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    Home » Campground Reviews

    Winter Camping at MacGregor Point

    Published: Jan 16, 2025

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    MacGregor Point Provincial Park is open year round, but it's especially great as the snow falls. Here's our guide to winter camping there!

    A snow covered boardwalk extends into the distance, with winter camping at macgregor point provincial park written over it.

    Last year - the winter of 2023 - 2024 - was our first year of trying out winter camping.

    We weren’t super prepared for it - we didn’t own any winter equipment beyond our skates, had no idea how life in our RV would hold up to cold temperatures, etc - but we made our first trip out for Christmas 2023.

    We chose our first cold camping trip to be at MacGregor Point Provincial Park, in Port Elgin. It seemed to be a great choice for first-time winter campers:

    It’s a short drive from home, has plenty of activities for outdoor enthusiasts, has a dump platform open year-round, and offers gorgeous views along the shores of Lake Huron.

    What more could you ask for in a winter holiday trip? We packed our tuques, holiday treats, and hot chocolate, all ready to enjoy some Christmas camping.

    ... and it rained for almost the entire duration of our stay!

    At one point, we drove into Port Elgin, where I went wading FAR into Lake Huron - right up to my knees - on Christmas Day.

    WILD!

    Anyway, we went back a few times last winter, but never did get to see an actual winter - it was ridiculously warm.

    In December 2024, we gave it another go - and actually got a white Christmas at MacGregor Point!

    While we didn’t get around to any of the winter activities - the ski and skate trails weren’t operational yet - it was still a magical experience. We loved MacGregor long before this past trip, but it REALLY sings with a nice coat of snow!

    They announced the opening of the skating trail shortly after that, so we returned a few weeks later!

    Anyway, we figure the winter camping experienceat MacGregor Point deserves it’s own post... and now we’ve got photos more appropriate for such a subject!

    We even used the Christmas trip to finally shoot a few of our favourite winter camping recipes: Campfire Roasted Spiced Nuts, Gingerbread Pancake Mix, How to Make Maple Taffy over a Campfire, and How to Roast Chestnuts on an Open Fire!

    Anyway, let us tell you all about it...

    A snow covered hiking trail at MacGregor Point Provincial Park, flanked by snowy pine trees.

    The Basics:

    Campground Name: MacGregor Point Provincial Park
    Address: 1593 Bruce Road 33, RR#1, Port Elgin, ON, N0H 2C5
    Website: Ontario Parks - MacGregor Point
    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
    Season: January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026

    The MacGregor Point Provincial Park sign in winter, with snow covered trees behind it.

    Logistics

    Some basic information to help you plan your winter season camping trip to MacGregor Point Provincial Park:

    Registration and Check In

    Booking our camping for each of our stays has been super easy via the Ontario Parks reservation portal. We’ve got no complaints at all, for any of the trips.

    Check in is done inside the park office, and it’s been quick and easy with very friendly service every time. The staff at MacGregor seems to be a lot more easily reached by phone, than in many of the other parks we’ve been to.

    Unlike most of the parks we’ve been to recently, though, MacGregor is still using the paper permits system - so you do actually have to go in to check in. (Pre-registering online does make it go a bit faster, though!)

    Anyway, the park office is slightly off the main campground road, with the adjacent section of that road barricaded off during the winter months.

    The other buildings that seem to serve as registration offices / firewood sales / etc in the on-season have all been closed during our winter camping trips.

    2 part image showing the inside and outside of the MacGregor Point Provincial Park Office

    Maps and Signage

    Some information about getting around at the park- and knowing where to go!

    Park Map

    The winter park map is an 11 x 17, full colour, glossy map.

    One side has a small map of the campground areas that are available in the winter months - along with some park information - while the other has a full page map of the entire park.

    It has a lot less info on it than the all-season map, though - that one has a bunch of emergency contact numbers, some local radio stations, information on the park amenities, etc.

    We were actually given the all-season one during our Christmas 2024 stay, and the winter one a few weeks later. Interestingly, the printed map we got in January is different from the winter trails map on the Ontario Parks website.

