We recently took an unplanned, last-minute camping trip to Silent Lake Provincial Park. Here's everything you need to know about winter camping at Silent Lake.
We had started out with a spur-of-the-moment winter camping trip to Algonquin Provincial Park.
The only weather forecasts I consulted were for cloud cover and geomagnetic storms, COMPLETELY managing to neglect looking at weather between home and Algonquin.
The very next day after pulling up to the campground, wild snow squalls hit Highway 11, resulting in that highway being shut down for a LONG time.
So, at the end of our stay, we had to get creative. We took a short drive out of the way, re-routing our trip home out EAST out of the park, before heading south.
We decided to add a stop at Silent Lake Provincial Park, on the way home.
Adventure!
This a park we had planned on visiting anyway - just a bit later in the season, that’s all.
This added camping stop not only broke up the longer drive home a bit, but it let us check out the park without all THAT much of a commitment.
It’s a 3 hour drive from home, after all. So, tacking it on the end of a trip we were all doing was pretty convenient.
As a bit of a spoiler... I’m glad we did it that way. While we did end up being too early for some of the things we wanted to do - cross country skiing, snow shoeing - I wasn’t super in love with the park in general.
So, apologies in advance... this review gets pretty negative. I tried as hard as I could to review it based on its own merits (or lack thereof), but there may have been some bias creeping in.
Our stay at Algonquin was so absolutely magical, it was a tough act to follow. I think that made the issues at Silent Lake seem a bit more egregious, TBH. Anyway, something to keep in mind - I like to be fair.
So, let us tell you all about our Silent Lake camping trip!
The Basics:
Campground Name: Silent Lake Provincial Park
Address: 1589 Silent Lake Park Rd, Bancroft, ON K0L 1C0
Website: Silent Lake Provincial Park
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 Park
Season: May 10, 2024 to March 23, 2025
Logistics
Overall, we found the situation at Silent Lake Provincial Park to be a bit... odd. I’ll get into the details more specifically in each of the applicable sections, but there was definitely some head scratching going on during our stay.
Anyway, let’s start with some basic information that will help you plan your winter season stay:
Registration and Check In
This was our first source of frustration: Not all of the available campsites are reservable ahead of time.
A small number of sites can be booked online or by phone, but a lot of the sites are only available on a first come, first served basis *once you get to the park*.
Hate. It.
Who wants to pack up for a stay at one of very few Ontario campgrounds open in the winter, just to gamble on whether or not there will be a suitable site available when you get there?
I get not renting out all of the sites - it would definitely make sense to reserve a section for emergencies, fallback in case anything happens to the rented section, etc... but the available sites were all spread out.
If you want to camp in the Pincer Bay campground, you have to park in the Bonnie’s Pond parking area, grab a toboggan off a rack there, and haul your stuff in to your yurt.
Then you have to go back to bring the toboggan back, as you’re not allowed to keep it for the duration of your stay.
IMHO, if you’re going to be open year-round, the reservation system - and access to sites - should be similarly available year-round.
Anyway, we ended up electing to take the gamble, as we had no way of even knowing what the available option were, when booking.
Check in at the park office went fine - the staff member was super friendly and helpful, it didn’t take all THAT long to pick a site... but still more hassle than would have been preferable.
(Absolutely nothing against that employee! This is a systemic issue.)
Maps and Signage
We were given a regular park map - 11 x 17", full colour map with info on the other side - as well as a summer trail map.
On one hand, I appreciate getting a proper map, rather than a hastily photocopied, low-res black and white copy, as some tend to do after the end of the busy season.
On the other, it would have been nice to have applicable information available - the fact that the Pincer Bay area (including drive-in access to the beach!) was gated, etc.
From what little we saw of the trail signage, it looked good.
Water & Waste Services
Our visit was in the late fall, and the trailer sanitation station was already closed down for the season.
The site says that dumping will be allowed until the road becomes impassible from the snow, but it was still blocked off when we arrived, despite there being no more snow on the ground there, than there was on the campground roads.
So, bringing your own water is a good idea either way, and you’re definitely going to want to have a plan in place to dump elsewhere.
The little mini garbage and recycling loop at the entrance to our campground section was barricaded off for some reason. From what we could tell, they just didn’t want to bother plowing it.
There aren’t any other garbage facilities listed on the map, though (aside from one in the gated-off Pincer Campground area)... And walking the ~ 0.5 km from our campsite (in the snow and cold, on an icy, hilly road) was definitely less than ideal.
