Killbear Provincial Park is one of our favourite Ontario Parks, & and they've started offering winter camping! Here's our review & guide.
We’d just stayed at Algonquin Provincial Park and Arrowhead Provincial Park, and figured we’d make the short drive to see what it was like at Killbear Park.
It was such an unpleasant experience, we didn’t even write a review on it. We LOVED the park for summer and fall camping, we were shocked at how this experience was pretty much the opposite.
It started off before we even got there, learning - en route - that their sanitation station was closed for the winter. There had been no indication of this fact on the site or while booking, and it left us scrambling after the beginning of our trip. Also: it added a HUGE cost - more on that in a bit.
I was going through a bad time with my tendons, so we booked the barrier-free site... which was an ordeal itself. In general, the park just seemed really poorly maintained, with little to no information, and it really soured us.
Also, our “barrier-free” site situation was dangerous enough that we cancelled the rest of the trip and went home after the first night.
So, we decided to chalk up the issues we’d had last winter as being them working the kinks out, and give it another chance this season.
It’s a fantastic park for outdoor enthusiasts in general, so we were excited to see what it could be like with another year of experience under their belts.
One thing is for sure ... it’s a gorgeous park. As a spoiler, they still seem to be finding their groove when it comes to winter operations, but the views are still spectacular.
Just, you know, you’re really going to have to work to see them!
Before we tell you all about it, a bit of a heads up:
Weather is DEFINITELY something to keep in mind when camping in cold temperatures, but when it comes to Killbear, you’ll definitely want to keep your drive in mind as well.
It’s a WINDY lake, and - if you’re coming from the Toronto Area - you’ll have to drive through an area that seems pretty prone to snow squalls.
After narrowly missing a snow disaster on our most recent trip to Mew Lake, I was watching weather reports like a hawk!
The day we were headed to the park, there was no snow at all in the forecast, for anywhere along the trip. I meticulously checked forecasts all along the route, it was supposed to be clear sailing.
NOPE. We drove through a band of HEAVY snow, and snow squall warnings. We crawled along the highway like everyone else, came out ok, but it was definitely stressful for about an hour.
The park notes that “Streamers” - lake effect snow with heavy winds blowing - can dump a lot of snow in a short amount of time. You definitely the run risk of getting snowed in, so bringing a few extra days of supplies is a good idea.
Anyway, let’s get to our Killbear Provincial Park winter camping review!
The Basics:
Campground Name: Killbear Provincial Park
Address: 35 Eddie Ramsay Parkway Nobel, ON P0G 1G0
Website: https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/killbear
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: Natural Environment
Winter Season: January 3, 2025 to March 17, 2025
Logistics
Some basic information to help you plan your winter season camping trip to Killbear Provincial Park.
Registration and Check In
As always, we booked our camping spot online, and had no problems doing so.
We did get a bit chaotic with it - tacking a single night on at the beginning of a trip to Arrowhead & Algonquin. Because none of them have their dump stations open, with have to *budget* our stay, with regards to the tank.
Then the weather forecast for Algonquin got bad, so we cancelled that at the last minute, and added an extra day to Killbear, starting the trip a day early.
There aren’t a TON of sites available in the first place - and we had to book two separate sites for our 2 night stay - but even booking a day or two ahead, we made it happen.
So, if you pre-register online, you don’t NEED to go into the park office when you get to the park.
That said, they do have a completely different park map for the winter months, so you’ll probably want to grab one of those. Also, there’s a cute little fire outside, if you need to warm up :).
The check in process was fast and friendly, as always.
Maps and Signage
Some basic information on getting around the park:
Park Map
They have two maps available for the winter months.
The first is the newspaper format one that they have available year-round. Honestly - aside from some general park info - not a lot of it really applies in the off season. It’s VERY much published with summer camping in mind.
The second is a single page 8.5 x 11" colour copy map of the winter park layout.
They get points for it being colour - it’s weird when the parks give you a black and white copy of a map that involves colour-coded elements - but the resolution/sharpness isn’t great.
It can be hard to make out some of the colour coding, some of the colours are muddy, and others just don’t seem to be represented in the key at all. (Which is printed over the blue of Georgian Bay, so pretty low contrast as a result).
