Rock Lake Campground

Next up in our “It’s rare that we’re in Algonquin when all the campgrounds are open, let’s do a big tour and see what they’re all about!” reviews: Rock Lake Campground.

Before our stay at Mew Lake Campground earlier this month, all I knew about Rock Lake Campground was that it was always closed during our stays, and that it - in theory - had a trailer sanitation station.

I feel like I spend an awful lot of time on these reviews, obsessing about the dump/fill situation at Algonquin Provincial Park.

Anyway, an oddly large part of my desire to check out Rock Lake was the opportunity to scope out the logistics with regards to trailer sanitation.

I’m so fun. LOL!

Anyway, what I wasn’t really aware of was just how far away this campground was from the highway.

It’s at the end of an 8km trek from Highway 60! That’s... a lot.

Pretty early on in our journey to the campground, we ruled it out as a possible Plan B to the main dump station in the park - too long of a drive, on too rough of a gravel road. Our ears were bothering us, just driving the car!

Good thing I wanted to see the campground in general - I’m all about the recon missions!

Anyway, we learned a lot during our visit - let me tell you all about this rustic campground

The Basics:

Campground Name: Rock Lake Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Address: Algonquin Highlands, ON K0J 2M0
Website: https://www.ontarioparks.ca/park/algonquin/rocklake
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 10, 2024 to October 20, 2024

Logistics

While we weren’t staying in Rock Lake Campground itself, we were camping in the same park at the time. Things like registration are pretty universal across the park.

Beyond that, here’s some more information that will come in handy for planning your stay:

Registration and Check In

We booked our stay on the Ontario Parks website, which was quick and easy as usual. It definitely seems easier / lower competition to get a place at Rock Lake Campground, than some of the others we were looking at / staying in.

Anyway, Algonquin Provincial Park has switched to the paperless permit system, so you’ll want to register your license plate(s) and names of those camping ahead of time.

This allows you to completely skip checking in, in person. We usually do it when we pay our reservation fee, just so we don’t have to remember to do so later.

Maps and Signage

The park map is included in the park newspaper publication, and it’s pretty straightforward - two small campground areas, each with a pretty simple layout.

We didn’t make note of much in the way of signage in the campground, but really... there was enough to get by, especially if you have the map on you. You’re not going to get lost in this campground.

Waste Services

Rock Lake is the only campground in Algonquin Park with its own trailer sanitation station.

It shares space with the over flow parking, which is a bit of a weird setup.

The Poop Loop is one lane - no bypass - with a single dump on left, then a single fill on right. The fill platform has a threaded hose, but it’s not long enough to reach the driver’s side, so you’ll want to bring a hose.

There was a boil water advisory in effect at the time of our visit, btw.

It’s always a good idea to check out the website just before your trip, to see what’s up in terms of current fire restrictions / fire bans , water issues, etc.

Anyway, the recycling and garbage cans are located beside the campground office.

This one actually accepts organics separately - plastic bags aren’t allowed in that bin, so be sure to bring something compostable if you’re looking to utilize it!

Connectivity

Our cell phone coverage was either spotty or completely nonexistent throughout the Rock Lake Campground at the time of our visit.

Accessibility

Rock Lake Campground is probably the most wheelchair accessible campground in the park, but it’s definitely got the feel of “an attempt was made”.

The larger beach had a MobiMat - and it actually went all the way to the water - but it was also really lumpy and went up over a hill.

There’s also no parking anywhere near that beach, aside from the actual campsites along that road.

There are two “barrier free” campsites, but they’re off in another area of that loop - so you’d have to either get dropped off at the beach, or wheel along some rough road.

The road was extra narrow, as people were parking pretty far into the road, hanging out from their campsites.

The comfort station is noted as being barrier-free, but you have to drive to get there - the accessible campsites are actually across from a barrier-free toilet, rather than a full comfort station.

Finally, there’s an all-terrain / beach wheelchair available to borrow, parked right at the beach.

Pets

There’s a small dog beach off the parking lot for the Booth’s Rock trail, at the far end of the campground.

There’s a steep - but short - trail to get down to it. It’s a small, narrow beach... but with clean, clear water for your furry friends, and a great view for you.

It’s not a leash-free area, btw. Dogs still have to be leashed at all times, and picked up after.

Parking

The parking situation was a bit weird.

I don’t know if the sites were really small (they were so cramped, I couldn’t really tell where one ended and the next began!), or if people just tended to have a lot in the way of extra cars, but it was pretty chaotic at the time of our visit.

As I mentioned in the accessibility section, cars were overflowing from the campsites into the road, throughout the whole Somogneche / Grand Chief campground.

