Warsaw Caves Conservation Area is a small campground in central Ontario, known for its spelunking and hiking. Here's what you need to know!
It’s been a difficult one to get to, that’s a day-use only Provincial Park, and we didn’t see any other Provincial Park campgrounds near it.
About a month ago, I decided that we would make a point of adding a day of outdoor adventure at Petroglyphs to our summer, and I’d find a cute campground near by to enable that.
... and that’s how I found Warsaw Caves Conservation Area, in the Village of Warsaw (Township of Douro-Dummer).
Warsaw Caves was AMAZING!
The campsites were cute, and the caves area was spectacular - I could see it being fun for the entire family, and there were several families doing just that.
We had a fantastic time at the Conservation Area AND Petroglyphs, and even had a great day trip to Canada's Dinosaur Park during our stay.
Anyway, let us tell you all about it!
The Basics:
Campground Name: Warsaw Caves Conservation Area
Address: 289 Caves Road Warsaw, ON K0L 3A0
Website: Otonabee Conservation Authority
Price: Camping prices start at $32/night. See https://www.otonabeeconservation.com/conservation-areas/warsaw-caves-conservation-area/ for more details on user fees, bus parking fees, general admission, and refund rules. (An annual pass is available, if you’re looking to be a frequent visitor!)
Reservations: Let’s Camp - Warsaw Caves Conservation Area
Logistics
Some handy information for booking your stay at Warsaw Caves:
Registration and Check In
We booked online about a month ahead of time, and had no problem making our campsite reservation. Quick and easy booking process, no issues at all- Otonabee Conservation uses the Let's Camp campsite booking portal.
At the VERY last minute, we decided to add a day on the front end of our stay. I called in to see if that was even a possibility, as we wouldn’t be able to get in by the time the gatehouse closed for the night.
They were super chill about it, and told us we could just come in whenever, park in the spot, and pay for the night the next morning.
I went ahead and booked it online anyway -wanted to be sure we got the same spot, to avoid any annoyance later!
Check in was via a window, they had both our reservations and were able to check us in for both of them. This was a change from what we’re used to at Ontario Provincial Parks - when we’ve got separate reservations at a park, they make us come back the first day of each new site.
They use a paperless permit system in the park.
Maps and Signage
As we got in after the campground office was closed, the only map we had was a photo of one posted at the front. It’s a pretty simple and straightforward campground, so no real issues there.
That said, the signage in the park is really annoying. It’s just colour coded, with NO key as to which each colour meant.
We basically just drove around in the different directions, and still don’t have a ton of idea of what each colour was.
Some signage was pictorial- that was appreciated!
The signage on the trails was terrible. We got lost on the Lookout Trail - I’ll get into that in the hiking section. Also, on the Caves trail, the only thing marked is one entrance for each cave.
The description on the site mentions continuing along the trail after the last cave, but we couldn’t tell where the trail actually went. There are many, many paths worn into the area, we couldn’t figure out where the actual, intended trail went.
We usually rely on Pokemon Go for this kind of a situation, but unfortunately none of this campground - even the roads - were mapped in the game.
So, for future reference:
Green - Gatehouse
White - Caves / Beach / Hiking
Blue - Canoe Launch
Pink - Campsites 1-22
Yellow - Campsites 23-52
Orange - Group Camping / Comfort Station.
Also, the map was annoying in the sense that the information was really good for the most part, but then there were additional symbols without any explanation.
As an example, they have little yellow boxes with a white letter in each. K (Kettles), L (Scenic Lookout). F (Falls), and D (Disappearing River) are all both on the map and defined in the key.
... but then there’s also an “A” of the same symbol on the map, and I have no idea what that’s supposed to be - it’s not noted in the key. There are also numbers along the trails, without any note as to what they’re for. It’s not a distance thing, though.
Waste Services
You’ll definitely want to plan ahead, when it comes to your water and sewage needs.
The campsites are completely unserviced - no electrical, water, or sewer hookups in any of them - AND there’s no dump station.
There are at least a couple of taps with potable water, but those are just on the sides of campground roads - there’s no actual trailer fill station.
There is a decent sized garbage and recycling station, that’s about it for waste disposal.
Connectivity
We had really good internet all the way through the campground area, and out on the caves trail.
Accessibility
So. Definitely not a park for the mobility challenged.