I recommend downloading the PDF of the Killbear Winter Trails Map map on their website.
The colours are a bit more distinct on a screen, the resolution is better, and it seems to be a bit more up-to-date than the print version.
Signage
The road signage throughout (what’s open of) the park is very much geared toward summer camping, we didn’t see any that specifically point to winter activity areas, as MacGregor Provincial Park does.
For the *most part*, the signs are generally well placed, easy to read, and informative.
When we entered the park on this trip, we accidentally drove past the turnoff to the park office, as it wasn’t marked at all.
Anyway, unlike in the summer - when you really do well to have a driver AND a navigator with a map to get around the campground areas - so much of the park is closed off during the winter, that getting around is pretty straightforward.
Water & Waste Services
The road to the Trailer Sanitation Station is completely blocked off during the winter months, so it’s a good idea to not only bring your own water, but to make a plan for dumping your tank.
As I mentioned earlier, the 3 big parks in the general area that offer winter camping - Killbear, Arrowhead, and Algonquin - all close their dump platforms for the season.
While all of them offer some sort of solution for the water - Comfort Station taps for Killbear and Algonquin, a single winterized outdoor fill platform in Arrowhead - there really aren’t any good options in the area when it comes to dumping.
Last year, we found ourselves frantically calling around to try and find a place to deal with it, when we were surprised by the Killbear situation (which wasn’t mentioned on the site), as we were leaving for Killbear after several days at Arrowhead.
The best option we found involved paying a couple hundred bucks for a guy to bring his sewage truck to meet us in a community centre parking lot.
Anyway, in terms of water, you can fill up jugs with potable water at the comfort station.
There’s basically like a kitchen sink setup. If you use a 5 gallon jug for filling your tank when there’s no fill platform, you might have a difficult time.
In terms of other waste, there’s a large garbage and recycling set up just outside of the campground area, on your way out.
Easy driving distance, but far enough that I wouldn’t want to be walking to haul garbage that far in the cold.
Snow Removal, Etc
The main roads - and main campground road - were plowed VERY well during both our trips, though there were definitely areas that could have used some sand.
Especially in the campground, there were some hilly areas that we were barely able to get up while in our car. Wouldn’t be a problem for those with 4WD or driving the RV, though.
In terms of the campsites, it was really hit or miss.
On our stay last year, the campsite was NOT plowed, and we had to walk through snowbanks to get between the RV and our car.
Our first campsite this trip was REALLY well plowed - almost excessively so, but I’m not complaining.
The second campsite was barely plowed out at all - just a narrow strip, barely wide enough for the RV.
Though the site was supposed to be big enough for a 32 foot trailer - much bigger than we needed - it wasn’t plowed wide or deep enough for our car. We ended up breaking our little emergency shovel trying to dig out enough space for the car, then ended up not having enough room for it anyway.
Bottom: The second
Anyway, some other sites were half snowed in, others had big areas and little offshoots cleared.
The comfort station and the couple vault toilets in the campground area were all really well cleared, though, as were all of the parking lots.
Connectivity
As with all of our previous trips to Killbear Provincial Park, our winter camping trips had mostly really good reception.
The connection in the winter Beaver Dams campground was great, and we had decent coverage pretty much everywhere else in the park.
As usual, I lost reception for a minute or two in a couple places along the main road, and that’s about it.
We’re on Rogers Wireless, and we had no problem streaming some TV at the end of a long day of driving and adventuring.
Accessibility
So, I’m coming to the conclusion that winter camping is just generally not going to be very accessible. Let me break down the Killbear winter camping accessibility:
The Good
The comfort station and barrier free vault toilet in the campground are both well maintained, plowed, and ACTUALLY accessible.
The barrier free washroom was in great shape - probably one of the best we’ve seen in provincial parks. (We’ve seen too many that were in horrible shape and/or just completely out of service, though, so that bar isn’t super high).
The Bad
There’s really just not much you can do if you’ve got impaired mobility and are camping at Killbear Provincial Park in the winter.
While the Visitor Centre is barrier-free, it’s closed during the winter.