    The one on the website shows the road out to Lakeridge Trail / Tower Trail as being a snowshoe and hiking trail itself. Neither of the trail head parking lots are shown on it, but there IS parking indicated across from the private road to the cottages.

    We were super confused by this on the Christmas trip, as there’s really no room for parking there.

    The printed version of the winter trails map, though, doesn’t have that parking spot on it, but DOES show parking at both the existing trail head lots - and doesn’t have the road indicated as a trail.

    Weirdly, both Tower Trail and Lakeridge Trail are shown the same colour, as “Snowshoe/Hiking Trail”, and gives a distance of 8.5 km. That one trail is listed as being 9.4 km on the website’s winter trail map.

    So, I’m assuming the 8.5 is intended to be the combined distance of the two trails, but that doesn’t work - Lakeridge is 4km, and Tower is 3.5. I suppose maybe it’s including the road distance between the two - that looks to be around a km, but there’s no trail there.

    Also of note, the print map has the first ⅓ of the Tower Trail marked separately as being “Forest Therapy Trail”, at 1.2 km. As a heads up - that’s one way, and if you’re only doing that segment, it’s 2.4 to do the trail and get back.

    2 part image showing front and back views of the MacGregor Point Provincial Park winter map.
    The Winter Park Map
    Signage

    The campground signage is mostly adequate. Some signs could be placed better or be higher contrast, but they generally get you where you need to go, without anything too egregious to report.

    There are a LOT of loops and offshoots to navigate in the winter campground, but it gets easier to find your way around once you’ve got the lay of the land.

    2 part image showing campground and trail signs.

    In terms of the trail signage...

    The standalone trails are all pretty easy to see where you’re going, and there’s good signage showing you where to go for each of the various winter activities.

    As with the summer, Old Shore Road Trail - can be a bit of a mess in terms of signage... but I’m not sure how much use it gets in the winter.

    One area that is definitely lacking in signage is the skate trail parking... more on that in a bit.

    A blue campground road sign showing where the winter attractions are.

    Water & Waste Services

    While the fill platforms are all turned off for the winter - both in front of the park office, and at the Trailer Sanitation Station - the dump platform has been operational during each of our winter stays at MacGregor.

    There are 2 dump platforms, and there’s never been anyone there during any time we’ve used it in the winter - I think most of the winter campers are either tent campers or seasonal.

    2 part image showing macgregor point provincial park’s trailer sanitation station in winter.
    The Trailer Sanitation Station
    For water, they recommend filling jugs in the Birch Boulevard comfort station laundry room.

    Something to keep in mind, though: There’s no designated parking area at that comfort station... or anywhere near it.

    That’s annoying enough if you’re staying on one of the Birch Boulevard Campground loops and just hauling your water containers down the road... but even more inconvenient if you’re staying in the Ash Woods campground loops.

    2 part image showing a jug of water being filled in a raised tub between a washer and dryer.
    Birch Boulevard Water Filling Station

    As far as garbage and recycling goes, the large garbage and recycling loop is right next to the sanitation station, and it’s been well maintained for each visit.

    2 part image showing large garbage and recycling dumpsters.
    The Main Garbage Depot

    Snow Removal, Etc

    Snow removal is GENERALLY good at this park. We’ve never had an issue on the main roads, or the main parking lots.

    Sometimes the road to the day use area is blocked off from access, by being plowed across. Also - on our December 2024 trip, our site hadn’t been plowed when we arrived. Not catastrophic, we just had to be extra careful when backing down the driveway to it.

    We did see a large snowplow taking care of the main roads on Christmas Eve morning, and a smaller plow working on campsites that same morning.

    All of the parking lots were clear before 10am-ish when we went out, as was the Poop Loop. We didn’t encounter any icing issues at all, and everything that should have been sanded, was. No complaints here!

    4 part image showing some of the snow clearing equipment and plowed roads..

    Connectivity

    While there doesn’t appear to be any park WiFi, the cell phone reception (we’re on Rogers Wireless) is generally pretty decent.

