Kiosk Campground is a tiny, rustic, and super cute campground in the northern section of Algonquin Provincial Park. Here's what you need to know!
Before then, we’d spent all of our Algonquin camping time in the main section of the park, along the Highway 60 corridor. This is where the bulk of the park’s car camping campgrounds are located.
We love camping in that more central location, as we’re in relatively close proximity to most of the park’s marked trails, etc. Still, seeing the whole park - at least those more accessible by car/RV anyway - has been a bucket list item of ours.
The thing is, the 3 outlier campgrounds aren’t exactly easy access from the main corridor - you’re looking at several hours of driving!
As we were finishing out our fall camping trip, though, we decided to visit Kiosk Campground for the first time. That campground ended up being a relatively short drive from Arrowhead Provincial Park, so it was definitely doable!
So, we overnighted at Arrowhead and set out for Kiosk late the following morning - love a short travel day!
We didn’t have a problem getting a last minute reservation at that time of year. Weird - while it was outside of peak camping season, it was definitely peak season for fall colours! Definitely would have expected such a small campground to be more booked up!
Another thing that surprised us was just how QUIET it was.
At one point, I was standing by the boat launch, realizing that this was probably the second time in my life that I experienced true silence... suddenly once again very aware of how noisy ambient electricity is!
The first time I’d experienced that was back in 2011, when our house was smashed by a tornado. In the minutes before the chain saws started up, it was that same silence. No power was coming into the area at all - it’s a really striking difference from normalcy.
Anyway, lots to talk about here, so let’s get to it!
The Basics:
Campground Name: Kiosk Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Address: > ON-630, Calvin, ON P0H 1V0 Click here for Google Maps Location
Website: https://www.ontarioparks.ca/park/algonquin/kiosk
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: Natural Environment
Season: April 25, 2026 to October 25, 2026
Logistics
Some basic information to help you plan your stay at the Kiosk Campground:
Registration and Check In
We visited towards the end of the main camping season, and the park office kept some really weird hours. It was open Friday-Tuesday, closed Wednesday and Thursday.
The days they were open were either 8 am-5pm, or 8am- noon.
They weren’t open when we arrived, but we had already checked in online before hitting the road that morning - really glad that’s an option now!
As a note: There is no cell reception in the campground, and that starts about 15 km before you get there. If you’re planning to check in online, definitely consider doing that before you arrive!
Anyway, in the case of Algonquin Provincial Park campgrounds, once you check in online, you can go straight to your campsite - they don’t use paper permits for the site campsite or vehicle tag anymore.
Maps and Signage
This is a really small campground, but - given that it was our first time visiting - we were really frustrated by the maps and signage.
Park Map
Theoretically, the printed map for this campground is the same as the newspaper style handout that the other Algonquin Provincial Park campgrounds use, as it’s a shared publication. I was pretty sure I’d seen the campground map in there, on an earlier visit to one of the other parks.
We had planned to grab a map when we checked in, but there were no campground staff to be found. There weren’t any of those old newspaper boxes that we’ve seen elsewhere.
We did end up finding a really rough map on the site of the Park Office, but it wasn’t great - good enough to get the basics, but there wasn’t even a legend or scale. Some sites had a triangle around the number, and we had no idea what that meant.
We did end up finding an older copy of the Algonquin newspaper in storage - the triangles were jump off sites for backcountry campers.
Anyway, I wish they had a larger, more comprehensive map sign out in the parking lot that’s easier to find and read... and one of those newspaper boxes would be nice!
The manager - Carmen Cross - graciously offered to print me off a different map - a backcountry map - that she’d marked off points of interest on:
Signage
The directional signage was more or less OK, when it existed.
As we first entering the campground, we saw a tiny sign with campsite numbers - including our own - pointing us off to the right.
We didn’t know what else was in the campground or where - I like when there are signs that not only point you to the place you’re going, but also say what are down the other splits in the road at that point.