The walking trails that are easy or moderate are all cut off from the road, such that you need to walk several kms to get to them.
The loops of campground road that go near Sunset Rock are barricaded off in the winter, so it’s a pretty significant hike - down a hill and over rough snow/ice conditions - if you want to get anywhere near it.
Also - sorry to rant about the maps again - but I would also say that the print map situation is definitely an accessibility for anyone with a vision impairment.
Seriously, half the problem would be solved by having the key in a white box, rather than over a blue background.
The Ugly
Last winter, we visited during a crippling tendon flare for me, so we booked the barrier free site across from the comfort station.
The site hadn’t been plowed recently, and I had a really hard time getting from the RV to the car.
It was also really icy to get down the bit of an embankment the site was on, to get down to the road / comfort station.
I think it’s the only time I’ve felt really unsafe at a Provincial Park campground... we ended up cancelling the rest of that trip after the first day.
Pets
The two pet areas - an off-leash area in the group camping section, and an on-leash area in the day use area - are both completely blocked off during the winter season.
Dogs aren’t allowed on any of the designated ski trails (whether groomed or not), but are allowed on the walking/snowshoeing trails. See the activities section, below, for more information on those trails.
As always, dog are required to be leashed and supervised at all times, picked up after, and prevented from harassing other campers / wildlife.
Parking
There doesn’t seem to be any overflow parking available for the section of campground that’s open - and there’s a limit of 2 vehicles per site - so plan accordingly.
Beyond that, there are 3 parking areas open during the winter. These are the parking lot at the Killbear Park Office, the lot at Lookout Point Trail, and the big lot at the Discovery Centre.
While the park hasn’t seemed particularly busy during either of our winter camping trips, there does seem to be a TON of parking capacity at these spots.
As a note: The main park road is gated off just past the road to the Discovery Centre, so that’s where you’d park to access anything beyond that point (Granite Saddle Ski Trail, Lighthouse Point walking trail, etc).
Miscellaneous
The shoreline near the winter campground faces south, and is a great spot for both sunrises and sunsets. Sunset rock is famous for this, and it’s where you’ll find the famous Killbear Tree.
This is the “Windswept Tree” that has the designation of being the most photographed tree in Ontario - and possibly all of Canada.
It’s also probably the best option for star gazing and astrophotography during the winter months.
There’s very little light pollution there, and this is a VERY dark park at night - even in the summer months - so if you can stand the cold, you can get some good photos.
Also - even though it’s south facing - you can get a good Northern Lights show there, if the conditions are strong enough.
We happened to be camping at Killbear during the big October 10th Aurora Borealis. THAT was a wild show - north, south, overhead, all around.
We got some great photos at Sunset Rock - all of the aurora photos I’ve shared in this post are from that night, and that spot.
There are other great places to view them at Killbear, you just can’t really access them in the winter months.
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.
That's SUNSET off to the left!
Campground Amenities & Info
The amenities situation at Killbear Provincial Park looks VERY different in the winter months, so here’s what you need to know:
Creature Comforts
Only one of the comfort stations is open year-round - the one in Beaver Dams Campground.
Only one short road of this campground is available for winter camping, though, so it’s pretty close to pretty much every winter campsite.
Anyway, it’s a heated comfort station that is designated a barrier-free comfort station, and has flush toilets, hot showers, and laundry facilities.
Well, in theory anyway. "No hot water? Please run water for 5 to 10 minutes to allow sufficient time for the hot water to work is way through the pipes" was posted on the doors.
Imagine sitting in a shower stall for 10 minutes waiting for hot water!
Anyway, in terms of other washroom facilities, there’s also a couple sets of vault toilets on either end of the campground.
The one as you’re entering the campground is a set of two gender-specific vault toilets (note: the women’s has a step down), and the one as you’re exiting the campground area is a set of two gender neutral, barrier free washroom stalls.
There are also washrooms in the park office building for day users to use.
Park Store
The Nature Shoppe at the Discovery Centre is closed during the winter months.
You can buy a few basic souvenirs - and firewood - at the front office, but that’s about it. Bring what you need with you!
