Neys Provincial Park is an quiet little campground on the north shore of Lake Superior, with a LOT going on! Here's our review of our several stays there.
Originally published September 15, 2023, Updated on 7/3/2026.
Located just a few hours from Thunder Bay - and just over a half hour up the Trans-Canada Highway from Pukaskwa National Park - Neys was our last stop before Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
This one has just what we love in these lakefront campgrounds: A great view of Lake Superior - right from our camp site! - coastal trails, and a prisoner of war camp.
Ok, so that last one is incredibly specific and unique to this park, but I stand by the rest of what I said.
Neys has several hiking options, so it has something for any difficulty level and length of trail you may be looking for.
It also has a couple kilometers of clean, sandy beach, stretching across the bulk of their campgrounds. Absolutely gorgeous!
We liked it so much, we returned in 2025 and 2026 - Let us tell you all about it!
The Basics:
Campground Name: Neys Provincial Park
Address: P.O. Box 280, 1004 Hwy 17 Terrace Bay, ON P0T 2W0
Website: https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/neys
Price Ontario Provincial Parks uses a pricing matrix across all their parks. See 2026 Camping Fees for more details.
Reservations: Ontario Parks Reservations
Park Classification: Natural Environment
Season: May 15, 2026 to October 13, 2026
Park Duty Officer: (807) 823-0885
Logistics
Some basic information to help you plan your stay at Neys Provincial Park:
Registration and Check In
Online reservation on all occasions was quick and easy with the Ontario Parks online portal.
Registration at the park was very quick and friendly, inside the gatehouse. The park is now on the paperless permit system, which is always nice to see.
Also, in 2025 and 2026 I received an email the morning of our check-in, allowing me to complete check in online. Slick!
Maps and Signage
The maps and signage leave a bit to be desired.
Park Map
In terms of maps, any of the roads that aren’t for campers ... aren’t on the map. It can make it confusing when comparing the map to what you’re seeing, as you go through the park.
Also, when it says that it may not be to scale - yeah, it’s definitely not kidding.
Beyond that, some of the aspects of the park are shown in confusing places (the opposite side of the road from where it actually is, something being shown directly across from another point, but being further up the road), implied paths/access points that don’t exist, actual access paths in the park that are not shown on the map, etc.
The map we got included a page specific to the trails, but it had been SO blown up from a small image, that a lot of the writing on those 2 maps was fairly illegible - especially the smaller one.
June 2025 Update: These issues seem -mostly - to have been resolved. Aside from the “there are roads in reality that aren’t on the map” thing, I don’t really have any complaints about the current map.
Signage
In terms of the signage, there are a few locations where the sign is VERY specifically showing only to traffic from one direction, and you’ll miss the sign until you see it in your rear view.
For instance, the sign for the Little Pic River day use area is only visible from one direction, and it’s off around a weird turn/corner. If you’re coming from area 4, you’ll miss it.
Other than that kind of thing, the signage is pretty decent. It’s a pretty straightforward park, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding your way around.
Waste & Water Services
As with most provincial park campgrounds, there are no water or sewer hookups in the camp sites.
There is a dump station / filling station set up near the front gate.
The loop - off to the right, as you leave the park - will put the taps on the driver’s side of your rig.
There’s one platform for the dumping station, and another single platform / threaded hose for the fill station. They’re both in line - single lane - with no passing lane.
As a note: It’s very much designed to be accessed on the way out of the park. If you’re entering on the way in, it’s going to be a pretty tight u-turn to get in there.
Also of note: There was a boil water advisory posted to the fill station for the entire duration of our 6 night stay in 2026, and they never did add it to the park alerts page while we were there.
So... you might not want to trust the lack of an alert, in this case.
Weirdly, the recycling are doesn’t have a bin for cardboard or paper. Also, some weird accessibility issues - more on that in a bit.
Connectivity
Cell phone coverage (Rogers) was fairly spotty during our 2023 visit, but pretty good in 2025 and 2026.
