Meaford Memorial Park

This RV park sits on the shore of Georgian Bay, with a handful of camp sites RIGHT on the shore.

I’m going to be honest, I’m torn between just blasting out several pages of RAVING about this camp site, and just... not saying anything at all.

It was impossible to get a summer booking as it is, after all - wouldn’t raving about it just heighten that problem?

When it comes down to it, this camp ground is far too good NOT to share!

Unfortunately for us, it was the first camp ground I booked in our new-to-us RV, and now *every* camp ground will be measured against it.

It’s absolutely one of the best places to spend a few days of camping bliss.

... there will probably be a fair amount of disappointment in our future, LOL. Following our first trip to Meaford with the disastrous Conestogo Lake Conservation Area attempt was... well, not great!

Anyway, let’s tell you all about it!

The Basics:

Campground Name: Meaford Memorial Park
Address: 179 Grant Avenue, Meaford ON N4L 1A8
Website: Meaford Memorial Park Website
Price: $48-73 per night, plus $8 booking fee.
Reservations: Meaford Memorial Park Booking

The camping season runs from Mid May to October, with the “prime time” (the higher rates) running from the last full weekend of June until the Tuesday after Labour Day.

Prime time rates also apply to a couple holiday weekends outside of that season - Victoria Day Weekend and Thanksgiving weekend.

Campground Amenities & Info

We booked our first trip to the area on the suggestion of someone in one of the Aurora Borealis groups we’re in - they said Meaford was a great place to see the Northern Lights.

So, I looked for a camp ground near by, and stumbled on this absolute gem. Start to finish - over 2 trips, so far - we’ve been impressed by everything.

The staff is on the ball, super helpful, and friendly.

We were able to check in with very low contact - through a window at the Memorial Park office - and the firewood we ordered at that time was at our site almost before we’d finished setting up.

The people staying here are friendly, and we tend to hear lots of laughter and friendly conversation - but not in an obnoxious way. Everyone seems to keep social time to reasonable hours.

Anyway, let’s look at specific amenities, etc!

Logistics, etc.

Booking our reservation was quick and easy, and questions were answered fully and *quickly*.

Check in was quick and hassle free, both times.

There’s a lot of stuff packed into a small overall area, but it still feels spacious. The signage is clear and well placed, both when it comes to areas and the individual sites.

The first time we stayed here, there was a big fire in Meaford, which resulted in potentially tainted water, and a fire ban.

The staff was quick to come by with plenty of free water bottles for everyone, and with information. (Their site was also a good source of up to date information on the bans).

Neither the water use advisory nor the fire ban were in place for our second visit.

In terms of light pollution - we haven’t been lucky enough to be here during an aurora, but it gets QUITE dark.

It should be a great place to view the Northern Lights, should we get our timing right in the future 🙂

Entertainment and Activity

There’s a lot to do, hope I don’t forget anything here!

Beach

Some of the sites back onto a small beach, which is mostly rocky but allows for a bit of sandy shore at low tide.

The water is clean and clear - aside from during pine pollen season (June), when there is a yellow scum across some of the water. This seems like a common thing for Lake Huron this time of year.

The shallow water extends out quite a distance from the camp sites, with some campers using kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, floaties, and other small water craft from time to time.

We haven’t seen or heard any power boats or sailboats anywhere near the shoreline, just off in the distance. No worries about noise.

Aside from the “personal” beaches - which aren’t open for the general public, just the campers there - there’s a decent sized public beach, an easy walk from the camp sites.

A portion of the beach is even set aside for dog use! Very cool, for anyone who needs a pet-friendly environment.

While there used to be ample free parking for beach goers, and also for visitors to the park in general ... now it’s paid. *Sad Trombone*.

Sports & Recreation

There’s a horseshoe pit at one end of the park - you have to bring your own equipment, though.

As far as Pokemon Go goes, there are two gyms and 6 Pokestops throughout the park. (Each of those should be a Portal, for those who play Niantic’s Ingress game.)

Though we haven’t thoroughly tested it, it seems like there’s at least one gym or stop within range from each camp site.

If you’re into longer walks or running, Meaford Harbour, David Johnson Park, Fred Raper Park, Beautiful Joe Park, Legion Park, and Bighead River are each less than 2.5 km from the camp sites.

Porter went for several different runs during our second stay, enjoying part of the Georgian Trail. I think he’ll be checking out the Trout Hollow Trail, next time we’re there.

The coolest recreational offering, IMHO, is the mini-golf course, located at the front office.

It’s an 18 hole course, SUPER cute, and only $4/person for a round.

It’s got trees throughout, just really pretty. Also, it hasn’t been busy any time we’ve seen. When we played a round, we were the only people there, the whole time.

It’s pretty cool having an entire mini golf course to yourselves!

Apparently there’s a bit of a snack bar in the office, though we didn’t go in. So, we can’t comment on the “snack shack”, sorry!

Creature Comforts

There are public washrooms at the beach, upper campground, waterfront campground, and the front office, with showers at the upper camp ground and office building.

Firewood is available at the main office as well - you order it before 4pm for same day delivery, $10 / bundle. They also sell ice there, though we didn’t order any.

Cell phone reception is generally OK (I lost signal a couple of times), with the park wifi ranging from good to almost non-existent.

At the beginning of our second stay there were some issues, but they let us know a trouble ticket had been submitted.

Connectivity became available sometime overnight, and was readily available for the duration of our stay.

Campsite Details

Meaford Memorial Park has a mix of waterfront and non-waterfront sites. There’s also a mix of full service campground facilities, and hydro/water facilities.

There’s a dumping station for the sites without sewage.

Both times we’ve stayed here, we got waterfront sites (Which I’m starting to consider the ONLY way to camp, this site has spoiled us!), which are full hookup sites.

I’ve seen Class A, Class B, and Class C motorhomes here, and I think all the sites appear to be back-in sites.

Not a ton of privacy, but the several meters of beautiful shoreline behind the RV makes up for that, IMHO.

Hard to complain about anything when you’re basking in the natural beauty of Lake Huron, right outside your camper!

Pets

Pets are allowed, and seem to be encouraged - the dog beach seems like a really cool amenity for dog owners.

Dogs are expected to be under control of their owners in general, including at the dog beach.

Quiet Hours

Quiet hours are 11 pm to 8 am, and fires need to be out before midnight.

Nearby Attractions, Shopping, Etc

Meaford Memorial Park is an easy drive from Blue Mountain and Collingwood, along with all of the attractions both of those areas have to offer (Scandinave Spais amazing!).

In terms of other sites nearby, St Vincent Park is 5km away, Irish Mountain Lookout is 13 km away, and Leith Beach is a 30 minute drive away.

Though we haven’t done any in-person shopping in the area, we did try to order groceries via Instacart on our first trip.

The app did NOT tell us that we were ordering from Collingwood, so we ended up not only having to pay long distance fees, but also feel bad at the distance our driver was going - something we only saw when our order was en route for delivery.

On our second stay, we ordered food delivery from New Orleans Pizza. The food was fantastic, the delivery was fast and friendly.

Definitely recommend!

Final Thoughts

Love, love, LOVE this place. The guy next to us on our second trip told us he’s been coming here for 20 years!

That’s all. 100/10, highly recommend.

More Campground Reviews

Want to read some more of what we have to say about the campgrounds we've stayed at? Here are some more reviews!

Conestogo Lake Conservation Area
Fifty Point Conservation Area
Port Burwell Provincial Park
Valens Lake Conservation Area
Selkirk Provincial Park