There was some sort of trailer that looked like it might be for garbage, in the day use area parking lot... but it definitely didn’t give the vibe that it was for camper use.
Snow Removal, Etc
Silent Lake Provincial Park was pretty bad in terms of road maintenance during our stay.
The main park road was roughly plowed - even by our second day - despite there being no snowfall in the preceding 24 hours or so. I’ve seen smaller, interior campground roads that have had better upkeep in the winter months, TBH.
The campground roads were not plowed AT ALL, neither were any of the campsites.
There was a small amount of sand on some of the roads, but really only on the extra-hilly parts - there were a lot of icy spots with no sand laid out.
Given that we could drive another 100 metres or so and come to a sanded area, it just came off as cheap and /or lazy. We were there over the span of 3 days, we didn’t see a single snow plow the entire time.
Additionally, a big section of the day use parking lot was just sheer ice - again, with no salt or sand on it. As a bonus, this unintentional ice rink covered most of the accessible parking spots.
Ordinarily, I could look past the day use area parking not being well maintained in the winter months, but not here - I’ll get to that in a bit!
Connectivity
We had pretty good cellular reception at our campsite, along the main campground roads, and in the day use area. (Rogers Wireless).
We streamed a couple of movies during our stay, no issues at all. The download speed was significantly better than the upload speed, though.
Accessibility
In general, winter camping tends to be less accessible than summer camping, but Silent Lake almost seemed malevolently so. If you’re a wheelchair user, ABSOLUTELY skip this park in the winter.
The road maintenance is a huge part of the issue, but also things like... The comfort station in the campground isn’t open in the winter. You have to drive all the way to the day use area to access flush toilets and showers.
... and also navigate that sprawling, un-addressed ice field of a parking lot. While many day use areas aren’t really used during the winter, this one is where the showers are - it really should be better maintained.
As for other mobility issues, there’s just not really a lot to do outside of your campsite.
The named hiking trails are all ski and/or snowshoe trails in the winter. The walking paths in the campground area are not maintained and are steep, slippery, and difficult to traverse - especially in snow.
Getting down to the day use beach involves a fairly steep hill, with no cleared path... and the other beach is gated off. So, even just sitting and enjoying a view is less than accessible.
Pets
There’s no information about pets on the park website or map, and the only mention I’ve seen of dogs at all was a sign banning them from the beach in the day use area.
There were dogs on the roads during our stay, though. So, I’d assume that all the standard rules apply - keep them leashed at all times, don’t let them bark excessively or harass other people or animals.
Parking
There aren’t a ton of parking lots - or “attraction” areas, really - at Silent Lake Provincial Park, but the parking areas all seem decently big for what they’re intended for.
The day use parking is huge, as was the Bonnie’s Pond parking. (We visited the lot on a Monday, though. I don’t know how busy the “toboggan-in” campground gets on winter weekends, though!
Again, just keep in mind that they’re not necessarily going to be well maintained. In addition to the previous parking lot issues mentioned, that Bonnie’s Pond parking area looked like it hadn’t been plowed in several days, by the time we visited.
24 hours should definitely be enough time to plow, after a snowfall - IMHO. It still wasn’t plowed by the time we left, 3 days later.
Campground Amenities & Info
We visited during the off season, so there were definitely some weird circumstances in play when it came to things like washroom facilities. Here’s some basic information, though:
Creature Comforts
The situation with the comfort stations was one of the more baffling logistical issues at Silent Lake Provincial Park.
Both of the campground comfort stations (Each with laundry facilities!) close the week after Thanksgiving, and don’t open again til the end of March.
It’s weird to me to have the lone heated comfort station clear across the campground from the camping area, rather than just heat the one that the campers have easy access to.
This is also why I found it extra annoying that the day use area parking lot was SO poorly maintained.
Anyway, beyond the flush toilets in the day use area, there are also a few vault toilets scattered throughout the campgrounds.
Visitor Centre
There is no visitor center at Silent Lake Provincial Park.
Park Store
There’s a little park store located in the gatehouse, with a shocking amount of items packed into a small area. It was nice - not at all cluttered.
You can buy all the usual Ontario Park’s souvenirs, clothing, firewood, ice, snacks, etc... but also books, board games, some bougie-looking toiletries, etc. There’s also a little coffee station in there!