Also: As I mentioned, the campsite number range signs were pretty small.
Beyond that, there’s really not a lot to say about the signage. As a really small campground, once you do a round of the park once, it’s easy to basically have the lay of the land at that point.
So, it’s annoying to a first timer, but easy after that.
“Private Property” and “Keep Out”, while also saying “Use at Your Own Risk”, and information for the hunters using the trail.
I’ll get into this more in the hiking section, but it’s definitely the first time I had to call a park office to clarify the trail situation!
Waste & Water Services
There are basically NO waste and water facilities in the Kiosk Campground.
We saw two water taps - near sites #4 and #14 - but no indication as to whether they were potable water, or more intended for washing dishes.
There’s no trailer fill station or dump station / trailer sanitation station in the campground, so you’ll want a full tank of water, and plans to dump your tank elsewhere.
There is a small garbage area - it’s next to the park office.
Connectivity
As previously mentioned, we lost our cell reception about 15 kilometers before getting to the campground, and there was zero signal in the campground itself - I mean circle with a bar through it, not just “really low reception”.
That said, if you go to the Park Office, there’s an open Starlink Wifi spot.
That definitely came in handy during our stay, given the weird weather and changes of plans we were juggling!
It seems to have a pretty decent range - we were sometimes able to get a bit of signal as far as site #10.
There was also a sign at the front saying that Starlink wifi calling was now available, no password required - enable wifi calling on your phone.
It also had hours posted underneath - 7am-7pm. Not sure if that’s for wifi calling specifically, or if there’s no satellite internet at all outside of those hours.
Finally, while there’s a payphone technically available, it was out of service for the duration of our stay, and looked like it had been for a while.
Accessibility
Overall, Kiosk is not a very accessible campground.
First off - as always - information is an accessibility issue. The “barrier-free” section is not filled out on the park’s website, and there’s no disability information on either of the park maps (at the office, or newspaper).
That said, the two outhouses marked as being flush toilets (we didn’t use them) on the map are both designated barrier-free, in person.
The one located near campsite #15... isn’t really. The BUILDING is, but you need to go up an uphill, narrow, very uneven path with a bunch of tree roots going across it, just to get to the building.
The other one - across from site #4 - is actually barrier-free to access it, with a little boardwalk ramp up from the road. This one is also more or less conveniently located for those using the day use / beach area.
There’s a wheelchair ramp up to the park office, but it wasn’t open during our stay, so I can’t tell you how barrier-free it might be inside.
As far as the beach goes, it’s not wheelchair accessible, but isn’t TOO hard to get down to, if you have other mobility issues.
There is a trail that extends from the campground that’s an old rail trail. The sections of it that we saw were definitely easy trail - if it’s not actually wheelchair accessible, it’s awfully close. Wide, flat, well packed gravel rail bed.
In places, some larger rocks would kick up as we walked, so I’m not entirely sure how that works for wheelchair use. Those with heftier wheels shouldn’t have a problem though.
Pets
Dogs are allowed, but must be leashed at all times, not allowed to harass other people, wildlife, or plants, and can’t make excessive noise.
They must be picked up after, and the droppings properly disposed of.
Also: They’re not allowed on the beach, and there is no designated dog beach or dog exercise area.
Parking
There is SO MUCH parking available at Kiosk Campground, it’s honestly kind of weird.
There are at least 6 parking lots, with far more parking spaces available than there are campsites in the first place.
The beach doesn’t seem like much of a destination, and there aren’t even many picnic tables there, so I can’t see it being a matter of additional vehicles for day use visitors.
I suppose it could be all for backcountry campers, but you’d think there would be more jump off sites, in that case?
I don’t know, they were all completely empty during our stay.
Anyway, we were glad for a small parking lot at the end of our campsite row - and a little parking area across from our site - because our campsite was SO wonky, we couldn’t park the car in it.
We had to use that end lot as a turnaround spot for the RV, and ended up parking the car in the spot across from our site.