    During each of our stays, we’ve had at least decent signal strength at our campsites, along the lake shore, and when we’re around the Visitor Centre parking.

    The only time connectivity has been sketchy has been along the main road, and on the Tower Trail.

    A snow covered boardwalk extending into the distance.

    Accessibility

    Our first winter stay at MacGregor Point was during a really bad period for my tendon issues, and I was pleasantly surprised at how accessible the park actually was.

    In terms of the basics, they have a few barrier-free campsites and yurts, as well as barrier free showers and washroom facilities at the comfort stations - pretty standard stuff.

    That said, getting TO the comfort stations can be an issue - neither of them have parking at or near them, so you’ll need to walk/wheel from your campsite, along the main loop of the campground, and down a short path from the road to get to the very center of the loop.

    While the hiking trails aren’t wheelchair accessible in the winter, some of them are relatively easy to do with other mobility issues. The two trails we do most often - Huron Fringe and Tower - tend to be popular enough that any snow is pretty well packed.

    The tower on Tower Trail has a ramp leading up to it, and there’s an accessible platform on the base level, for those who can’t handle the stairs. Not AS great of a view, but a nice one, nonetheless.

    The Huron Fringe Trail is a short boardwalk trail that borders the visitor centre, and both trails have a fair amount of benches to rest at, if needed.

    The roads are generally well plowed, and we’ve never noticed any issues with ice buildup in any parking lot - it’s definitely better maintained than when we went to Silent Lake Provincial Park.

    One thing to note: the ice skating trail area is NOT very accessible, if you’re a wheelchair user who wants to go watch your family skate.

    There’s no designated accessible parking, and getting to the actual seating / covered area of the trail is not wheelchair accessible.

    There IS a “barrier free” style porta potty in between the parking lot and the trail, but it looked to be raised up a bit and didn’t have a ramp.

    If you can get though to the trail - squeezing around a gate, on an unplowed “trail”, you’ll have to traverse some of the ice trail to actually get to the seating area. There are picnic tables to sit at, as well as a covered area with open area under it.

    The parking situation at the rink is also not super accessible - more on THAT whole thing in a minute, though.

    A snow covered boardwalk trail.
    This is a trail marked as being barrier free on the website.

    Pets

    As with pretty much all of the Provincial Park campgrounds, the standard rules seem to apply - dogs have to be leashed at all times (except when swimming in a designated pet swimming area), aren’t allowed to harass other campers or animals, and must be picked up after.

    There are two dog beaches in the park, but one - at the end of the Huron Campground - tends to be inaccessible during the winter. The road to it was open during our December 2023 camping trip in 2023, but gated off for every other winter trip.

    In terms of the other one, it’s in the day use area - the first offshoot road to the right, after passing the registration building on the way in.

    This one... you need to take with a grain of salt. Sometimes the road to the day use is plowed and accessible, sometimes it’s plowed CLOSED - as in basically barricaded off by a huge bank of plowed snow.

    So... you may or may not have access to a dog beach, when camping in the winter.

    2 part image showing a snow covered beach on lake huron.
    The Dog Beach?

    Parking

    There’s a good amount of parking throughout the campground, for the most part, and - as mentioned - it’s generally well maintained in the winter.

    All of the camp sites seem big enough to handle an extra vehicle, and each of the park destinations (beaches, trail heads, etc) have their own parking areas.

    The only major issues I have with the parking are

    1. The lack of parking at the comfort stations.

    Neither comfort station has any designated parking (per the map, and a lack of signage at the site), though the Birch Boulevard one has a small area cleared out - in front of the second last spoke of the comfort station walkways.

    While we’ve seen people parking there, there’s no signage declaring it legal parking, so I’d be careful. We got a parking ticket in another park for parking somewhere that APPEARED to be legal, but was not!

    Anyway, when it comes to winter camping, that’s both an accessibility issue, and a big annoyance when carting 5 gallon jugs of water to refill your tank.

    2. The whole situation at the skating trail.

    First of all, this was incredibly frustrating due to the amount of digging I had to do to find information.

