2 part image showing a sign talking about the bat house, and 2 bat houses on tall poles.

    Sunrise over Georgian Bay.

    Sunrise over georgian bay.

    More Campground Reviews

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    • Sunrise over a marshy lake at esker lakes provincial park.
      Esker Lakes Provincial Park
    • A trail through boreal forest, with remi lake in the background.
      Rene Brunelle Provincial Park
    • Hughes Lake, with lilypads in the foreground.
      Kettle Lakes Provincial Park

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