They do say they have an accessible comfort station - it’s nowhere near the main camping area, though, so expect a drive.
The campsites themselves are pretty accessible for the most part. Flat, level, well-packed gravel. Some diverge from this, but that’ll be easy to note when booking.
Visiting the caves area - not even going into the caves - is definitely going to be difficult - and probably dangerous - for anyone with any kind of a mobility issue.
Unlike a lot of trails, I would NOT have been able to walk that area in a walking boot, or if I was needing a cane at the time. It’s very wonky ground, you have to climb rocks to get around, at points you’re stepping across deep crevices, etc.
My ankle tendons were definitely pissed off at me afterwards.
Between the main attraction being less than accessible, and there not being a whole lot in terms of accessible features - I’d recommend skipping this campground if mobility is an issue.
The walkway to the beach is not wheelchair accessible in the least, and was really bothersome to walk with a bad ankle tendon day. It’s really wonky, so if you’re in a boot or using a cane... it’s going to take some doing.
None of the trails are wheelchair accessible, and would be a challenge for anyone using any kind of mobility aid.
Pets
Dogs aren’t allowed on the beach, but generally seem welcome on the trails and throughout the rest of the campground, so far as we can tell.
They’re supposed to remain on leashes at all times, and definitely be picked up after.
Parking
For the most part, the campsites are HUGE - you shouldn’t have any problems parking an extra vehicle at your site. (Though you will have to pay extra for it).
I didn’t see anything in terms of overflow parking.
There’s a decent sized parking lot at the comfort station, a larger one at the boat launch, and a LARGE parking lot in the trailhead / beach area. All were pretty quiet during the first day of our stay. The beach and caves parking lot was A ZOO for the rest of the weekend.
Miscellaneous
Very low light pollution area, though the tree cover can get in the way of stargazing.
The boat launch faces roughly north, but the trees are pretty tall and not too far away, so it’ll be difficult to see any low-laying aurora activity. We saw some degree of aurora on 2 nights of our stay, but because it was a small storm - and low on the horizon - it wasn’t a great view.
Had it been a larger storm and visible higher, the boat launch would have been fantastic for viewing.
The beach had a great open area for sky watching in general, but north is WAY off to the left, down the river. Not a great sight line north.
On the subject of sky, if you’re depending on solar power - there’s no electricity in the park - know that pretty much none of the sites are going to get much in the way of sun.
Our site looked wide open on the booking site, and technically it is... but the trees are so tall, that we only got an hour or two of full sun as it passed directly over the opening. We didn’t have tree cover over the RV, but we were still in shade most of the time.
Campground Amenities & Info
Some basic information to help you plan your station.
Creature Comforts
There is a single comfort station for the entire campground, and it’s way off in the midst of the group campsites area.
Definitely a bit of a hike from the regular campsites.
Anyway, we didn’t go in, but the site says that it has a dish washing station, laundry room, showers, and washrooms.
Bottom: Washrooms at the Beach Parking Lot
For one, they’re not marked on one of the maps (they’re on the paper map though) - they’re just creepy little random shacks.
Secondly, they’re just not marked at all.
The first two we saw, we thought they were supply sheds or something - no signage at all to say they were an outhouse, and no doors facing the road.
Porter ended up getting out at one to walk around the back to see what it was. He had to kind of walk into a bush to get to the door, even though the building was wide open to the road. So weird!
Park Store
There is no park store at Warsaw Caves Conservation Area.
Visitor Centre
There is no Visitor Centre at Warsaw Caves Conservation Area.
Day Use Area
As mentioned in the accessibility section, the day use area is down a rough trail from the parking lot.
There’s a picnic shelter (You can book ahead, OR on a first-come-first-served basis), which was one of the more interesting picnic facilities we’ve seen. There was a stone structure in the middle, with two basic charcoal type grills on top!
Note: The use of alcohol is banned at the picnic area, beach, and everywhere that’s not your actual campsite.
Anyway, there’s not much in the way of recreational facilities, but there is a small beach next to the picnic shelter. It’s a heavy, dark, maybe clay-based sand.
Campsite Details
The campsites at Warsaw Caves Conservation Area are really cute, for the most part.
Yes, they’re completely unserviced - no water, electricity, or sewer hookups at any of them - and they’re not *great* in terms of privacy...
They are pretty far apart, so - even though you can see through the trees to the next site - it doesn’t feel like your neighbours are right up in your business.