We had pretty good cell reception in most of the park, from about the Prisoner Cove area inwards. We lost reception around the gatehouse, and it was spotty to nonexistent from there to the highway, and along the highway in both directions for a while.
There is no Wifi in the park.
Accessibility
So, a bit of a mixed bag on this one.
In some ways, Neys Provincial Park does more for accessibility than most. In other ways... there are just some weird decisions that have been made.
Let’s look at this in sections:
Barrier-Free Facilities
As with most Ontario provincial parks, the comfort station is noted to have barrier-free access - it is up on a bit of a hill, so heads up on that.
The path up the hill probably isn’t super wheelchair friendly - there’s a low step partway up.
There is a parking lot up the hill, on the side of the comfort station... but it’s awkward access to get from the parking spot to the comfort station platform. Just a narrow space between a parking curb and a wooden border.
Anyway, there’s a single wheelchair accessible stall in the multi-stall washroom, as well as a barrier-free shower.
In terms of other washrooms, pretty much all of the park’s vault toilets are located in between rows of campgrounds, along very narrow (and usually rough!) Trails.
The only barrier-free outhouse we saw was the one between the visitor centre and its parking lot. The trail isn’t the MOST wheelchair-friendly, but seems to be technically wheelchair accessible.
Middle: Approach to the Barrier-Free Outhouse
Bottom: The Barrier-Free Outhouse.
The one across from the comfort station has a ramp up to it ... but the bottom is basically right in the bushes, and there are a couple of recycling bins right at the top of the ramp, blocking access to the platform.
The garbage station by the gatehouse as a wide ramp up to the garbage hut, but no platform. If you’re wheeling up, you’re going to be sloping backwards, trying to get your garbage into the dump.
Barrier-Free Camping
There are two barrier-free campsites at Neys Provincial Park, and both are in camping Area 2.
Barrier-free site #77 is non-electric, and located across from the ramp down to the beach. This is just around the corner from the comfort station.
It's a decently large site - relatively level, with a bordered “pad” for an RV - and has a barrier-free picnic table and a regular fire pit.
It’s a relatively large site, again pretty level and with a “pad” bordered out for an RV. It also has a wheelchair accessible picnic table, and a regular fire pit.
Aside from #79 being electric, it’s also just a cuter site than #77. 77 has kind of a regular forest vibe, while #79 is way more Boreal. So pretty - the photo doesn’t do it justice.
Row 2: Site #79
Barrier-Free Activities
The Visitor Centre is barrier-free, and there is a designated disability parking spot in the parking lot. The trail to get to it isn’t super well paved, but is technically accessible enough.
In terms of hiking, none of the trails are wheelchair accessible, but two are designated as “easy”.
I’ve done the Point Trail - Based on my own experience, I would have been ok taking that one with a cane or in a boot, but may have had trouble if using crutches.
It’s mostly flat, there are some roots to navigate in a few areas, and a few - 3, if I recall correctly - little raised bridges that involve a bit of a step up onto.
As well, there’s a short staircase towards the end of the trail. There are handrails, but the steps are very narrow, and VERY steep.
I haven’t done the Dunes Trail - the other “Easy” trail - but Porter says it’s similar in terms of difficulty. (See his writeup in the trails section, further down in this post.
One really cool thing about accessible options in this park is that there’s a wheelchair ramp down to the beach in the Area 2 Campground!
That’s the first one we’d seen at any provincial park campground.
It looked a little janky on our first two visits, but I appreciated that it was there. In 2026, it was busted up and roped off :(.
I have no idea how long it’s been out of commission, but it looks like a pretty major project to fix.
Pets
There’s an off leash dog beach that you can access from a little ways up the Point Trail - though we didn’t actually see any signage in the parking lot or the trail entry to indicate that to be the way to get to it.
The weird thing is that it appears to be the ONLY way to access the dog beach.
Dogs aren’t allowed on the beach area adjacent to it on one side (the right, when looking out to the lake), and there’s no access BUT the trail, to the left.