Visitor Centre
The Discovery Centre is fairly large visitor centre located deep within the park, with 1000 square metres of exhibit space.
It’s fantastic... but during the winter, it’s only open during the Family Day weekend (Mid February) and during March Break.
There are a few exhibits in the front office building, but that’s more of a “check them out if you’re already going in there” kind of thing.
EV Charging Station
Killbear Provincial park has a single charging station for electric vehicles in Beaver Dam campground.
It’s a FLO model, level 2 charger, and all vehicles can use it. You can find it right next to the comfort station.
Day Use Area
The named Day Use Area is blocked off during the winter months, but you can access it via a 1.4 km long walking/snowshoe trail. (The ungroomed road).
The ski trails are basically the winter “Day Use Area”.
As with the summer, all visitors need to either have a campsite or day use permit. These can be booked online, or purchased on the spot at the campground office.
Those with a Provincial Parks pass still need to reserve a (free) pass and register their license plate with the park for their visit, though.
Rentals
Killbear Provincial Park doesn’t offer any sort of rental items, but recommends going to Georgian Nordic Activity Centre (35 km away) for ski, snowshoe and fat bike equipment rentals, or White Squall Outdoor Store (34 km away) for snowshoe rentals.
Campsite Details
Bad news for you glampers and backcountry campers: at Killbear Provincial Park, car camping is your only option when it comes to winter camping.
Unlike some other parks, there are no roofed accommodations (camp cabins or winter yurt camping) or backcountry sites.
There are up to 32 campsites - along one section of road in the Beaver Dams campground - available to book in the winter, and apparently the availability varies during the winter camping season.
They’re all electrical sites, as all of the non-electrical sites in the park are behind barricades.
The usual fire pit and picnic table set up applies in winter, though the picnic tables aren’t shoveled out, and may be toppled over / upended in a snow bank.
All of the sites have easy access to the comfort station. Beyond that... not much to say, that we haven’t covered earlier!
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Entertainment and Activity
There are a few different winter activities that you can take part in at Killbear Provincial Park.
As always, you’ll want to check the Ontario Parks Snow Report page for updated information on winter conditions.
Anyway, some details on the options:
Hiking & Snowshoeing
Pretty much all of the winter hiking trails at Killbear double as snowshoeing trails, so let’s cover them together.
2 of the named hiking trails from summertime camping are considered mixed use trails for hiking and snowshoeing. These are:
Twin Points Trail
This is a 1.5 km loop in the day use area, that takes you through a forest, up over some rock formations, and along Georgian Bay.
A pretty hike when we’ve done it in the summer and fall.
The thing is, you’ll need to add 2.8 km - minimum - to that distance. The 1.4 km road leading to the trail is barricaded off. Park at the Park Office for this one.
Lookout Point Trail
This is a 3 km loop that’s considered easy to moderate. It takes you over some boardwalks through a forested area, and up onto a rocky area overlooking Georgian Bay towards Parry Sound.
You can access this trail via a parking area right off the main road - it’s the only trail in the park that has direct access in the winter months.
Lighthouse Point Trail (Walking Only)
This is a short but gorgeous hiking trail at the far tip of the park, and our favourite trail at Killbear. It’s just under 1 km long, talking you along the shore of Georgian bay, through some forested area, up some rocks, and out to the tip of the point, where there’s a lighthouse.
Shocking, I know.
Then you walk back through the forest and out by one of the beaches, right before returning to the start point in the parking lot.
The thing is, the parking lot isn’t accessible by car during the winter. You’ll have to walk up the (unplowed) main campground road from where it’s barricaded by the Visitor Centre.
According to the winter map, that’s 2.6 km one-way. So, your < 1 km walk is really over 6 km. You CAN ski that 2.6 km section of road - though it doesn’t look to be groomed. Also, I’m not sure what you’d do with your skis - you’re not going to want to do that trail in ski boots, it’s NOT suitable for skiing or snowshoeing, and I’m not sure where you’d leave your equipment. I sure wouldn’t want to haul it up those rocks!
Recreation Trail
This is the 1.1 km section of the bike trail that runs alongside the main campground road between the Park Office and Lookout Trail parking lot.