There was overflow parking near the entrance to that section of the campground, and small parking areas at the office, poop loop, and boat launch.

No parking at all, at either of the beaches - which is definitely annoying.

Also, the map doesn’t show it, but there’s a parking lot by Booth’s Rock Trail head / the dog beach. As a further head scratcher, there’s no signage indicating a parking lot to be down that road.

In fact, there’s a bunch of signs along the road there, that say “no parking”. Clearly about parking on the road itself, but still - a bit confusing, in concert with the map not showing it!

Miscellaneous

As with most of Algonquin Provincial Park, Rock lake Campground is in an area of very low light pollution, so it’s great for stargazing - especially out on the beaches.

Both beaches are more or less east-facing, so would be great for sunrises.

Campground Amenities & Info

Here’s some basic information on the Rock Lake Campground amenities.

Creature Comforts

There’s a single comfort station to service both the Rock Lake AND Raccoon Lake Campgrounds. It’s located near the park office - down a road and across a bridge from the campgrounds.

This comfort station has flush toilets, laundry facilities, and showers.

Park Store

You’ll definitely want to pack everything you’ll need, as the Rock Lake Campground is pretty far from a camp store.

It’s 8 km up the road just to get to the highway, then either another 8-9 km west to the Lake of Two Rivers store, or another ~5km East to Opeongo road, and a few km up that way to get to the Lake Opeongo Store.

You can get rental canoes delivered right to the boat launch area, though - arrange it through local outfitter companies.

Visitor Centre

There are 3 areas that serve the function of a Visitor Centre, all along Highway 60.

The actual Visitor Center is about 3 km east of Rock Lake Road.

Not only is this a nice building with museum quality exhibits, and a couple outlooks over the land behind it, it’s also the best place to go if you need cell phone signal AND the parking lot is great for birding.

The Logging Museum is probably another 10 km further east from there. Home to a bunch of outdoor exhibits on the history of logging in the area, it’s also one of only two easy / wheelchair accessible trails in the whole park.

(See my Canisbay Lake Campground Review for more details and photos of both those areas!).

Finally - heading west along the highway - there’s an Art Centre at km 20. We haven’t been able to check it out yet, though we look forward to doing so next summer.

Day Use Area

The beach in the Grand Chief campground is probably the closest thing to a picnic area in the Rock Lake Campground.

I don’t remember if we saw any actual picnic tables or not, but there’s a beach and a bit of a grassy area you can stretch out on, if desired.

If you’re looking for more formal picnic facilities, there’s a single picnic shelter in all of Algonquin Park - it’s at the East Beach area. (About 5 km west on the highway).

Campsite Details

So, let’s talk campsites. There are two sections, with very different feels.

The one big thing the two campground have in common: Those with RVs, trailers, 5th wheels over 18 feet long are probably out of luck. There are a small handful of sites that go up to 25 ft, but that’s about it.

Other than that, all the sites have a fire ring and picnic table, per usual.

Rock Lake Campground A is the larger of the two, and the first you’ll come to when entering the campground. It’s also almost all electric sites - 15/30 amp service - and are more “RV sites”, than section B is.

This campground is VERY cramped, with no privacy, and had sort of a “trailer park” vibe. Hopefully quiet hours are observed, I bet it’s a ZOO in the evenings.

In terms of water access, sites 49-56 face the beach, and 61 seems to have a tiny, somewhat private beach.

Rock Lake Campground B is down a bit of a road from this campground, with the entrance just before the Booth’s Rock Trail parking lot.

This is a smaller campground section, all non-electric, and about half the campsites are waterfront campsites. There’s a little more privacy here, but really not much.

Still pretty crammed together, but less of the trailer park vibe.

Some of these sites have really gorgeous views - I almost wish we were tent campers!

Entertainment and Activity

Rock Lake Campground is be pretty far from most of the main nature trails - and other outdoor recreation opportunities - in Algonquin.

That said, there are a couple nearby trails and other activities you can participate in, without even leaving the campground:

Here are some details:

Hiking

There are two trails with access points near the campground. These are:

Centennial Ridges Trail, 10 km, Difficult. The main trailhead and parking for this trail is up on the highway, but there’s an access trail from the Raccoon Lake Campground that gets up to the main hiking loop.

This one takes you along two ridges, and is known to have some fantastic views.

Booth’s Rock Trail, 5.1 km, moderate. This one is accessed via a parking lot near the Rock Lake Dog Beach. It takes you along an abandoned railway, to see two lakes and a lookout.

At the time of our visit - and continuing a couple weeks later- A portion of this trail was closed. At the time of publishing, the whole trail is closed - and the parking lot inaccessible - on account of a bridge replacement.