The site across from ours was super cute - we thought it was a trail entrance at first! You have to walk up a rustic set of natural stairs to get to the site, which is up and back a bit from the road.
We have a 28' RV, and I was super disappointed to see that they didn’t have anything available for us.
Out of curiosity, I entered smaller and smaller lengths, just to see what the biggest option actually was.
At 25', I found the site we’d end up camping at. I have NO idea why it was rated for 25' and under - it’s 50' long! Also quite wide, with no obstructions. Getting in and out was easy, and we had *plenty* of room to spare!
Driving around, we definitely saw a bunch of sites that would fit larger RVs, with no problem.
This was a bit of a change from most of the campgrounds we’ve seen. Usually the group campsites have their own outhouses, and are NOWHERE NEAR the comfort stations.
In this case, the comfort station is no where near the regular campsites, but right in the middle of the group ones!
Share the Love!If you’ve cooked one of our camping recipes or used one of our tutorials, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you post it, be sure to tag us - @2NerdsInATruck on Instagram, and on TikTok, or post it our Facebook Page - so we can cheer you on! Also, be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of our nonsense. Well, the published nonsense, anyway! |
Entertainment and Activity
While the park is known for the limestone caverns its named after, there’s actually a decent range of recreational opportunities available in the park.
Here’s some info about the main options:
Spelunking
This is the first time we’ve had a spelunking section on a campground review!
The namesake limestone caves were the first thing we checked out, after getting set up at the campsite.
You access the caves via a very short trail from the day use parking lot. After less than 0.1 km, you’ll come to the open limestone plains, in a beautiful wooded setting.
Seriously, the photos don’t do it justice. The whole area was unlike anything we’d seen before!
The series of 7 different caves are all in fairly close proximity to each other - and some linked to one another. From the first cave entrance to the exit of the furthest cave is less than half a km.
Anyway, the cave formation happened over thousands of years, starting more than 12,000 years ago - at the end of the last ice age.
A giant glacier that covered Ontario began to melt, which ended up forming two prehistoric lakes - Lake Iroquois and Lake Algonquin.
Lake Iroquois would eventually become Lake Ontario, and Lake Algonquin would eventually recede further, to create the upper Great Lakes, as well as Lake Simcoe.
The acidic waters of the rivers that resulted from that melt dissolved limestone over thousands of years - it was interesting to read about the process. I’d never heard of isostatic rebound before!
This is part of why I love our camping adventures - I feel like we’re learning something new with every stop!
In addition to having a lot more information about the geological history of the caves, it also has detailed descriptions on each cave.
We found this really handy when out there - I’d read off directions down to Porter, when he was down in a cave. There’s nothing in the way signage down there, so it was good to know where he was going, and what lay ahead.
Porter did the caves alone, so I’ll let him tell you about it:
Porter:
“Getting into the caves was not as difficult as I figured it would be. You do need to be fairly flexible, and you’ll need to use your arms and hands to pull yourself up.
Your hands and clothes are going to get dirty, just as a heads up.
A head lamp is a must have - we bought one for this trip, and we’re glad we did! Because you’ll need both hands free to make your descent / ascent, you’re really not going to be able to hold a flashlight at the same time.
Not only were the rocks damp, but they were worn down smooth in many areas, from all the people having gone in and out. This meant the proper footwear is critical.
My running shoes were adequate, but my hiking boots would have been better.”
Marie:
HAD HE LISTENED TO ME and worn his hiking boots, he means!
As a note, you don’t need any special climbing equipment to explore the Warsaw Caves, beyond sturdy shoes or hiking boots.
Porter:
“The views are REALLY cool! It’s as if you had these flat boulders that were just tossed ... I want to relate it to Legos somehow. Like it was these cool piles of boulders at random angles.
There were silver coloured, shiny flecks in the stones, and they - along with the headlamps - just reminded me of those old timey movies where someone was discovering a silver mine, or whatever.
It just made me think about older references to precious metal mining. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t precious metal, but whatever.”
Marie:
All I can think of when he’s telling me about this, is “FLINTABBATEY FLONATIN!!!”.
As an American, that reference will be completely lost on him, so I’m not even going to say it. He can ask me when he edits this post later, and I’ll make him watch the NFB Vignette!
Porter
The silver effect was most pronounced when I was ascending... it was cave #1, I think ... And the light hit it. Stunning!