Skiiers are also allowed to use this section of trail, which continues on as an exclusively skiing trail beyond that Lookout Trail parking lot.
Anyway, this trail is relatively flat, and there is parking at both ends - at Lookout Trail, and at the park office.
Trail to Kilcoursie Bay
This is a short trail from the barricade / gate that blocks the day use parking road, straight out to the beach on Kilcoursie Bay.
It’s 0.3 km from the gate to the water, so 0.6 km total. The park office parking lot is the closest spot to park.
Day Use Road
This is just the unplowed road to the day use area, from the aforementioned gate - 1.4 km each way.
Main Road
This is the section of road that I mentioned in the Lighthouse Point Trail section.
Basically just a 2.6 km section of road that connects the end of the winter park road (barricaded after the Visitor Centre), to Lighthouse Point.
There’s a large parking lot at the Visitor Centre, for people walking to walk, ski, snoeshoe, or fat bike along that section of road.
1. While it’s not listed on the map, there’s a trail that goes from behind the comfort station, down to the beach. It’s about 0.2 km long, and gives you a view of Sunset Rocks / THE tree, but from a distance.
Depending on conditions, you can walk up the beach to the Sunset Rock area.
3. Snowshoers are asked to not use cleated snowshoes on any bare - or minimally covered - boardwalks, in an effort to prevent damaging them.
4. Beyond the above named trails, snowshoers are invited to make their own trails. The area between the comfort station and the beach is nice for this, IMHO.
Cross Country Skiing
While the bulk of the park is closed off for vehicular traffic and camping, that means there is a LOT of road for cross-country ski trails.
During the winter, most of the Eddie Ramsay Parkway - and three of the campgrounds - are reserved for cross-country skiers.
Depending on where you’re getting your information from, the park has either 12km or 15 km of track-set cross-country ski trails for classic cross-country skiing, plus another 4.7 km of groomed trails for skate skiing.
The trails listed on the map are:
Blind Bay Loop
As you’d imagine from the name, this trail is a loop around the outer edge of the Blind Bay campground. It’s 4.7 km long, groomed, and designated for both classic and skate skiing.
This is the only ski trail we did during our stay - Porter did it alone. He says it was pretty hilly, would call it a moderate difficulty.
Parking for this trail is at the Lookout Loop parking lot, right off the main road. It’s right next to the entrance to that campground/ ski trail.
Recreation Trail
Starting from the same parking lot as the Blind Bay Loop, the Recreation Trail runs alongside the main parkway through the campground.
It’s 3.8km from end to end, marked as being groomed (which has been debatable on both trips), and designated as being for classic skiing.
Harold Point Loop
This is a 1 km loop around the Harold Point campground. It’s designated for classic cross country skiing, but wasn’t groomed at all during our most recent trip.
I don’t know how much use it had been getting - there was a single set of footprints, and those didn’t even look fresh.
You can park at either Lookout Point or the Discovery Centre for this trail - it’s about halfway between the two (1.2 km between the two parking lots), with no parking of its own.
Granite Saddle Loop
This is a 1.6 km loop that starts out at the main road, and does a loop around the Granite Saddle campground.
You can park at the Discovery Centre parking lot for this trail, then ski 1.3 km along the unplowed road to get to the start of this trail. We didn’t, so I have no idea what condition it was in.
A few things to note:
1. Some trails are groomed flat, like they’ve been raked. Some are track set, some aren’t groomed at all. The map page doesn’t indicate which is which, and the real-life trail conditions don’t necessarily line up with the signage right at the trail.
On both trips, we drove past signs that indicated it to be a groomed ski trail, when it was snowed over and looked like it hadn’t been touched in weeks.
3. We didn’t see any warm-up shelters, nor are any indicated on the map. There’s a fire in front of the park office, that’s about it.
4. Whether a designated ski trail (listed above) is groomed or not, you’re not allowed to walk, snowshoe, fat bike, or bring dogs onto that trail.
5. The closest place to rent skis is 35 km away, at Georgian Nordic Activity Centre . Plan accordingly!
Fat Biking
Fat biking is allowed in the park, but they don’t have any designated fat biking trails - and don’t rent them.