Anyway, you’re required to keep your dogs on a 2 meter leash in all areas of the park that they’re allowed in, aside from that section of the beach.
As a note: There are a TON of sticks on or near the beach, so it should keep a lot of dogs very happy!
Parking
The camp sites all seem large enough to accommodate at least one vehicle, beyond your camping equipment.
There are also several parking areas throughout the campground, including by the comfort station, by the fish cleaning station, at each of the trail heads, the visitor center, etc.
Miscellaneous
A couple things to note about Neys Provincial Park:
The Roads
The road is in pretty terrible condition on the way into the park.
DEFINITELY take your time and keep an eye out for surprise dips. If you’re going past Areas ⅔ - towards the day use and Area 4 - the roads are even worse.
The Train
There’s a train that passes very close to the park.
It’s nowhere near as bad as some other parks (Ahem, Oastler Lake Provincial Park, White Lake Provincial Park)... but it does come by frequently, all through the night, and does blare its horn occasionally - but from really far off.
There’s a pretty good view of it from the Pic River Day Use Area, and a view of it over a bridge from the boat launch
You can generally hear it coming from FAR away, so we even had time to make it there from Area 1, when we heard it coming.
Stargazing, Etc
The park is in an area of low light pollution and is great for stargazing. It’s not *ideal* for northern lights viewing, though.
The best north-facing view in the park is at the boat launch - basically look towards the bridge. The problem is... there’s the Trans Canada highway back there.
So, while it’s an interesting view for aurora photography, expect passing lights from the traffic.
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
Neys Provincial Park may be a smallish park compared to some of the others we’ve been to, but it’s got a LOT going on!
Creature Comforts
There is a single comfort station for the park, between Campgrounds 1 & 2.
You can access it via the road in campground 2, from the main road (with a parking lot and short walk up a trail), or a short trail from campground 1 to the road on campground 2, leading up to the comfort station.
This comfort station has two multi-stall, gendered washrooms with flush toilets. Each has a single barrier-free stall, and the women’s has a change table. (The mens might - Porter didn’t end up using the washroom there).
There are four regular showers, as well as one barrier free shower.
In terms of laundry facilities, there are two washers and two dryers.
The washers are $3.50 /load (Loonies and quarters only), and the dryers are $4.00/load (Loonies only). The washers and dryers are larger than most of the washers and dryers we tend to see at Provincial Parks.
There’s also a vending machine that sells detergent and dryer sheets for $1/package.
There are two small counters for folding laundry, as well as a first aid kit and an AED (Defibrillator) in the laundry room. There’s also a bear locker for food, outside.
Also of note: the comfort station is closed for cleaning 12:30-2:30 daily.
In 2023, we both felt like we saw more privy washrooms, than are represented on the park map.
Park Store
There’s a small camp store located at the front gate, where you can buy souvenirs, clothing, electric adapters, various types of mosquito repellant, snacks, batteries, etc.
Outside of the gatehouse is a second building, where you can buy firewood and ice. The canoe rentals are also handled at that building.
Visitor Centre
Unfortunately for us - on our mid-September 2023 stay - the visitor center is only open in July and August.
I had managed to miss that fact when booking - I had thought it was really cool that they advertized having a model of one of the German POW camps from World War II - apparently there’s also some remains of POW camp 100.
We finally got to actually see the visitor center - from the inside! - in 2025. It was actually in mid June though, so maybe they’ve changed their seasonality?
Anyway, it was a super cute Visitor Center, with a LOT of displays.
Aside from the POW camp model, there was a functioning model train going around the ceiling, a display on various types of scat you may see, pelts you could touch, and more.
Prisoner of War Camp
When we stopped in Wawa, we’d read some displays there about how the Canadian government had put captured German soldiers to work in the area, during the war.
They were tasked with non-war activities, such as logging and forestry.
These German POWs were given pay - the Wawa sign had said 50 cents a day (Wasn’t that a fair amount of money back in the day?).