Miscellaneous
Some random info for you:
The Hunting Season
At the time of our visit, there were a lot of signs warning about hunting going on in the area.
A controlled big game hunt was in place from October 11, 2025 to January 15, 2026.
One sign urged campers to “not stray from the immediate area of your designated campsite”, stay on designated park trails and portages, and to wear bright coloured clothing when walking through the forest.
... definitely something I would have liked to know in advance, as someone with a fairly monochomatic - black - wardrobe!
The Road In
Whenever we have to drive a long road from the highway, we get a little nervous... and the road to Kiosk was 30 km long!
I think that some of the things we’d read about the roads to Brent Campground and Achray Campground had us pretty spooked, too!
Also the fact that we’d read that the road was washed out in June, and apparently trapped campers there!
In this case, though, we were worried for nothing. It was paved almost all the way to the campground entrance.
It was just one lane in either direction, and relatively narrow, with no shoulder though. The speed limit is 80, but we didn't feel comfortable going that fast in the RV. 60 seemed good.
There were lots of small hills, but nothing nerve-wracking at all - it was actually a really scenic drive, with a few little waterfalls and a river along the road, nice views, and was especially pretty with the fall colours.
The last km or so is unpaved and single lane, into the campground. There are a couple spots that have some pretty deep gouges in it from water runoff damage, so you’ll want to take it slow at that point!
Also, FYI: we lost cell reception about 15 kilometers before getting to the campground.
Night Skies
Kiosk Campground is in an area with basically NO light pollution, so it’s a fantastic place for stargazing - if weather permits.
In terms of Aurora Borealis hunting... not as great. The campground is located on the north side of the lake, with most/all of the big open views being to the south.
A good overhead show would still be visible, but you’d want some pretty big storming for that.
That said, if you are ok with walking a km or so, you can head east on the rail trail. When you come to the big open area to the left of the first bridge - there’s a great north view for you!
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
Here’s some basic information about the amenities at Kiosk Campground:
Creature Comforts
If you’re expecting hot showers or laundry facilities, Kiosk might not be the campground for you.
This is the only Provincial Park campground we’ve been to that didn’t have a comfort station at all!
That said, they have two different kinds of outhouses in the campground - a couple that are flush toilets and wheelchair accessible, and a couple that are vault toilets.
And they really mean VAULT toilets, in this case!
Below: Barrier-Free Toilet
Visitor Centre
There is no Visitor Center anywhere near the Kiosk Campground.
The Algonquin Provincial Park Visitor Centre, Art Gallery, and Logging Museum are all located more than 3 hours away from the Kiosk Campground.
If you’re looking to make a whole day trip of it and visit the Highway 60 Corridor, see my Algonquin Provincial Park MEGA Post for all the details on those attractions.
Park Store
We visited in the fall, and the store was only open for some very limited hours, a few days a week. There was a sign out front with the dates and times they’d be open.
The second day of our stay, we tried to stop by the office and it still wasn't open by 8:30 ... even though it was supposed to be open by 8:00. We saw park staff driving in, so we waited it out a bit.
We called a bit later, and got ah old of the manager, Carmen Cross. Really nice lady, answered the questions we had... but said they were closed that day.
We had to double check the date and the sign on the door - it was definitely supposed to be open, so I’m not sure what happened there.
We didn’t end up getting to check out the store during our trip, as a result.
Day Use Area
There’s a very small day-use area in the east arm of the campground, just past the boat launch.
It’s got a small beach (more on that in a minute), a tiny picnic shelter with a firepit, and a few scattered picnic tables - that’s about it.
It was completely empty every time we went there during our stay, but I bet it would be more active in the summer. It seemed like a nice, peaceful place to hang out.
Campsite Details
There are 3 main ways to camp at Kiosk Campground: Car Camping, rent a cabin, or use it as a jump off site for backcountry camping.