That one was really cool, to see this shaft of light and just climb up it. There are enough little ledges in the rock that it was totally safe to scale my way out.
Overall, just a really great experience.
Definitely wear non-restrictive clothing. I wouldn’t want to wear jeans. You probably could, but much better to have something you can move in.
I’m really glad I was alone down there - it could get pretty gross if there was a group!
Hiking
There are something like 15 km of trails at Warsaw Caves Conservation Area, though - as we experienced - those numbers can go WAY up, if you get lost!
Here’s some information about our hiking experiences at Warsaw Caves:
Caves Trail
The Caves Trail is, in reality, less of an actual trail, and more of an area.
There’s a short trail - about 0.1 km - that takes you to the start of the caves, and there’s a somewhat “main” trail that goes through the area between the first few caves... and then it just gets feral.
So, you’ll see a sign for whatever cave you’re aiming at, and just have to navigate your way there, taking into account your mobility level, agility, flexibility, and risk assessment.
When I was having a good tendon day, this was GREAT fun! I love walking on rocks, and this was definitely in my top 2-3 hiking trails, even if it was short. It was basically a playground to me!
Supposedly the “trail” was supposed to continue on to a pond-like section of the river, but we had no idea which of the dozens of well worn paths was the actual trail, and there was no signage to indicate as much.
So, we just played on the rocks some more!
Lookout Trail
On the second day, we tried to cram a quick hike in, before heading to Petroglyphs. In THEORY, we should have had time for the Lookout Trail.
So we get on the trail, it’s a bit challenging for the first bit, but at least it’s straightforward.
Lots of great scenery in a short amount of time.
Well packed - but treacherous- trails in multiple directions, no signage at all, NO idea where we were going.
We Got LOST!
We consulted Pokemon Go, which was not a help. We looked at Google Maps and AllTrails, and we were confused because both showed us being WAY off the trail.
More than could have been GPS drift, and besides - we had really great reception, even way out there.
Eventually we decided to aim in the general direction of where AllTrails said we should be, and we found a MUCH more reasonable trail.
Back On Track
This was the actual trail as marked on AllTrails and Google. Much wider, less in the way of obstacles, etc. We continued on, taking the (official and marked!) Offshoot trail to the Kettles.
We enjoyed the Kettles Area, which was a lot of fun to explore. I stayed up top, while Porter climbed down the rock face and walked around underneath.
He said it was really cool to be able to crawl up into one of the kettles to some degree, and that it was awesome to see how it was formed, how smooth it was worn down, etc.
... then we got lost again. Sort of.
We’d just followed a really well worn, wide trail the whole time!
This time, it was a lot easier to correct course, but at this point we were running late, and we were getting tired and crabby.
I was not a fan of the “stay on the trails” signage, when staying on what seemed to be obvious trails ended up NOT being the case.
Disappointment
Anyway, my legs were giving up after that earlier adventure (it was really difficult!), so Porter walked ahead to the scenic lookout... only to come back, disappointed.
He got to where the lookout was marked, found the “L” sign... but no real view of anything. He even went a fair amount further, just in case the sign was premature. Nope!
So, we headed back on what was clearly the main trail at that point, and kept an eye on AllTrails to ensure no more accidental deviations.
As we neared the point where we had diverged, we were looking forward to seeing WHAT had happened.
Mystery Solved
As we got to the divergence on the maps, it was clear what happened - and it was 100% not on us.
After the bridge - somewhere near the approach to the falls (we never found them) - there’s a point where a really narrow trail crossed the trail we came in on, at a right angle. Off to the right was a water view, off to the left was a more narrow trail than what we were on.
Straight ahead was a wide, well-used path, and there was no signage on the trail leading up to this point. Clearly, we just continued straight onto the “obvious” trail.
Well, had we looked down that less-worn trail to the left - and kind of ducked - we would have seen a trail marker off in the distance. It was definitely obscured, and nothing on the trail made us even think to look down there.
Bottom two is the ACTUAL trail, splitting off to the left.
The thing is... the real trail was not much of a problem. Going straight ahead on what looked to be the trail.. It was ROUGH. Like I’m talking a serious workout, kind of perilous feeling at points, but always on a path that looked legit.
Really odd.
I enjoyed it, but would have enjoyed it more without the anxiety that came from being lost.