They were also given a ton of freedom, allowed to move about fairly freely in their spare time, as long as they didn’t leave the area.
Apparently the German prisoners were treated so well here, that many immigrated to Canada after WWII - another factoid we learned from signage we’ve seen on our journey!
Anyway, the Neys camp is the only one we’ve seen so far that has made any mention of war prisoners, so it definitely stuck out!
Moments of Algoma
Between the visitor center and the beach is another Moments of Algoma display, much like the one we saw in Katherine Cove in Lake Superior Provincial Park.
This was another easel / artist’s seat display, this time focused on Lawren Harris of the Group of Seven, and how this remote location on the northern shore of Lake Superior influenced his paintings.
For the more adventurous (and able-bodied!), there’s a second Moments of Algoma display, up at the top of the Pic Island Overlook Trail, with the gazebo.
That one is also about Lawren Harris, and said it was one of his favourite sketching locations.
Day Use Area
There are 3 picnic areas at Neys Provincial Park: one at either end of the beach, and one at the Visitor Centre.
Little Pic River Day Use Area
This is the day use area at the south end of the park (the far end from the entrance).
Located near the boat launch, this are has picnic tables and benches - some overlooking Lake Superior - as well as a fairly large picnic shelter that can be reserved.
There’s also a playground, next to the picnic shelter.
Finally, there’s an open area with logs set up, surrounding a fire pit. I imagine this would be a great place for larger groups to share ghost stories over a fire.
Anyway, this day use area can be accessed via a parking lot, or via a trail from the Area 3 campground.
Visitor Center Picnic Area
There’s a small picnic area outside of the Visitor Centre, overlooking the lake.
There are picnic tables on a bit of a patio, the Moments of Algoma display nearby, and a cute Lake Trout art piece.
Prisoner Cove Day Use Area
This might be my favourite picnic area, though there are only 2 picnic tables... and those don’t have a great view!
The picnic tables are in a grassy area next to the parking lot, but if you take the short trail to the beach from there, you’ll come to the COOLEST beach area in the park.
Streams sculpt out interesting ridges in the sand, there are cool rocks to climb on, etc.
In 2025, this was where I experienced quicksand for the first time in my life - it was very exciting. Nothing like what the shows from my childhood would lead me to believe, but I DID get sucked down as far as my ankles before I realized what was happening!
Obviously, I had to make Porter go stand in the same place so HE could experience it as well!
Anyway, just a really beautiful spot!
Rentals
Neys has a rack of rental canoes available at the boat launch. Rentals are arranged out of the gatehouse, and include a boat safety kit, paddles, and personal flotation devices.
Campsite Details
About half of the almost 150 campsites in the campground are electrical sites, and the posts seem to be fairly close to each site.
(Definitely check your site’s info when booking, though - the estimates for power tower distance are in the site details!)
There are 4 campground areas in Neys Provincial Park, some having a very different vibe and feel than the others.
Car Camping
Area 1 is where we’ve stayed every time, and it’s relatively open - there’s some tree cover over the center / back of it, but sparse.
Most of the sites in this area - most of which are pull-through sites - have a decent to good view of the lake, and easy access to the beach.
The first time, we stayed in #25, which is on a corner. Very little privacy, but it was surprisingly quiet, given that everyone has to drive by us when leaving.
We didn’t even notice!
It could do to be re-graded - there were a lot of weird little ruts, but nothing too obnoxious.
While our view of the lake was a little more set back than some of the rest in that first row, I think we had a fantastic view overall.
Our second trip was divided across a couple sites - #19 (Water view!), and #5. # 5 was behind the row of waterfront sites... and weirdly, it felt a lot like the Agawa Bay Campground, Lake Superior Provincial Park.
Every time I stepped out of the RV, there was a little momentary confusion. I don’t think we’ve ever stayed somewhere that SO wildly replicated the vibe of another favourite campground.