Car Camping
There are only 26 car camping / RV campsites in the Kiosk campground, and they're all pretty basic. There are no electrical sites dog-free sites or radio-free sites, and no barrier-free / accessible campsites.
As usual, each campsite has a picnic table and fire pit.
Note: Large groups wanting to do group camping at Algonquin Provincial Park need to go to the Whitefish Lake Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park, on the Highway 60 corridor. It’s ALL group campsites, but that’s more than 3 hours away from Kiosk, though!
The campsites are split between two areas - one in the area around the beach and office, and the other down a campground road - there’s also a trail connecting the two.
The flip side to that is that - best we could tell - most or all of the campsites in kiosk are uneven and very bumpy. There weren't any very level sites that we saw - more on that in a minute.
We ended up splitting our stay between two sites:
Site #26
This was a waterfront site, with a beautiful view of the lake, and a small water access point next to us, in the overflow parking.
It was a HUGE site, but SO steep and bumpy. We ended up not using most of the site - as far as parking goes - parking the RV right up next to the road parallel to it.
We parked our car in the overflow parking - luckily, there’s a TON of extra parking, if you’re bringing a second vehicle!
Site #5
Our second campsite we stayed at was number 5, which ended up with some weirdness.
This was supposed to be a pull through site, per the bookings page on the Ontario Parks reservations portal.
It did not appear to be a pull though in ANY way, unless we decided to drive off the road in what looked like ... well, not a driving path.
The pull through that looked like it was associated with the site based on the photos on the reservations page is part of site 10, best we can tell.
The photos for site 10 didn't really show that road either. We really couldn't figure out our site in terms of it being a pull through, so we ended up just using it as a back-in site.
Later on, we also asked about the site, and Carmen told us that it’s NOT a pull through, and this was the first she’d heard of it being listed as one - so maybe that’ll end up corrected.
Anyway, for future reference - #10 is the only pull through site in the campground!
Site #1
Finally, I want to mention site #1 - it was too small for our equipment, but it was SUPER cute.
It’s right next to the office (great wifi!), across from the boat launch and beach, and - at that time of year - had THE most gorgeous foliage on the go.
If you’re a tent camper, definitely check it out!
Roofed Accommodation
If you prefer your camping experience to involve walls and a roof, there’s a single cabin site available for rent.
It’s a 2 bedroom cabin that was originally built in 1936, with upgrades in 1940 and 1956 - it’s the only site at Kiosk that has electricity.
Apparently it even has its own beach and boat launch - it was occupied during our visit, so we weren’t able to go take a good look.
Anyway, the cabin sleeps 6, with one queen bed and two single/single bunk beds, all with vinyl covered mattresses.
As far as cooking goes, it has a fridge, electric stove/oven, microwave, toaster, kettle, and indoor dining area. There’s a fire ring outside, but I haven’t seen any mention of a BBQ grill or anything back there.
The cabin has running water - both hot and cold - but no washroom - you’ll have to use the outhouse across the road.
As far as other restrictions go, it’s the usual: no pets allowed, smoking is prohibited indoors, and you’re not allowed to set up any tents on the site.
Check in is at the office - the cabin is kept locked - so I’m not sure how that works with the weird hours in the off season. A late arrival could be problematic!
Anyway, as always... check the Ontario Parks’ page for further details on the cabin situation, as it’s somewhat outside the scope of this blog!
Backcountry Camping
Again, kind of outside the purpose of this (RV!) blog, but here’s some basic information we gleaned about backcountry camping at Kiosk.
There are more backcountry sites accessible from Kiosk, than there are RV sites *at* Kiosk. Kioshkokwi Lake connects to several others, with campsites located across many different bodies of water in the area.
We could see some from the hiking trail - gorgeous!
There’s a jump off beach on the west side of the park with two walk-up campsites and parking nearby:
That site was marked as 3 on the map, and J3 on the post.
We didn’t notice any food lockers or anything - or see any mention of them.