Limestone Plains Trail
This trail can be either 4 or 7 km long, depending on which loop of it you take. Basically, the main trail is 7 km long - with an East entrance near the start of the camping area, and the west entrance by the comfort stations.
If you don’t want to do the whole 7 km, you can start at the east entrance and loop back on a cut-though that takes you back to the start of your hike.
Porter started out at that east entrance, which was a bit of forest to start.
Overall, it’s walking across large, flat boulders for a fair amount of the trail. As you get to the area that follows along Indian River, there are some views looking down a really steep forest into the Indian River gorge.
Not really *great* views, the trees obscure most of the view of the river itself... but nice enough.
Biking
We didn’t see anyone cycling during our trip, and none of the trails seem at all suitable for bikes.
The campground roads would probably be OK - packed gravel - but they’re pretty narrow, so you’d definitely need to watch out for traffic.
Swimming
There’s a small beach and swimming area near the picnic shelter, right on the Indian River.
It was ... underwhelming. The sand seemed clean enough, but it was that darker, maybe clay-filled sandy that *looked* dirty, and just didn’t feel great underfoot.
Anyway, if you’re interested in swimming there, Peterborough Public Health handles testing. You can check the Beach Testing Results before taking a dip.
Note: There is no lifeguard posted at this beach.
Birding, Wildlife, and Nature
SO MANY BLUE JAYS... and Black-Capped Chickadees.
We heard a few woodpeckers in our campsite and along the Lookout and Caves Trails, but didn’t see any. The conditions weren’t really great for photography, so we don’t have much to share.
Overall, we saw: American Crow, American Goldfinch, Belted Kingfisher, Black-and-White Warbler, Black-Capped Chickadee, Black-Throated Blue Warbler, Blue Jay, Common Grackle, Eastern Kingbird, Golden-Crowned Kinglet.
...and we heard: Bay-Breasted Warbler, Northern Flicker.
Boating
The Indian River Valley is a great place for beginner paddlers - it’s mostly flat water, with a really gently current, and great views along the length of the Indian River
You can bring your own canoe or kayak, or rent water craft from the park.
One word of caution: the park’s canoe launch was soft and wonky -definitely watch your step!
Fishing
Ontario residents - with a fishing license* - are able to fish for a variety of fish on Indian River, both on shore / from the canoe launch, and while out canoeing on the river itself.
Some of the fish you may find include Perch, Smallmouth Bass, and Sunfish.
* Aside from during Ontario Family Fishing Events, which are license-free days in the province.
Niantic Games
There are a small handful of Ingress Portals / Pokestops / Pokegyms in the park.
Not a ton, but enough to get your dailies in, if needed. The nice thing is that the cell reception in the park is really good!
Final Thoughts
Warsaw Caves Conservation Area is a REALLY cool campground and park.
We spend so much time in Provincial Parks - and there really seems to be a focus on them, in terms of Ontario Camping in general. It’s nice to get to some of these smaller, quieter, and lesser-known campgrounds.
It was SO peaceful and beautiful. Even if you take away the caving experience, it was just a really pretty, chill camping experience - especially for a holiday weekend.
Those CAVES, though - SO very cool!
I’m really glad that I wasn’t having a low mobility day when staying at this campground, because I would really have missed out.
Even though I didn’t elect to try to squeeze myself into those narrow cave openings, the area around the caves is gorgeous - but definitely not for the mobility impaired.
I’m still amazed we got to experience it in such solitude, given that we went on a long weekend!
We could definitely see staying here again in the future, weather depending. I’d say that it sucks that there aren’t any electrical sites, but I’m guessing that may have contributed to the peaceful experience!
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!
Bon Echo Provincial Park
Chutes Provincial Park
Conestogo Lake Conservation Area
Driftwood Provincial Park
Elora Gorge Conservation Area
Fifty Point Conservation Area
Killbear Provincial Park
Lake Superior Provincial Park
Long Point Provincial Park
MacLeod Provincial Park
Meaford Memorial Park
Neys Provincial Park
Port Burwell Provincial Park
Quetico Provincial Park
Rideau River Provincial Park
Selkirk Provincial Park
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
Turkey Point Provincial Park
Valens Lake Conservation Area
Thanks for Reading!If you loved this post - or have any questions about it - please leave a comment below! We'd also love it if you would consider sharing the link on social media! |
Leave a Reply