Area 4 feels way more remote. It’s not on the lake, the road is more rough, etc.
We thought it was probably exclusively for tents, but we did see a couple trailers when we drove through.
The Cabin
One interesting thing to note is that Neys Provincial Park also has a single cabin for rent. It’s in area 2, overlooks the lake directly, has a grill, and it’s super cute from what we could see!
Apparently they provide everything you need to cook and serve your food on / with, you just need to bring the food itself.
You also need to bring your own bedding, which sounds a bit weird... but also a good idea in general.
Note: Pets aren’t allowed in the cabin or on the cabin site at all.
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Entertainment and Activity
There’s a LOT to do at Neys Provincial Park this park, here’s some information on your options:
Hiking
There are several trails in Neys Provincial Park, with various degrees of difficulty. The Neys PP map had a helpful trail insert, laying out the distances and difficulty ratings.
Over the course of our multiple trips, we’ve - well, Porter, anyway - done all of them. Here’s what we can tell you about them:
Point Trail: 1 km Linear, Easy
This is a 1 km linear trail (so 2 km total), one of two advertised as being “Easy”. The description made it sound more interesting to us than the other easy one, so it was our first choice.
We did it as a quick walk between setting up at the campground, and having a (somewhat late) supper, our first stay.
It took us almost exactly an hour - we were walking with INTENT, but did take some time at the end to enjoy the scene and take photos.
There are some side trail branches that go to the shore, it's not very well trailblazed at those junctions, but it's pretty obvious they are side branches.
The “Point” in the name of the trail is “Prisoner Point”, and has the wreckage of a few smallish boats used by the Pigeon Timber Company.
This was the furthest north we’d camped at before that point, though... so that tracks.
It's very lush, small plants such as wildflowers dotting the forest floor. Mosses, lichens, and even orchids are seen to the sides of the trail.
Anyway, I’d say that their “easy” designation was a lot more accurate than the “easy” designation we ran into at Lake Superior Provincial Park, LOL!
Dune Trail: 1.3 km Loop, Easy
This is the second of two trails marked as easy, and it’s a 1.3 km loop, accessed from the main road - sort of across from the Prisoner’s Cove area.
As the name implies, this one’s all about sand dunes, and sand dune vegetation. The trail info suggests that it’ll take 30 minutes to walk it.
Porter ended up doing this trail in 2025, here’s what he had to say about it:
“This trail is a skinny loop, totaling 1.3 km. It starts and ends going through a replanted pine forest (they're all in rows), I'd say a little more than half the trail is through this area. This zone is an easy trail, very flat, very few tree roots.
The back half of the trail is more of an older boreal forest, blanketed with flowers and lichen.
A lot of this zone is easy, but there are multiple small areas of moderate trail - a short steep hill, a short section of boulders, some tree roots in the way.
The back half is definitely the better portion of the trail, overall I enjoyed the quick walk through the forest.”
Lookout Trail: 1.6 km Loop, Moderate
This was the trail I was originally considering doing, before blowing out my knee.
It’s a 1.6 km loop, rated as moderate and with a suggested completion time of an hour. It’s accessed via the far end of the Area 4 campground.
This one says it takes you up over scenic rocky areas, overlooking Lake Superior. The trail is supposed to wind through dense forests, a shaded valley, sand dunes, and more.
Rocks, scenery, and variety! Augh, wish I could have done this one! Porter ended up doing this trail in 2025, here’s what he had to say about it:
A short wood bridge leads to a wall of rocks with a tiny flow of water cascading down one side. The path is directly up the pile of rocks!
You continue to climb up moderate difficulty trail, walking alongside rocks walls, and over massive boulders with several short bridges spanning dips and crevices.”
As you continue along the trail you pass a couple of small caves, and cross dune area with soft beach sand.
This trail keeps changing, and fast, which really keeps it interesting. This is definitely a trail I would like to do again.”