    A Facebook post clued me in that the parking lot at the skating trail required a separate booking, but it wasn’t clear about how that applied to anyone other than people coming in specifically to skate, who didn’t have the yearly parks pass.

    The site has NO information, and there’s no signage indicating what the situation is, so I imagine they make bank on fines.

    Here’s the deal, though:

    The parking lot by the skating trail requires its own day pass, and is not covered by the general Daily Vehicle Permit that covers the rest of the Day Use Areas in the park. If you’re looking to visit both the rink and the other areas, you need to book the two separately.

    Skating trail parking spots are booked in 2 hour increments, all day, until 10pm.

    Per a park employee I talked to, if you have the yearly pass, it DOES cover the fee for the skating trail parking, but you still have to *book* a spot.

    If you’re camping at the park, your camping pass doesn’t function as a parking pass there, nor does it allow you to book a spot without paying.

    As someone with limited mobility, I called to ask about this - campers are expected to walk to the rink, full stop. I mentioned being disabled, and that if I were to walk all the way to the trail, I would not be able to skate.

    Still had to book and purchase parking. To add insult to injury, it was at full price - not even discounted for disability (usually 50% off) or for being a camper.

    Gross.

    A snow covered boardwalk extending into the distance.

    Miscellaneous

    MacGregor Point is in an area of RELATIVELY low light pollution, so it’s great for stargazing.

    The beach areas are more or less facing North-ish. The park maps show directly north, but Google maps show more NW. Anyway.

    Port Elgin is NE of the park, and contributes some light pollution.

    We’ve yet to have the opportunity to see the Northern Lights while at MacGregor, but we’ve seen photos from other people - you can get some great views!

    We just tend to end up staying there under heavy cloud cover, and/or no Auroral activity!

    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.

    Sunrise over a snowy Lake Huron Beach.

    Campground Amenities & Info

    Winter camping is considered the off season, so many of the regular campground amenities are closed.

    Here’s some basic information on what IS available, though:

    Creature Comforts

    Two comfort stations are open, one for each of the winter campgrounds - Ash Woods and Birch Boulevard. Each of these have showers, flush toilets, and laundry facilities.

    As mentioned earlier, potable water for filling your RV tank is available at the heated comfort station in Birch Boulevard, it’s just annoying to get to, on account of the lack of parking.

    So, it’s probably a good idea to bring your own water in the winter - especially if you’re staying in the Ash Woods campsites.

    2 part image showing the two comfort stations at MacGregor Point Provincial Park.
    The Two Comfort Stations
    Each campground also has a single vault toilet nearby. There’s also a washroom building near the Visitor Centre that was open, as well as a Porta Potty in one of the Day Use / Beach area parking lots.

    The skating trail has a wheelchair accessible style portapotty.

    2 part image showing a vault toilet and a porta potty.

    Park Store

    The main park store is closed during the winter camping season, but there’s a mini park store available year-round, in the park office.

    There, you’ll find the usual Parks swag - t-shirts, stickers, hats, mugs, - and that’s about it. We didn’t see any snack items or anything, but it’s pretty small in there.

    There’s usually a campground host set up across the road from our site, and - during most of our stays - they’ve had a sign about selling firewood.

    A wall of Ontario Parks Merchandise.
    The Park Office Store

    There IS an aquarium with two turtles, though - Tom the Painted Turtle and Gregor the Spotted Turtle. Super cute!

    3 part image showing a close up of a turtle aquarium, along with a painted turtle and a spotted turtle.

    Visitor Centre

    There’s a small visitors centre located in the middle of the park. It’s only open May to September, so tend to miss it - and the Huron Fringe Shop, which is an attached shop that’s operated by the Friends of MacGregor Point Park.

    Some day, we’ll have to camp at MacGregor in the summer.

    Day Use Area

    There’s a small day use picnic area and rocky beach, shortly after entering the park - before you reach the campgrounds.

    This section of the park is theoretically open year round, but was completely inaccessible on our third trip. The entry road to the area was plowed across, and looked to be intentionally so.