The park is about 20 minutes from Bancroft, where you’ll find other shopping available - a few larger grocery stores, general stores, gas stations, and even a Canadian Tire.
Day Use Area
The day area is cute, and has some beautiful views of the lake. During the winter season, it mostly acts as a bit of a trail head for the skiing and snow shoeing trails.
Rentals
The park offers snowshoe rentals in the winter, but there were no details about pricing or availability during our stay. It may have been too early for that.
Campsite Details
As mentioned earlier, both the Pincer Bay and Granite Ridge campgrounds are available for camping, but the Pincer Bay campground has restricted access.
Like most - all? - Ontario Provincial Parks, Silent Lake Provincial Park offers a great selection of car camping sites, each with a picnic table and fire pit.
Both campgrounds are in well forested areas, and the Granite Ridge campground is quite hilly. (We did not walk in to the Pincer Bay campground).
Most of the car campsites in Granite ridge are electrical, while all of the sites in Pincer Bay are non-electrical sites.
These are two campsites off one driveway, sharing a single fire pit. (I think there are multiple picnic tables, though). These are great for slightly larger groups, and can hold up to 12 people.
Just a heads up - these sites need to be reserved together.
Roofed Accommodation
Silent Lake Provincial Park offers two different types of roofed accommodations - rustic cabins, and soft sided shelters (Yurts)
Camp Cabins
There are 10 camp cabins at Silent Lake Provincial Park, all on their own little side road near the day use area.
Each have 1 queen bed and one bunk bed, a kitchenette with a microwave & mini fridge, as well as a gas barbeque outside. They are heated with electric heat, via baseboard heaters.
You do have to bring your own bedding, food, personal items, and everything you need to cook your meals, though. (Including plates, pots, pans, etc).
Yurts
There are 8 yurts available, for those who want more of a glamping experience.
The Silent Lake yurts are scattered between the two campgrounds, which means that some are walk/toboggan in during the winter months.
Each winter yurt comes with 2 bunk beds, a table and chairs, a propane grill, a fire pit, and a picnic table. Like the cabins, you need to bring *everything* - bedding, towels, personal items, food, food prep items, etc.
Interestingly, half the yurts have electric heat, and the rest of them have a wood stove. Those with a wood stove come with firewood for it, the rest do not.
At the time of our visit, the operating yurts that we could see looked a bit ... worn down... from the outside.
Several of the yurts were under construction, though these yurts all showed up on the map. I guess they’re just replacing old ones? The ones that were being built looked really nice, though.
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Entertainment and Activity
There are really only a couple of recreational activities available during the winter season:
Hiking
I was looking forward to spending some time enjoying more beautiful forest wilderness of Ontario, but ended up doing NONE of the Silent Lake hikes during our stay.
There are 3 hiking trails - as well as a separate mountain biking trail, each of which gets converted to cross-country ski trails during the winter.
I’d been hoping to check them out before winter conditions came into play - it sounded like some great hiking! (Once the trails are converted to snowshoeing and skiing trails, you’re not supposed to hike on them.)
Lakeshore Hiking Trail is a bit long for me (It’s the longest trail, at 15 km), but I was looking forward to checking out bits of the rocky shorelines - the trail skirts along the shoreline of Silent Lake near the campsites.
Well, my husband took a side trail from the campsite down to the beach, and HE was shocked at how wild the walk was. In only 400 metres, there was a ~50 meter change in elevation!
Jagged landscapes, steep inclines, and ice are not a great combination for me, so I noped out on his recommendation. The next day, we saw ski tracks on one of the trails, so decided against hiking - we were a bit too late in the season!
Birding, Wildlife, and Nature
Silent Lake Provincial Park is a bit weird in the birding and nature department, as there is very little information out there about it! The park’s website doesn’t make any mention of wildlife ... though apparently there are black bears in the area.
None of our apps - Audubon, iNaturalist, etc - had any recent animal sightings reported at all. I mean literally none in the 2 months prior!
Maybe it’s a great place for the nature lover ... but if so, it would seem to be the nature lovers that don’t report findings, LOL!
We didn’t even see so much as a Chickadee during our stay (Porter heard a couple down at the lake on one occasion), so that might explain things. Weird, though - maybe it’s more active in the summer?
Cross Country Skiing
Cross-country skiing definitely seems to be the main draw in terms of winter activities at Silent Lake, so I was definitely kicking myself for leaving our cross-country skis at home!