Under the Volcano Trail: 2.5 km Linear, Difficult
This is the first of a series of more difficult trails that stack onto the Point Trail. The trail head for this linear trail is at the far end of the Point Trail, and it ends where Copa Cove trail begins.
This section of trail is 2.5 km in length (so 5 km return), is supposed to take 2 hours to do, and is rated “difficult”.
It takes you out along the Lake Superior coastline, with a focus on geological formations, and the history of glaciers and volcano activity in the area.
Porter did this trail in 2026, but backwards - I had dropped him off at the entrance to Pic Island Overlook Trail, and he hiked back to the campground from there.
Anyway, here’s what he had to say about this section... just starting at the picnic table at the end of the Kopa Cove trail:
The trail is somewhat narrow, a bit rough. There are some downed trees that look like they've been there for a while. There are periodic access points to the beach, offering a lovely view of the surrounding area.
A short distance in, you leave the shoreline, going into the forest with some moderate to steep sections to climb.”
Shortly after that, the trail gets into a much more intensely boreal region. The trail is actually on massive rocks, mosses and lichens all around, my favorite!
1 km in, you reach the shoreline again, a massive rock gently leads down to the water, this looks like a fun place to wade in.”
1.5 km in, you reach a stone beach. More beautiful views, great place for a break. The rocky beach is pretty difficult to walk on, since the pile of 2-4" rocks are loose.”
This beach is an area where it needs trailblazes, both sides of the beach where the trail goes into the forest are difficult to find. You're not going to get lost but it might take a bit to find where the trail picks up.”
At 2.7 km, I got to the display of historic boats on the rocky shore, which is the end of this trail segment.
Overall it's moderate difficulty - with 36 meters of elevation change - and a very ADD-friendly trail with constantly changing views. Fantastic views on many spots, I definitely recommend this trail!”
Kopa Cove Trail: 2.6 km Linear, Challenging
This one usually starts at the end of the Under the Volcano Trail, and can continue on to the Pic Island Overlook trail.
The Kopa Cove section of the overall trail is 2.6 km long - or 5.2 km return. It’s rated “very difficult”, and is supposed to take 2 - 2.5 hours to complete.
It takes you across a rocky beach and a steep climb, ending at an overlook point with a view of Thompson Channel and Pic Island.
Porter did this trail in 2026, but - again - did it backwards. His trail description is coming at the trail via the Pic Island Overlook Trail.
Here’s what he had to say about it:
The trail is very narrow, rough footing and pretty hilly.
It's very rocky and has many sections of steep declines where you're using boulders and roots as steps. I did start to slip a couple of times, but the forest was wet during my hike because it had rained the evening before.
I agree with the park's rating of difficult. You'll want good hiking boots and you'll be staring at the ground quite a bit to ensure you don't trip.
The path is well-worn and easy to follow, but there are also lots of trailblazes. I always appreciate when there are a lot of trailblazes
Some sections are quite overgrown but it's still easy to follow the path. It kind of feels like you're going through a jungle, lots of fern everywhere and this narrow winding path.”
About ¾ of a kilometer in, you come to a nice opening with a pretty good overlook, and a region of intensely boreal rock and mosses. Shortly after that you go back into the forest.
At 2.5 km, there's a short side branch looks like it goes to the beach, but it says trail not maintained beyond this point and it is blocked off.
Just after that is another access that is not blocked off, but it does say "attention not a trail". I took some photos from that point, but it seems like perhaps they don't want people on the beach.
That spot has a picnic table with a really cool overview of the beach through the trees. I clocked the trail at 2.63km with an elevation change of 265 meters. I really enjoyed this trail, it's pretty intense.
I'm not sure if I'll do this again because it's a trail segment in the midst of a very long trail system.”
Pic Island Overlook Trail: 4.5 km Linear, Moderate
The final trail in the long series of more difficult trails, this one is 4.5 km long / 9 km return, and rated either moderate or difficult, depending on whether you’re looking at their trail map, or their website.
This section is supposed to take 2.5 - 3 hours to do.