Just know that there’s some somewhat contradictory info out there.
According to the paper map, fat bikers are welcome, but have to stay off the ski trails - and that’s all the information given. The actual map doesn’t even mention fat biking.
The PDF Killbear Winter Trails Map on their website has fat biking colour coded.
These areas are:
1. The road out to the day use area: 1.4 km from end to end, unplowed, ungroomed, shared with walking and snow shoeing.
2. The entirety of the Eddie Ramsay Parkway, from the Park Office all the way to Lighthouse Point. The first 2.3 km are plowed road, beyond that is another 2.6 km of unplowed, ungroomed road, ending at the parking lot for Lighthouse Point Trail.
Note: If you don’t have a fat bike and want to try it out,Georgian Nordic Activity Centre - 35 km away - offers rentals, AND has designated fat bike trails.
Birding, Wildlife, and Nature
I was surprised to see that our Audubon app had shockingly little in the way of bird sightings at Killbear - just three in the entire month before our trip!
As it turned out, that was probably a matter of it being weirdly quiet for the duration of our stay. We heard a chickadee at a couple points, but didn’t see anything aside from a single crow at our campsite.
Apparently they get owls and eagles at Killbear during the winter, just... not during our stay.
Trust me, we LOOKED. In the area by our house, we’ve been going out for daily walks, seeing multiple hawks, eagles, etc almost every day. I can spot em from far away... and there was just nothing at Killbear.
We didn’t even see any of the deer we saw in October!
Ice Skating
There is no skating rink or ice trail offered at Killbear Provincial Park.
There ARE, however, multiple notices about how none of the ice is safe ice at the park, so I wouldn’t set your sights on lake skating, either.
If you’re into wild ice, you’re probably better off going to Arrowhead.
Ice Fishing
The park makes no mention of ice fishing. Given the warnings about the ice not being safe, I’m going to assume it’s not a great place for winter fishing!
Discovery Program
Like most parks, Killbear’s Discovery Program is limited to the summer months.
Niantic Games
There are a handful of Ingress Portals / Pokestops / Gyms in the park, but they’re few and FAR between.
There’s one at the Comfort Station, and a few more in the Discovery Centre parking lot, then sporadically placed anywhere else.
Plenty of spawns, and we had good enough cellular reception to play, though!
Final Thoughts
So. We love Killbear, but we definitely think that they’re probably still finding their winter campground groove.
They’ve only had 2 seasons open for winter camping so far, and the vast majority of the negatives here are things that are basically logistical in nature.
The same issues at a park that’s been doing it for a long time would be a different thing, we figure.
There’s also the matter of interest / scope / ability.
People who are more experienced skiers - that can go for longer distances, or not really need to worry about difficulty levels - are going to have a very different experience at Killbear Provincial Park in the winter, than beginner skiers, or those who don’t ski at all.
So, while we probably won’t be back for winter camping next season, we’d be open to taking a season or two to get better at skiing.
That time would also let Killbear maybe work out some of its growing pains. Even if they don’t, I really think that us being more experienced skiers would make for a much better winter camping experience there.
So, I guess what I’m saying is ... if you’re a beginner skier, Arrowhead is a better option. If you don’t ski at all, Arrowhead and Algonquin are better options (more to do!).
If you’re an experienced and able bodied skier, you’ll have a better time at Killbear than we did!
We still love it for the other 3 seasons, though!
More Winter Camping Posts
Want to try winter camping in Ontario? Here are our reviews on a few of the parks that offer winter camping, as well as some of the more winter-specific recipes we make, etc!:
Winter Camping in Ontario:
Algonquin Provincial Park Winter Camping [Mew Lake Campground]
Arrowhead Provincial Park Winter Camping
MacGregor Point Provincial Park Winter Camping
Pinery Provincial Park Winter Camping
Silent Lake Provincial Park Winter Camping
Winter Camping Recipes and Activities:
Campfire Roasted Spiced Nuts
Gingerbread Pancake Mix
How to Make Maple Taffy over a Campfire
How to Roast Chestnuts on an Open Fire
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