Oastler Lake Provincial Park

We recently had the opportunity to check out Oastler Lake Provincial Park, a recreation class park in the township of Seguin.

Given its proximity to the Town of Parry Sound - and, by extension, Killbear - we hadn’t gotten around to visiting Oastler before.

Killbear is just one of our favourite destinations, so every time we’ve had to choose between that gorgeous Georgian Bay shoreline, and a small, inland lake... well, Killbear has won!

On this past road trip, though, we decided to break away from favourites and get to exploring!

While it’s not Lake Huron, there was plenty of waterfront gorgeousness to enjoy at Oastler Lake - some of the same rocky vistas we don’t usually see at smaller lakes, that close to Toronto.

Anyway, Oastler was different from most of the parks we go to. Much smaller, and much less in the way of activities for outdoor enthusiasts.

That said, it was nice as a relaxation stop... SORT of.

We’ll get to that in a bit! First, let’s look at the basics...

The Basics:

Campground Name: Oastler Lake Provincial Park
Address: 380 Oastler Park Drive Parry Sound, ON P2A 2W8
Website: https://www.ontarioparks.ca/park/oastlerlake
Price: Ontario Provincial Parks uses a pricing matrix across all their parks. See 2025 Camping Fees for more details.
Reservations: Ontario Parks Reservations
Park Classification: Recreational
Season: May 9, 2025 to October 14, 2025

Logistics

This is a really small park, with very little to worry about in terms of getting around. That said, here’s the info you’ll need to help plan your stay at Oastler.

Registration and Check In

As always, we booked our site 5 months ahead of time, at 7 am. This is a VERY small campground, so I imagine it gets quite competitive during the summer months.

When we pulled up to the gatehouse, we noticed that the window on the side of the building had a red light. As we pulled up, we saw the sign on the window that said to go around to the front door for registration.

As always, registration was super quick and very friendly. The park is on the paperless permit system, by the way, so that’s always nice.

Maps and Signage

Because it’s such a small park, the 11 x 17 page works really nicely. Everything is clear and easy to read.

Unlike a few of the recent parks we’ve been to (ahem... Presqu'ile Provincial Park and Sandbanks Provincial Park... ), they actually have their accessible facilities noted on the map.

In terms of signage, though... they could definitely be better.

There’s no sign (coming from the front, anyway) pointing to the trailer sanitation station, and most of the little offshoots and campground loops aren’t labeled at all.

Because it’s a small park, it’s not so much of a big deal once you know where you’re going.

When you’re trying to find your site after a long road trip, though?

It’s pretty easy to blow past the entry to your loop, when it looks like just another campsite until you’re right on top of it.

The signage for the boat launch is good, but not so much for the dog beach. Both are super easy to find if you have a map or generally know where you’re headed.

Water & Waste Services

The trailer sanitation station situation takes place over two separate areas, both accessible from the front parking lot of the park, near the park office.

The first fill station isn’t on the map, but is easy to see - it’s just a little half loop off to the right, as you’re coming in the park. There’s a single fill tower on either side, with no bypass lane.

If you happen to fill your RV on the right side (or go the wrong way, I suppose?), you’ll get a nice view - it’s right next to the Boyne River. (More of a little creek, at that point).

The Poop Loop is nearby, off the side of a little road that goes to the maintenance area. This one has a single dump platform on the left, followed by a single fill tower.

There was a sign - that looked to be permanent - that said:

"Water sampling indicates sodium content to be higher than the Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standards. The water is safe to drink, however those on sodium-restricted diets should regulate their intake"

Connectivity

We had pretty decent cellular reception in our campsite (near the beach), though it could be spotty at times.

We also seemed to have some degree of reception anywhere we went in the park - Rogers Wireless.

Accessibility

As I’ve already mentioned, the park actually denotes their accessible facilities on the map, which is a good start. (Yes, I’m still salty about the 2 parks we visited prior to Oastler Lake Provincial Park!).

Beyond that, the Park Office and comfort station are barrier free, and there’s one disabled parking spot at the beach - across from site #22. This is not mentioned on the map, though.

As far as the comfort station goes, it’s barrier free when accessed from the campground side of it. It has a trail on the other - seems to go down to the boat launch area - which is NOT barrier-free.

It doesn’t seem like they have any options for barrier-free sites (via the reservations portal), but we did notice one site near the comfort station that randomly had a wheelchair accessible picnic table.

Finally, they had an all-terrain wheelchair on display at the Park Office... but no information online about borrowing or renting it. Most parks that have them offer them as a loan, with a refundable deposit.

Pets

Oastler Lake Provincial Park has a SUPER cute dog beach and exercise area.

It’s located across the river from the boat launch area, and is more scenic than the vast majority of dog beaches we’ve seen. It’s also an off-leash beach - to a point - and has a bit of a lawn with some picnic tables and such.

Beyond that, all the standard rules apply - dogs have to be leashed at all times (aside from that beach), picked up after, and droppings must be properly disposed of.

They’re not to be left unattended, or allowed to harass other campers and wildlife, etc.

Parking

There is really not a lot of parking at Oastler Lake Provincial Park.