Biking

For those who want to extend their outdoor experience *out* of Rock Lake Campground - but without driving 10+ km - there’s the Old Railway Bike Trail.

As the name suggests, this is a former rail bed, which means a nice wide, mostly flat trail to bike on.

Rock Lake Campground is one endpoint of the 16+ km long trail, which crosses over to the far side of whitefish lake before continuing all the way past Pog Lake and Lake of Two Rivers, to get to Mew Lake Campground.

A trail extension allows you to bike up to the Track and Tower trail, from there.

Swimming

Aside from the dog beach, Rock Lake campground has two beaches.

The main swimming beach is located at the larger (A Section) campground. It’s a relatively large sandy beach, with a Mobi-Mat.

There’s also a small - and quite narrow - sand beach at the B Section campground. Dogs aren’t allowed on either beach.

At the time of our visit, both beaches seemed to be more popular as canoe launches, than for swimming in.

Birding, Wildlife, and Nature

While Algonquin Provincial Park is well known for the birding opportunities - people coming from around the world to see Algonquin birds! - we didn’t have much luck during our time at Rock Lake Campground.

There were a few Blue Jays and some Common Grackles - that was about it.

The Visitor Centre and Spruce Bog Boardwalk Trail aren’t *that* far - once you get to the highway, anyway - and those are two of our favourite areas for birding in the park.

The parking lot at the Visitor Centre is especially popular with the birds... summer AND winter!

Boating

Rock Lake Campground is a good gateway to a string of lakes in Algonquin Park, with a few caveats.

The main lake access point is at the boat launch, which is a really nice one - aside from the actual boat launch itself, there’s a boardwalk style “dock” that goes along the whole waterfront in the boat launch area.

While the campground itself doesn’t offer rentals, you can arrange boat rental through local outfitters - we saw a whole trailer of canoes getting delivered during our visit.

The boat launch has a decent sized parking lot, but it’s also very popular. It was CRAMMED on the day of our visit, to the point that I’m surprised the rental gear was able to get through!

While you can use motor boats on Rock Lake, you’re limited to 20 hp or under - and you’ll definitely want to look into the restrictions on neighbouring lakes, if you’re looking to venture beyond Rock Lake itself.

If you’re canoeing or kayaking, though, you can paddle to your heart’s content - the chain of waterways goes pretty far, even before you add in opportunities that involve portages.

Fishing

There are almost endless opportunities to go fishing in Algonquin Provincial Park, but you’ll definitely want to do some planning, if you’re looking for good results.

By and large, the main lakes attached to campgrounds - including Rock Lake - are considered to be grossly overfished, and seem to be generally avoided by serious anglers.

That said, there are well over 200 lakes to fish on in Algonquin, with a mix of Brook Trout and Lake trout. Some of the lakes along the highway are stocked with Splake.

Generally speaking, the more remote you’re willing / able to go, the better the fishing will likely be.

Discovery Program

During the summer months, Algonquin Park hosts a fairly busy schedule of special events, environmental education programming, wildlife demonstrations, guided hikes, etc.

None of the programming tends to happen near the Rock Lake Campground, though. During our stay, most of the programming was held at the Outdoor Theatre (East Beach), with some other programs held at the Visitor Centre and on the Mizzy Lake Trail.

The weekly schedules are posted throughout the park on information boards throughout the park. You can usually find these at or near campground offices and comfort stations.

Niantic Games

There’s one Niantic Portal / Pokestop/ Gym / etc at the Park Office, another at the Booth’s Rock parking lot, and two more on that trail.

That said, you may not have enough connection to get any of them to actually load - I had to go to the Ingress Intel site just to see if anything was there!

Your best bet for game play is to head to the Visitor Centre parking lot. Good reception, plenty of spawns / energy, and several portals/stops/gyms.

Final Thoughts

I hate to do this - because the campground definitely has some good things going for it - but we’ve panned this, for our own camping needs.

A lot of it simply comes down to the distance from the main highway. You’re looking at a 16km round trip just to that point, never mind the highway distance to get to anything else.

Given that some of the trails are 20-30 more km up the highway, it’s prohibitive.

If you’re someone who likes to mostly hang out at your own campground - or on a small beach, it’ll probably be perfect for you. I could see it being a nice campground for families with young children, especially.

Part of it comes down to the campground itself, though. The section with electrical hookups is way too cramped and noisy for us. The non-electric section is a bit nicer / more quiet / etc... but I can’t handle summer camping without electricity.

If this campground were open longer into the fall season, though, I’d totally be up for booking a couple days at one of the waterfront campsites there!

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!

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

Interested in seeing our other Provincial Park reviews? We've got a huge - and ever-growing! - list of them here: 2 Nerds in a Truck Campground Reviews