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Entertainment and Activity
Even though the campground is pretty far from the bulk of the Algonquin campgrounds - and trails - there are still quite a few things to do:
Hiking
This is a weird one. The campground’s website doesn’t mention a hiking trail, though I’d seen reviews talking about a trail - and AllTrails had an entry for it!
From what we could tell, it was an old abandoned rail trail, and it sounded to be easy, with some great views and going over some bridges.
When we got there, though, every access point to the trail had signage that prohibited trespassing!
We later called and got a hold of a park employee to ask what the deal was.
She said that the signage was a liability thing, that people are free to use it at their own risk, and that everyone uses it and it's really nice trail.
She recommended going to the east of the campground, where you can walk as far as Mink Lake on it - and gave us information about 2 bridges out that way.
So, we decided to check it out - in both directions!
West Trail
The first half of our stay was in the west part of the campground, so Porter decided to take a quick jaunt out from there, as he figured there’d be another trail there, given the map.
As it turned out, he didn’t go very far - he got caught in a downpour!
The bridge wasn’t very far - just a few minutes out - and gave a decent view over the river. Nice enough, but nothing to write home about.
That’s about when the cold rain convinced him to turn back, so we can’t tell you anything about the trail beyond that bridge!
East Trail
At some point, we caught a break in the rain and we were able to walk part of this trail section, which starts across from the garbage depot, near the park office.
A few meters in, there was a sign - facing the opposite direction - saying that hunters aren’t allowed past that point, so we knew we were entering an area that potentially had hunting activity.
... suddenly, I regretted my all-dark wardrobe, LOL.
The trail is wide, well packed, and very flat. It’s generally easy, but there are some larger rocks that kind of kick up as you walk over them in places.
The trail might actually be wheelchair accessible - I’m not sure. If it’s not actually wheelchair accessible, it’s very close. It would definitely be doable in an all-terrain wheelchair though.
Anyway, the walk was pretty during the fall, but a little monotonous. Some places and places you can see the lake off to the right. As you're coming up to the bridge you can see water on both sides It's lovely.
I stayed back while Porter checked out the area under the bridge (there’s a bit of a path down - very steep) before continuing on to the next bridge.
He said it was very cool. It wasn’t super scenic, but he loved seeing the structure of the bridge, etc.
From the photos Porter took, it actually looked to be about the same height - and less scary!
Porter says it IS a bit scarier though - that you can see through the slats more, and that it’s longer. I figured it would be less scary, as it didn’t look to be so out in the open over the water.
He was also able to go down to see the base of that bridge, so he was pretty happy about that. He crossed the bridge to say he did, but the weather was turning at that point, so he didn’t go any further.
We’ll definitely be checking out further along the trail on future trips, though!
If the weather was a little nicer, it would have been nice to see more remote areas, and hopefully a moose or two!
Biking
The roads of the campground weren’t really suitable for biking - pretty narrow and in really poor condition, in spots.
Swimming
There’s a small beach next to the boat launch. It was a mix of sand and gravel - not as nice as some of the sandy beaches on in the Highway 60 corridor campgrounds.
That said, Lake Kioshkokwi was really clean and clear - it looked really nice, but it was WAY too cold at the time of our stay!
Birding, Wildlife, and Nature
While it was pretty rainy for most of our stay, we did get a few opportunities to go birding.
Overall, we heard and/or saw: American Tree Sparrow, Black-Capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Canada Goose, Common Loon, Common Raven, Dark-Eyed Junco, Fox Sparrow, Golden-Crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Pileated Woodpecker, Pine Siskin, Red-Breasted Merganser, Ruffed Grouse, Song Sparrow, White-Crowned Sparrow, and Yellow-Rumped Warbler.
Unfortunately, that was about it for wildlife. We’d heard there were some otters nearby earlier, but we didn’t see any of the moose we were hoping to, being so remote!
While there are Black Bears throughout the park, we didn’t see any of them, either.
