Is Winter Camping for You?

Winter camping is offered by many parks in Canada and United States. In Ontario 25 out 330 provincial parks remain operational between December 1 and March 31. Although I would not recommend tent camping in freezing temperatures for small children, staying in a yurt could be a great experience. Many provincail parks in Ontario offer yurts, including Pinery, MacGregor Point, Algonquin, Quetico, Killarney and Silent Lake .

Yurts are like small huts with plywood floors, bunk beds, electric heat and light. They are safe and cozy in winter and can be a lot of fun for the kids. However, often cooking in yurts is not permitted, so you still need to go outside to the fire pit/BBQ for that purpose (although some yurts have stoves). If you are a seasoned camper this may be a good choice for your family.  

On the other hand, if you have a trailer or an RV, winter camping may offer a wonderful and safe winter vacation. Many trailer parks are open year round for seasonal campers and they offer all the amenities you need in winter weather. Just make sure that your furnace is working properly and this could be a great winter break for your family.

Some major campgrounds in Ontario like Pinery, Algonquin and MacGregor Point offer snow-plowed campsites for arriving RV’s throughtout winter. They also have hot showers and laundry facilities. What makes them special is off-season hosts, who are volunteers that can help you with campsite selection, obtaining firewood and also in a case of trouble.

You have to remember that selecting a perfect campsite is not as easy in winter as it is in summer, and your criteria should be completely different. While you would like to be close to the water in hot weather, now you need to be in a nice cozy spot among the trees without the howling, icy winds.

There are lots of activities that you can enjoy in winter including cross-country skiing on groomed trails, snowshoeing and ice fishing.

If you are planning an off-season RV trip it is wise to prepare and pack some extra equipment including: booster cables, extra extension cords, battery charger, snow shovel and lots of antifreeze for holding tanks. You may also consider a block heater for your engine. Another thing to think about is that you are going to use about three times the normal amount of propane for heating (have an electric heater as a back-up) and also that you are going to have your lights on for many hours every day, so have extra light bulbs on hand. If you have unheated holding tanks it is sometimes safer to use public bathrooms than risk a damaged tank. On the same note it is safer to use water in plastic jugs for drinking, cooking and cleaning than risk burst water pipes.