    When it IS open, it’s a great place to see winter sunrises and sunsets - the parking lot, when open, gives really easy access to the beach.

    When it’s not open, there’s always Sunset Point - a bit more of a walk, and accessed via Ash Woods campground, or the Visitor Centre parking lot.

    As you would expect from the name... it’s also the perfect place to view the sunsets. Just, you know... dress warmly!

    Finally, the Camper’s Beach - the end point parking lot on the road with the Visitor Centre - is open, as it serves as a trail head for some of the ski trails.

    As a reminder: The regular Daily Vehicle Permit *excludes* the use of the Cedar Lane parking lot. If you’re wanting to park there for the skating trail, you need to book - and pay for it - separately.

    4 part image showing various views of the MacGregor Point Provincial park camper's beach and the boardwalk leading to it.
    Camper's Beach

    Rentals

    The park doesn’t rent any winter sports equipment, but they DO offer loans of extension cords, as some of the electrical pedestals are a fair distance from the associated site.

    We haven’t had to make use of this program - which involves a refundable deposit. We have a long cord, and we don’t tend to end up with sites that have the outlets really far away.

    Anyway, the park asks that you hang up your electrical cords and keep them visible during the winter months, as to not interfere with snow removal.

    They should maybe add that you shouldn’t use a power post *across the street* from your site.

    Never would have thought that was something that needed explanation... but on our December 2024 trip, the people across from us ran their cord across the campground road, to use our post.

    That’s a pretty good way to lose an expensive cord to a snowplow.

    A snow covered campground road with an extension cord draped over it.
    Who does this?

    Campsite Details

    While MacGregor Point Provincial Park is a pretty large park in terms of overall campgrounds go, most of them are gated off in the off season.

    Just one of the main campgrounds - Algonquin Campground - is open, with two of its three campsite loops available for camping.

    Along with the usual RV and tent camping, there are also some roofed options available:

    A snowy campsite at MacGregor Point Provincial Park
    Our Christmas 2024 Campsite.

    Car Camping

    As with most provincial park campgrounds, MacGregor offers both electrical and non-electrical sites, though all of the sites available for winter camping are electrical.

    As usual, all sites come with a picnic table and fire pit.

    Quite a few of the available sites are pull through sites, and there are several double sites as well. Most seem pretty level, and the privacy level varies.

    Also of note: there seem to be quite a few winter seasonal sites, especially in the Ash Woods section.

    8 part image showing different winter campsites at macgregor point provincial park.
    Some of the Campsites

    Anyway, during our December stays, a lot of people seemed to get into the holiday spirit, decorating their campsites for Christmas.

    6 part image showing various campsite christmas decorations.
    Very festive!

    Roofed Accommodations

    The Birch Boulevard camping section has several rustic cabins and yurts available to rent. These are all located inside each of the 3 offshoot loops.

    The MacGregor Point yurts are 16 feet across, and house up to 6 people over 2 sets of bunk beds.

    There are also 10 camp cabins, which each sleep 5 people.

    The yurts and cabins all have a bunch of restrictions - including on pets and smoking - so you’re best off looking to the park website for more info on those.

    We just use our RV - the yurts and cabins aren’t really our thing, especially as we bring all of our cats camping with us!

    They are super cute though - the winter yurt setup here looks better than a lot we’ve seen.

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    Entertainment and Activity

    As you can expect, the activities available in the winter season not only differ from those offered in the main camping season, but can vary wildly based on the weather conditions.

    Last year, we obsessively checked Ontario Parks Snow Report, hoping to book a trip when there was actual skiing available.

    It was the warmest winter on record, though, so when I managed to book a trip on a day when it FINALLY said there were ski trails open... those trails closed the next day.

    SO, we were definitely hoping for better winter conditions on our December 2025 trip!

    We actually got snow this time - rather than a week of rain!

    Anyway, here’s some info on the winter activities that are theoretically available for winter campers at MacGregor Point Provincial Park:

    Hiking

    While one of MacGregor Point PP’s hiking trails gets re-designated as a ski trail in the winter, the rest of them are all open for regular use - sort of.