Row 2: Dark-Eyed Junco, Hermit Thrush, Ruffed Grouse
Row 3: Song Sparrow, White-Crowned Sparrow, Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Boating
Kioshkokwi Lake is one of the few lakes in Algonquin that allow motor boats, but we didn’t see any during our stay.
That might have something to do with the Kiosk lake boat launch, which definitely looked to have seen better days!
We did see plenty of kayaks, though, and the campground is popular as a jump off spot for interior canoe routes. There’s also a fair number of canoe-in campsites, which look cool.
Wish that was an option for us, but... cats.
Anyway, the lake looks like a great place for paddleboarding and such as well, but apparently it tends to get strong wind at times - so be mindful of the weather conditions!
Fishing and Hunting
Kioshkokwi Lake is HUGE, with all kinds of little inlets and such. Looking at the map of it, I’m not surprised that it’s a popular place for fishing.
It’s apparently got a good population of Lake Trout in the lake itself - and we saw people fishing from shore on the lake.
Also, there’s the Amable du Fond River nearby (it’s the one that runs along the road to the campground), which is said to be good for Brook Trout fishing.
There’s also a seasonal hunt that takes place around the park itself.
It was a little unnerving to see signs telling people to wear bright colours and such, but we didn’t end up seeing or hearing any hunting activity during our stay.
Discovery Program
While most Provincial Park campgrounds offer some kind of Discovery Programming in the summer months, I haven’t seen anything about that being the case at Kiosk Campground.
I know that they do in the campgrounds along the Highway 60 corridor, but again - that’s several hours away.
If you’re looking for that kind of thing, you might need to do a bit of a drive - it’s about 30 minutes to Samuel De Champlain Provincial Park (closed due to storm damage), an hour and 20 minutes to Driftwood Provincial Park, an hour and a half to Marten River Provincial Park, 1 hour and 45 minutes to Restoule Provincial Park, or 2 hours to Arrowhead Provincial Park.
Niantic Games
Well, this is embarrassing.
We forgot to write down notes about Niantic game play during our stay. Now, as I write this - a month later - our memories are NOT lining up with our usual sources of verification.
Both of us are pretty sure there was at least one Pokestop / etc within range of the park office Wifi - and I know there were definitely spawn points.
But when I looked at the Ingress Intel map to verify, there’s nothing there. So, you may or may not have an Ingress Portal/ Pokestop / Pokemon Gym, but you should be able to get your other dailies in, should you so choose.
Final Thoughts
It was a really cozy, cute little campground, with a nice trail... sort of.
The thing about the trail not technically being legal kind of bothers us.
We get that it’s WIDELY done - to the point of having AllTrails entries - but it still makes us feel like we’re sneaking in somewhere we shouldn’t, which makes it a little less enjoyable.
We loved the peacefulness of this part of the park, but part of that was a function of the time of year - there were VERY few people camping during our stay.
I imagine it’s also a nice place to camp during the summer, if you can handle summer camping without electricity. It was just so gorgeous with the fall colours, though!
Anyway, I think we’ll be back. Not logistically the easiest campground to work in to our schedule, but I think it’s worth it!
More Algonquin Provincial Park Campground Reviews
Want to read some more of what we have to say about the campgrounds and attractions in Algonquin Park? Here are some more reviews!
Algonquin Provincial Park Mega Post
Canisbay Lake Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Kearney Lake Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Lake of Two Rivers Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Mew Lake Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Pog Lake Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Provoking Falls, Algonquin Provincial Park
Raccoon Lake Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Rock Lake Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Tea Lake Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Whitefish Lake Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Winter Camping in Algonquin Provincial Park
Interested in exploring campgrounds beyond Algonquin Park? We've got a huge - and ever-growing! - list of them here: 2 Nerds in a Truck Campground Reviews.
We also have posts on Ontario Waterfalls, other Places to See, and a ton of Camping Recipes to cook up, while on your adventures!
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