For one, don’t show up early in an RV or trailer, because there really aren’t any parking lots where you can really go to bide your time until your campsite is available. Usually there’s a visitor center or whatever - nope.

The parking situation at the Park Office is a bit of a mess - a decent sized lot, but with no parking spots actually marked off. As we showed up in our RV - with a tow vehicle - we had to quickly figure out a plan of attack just for parking to register.

There’s not a ton of room there, so it was a balance of parking in such a way as to be able to get out, yet not parking in a way that would hamper anything for others.

Miscellaneous

Lord, let me write this section without the stream of expletives that it (rightly!) deserves.

OMFG the TRAIN.

The park is adjacent to two sets of railway tracks, and - while it’s not as bad as White Lake Provincial Park was - it can sound like they’re running right past your campsite.

Even with our air conditioner blasting (partially because it was hot, partially hoping to white-noise out some of the train noise), we still heard and felt the rumble of the trains at all hours of the day - and night.

To make matters worse, EVERY train would blare their horn repeatedly, all through the night.

It did not make for a relaxing stay.

So, bring earplugs if that’s going to be an issue - especially if you don’t have an AC to dull the noise a bit

Campground Amenities & Info

Here’s some information on the amenities at Oastler Lake Provincial Park:

Creature Comforts

There’s a single comfort station, fairly central to the entire campground. It can be accessed via the Lakeview Campground - which has a small parking lot - or via a trail up from the boat launch area.

It has flush toilets and showers, but no laundry facilities.

Beyond that, there are a few other outhouses / vault toilets throughout the campground. Pretty much every campground area has one, or easy access to one in an adjoining area.

We saw one marked with gender neutral signage. I think that’s the first one we’ve seen in Ontario Provincial Parks.

Park Store

There’s no standalone park store in Oastler Lake Provincial Park, but there’s a mini store inside the Park Office.

You can buy firewood and Ontario Parks branded souvenirs - mostly clothing, stuffed animals, and a few small accessory type items.

Anything else - including snacks, groceries, and camping supplies - will mean a trip into Parry Sound. It’s only a few minutes away, though. We ended up going in for a grocery run, to pick up some local beer, and to get a replacement lightbulb at Canadian Tire.

Visitor Centre

There is no Visitor Centre at Oastler Lake Provincial Park, nor are there any educational signage, interpretive trails, etc. Sorry, you’re just going to have to park your butt on the beach and chill 🙂

Day Use Area

The day use area is stretched along the park beach - several picnic tables along the grass between the beach and the Beachside Campground.

There’s also a Picnic Shelter and dock a little closer to the road, at the far end of the beach from that campground.

Rentals

You can rent canoes at Oastler Lake Provincial Park, but that’s about it.

They do offer Personal Floatation Device (PFD) loans, though - I’m assuming that’s with a refundable deposit. We also saw an all-terrain wheelchair on display at the office, as we were leaving the campground.

Those are usually loan items, and involve a refundable deposit. They don’t even mention it on the park website, for some reason.

Campsite Details

I’m just going to preface this with the fact that Oastler Provincial Park has THE most ridiculous percentage of really cute camp sites that we’ve seen, in any park.

Weirdly, most campsites have 2 picnic tables, rather than the usual single picnic table.

We stayed in the Beachside Campground, which are mostly pull-through electrical sites, with just a few electric non- pull thrus along one end. This is a great spot for those who want to enjoy the beach.

The Riverside and Hardwood Hill campgrounds are on the other side of the Boyne River from Beachside, and are wooded sites, with a bit more privacy than Beachside.

Most of these are electric sites - with a handful of non-electric sites - and most of the sites alongside the river have really cute, open views of the river.

If tent camping is your thing, though, The Point Campground has the best sites in the park, IMHO.

These are mostly walk-in campsites, on top of the rocky shorelines of Oastler Lake. Fairly simple walk, to get to sites with panoramic views of the lake. We wish we could do tent camping, just so we could book one of these sites.

There’s not a lot of privacy between the sites - and it’s a radio-free campground - but it also didn’t really feel like those mattered. That VIEW!!

Entertainment and Activity

Oastler Lake Provincial Park is a really small park, so there’s not a TON in the way of outdoor activities - swimming, water sports, and birding, for the most part.

Here are our thoughts on the available activities:

Hiking

Well, if summer hiking is your thing... don’t expect much in the way of scenic trails at Oastler Lake Provincial Park.

There are no hiking trails at the park... not even so much as walking trails from area to area. If you want to get from one area to the other, you just walk on the roads.

There are a few hiking trails in the area, though. The Rose Point Trail goes along the highway, across the street from the entrance to the park.

This is part of the Park to Park Trail system - an extension of the Seguin Trail.

It's an 8 km section of decommissioned rail trail, and is open to use for hiking, jogging, dog walking, cycling, and ATV use.

Biking

There are no dedicated bike trails at Oastler Lake Provincial Park, and the park roads aren’t particularly attractive as a cycling option.

That said, the Rose Point Trail - as discussed above - is a mixed use trail and allows for cycling.