    As a note: The difficulty designations are definitely based on non-snow conditions. Expect everything to be a level or so more difficult, with snow cover.

    Here are your choices:

    Huron Fringe Trail - Easy

    This is a 1.2 km loop that encircles the visitor center. While it’s wheelchair accessible in the summer, I wouldn’t say that applies in the winter.

    We love that it offers such a wild variety of scenic views over the course of such a short walk.

    You start out taking a boardwalk through a forested area, and alongside Turtle Pond for a section of it. Then the trail opens out alongside the shoreline of Lake Huron around the halfway point.

    This section of the trail connects you to the rest of the park, via the Old Shore Rd trail.

    4 part image showing various views along the Lake Ridge Trail at MacGregor Point Provincial Park.
    Huron Fringe Trail
    After walking along the lake for a bit, you turn back and take a boardwalk right out across Ash Swamp, before looping back towards the parking lot.

    This trail is in the Algonquin Campground section, so it’s one of the closest trail options. If you don’t want to drive to the Visitor Center parking lot, you can walk to this trail from the Ash Woods Campsites - an entry point to the Old Shore Road Trail.

    As a side note, both the Ash Woods entry point and the boardwalk trail - where it meets Lake Huron - are good access points if you’re looking to get to Sunset Point.

    That’s a rocky peninsula with a picnic table and benches, just a short walk from the Huron Fringe trail.

    4 part image showing various views along the Lake Ridge Trail at MacGregor Point Provincial Park.
    Huron Fringe Trail

    Lake Ridge Trail - Moderate

    This is a 4km hiking trail that takes you out to a boardwalk overlooking a former beaver pond, complete with an abandoned lodge.

    Porter did this one himself, so I’ll let him tell you about it:

    “Shortly into the Lake Ridge Trail, you come to a fork. A sign points you to take the left branch. I decided to go partway down each leg, since there were what I believed to be fox prints along the left leg, and deer prints along the right leg.

    First I took the left leg for about ¾ kilometer, which is pretty flat and reasonably wide. After about ¼ km it's a bit rocky, I could see them sticking out above the snow. Footing is a bit unstable, but other than that it's not a difficult trail.

    4 part image showing various views along the Lakeridge Trail at MacGregor Point Provincial Park.
    Lake Ridge Trail
    “Pine trees drooped over the trail in sections, due to the fresh snow clinging to the branches. There's a nice boardwalk for a while, and I turned back shortly after it.

    The right leg - the end of the trail - is also pretty flat and is smooth. I tracked the hoof prints back about ½ kilometer, going over another boardwalk in the process.

    I have to assume the middle portion of the trail is more difficult, based on the park's trail rating. I'll explore that another time, since I was more interested in wildlife for this trip."

    4 part image showing various views along the Lake Ridge Trail at MacGregor Point Provincial Park.
    Lake Ridge Trail

    Old Shore Road Trail - Easy

    We haven’t done much of this trail in the winter, so can’t really speak to its conditions. From what we could see, it wasn’t a plowed / groomed / maintained trail.

    Anyway, outside of the snow season, this is a fantastic trail in general - gorgeous views out over Lake Huron, easy enough to be mostly wheelchair accessible, etc.

    More difficult in the snow, obviously - and the wind blowing in front Lake Huron can be BITTER!

    4 part image showing various views along the Tower Trail at MacGregor Point Provincial Park.
    Tower Trail

    Tower Trail - Easy

    This is an easy 3.5 km loop, and it was the first trail we did during our first stay.

    The first kilometer or so of this trail is listed on the winter trails map as being “Forest Therapy Trail”, probably due to the signage telling you to breathe in, take in your surroundings, etc.

    Early on in the walk, there’s a long boardwalk off to the left, ending at the observation tower. You can get a couple different views here - a nice big panoramic view from above, and close-up wildlife viewing from closer to water level.

    Later on in the trail there’s another boardwalk off to the left, with a bird blind at the end of the boardwalk.