While you can do it on the end of the trail - as starting out from Prisoner’s Cove - Porter did the whole thing backwards.
There’s a trail access point next to the train tracks, at the front of the park. When you’re going there from the campground, you have to drive past the gatehouse for a bit.
Anyway, I dropped him off at the dirt road, which takes you up to the Pic Island overlook, known for its spectacular view of the Island. Apparently this particular view inspired the Group of 7's Lawren Harris.
Anyway, here’s what he had to say about it:
It's very grassy and obviously doesn't see a lot of vehicle traffic. Thick boreal forest surrounds you on both sides, lichen-covered evergreens.
About ¾ of a kilometer in, the trail / road inclines, a modest to moderate incline over the next three kilometers. The views are somewhat monotonous, the only changes are some cool natural stone walls about chest height on both sides of the trail in some places.
4 km in, you get to a steeper section. It gets more like large boulder rock that you're walking on in some areas, but still flat. It's definitely well into the moderate difficulty now just because of the constant inclined angle you're walking up.
The trail is mostly in shaded regions, heavy forest on both sides of the trail. There are small regions where it opens up and there's light coming through.”
The overlook is a nice wooden structure, octagonal. There are lots of benches, seating for at least a dozen people. The view is amazing, giant panoramic view of the water and of course Pic Island. There's also a Moments of Algoma easel/sign and seat to the side.
I clocked the overlook at 4.7 km on MapMyRun, with an elevation change of 208 meters. There aren't any trailblazes except the sign showing the hiking trail to the side from the road, but you don't need blazes on this trail.
The overlook is quite nice, but unless you're planning on continuing onto the Kopa Cove trail like I did, I don't think the view would be worth the 9.5km hike (return) on a dirt road.”
Biking
Bikes are allowed on the park roads - which are fairly rough - but not on the trails.
Swimming
Campground Areas 1, 2, and 3 are fronted by a 2 kilometre beach, said to be one of the finest sand beaches along Lake Superior’s north shore.
This section of Ashburton Bay is relatively shallow, so the water apparently warms up a fair amount in the summer.
It was cold enough during both of our stays, that our enjoyment of the sandy beaches was limited to sitting and watching the waves, while enjoying a gorgeous Lake Superior sunset.
Swimming is also available in Little Pic River... not a super attractive option, IMHO. Very muddy and murky water during our stays.
Birding, Wildlife, and Nature
The literature says that the park has birds “typical of the boreal forest”, but our “the birds must hate us” streak continued in this park in 2023.
We saw a single bird, on the road. It mustn’t have gotten the memo that it’s supposed to hide from us, because it clearly DNGAF, taking its sweet time to cross in front of us, absolutely unbothered.
I don’t know what it was, but clearly it THINKS it’s a seagull or Canadian Goose.
Update: It was a Ruffed Grouse. Before even seeing the photo when looking back on this post, we knew from the description what it had been!
Anyway, here is a running total of what we’ve seen and/or heard at Neys Park so far - over multiple visits and multiple years:
American Crow, American Redstart, American Robin, Bald Eagle, Bay-Breasted Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Black-Capped Chickadee, Black-Throated Blue Warbler, Black-Throated Green Warbler, Blue-Headed Vireo, Brown Creeper, Canada Goose, Canada Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Cedar Waxwing, Chestnut-Sided Warbler, Chipping Sparrow, Common Raven, Dark-Eyed Junco, Golden-Crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Magnolia Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Northern Mockingbird, Northern Parula, Northern Yellow Warbler, Ovenbird, Pine Siskin, Red-Breasted Nuthatch, Red-Eyed Vireo, Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Ruffed Grouse, Solitary Sandpiper, Song Sparrow, Swainson’s Thrush, Swamp Sparrow, Tennessee Warbler, White-Throated Sparrow, Wilson’s Warbler, Winter Wren, and Yellow-Rumped Warbler.
