This summer we went on a 26-day adventure to 8 different provincial parks in central Ontario. The first stop was a seven and a half hour drive from home, via back roads and small towns. That first park was Balsam Lake Provincial Park, located east of Orilla. The 432 hectare park has 489 campsites, including 6 walk-in sites and a very large day-use area. The day-use area features sandy beaches, including a very nice pet beach, boat launches, docking facilities, picnic areas, volleyball courts and washroom facilities.

The park also has two hiking trails, canoe rentals and is a great place to fish for Walleye, Muskellunge, Large and Small Mouth Bass.

Nearby there is the Indian Point Provincial Park, Altberg Wildlife Sanctuary, and Carden Alvar Provincial Park.

We only stayed two nights at the park, during which we hiked both trails, spent time with friends and let Chloe enjoy the sandy, clear pet beach. The trails were very nice, although they were buggy and the site was large and somewhat private. The comfort station was older and in need of upgrades and the park store was quite small but at least they had popsicles!

Overall, the park would be a great place for families and for those wanting to fish or to use the park as a base to explore the area. We found a couple of days was more than enough for us, although it would have been nice to visit some of the places nearby.

Watch our first video from Balsam Lake and please subscribe!