    This is a nice wooden structure that hides you from the various species of birds, letting you view them in their natural habitat, mostly undetected. (Just don’t make a lot of noise, they can still hear you!)

    Overall, a nice walk in the woods (and along the wetland area).

    4 part image showing various views along the Tower Trail at MacGregor Point Provincial Park.
    Tower Trail

    Kempf’s Trail - Easy

    This is a 0.9 km linear trail (so 1.8 return) that’s less a destination, and more just a connecting trail to get from the main road (and parking near the Tower Trail), to the Old Shore trail at that end of the park.

    That said, it’s a nice walk.

    Not super challenging, a few different types of environment to walk through, etc. Mostly fairly flat - I wouldn’t call it wheelchair accessible, but you could definitely do it in a boot, with crutches, using a cane, etc.

    Most is packed forest floor, with a short span of boardwalk when passing a pond. The trail ends where it connects up with the Old Shore Road Trail.

    If you walk a few metres to the left when you hit the connection point, you’ll come to an opening to a secluded rocky beach.

    We haven’t walked this one in the winter, but I’m surprised it doesn’t have the “and snowshoeing” designation that Tower Trail and Lakeridge Trail have. It’s the first place I thought of, when we thought we’d be able to go snowshoeing!

    A snow covered boardwalk leading to a MacGregor Point Provincial Park beach.

    Birding, Wildlife, and Nature

    During the spring, MacGregor Point Provincial Park is renowned for their birding, and for being one of the most ecologically diverse natural places along the Lake Huron shoreline.

    During the winter, obviously, there’s nowhere near the same amount of activity.

    In general, we’ve had Black-Capped Chickadees, Blue Jays, Nuthatches, and Northern Cardinals visit us at our campsites.

    The Boardwalk Trail at the Visitor Centre parking lot is a great place to see some birds. Unlike most (all?) other Provincial Parks we’ve been to, MacGregor Point actually encourages you to feed the birds there!

    The Chickadees there are super friendly and cute - we love fat little birds - and will land right on your extended finger. We’ve also had some White-Breasted Nuthatches do the same, there.

    Just be sure to feed them from your hand, and NOT leave seeds laying around on the railing. While they’re OK with you feeding the birds, they don’t want wildlife attractants left out.

    Anyway, we’ve also seen several Dark-Eyed Junco there as well, but they’re far more shy than the Chickadees and Nuthatches.

    On our most recent trips to MacGregor Point - December 2024 and January 2025 - we saw Bald Eagles!

    Both times were in the general area of the Lakeridge Trail parking lot. In December, we saw two of them flying overhead. In January, there was one right on the side of the road, having some lunch! We were so startled to see it SO close, we didn’t manage to get a good photo.

    4 part image showing different birds and a set of deer tracks in the snow.
    1st Row Red-Breasted Nuthatch, Black-Capped Chicadee
    2nd Row - Bald Eagle, Deer Tracks

    Cross Country Skiing

    During our January trip, we finally got to try cross-country skiing for the first time at MacGregor Point Provincial Park... and the first time either one of us have done so in about 3 decades!

    A couple more experienced cross-country skiers gave us a bit of advice before our short excursion onto the cross-country ski trails. We had a great time, even at our embarrassing (lack of) skill level.

    There are 3 designated ski trails: Deer Run, Tomsett, and Link.

    Weirdly, Deer Run is the only one listed on the park site, which shows it as being 11km. On the winter map we were given, it’s listed as 4.6.

    So.. Not sure what’s up there.

    The site describes the Deer Run Trail as being designated as the main trail for cross-country skiers, and that it’s good for both novice and experienced skiers.

    The Tomsett Ski Trail is listed on the map as being 5.8 km. It winds through both the Nipissing and Huron campgrounds - and along part of the Old Shore Rd Trail for a bit - but there’s no information on difficulty.

    Finally, the link trail is a 700 meter trail that links those two trails together, along part of the main campground road.