Row 2: Cedar Waxwing, Dark-Eyed Junco, Hermit Thrush
Row 3: Pine Siskin, Ruffed Grouse, Song Sparrow
We’ve also seen a LOT of butterflies - mostly Canada Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies, with a couple Mourning Cloak Butterflies and other types as well.
Row 2: Silver-Bordered Fritillary Butterfly, Spring or Northern Azure Butterfly (Not sure!)
We also kept up our streak of finding wild orchids in pretty every Northern Ontario Park we’d been to on that trip, along with many other wildflowers.
Boating
There’s a boat launch onto Little Pic River, in between the day use area and the Area 4 Campground.
I’ll be honest, that boat ramp - as viewed from the road - looked pretty nerve wracking. It LOOKED like you’d have to back your trailer down over a very steep road, directly to the boat launch.
An exit-only road out of the launch area is far less steep than the way in, btw.
Canoeing is available both on the river, and in Lake Superior itself.
If you don’t have your own canoe, the park offers canoe rental through the main gate, complete with paddles, a boat safety kit, and life jackets.
Fishing
If you happen to have some fishing gear, you can use it out on Lake Superior! This area is known for lake trout, rainbow trout, salmon, and whitefish.
There is a fish cleaning station across from the boat launch.
Discovery Program
As with all of the provincial parks we’ve been to, Neys PP has a Discovery Program that it offers during July and August.
This one offers children’s programs, evening talks, guided walks, and even movie nights!
Additionally, they have special weekend events throughout the summer - “Superior Sand and Sun” is one, but another - “Neys Nostalgia Days” sounds WILD.
The description says it “gives visitors a chance to meet the spirits of the past including the prisoners-of-war who once stayed in this remote spot, voyageurs who passed by here, Canadian Pacific Rail navvies, loggers and fishermen.”
Ok, maybe it’s less that it sounds wild, and more that what I’m picturing is wild. I really hope that it involves ghost cosplayers and ~hijinks~.
... Or maybe there’s a seance? “Meet the spirits...” could go either way, IMHO.
Niantic Games
There are only 2 Ingress portals in the park, both located at the Visitor center, overlooking Prisoner’s Cove.
Those are 2 of the 3 Pokemon stops - well, 2 stops, 1 gym. They’re in a tight cluster.
All 3 are in range of campsites 25, 26, and 27 - with the bonus of cellphone reception being generally decent in that area, as well.
We hadn’t known this when we booked - I was more concerned about views and such - but we lucked out and had easy access to all 3, for the duration of our first stay.
Given how rainy it was, it was nice to be able to raid from our bed or dining room table!
Final Thoughts
We were kind of shocked at how much this park had going on for it.
I kind of assumed a sleepy little campground, with a bit of a WWII display, more like a stopover between the larger parks that are a few hours on either side of it.
One of the things we liked - even if not able to take advantage of it this trip - was the stack on, choose-your-own-adventure thing that the one trail had going on.
You don’t have to commit to the whole trail - or any more of it than you feel able to handle- in order to access amazing views and signage telling you some of the geological history and themes of the upcoming trail.
The view from our campsite was gorgeous, too. Aside from the frustration with map inaccuracy and poor signage, everything was great!
We’ll definitely be back - hopefully with a more functional knee, more time, and better weather!
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:
Aaron Provincial Park
Agawa Bay Campground, Lake Superior Provincial Park
Blue Lake Provincial Park
Caliper Lake Provincial Park
Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park
MacLeod Provincial Park
Ojibway 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
Sandbar Lake 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
Bridgeview Lookout Tower
Chippewa Falls
Kakabeka Falls
Little Falls Scenic Lookout, Atikokan
Mink Creek Falls
Old Woman Bay
Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park
Potholes Provincial Park
Roy Wilson Suspension Bridge
Sand River Falls
Scenic High Falls
Schreiber Beach
Temagami Fire Tower
Terrace Bay Beach
Terrace Bay Lighthouse
Terry Fox National Historic Monument
Wawa Goose
Winnie the Pooh Memorial
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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