Rabbit Blanket Lake Campground

During our recent stay at the Agawa Bay Campground in Lake Superior Park, we ran into a problem: A boil water advisory for all the water sources in the campsite.

Augh.

Not wanting to deal with the fallout from filling a tank with needs-to-be-boiled water, we considered hitting up the Rabbit Blanket Lake Campground on the way out of the campground.

Of course, that’s 56 km up the Trans Canada Highway - closer to the town of Wawa, than it is to Agawa Bay.

So, we decided to do a scouting mission, and made a whole day of it - hiking at Sand River Falls on the way, stopping by Old Woman Bay to stretch our legs (well, Porter ended up doing the Nokomis Hiking Trail...), and even went up to Wawa to check out Scenic High Falls.

Not really the easy day of rest we’d had planned, but hey - we had fun!

Anyway, efficiency is my THING, so we also scoped out the campground with an eye to future camping trips. It’s always fun to pick out a wish list of campsites to aim for, IMHO,

Also, it’s always good to know if a campground is just NOT suitable for your needs.

That ended up to not be the case for us - we’d just been staying at Agawa Bay out of convenience, to keep the drive in a bit shorter than it would be for staying at Rabbit Blanket campground.

Now that we’ve had a good look at the campground, we’re looking forward to our first time actually camping there.

It’s a tiny campground, located on an interior lake. There’s not a ton going on there, but it seems really peaceful.

Also? Some of the campsites are SUPER cute - more on that in a minute.

Anyway, let us tell you all about our observations...

The Basics:

Campground Name: Rabbit Blanket Lake Campground - Lake Superior Provincial Park
Address: PO Box 267 Wawa, ON P0S 1K0
Website: https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/lakesuperior
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:: May 17, 2024 to October 27, 2024

Logistics

Some information to help you plan your trip to Rabbit Blanket Lake Campground:

Registration and Check In

Much like Agawa Bay, the gatehouse at Rabbit Blanket Lake was closed down, with signage directing visitors to the Agawa Bay Campground to sign in.

Man, I really, REALLY hope that was well communicated to campers. I can’t imagine pulling up to a campground at the end of a road trip, only to find that we had to drive ~45 minutes away to actually sign in!

Maps and Signage

In terms of the printed map, the Rabbit Blanket map is the same as the Agawa Bay one - 2 double sided, black and white photocopied sheets. The two campgrounds share one side, a park overview map takes up another, and the remaining two sides are dedicated to trail information and park offenses/fines.

If you prefer maps to be in colour, there’s a PDF online - Rabbit Blanket Campground Map.

Services

The Trailer Sanitation Station is kind of... awkward.

It’s set up to be accessed on the way out, but backwards - services on the passenger side. If you need it on the way in, you have to either go in the wrong way for driver's side service, or do a U turn around the gatehouse.

Assuming you’re coming at it from the direction of the campground, it’s just a pull-off section on the side of the campground road, rather than a separate loop.

The two platforms - a dump platform, then the fill station - are just on the side of the road - so on the passenger side of your vehicle.

Anyway, the garbage / recycling area is right near the first platform.

Connectivity

We had decent internet through the whole campground. Not amazing, not super fast - we had better reception in Agawa - but certainly enough to check the weather forecast, etc.

Accessibility

The comfort station is marked as being barrier-free, and actually does have a wheelchair accessible path up to it. (It’s shocking how often that is NOT the case!).

Aside from that, it’s not a super accessible campground: rough roads, no real wheelchair access to the beach, the trails to the vault toilets are narrow, and none of those are barrier-free (so far as we could see, anyway), anyway.

Pets

Dogs aren’t allowed on the Rabbit Blanket Lake beach, but beyond that, I didn’t see any information about them at all.

I’m assuming it’s the same as almost every other Ontario Provincial Park campground - keep them leashed at all times, don’t let them harass other people or animals, and pick up after them.

Beyond that, there IS a dog beach at Old Woman Bay, nearby. When you pass the entrance loop, turn right and go to the end of that parking area / road.

Parking

There is not a lot of extra parking at Rabbit Blanket Lake campground - some parking at the boat launch and the comfort station, and that’s about it.

There aren’t any marked overflow parking spots for campers, there aren’t even parking areas for the two trail access points in the campground.

Miscellaneous

While there’s not a lot of overhead light pollution at Rabbit Blanket Lake, it is a LOT closer to Wawa than the Agawa Bay campground.

There’s also no great view to the north there, so it’s not really a good spot for Aurora Borealis hunting.

That said, it’ll work fine for star gazing, if you get out near the boat launch or beach area, out from the forest cover of the campground.

Campground Amenities & Info

Here’s some basic information on the amenities at Rabbit Blanket Lake Campground:

Creature Comforts

There is a single comfort station - near the middle of the campground - with flush toilets, laundry facilities, and showers.

Beyond that, there are several vault toilets throughout both campground loops. Each of these is set back from the campground road, on little trails.

Some branches of the trails go between the roads and the outhouses, and others go from the vault toilet to the surrounding campsites.

Be careful where you go - especially in the dark - because I could see it being fairly easy to end up in someone else’s campsite.

Park Store & Visitor Centre

See my post on the Agawa Bay Campground for information on the Lake Superior Provincial Park visitor center - that’s where it’s located!

Day Use Area

There’s a small beach with a picnic table at Rabbit Blanket Lake, but that’s about it in terms of a day-use area.

You’re FAR better off going to Old Woman Bay if you’re looking for a picnic spot, or to take a swim.