There’s also the Seguin Recreational Trail, about 5 km from the park.

Swimming

I’m generally not a fan of small-lake beaches, but the sandy beach at Oastler Lake Provincial Park is actually pretty nice!

The sand was clean and soft, and the water was clear. It did not appear to be particularly popular with geese, if you know what I mean!

Birding, Wildlife, and Nature

Despite the fact that birding isn’t even mentioned on the Oastler Lake Provincial Park site, we saw / heard a LOT of different birds during our stay. I mean, including a few new-to-us birds!

The weather was pretty crappy for the bulk of the trip, though, so we didn’t come out with many good photos.

Overall, we heard and/or saw the following species of birds:

American Crow, American Goldfinch, American Redstart, American Robin, Bay-Breasted Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler, Black-Capped Chickadee, Blackburnian Warbler, Black-Throated Green Warbler, Blue-Headed Vireo, Blue Jay, Broad-Winged Hawk, Brown-Headed Cowbird, Chipping Sparrow, Dark-Eyed Junco, Evening Grosbeak, Golden-Crowned Kinglet, Gray Catbird, Great Crested Flycatcher, Hermit Thrush, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Pine Siskin, Pine Warbler, Red-Breasted Nuthatch, Red-Eyed Vireo, Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, Song Sparrow, Red-Eyed Vireo, White-Throated Sparrow, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Yellow Warbler.

Boating

There is a really small boat launch in the park. The boat launch area is super cute, the boat launch itself... less so.

The park’s site mentions the lake beings suitable for boats less than 20 feet long, I think that 20 feet would be a bit of a stretch for that boat launch. You could probably do it, but it might be a bit of a nail biter.

There’s also a little parking area and dock right there, and those are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Anyway, there’s also a municipal boat launch onto Little Otter Lake, just 5 minutes south-east of the park.

Fishing

You can go fishing on Oastler Lake, assuming you’re licensed and visiting during the proper season.

Bass, Pike, and Rainbow Trout are what’s on the menu!

Discovery Program

I think that Oastler Lake Provincial Park is the first operating, campground-type Ontario Provincial Park that has NO information about Discovery Programming on its site.

Maybe it’s too small to bother?

Niantic Games

Oastler Provincial Park is not going to be a great place to get your Pokemon Go on. There are 4 Niantic Portals / Pokestops / Gyms, and they’re pretty spread out.

Final Thoughts

This is a SUPER cute little park. The campgrounds are all really cute, and the bulk of the campsites have really gorgeous views of the lake.

There may not be much to do, but you know... sometimes just hanging out and enjoying the view, or laying around on a beach is just what you need.

That said... Ugh, that train. It wasn’t the WORST for us, but we were mostly saved by our air conditioner and bedroom fan.

All of the absolute cutest sites in this park are tent-only sites, though. So I guess it’s a bit of a trade off... the good that *that view* will do for your sanity and well-being, vs ... what the train will do.

Not 100% sure we’ll be back - Killbear Provincial Park is in the same area, has a bunch of nice hiking trails, and NO ^%&%#$ train.

Really though, the train is the only big red flag. I could easily look past the lack of trails, if not for the aural terrorism being committed in the sleeping hours!

My husband - who is a “Train Autistic” is visibly unhappy with my depiction of the train. He likes trains - but he definitely didn’t sleep through them, and he’s not the one who has to put up with him when he doesn’t sleep enough, LOL.

I will say that he enjoyed being able to watch the train from the beach (WHEN IT WAS DAYLIGHT!!!!!).

More Provincial Park 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!

Agawa Bay Campground, Lake Superior Provincial Park
Algonquin Provincial Park MEGA Post
Arrowhead Provincial Park
Awenda Provincial Park
Balsam Lake Provincial Park
Bass Lake Provincial Park
Bon Echo Provincial Park
Bonnechere Provincial Park
Bronte Creek Provincial Park
Canisbay Lake, Algonquin Provincial Park
Chutes Provincial Park
Darlington Provincial Park
Driftwood Provincial Park
Earl Rowe Provincial Park
Emily Provincial Park
Fairbank Provincial Park
Ferris Provincial Park
Grundy Lake Provincial Park
Inverhuron Provincial Park
Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park
Killbear Provincial Park
Long Point Provincial Park
MacGregor Point Provincial Park
MacLeod Provincial Park
Mara Provincial Park
McRae Point Provincial Park
Mew Lake Campground, Algonquin Park
Neys Provincial Park
Pancake Bay Provincial Park
Pinery Provincial Park
Point Farms Provincial Park
Port Burwell Provincial Park
Presqu'ile Provincial Park
Quetico Provincial Park
Rabbit Blanket Lake, Lake Superior Provincial Park
Rainbow Falls Provincial Park
Rideau River Provincial Park
Rock Point Provincial Park
Rondeau Provincial Park
Sandbanks Provincial Park
Sauble Falls Provincial Park
Selkirk Provincial Park
Sibbald Point Provincial Park
Six Mile Lake Provincial Park
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park
Turkey Point Provincial Park
Wheatley Provincial Park
White Lake Provincial Park