    Note: I didn’t see any warm-up shelters out there, nor were any mentioned on the map or the park website. Also, the park says you can ski along “several kilometres of unplowed park roads that are not groomed but would be suitable for cross-country skiing.”.

    4 part image showing various views of a middle aged white man cross country skiing on trails through the woods.

    Snow Shoeing

    The park website mentions having snowshoe trails in the Nipissing Campground, though that isn’t reflected on the print map we were given. The site also says you’re allowed to snow shoe on any of the unplowed roads and non-track set trails.

    In terms of the designated snowshoe trails on the map, you’re looking at Tower Trail, Lakeridge Trail, and Huron Fringe Trail, which are all specifically listed as being “Snowshoe / Hiking”.

    Broken up snow and ice pans floating on Lake Huron.

    Snowmobiling

    I was surprised to read that snowmobiling is allowed on park roads.

    For reasons that should be clear by now... it’s not something we saw happening on any of our early winter camping trips!

    4 part image showing the macgregor point provincial park skating trail in the daytime and at night.
    The Skating Trail

    Ice Skating

    In theory, MacGregor Point Provincial Park has two different ice skating opportunities: A skating trail and a skating rink.

    The MacGregor Point skating trail is in the Cedar Lane Campsites area, while the skating rink is set up in the Visitor Centre parking area.

    When operational, the skating trail is a short trail - 400 metres - that gets lit up until 10pm every night, when it’s open.

    I like that this is a nightly thing - Arrowhead’s skating trail only offers night skating on weekends.

    We actually got MacGregor’s skating trail out on our January trip, though that was short lived - they closed off bookings for the last half of our stay, on account of warm weather.

    It’s a cute little trail - about 400 m long, just going along the centre loop of that campground. There are a few picnic tables at the trail head, most of which are covered.

    The night skating was fun, but a bit scary - a big section of the trail is completely unlit. Darkness + really rough ice, oof!

    Anyway, the ice rink has potential to be really cute, but we’ve never seen it in action. We’ve seen it blocked off as a potential rink, and we’ve seen it after they give up on it for the year.

    On the January trip, we finally got to see it looking MOSTLY like a rink - but it still needed more ice layering before could open to the public.

    3 part image showing various views of the MacGregor Point Provincial park skating rink and surrounding area.
    The Skating Rink

    Discovery Program

    As with most Provincial Parks, MacGregor Point Provincial Park’s Discovery Program is limited to the summer months.

    Niantic Games

    Across all of our winter camping trips to MacGregor Point Provincial Park, we had enough connectivity to play Pokemon Go during our stays.

    There aren’t a ton of stops and gyms at the park - a few at the trails, one at the main entrance, a few in the Visitor Centre area, etc.

    During all trips, there were regular spawns at the camp sites, as well as along the roads and trails.

    A winter campsite with picnic table, folding chair, and fire pit

    Final Thoughts

    I mean, there’s a reason we’ve been to MacGregor Point Provincial Park more often than any other campground.

    Sure, some of it is availability - it’s not super far from the GTA, AND it’s open year round. Those two aspects alone give it a leg up over the vast majority of provincial parks we’ve camped at, in general.

    More opportunity to camp, means more camping!

    Beyond that, though, it’s just a really fantastic park. There’s always a lot we can do (well, except under Christmas RAIN, anyway!), it’s a beautiful park, and the whole area is really nice to visit.

    Since writing our initial, all-season kind of review on this park, we’ve been back.. Maybe 6 times? Have actually lost count!

    It was really great to actually experience a bit of winter - for real, with snow and everything - camping there, after an unseasonably warm winter last year.

    We’re definitely looking forward to going back at least a couple more times this winter - a bit later on, when the skiing trails, skating rink, and snow shoeing are all operating!

    Sunrise over a snowy Lake Huron Beach.

    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
    Killbear Provincial Park Winter Camping
    Pinery Provincial Park Winter Camping
    Silent Lake Provincial Park Winter Camping
    Valens Lake Conservation Area 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

    A snow covered boardwalk extending into the distance.

    Thanks for Reading!

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