Campsite Details

The Rabbit Blanket Campground is a small campground - about 60 sites - each with a picnic table and a fire pit.

About half of the campsites have electrical service - these are all located on the first loop of the campground, closest to the gate.

There are some REALLY cute campsites in the second, non-electrical campsite loop, though, especially on the last stretch of it, approaching the comfort station area.

Vaulted platforms of land, landscaped steps up to the camping area, etc. Almost enough to make me want to tent camp.

Almost. LOL!

Entertainment and Activity

Some information about the recreational opportunities in and around the Rabbit Blanket Campground:

Hiking

I covered info on all of the trails - and our reviews / photos of the hikes we’ve done - in my Agawa Bay Campground review.

Spoilers:

Agawa Rock Pictographs Trail is short but hardcore, and AMAZING.

Sand Lake / Pinguisibi Trail may just be my favourite hike of all time.

Nokomis Trail is rated as one of the top 5 hikes in Canada, and Porter *loved* it. It’s located nearby - across the highway from Old Woman Bay.

The very idea of Coastal Trail is absolutely incomprehensible to me. 65 km of hardcore trail - I bet it’s gorgeous, though.

Beyond those, a bit of campground specific info: There are two access points for the Peat Mountain Trail in the Rabbit Blanket Lake Campground... and neither one have any parking spots at the trailhead.

You may need to park at the comfort station and walk half the length of the campground.

Biking

There aren’t any designated biking trails in the campground, but you could probably bike on the campground roads. It’s definitely a quiet, low-traffic campground.

Swimming

As mentioned, there’s a small beach at the Rabbit Blanket Lake Campground. It’s rocky and kind of marshy - not really what I’d consider a swimming destination.

Probably great for launching canoes - and there were a couple kayaks off to the side in the marshy area.

Anyway, definitely check out Old Woman Bay . It’s about a 1 km beach (I have no idea where anyone is getting 3 km from!), and just gorgeous.

There are several different sections of sand, from straight up gravel (out to the left), to coarse sand, to fine sand.

The water is crystal clear, and there’s really no comparison to the campground beach.

Katherine Cove is another great option for swimming, but it’s further away.

Birding, Wildlife, and Nature

So, a sign at the boat launch mentioned Great Blue Heron, Osprey, Otter, Moose, and nesting waterfowl - including loons and ducks.

We saw some ducks... that’s it.

Up the road at Old Woman Bay, though, we encountered a bunch of birds: American Pipit, Cedar Waxwing, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-Breasted Nuthatch, White-Throated Sparrow, White-Winged Crossbill.

The Trapper’s Trail is also a great place for bird watching.

Boating & Fishing

Located on an inland lake, Rabbit Blanket Lake is one in a chain of lakes on at least one of the canoe routes in Lake Superior Provincial Park

A sign at the boat launch mentioned being 3 portages away from some of the best Brook Trout fishing in the park.

Surf Lake is 5km away by canoe, and the signage recommends allowing 5-6 hours to do so. It also warns of portages and landings with steep grades, slippery areas, and uneven terrain.

Beyond that, there are a ton of canoeing and kayaking opportunities throughout the park.

There’s a boat launch on Sinclair Cove, which is a GORGEOUS area.

Mijinemungshing Lake is the largest inland lake in the park, and a popular destination for canoeing, fishing, and backcountry camping.

Discovery Program

Each of the times we visited, it was in the shoulder season - and the Lake Superior Provincial Park Discovery Program seems to only run in July and August.

There weren’t any posters or old schedules remaining up on any of the notice boards, so I couldn’t tell you what was offered.

At the very least, I know they do some programming out of the Agawa Bay Visitor Centre, and have guides at the Pictorgraphs trail in the summer, but that’s about it.

Niantic Games

There are two Pokestops / Ingress Portals / etc at Rabbit Blanket Lake Campground: At the gatehouse and at the boat launch.

Both areas had decent cellular reception for us during our visits.

Final Thoughts

So, I’m 50/50 on this campground.

I love that it’s small and peaceful, and some of the campsites are SUPER cute. Also love that it’s so close to Old Woman Bay, which is a bit of trek from Agawa Lake Campground.

On the other hand, the really cute sites are non-electric, on a rough road, and doesn’t even accommodate our equipment... so that’s like half the draw right there.

It also doesn’t have the view of Lake Superior, or any kind of view for Northern Lights potential.

So... it’ll be hard to choose this one over Agawa, which we already love. Not to say we won’t - it may make logistical sense in the future - but that’s where we’re at.

If you’re a tent camper and don’t need that north facing view... you could definitely do worse!

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!

Awenda Provincial Park
Balsam Lake Provincial Park
Bass Lake Provincial Park
Bon Echo Provincial Park
Canisbay Lake, Algonquin Provincial Park
Chutes Provincial Park
Driftwood Provincial Park
Earl Rowe Provincial Park
Emily Provincial Park
Inverhuron Provincial Park
Killbear Provincial Park
Long Point Provincial Park
MacGregor Point Provincial Park
MacLeod Provincial Park
Mara Provincial Park
McRae Point Provincial Park
Neys Provincial Park
Pinery Provincial Park
Point Farms Provincial Park
Port Burwell Provincial Park
Quetico Provincial Park
Rideau River Provincial Park
Rock Point Provincial Park
Rondeau Provincial Park
Sauble Falls Provincial Park
Selkirk Provincial Park
Sibbald Point Provincial Park
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
Turkey Point Provincial Park
Wheatley Provincial Park