Between all the hiking and mountain bike trail loops being used for skiing, there ends up being over 34 km of trails for cross-country skiers to explore.
There are colour-coded trails for skiers of every skill level, and they all start - and finish - at the day use parking lot:
Green Loop - 2.5 km, novice-moderate
Red Loop - 5 km, novice-moderate
Yellow Loop - 10 km, moderate
Blue Loop – 16.5 km, difficult
I don’t know if they end up setting up any warm-up shelters - there weren’t any during our trip - but the heated comfort station is right there.
Anyway, be sure to check out the Ontario Parks Snow Report when getting ready for your skiing trip.
Snow Shoeing
We were a bit too early in the season to partake, but the park does offer snowshoeing when conditions permit.
There are two snowshoeing trails available - the Bonnie’s Pond Hiking Trail, and a 5 km loop of the ski trail system.
Bonnie’s Pond is a 3 km loop trail that is used as a snowshoe trail in the winter - it takes you through sections of mature beech trees, pine forest, and hemlock forest, passing a large beaver pond, and involves a lookout point.
The loop of mixed use ski / snowshoe trail starts out at the same place as the Bonnie’s Pond trail, and has a couple of sections marked as being “more difficult”.
The park has snowshoes for rent, if you don’t have your own.
See Ontario Parks Snow Report to check out the current snow and trail conditions.
Ice Fishing
When conditions allow for it, ice fishing is allowed on Silent Lake.
The park notes that Lake Trout can usually be found along contour lines of the lake, and at various different depths.
Just note: You’re not allowed to use gas–powered ice augers, and all applicable Ontario Recreational Fishing Regulations are in place.
(The park website notes that Silent Lake has special exceptions, but doesn’t note what they are, and I couldn’t find “silent” in that linked document... so that’s *fun*!).
Northern Lights
Silent Lake Provincial Park has kind of a weird situation, in terms of Aurora Hunting.
In theory, it should be a great spot for viewing - it’s relatively far north, pretty far away from the GTA, and doesn’t have a TON of light pollution to the north of it. (Just a bit from Bancroft.)
That said... there aren’t really any good north-facing views - the park is situated on the north side of the lake.
You could ski around to the south side of the lake, but that sounds like maybe not a great idea at night, in the cold. But hey - maybe you’re more adventurous than I am!
If you do end up camping when the conditions are good for a major overhead storm, though (Can I See the Northern Lights Tonight?), you should be able to get a decent show from any open area.
Be sure to check out our guide on How to Photograph the Northern Lights, before setting out to do so!
Ice Skating
Unfortunately, Silent Lake Provincial Park does not appear to have any kind of skating rink available.
Discovery Program
The Silent Lake Provincial Park Discovery Program is limited to the summer months.
Niantic Games
Overall, there aren’t a ton of Ingress Portals / Pokestops / Pokegyms in Silent Lake Provincial Park.
Your best bet for game play is in the day use area, where there are 4 portals/etc right there, and decent cell phone reception to play. (At least on Rogers Wireless, anyway).
Final Thoughts
So, as you may have guessed by now... this one isn’t going to end up as one of our favourite destinations for winter camping.
Even if I discount how wildly amazing our stay at Mew Lake was - immediately before our stay at Silent Lake - it just really doesn’t measure up to other winter camping trips we’ve taken.
It reminded me way too much of our one - truncated - winter stay at Killbear Provincial Park. That was a park we LOVE in the spring, summer, and fall... but it was awful as a winter destination.
IMHO, if you’re going to open a campground for winter camping, you need to put a bit of effort and investment into it.
In the case of both Killbear and Silent Lake, it just seems like the powers that be said “well, we’ll open up and leave it at that”.
While other campgrounds seem much more thoughtfully appointed for winter campers, these two just seemed ... lazy.
While Silent Lake wasn’t QUITE as bad as Killbear was, it definitely hit that same feeling. It wasn’t welcoming at all, and seemed more like campers were imposing on a park that really wasn’t set up for it.
Plowing and sanding/salting - especially 48+ hours after a snowfall - should be the bare minimum you can expect, and even that wasn’t done at Silent Lake. That’s even without getting into the comfort station weirdness, etc.
Overall... I’m guessing it’s a gorgeous park in the summer - and probably fantastic as a day trip for cross country skiing - but definitely not the perfect place for winter camping, when compared to the other options.
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
MacGregor Point Provincial Park Winter Camping
Pinery 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
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