Aaron Provincial Park

Aaron Provincial Park is located 15 km from the city of Dryden on Thunder Lake, in Northern Ontario.

Aaron Provincial Park was established in 1958 and is located just off Trans-Canada Highway 17. It is halfway between Thunder Bay and Winnipeg. It is a convenient place to stop as part of a larger road trip or to simply enjoy for a few days on its own.

Site Review:

The park has 96 campsites- 39 are serviced with electricity. The transient sites and the seasonal sites are mixed together and interspersed throughout 2 distinct camping areas within the park.

Site Areas at Aaron Provincial Park:

There are no named campground loops but sites #1-38 are divided from sites #39-96 by Thunder Creek which runs through the middle of the park. Both areas have electric and non-electric sites. Many of the sites are pull-thru.

We had site #81. It was a pull-thru site directly across from a vault toilet.

I normally do not EVER get a site so close to an outhouse but this was summer 2021 when every park, even the northern ones, were busy. So pickings were slim when I booked and it was a case of “you get what you get and you don’t pitch a fit”. In my defense, the campground map shows the vault toilet being farther down and closer to site #78e. It is not. As it was, we were only staying for 2 nights as part of a larger road trip and the outhouse wasn’t smelly when we were there. The site was level and had good privacy, so we managed.

The lake is on the other side of these trees. but you can’t see it nor can you access it from any of the sites in the #39-96 campground area.

Garbage:

There is no central garbage collection area like you would find at most provincial parks. What they have instead are trash cans and blue boxes located conveniently throughout the park. Convenient-yes, yet when you pull in at the gatehouse you are greeted by this billboard sign warning of bears, so to then have attractants scattered all over the place does seem to send a double message. Note: I have camped a lot and honestly I wasn’t too worried, and we didn’t end up seeing any bears during our visit.

Comfort Station:

If you are camping on the other side of Thunder Creek on sites #39-96 and you wish to access a comfort station with flush toilets and showers, then be prepared for a walk of at least a kilometer. There is only one comfort station for the entire park and it is located in the section amongst sites #1-38.

Water:

The potable water situation confused me. Just past the entrance at Aaron Provincial Park, there is an area where you can fill your tanks with drinking water.

There are also water taps located throughout the campgrounds where you can fill jugs etc. for use at your site. This is the normal setup found at Ontario provincial parks. However, here several of the taps had these signs: Some of the taps did not have signs and presumably the water was fine to use. We usually travel with full tanks for just this reason. Be mindful of this when/if using the taps.

Activities:

Swimming:

There are 2 swimming areas at Aaron Provincial Park. One area is located in each of the campgrounds.

The swim area for campsites #39-96 is not a beach. In fact, it is difficult to access because you have to use these stairs: And when you do reach the water level-you just enter the water. There is no beach. The edge is mushy with guck. Once you get past that there is a sandy bottom. When I was in my kayak I could look down and see leeches as long as my finger moving around. For some reason, there were also a lot of dead moths floating on the surface. This swimming area was definitely gross.

The swimming area near campsites #1-38 is nicer. It is easy to access and there is a sandy beach. It is very shallow. At the buoy line, the water depth is no higher than an average adult’s waist.

Biking:

There are no dedicated biking trails within the park. You can bike on the camp roads. Should note that the roads are hilly with loose gravel and sand.

Hiking:

There are 2 short trails for hiking at Aaron Provincial Park:

• Aspen Trail: 1.9 km loop. Along this trail, you will find a picturesque bridge over the rapids of Thunder Creek.
• Eastern White Cedar Trail– 1.2 km loop that travels throughout the campground

Boating:

There is a boat launch. There is also room to park your vehicle and boat trailer.

Fishing:

You will require an Ontario Fishing Licence if you wish to fish on Thunder Lake. Even though Aaron Provincial Park is classified as an Ontario Park it is managed instead by the town of Dryden. Consult at the gatehouse on how to obtain a license if you don’t already have one- the rules may be different here. Typically though Ontario Parks does not issue fishing licenses.

There is a fish cleaning hut free to use during your visit. It is located near the boat launch.

Canoeing/ Kayaking:

The park rents canoes for use on Thunder Lake. Consult the gatehouse for rates.

I brought my own equipment. The lake is shared with cottagers so boat traffic can be busy. There are a few islands and marshy areas to paddle around and explore. The sunsets were pretty across the lake.

Things to Know:

1. I didn’t see any wood or ice available though my husband was asked at check-in if he wanted any. I was all over the park and I didn’t see a wood lot anywhere so I don’t know how this works. 
2. There is no park store. Dryden is about 15 km away. It has a Walmart for forgotten items.
3. Leashed pets are allowed. There is a dog beach area.
4. Electrical service is the only hook-up offered within the park.
5. There is an amphitheatre for summer activities. There is also a playground area.

IMO:

Aaron Provincial Park is what you would expect as far as northern provincial parks go. It is unfortunate that site #44 is the only site with even a minimal view of Thunder Lake and even there you can’t access the lake directly.

The second swim area (I shudder to call it a beach) near sites #39-96 is awful. 

The location of the park along Trans Canada Highway 17 makes it a good stop if on a greater road trip. It is easy off/easy on with pull-thru sites so you don’t even have to unhook if just there for the night.

Seasonal Sites at Aaron Provincial Park:

As is typical of a lot of northern provincial parks, there are a number of seasonal sites. As a personal preference, I tend to not like camping among seasonal campers which is why I gravitate to provincial, national and state parks in the first place.  Seasonal camping is just different. Seasonal campers tend to dress their site up like their own personal property often with outdoor music systems and large campfire gatherings. The campground staff generally do not enforce any noise violation rules. I understand that some of these parks would not be able to continue operating without the guarantee of the seasonal campers but for me, some of them are just not who I want to camp beside. If you are looking for a more remote camping experience you might want to check out Ojibway Provincial Park located less than an hour away.

Having said that, I would recommend Aaron Provincial Park as an RV Place to Go as a handy quick camping stop of maybe a couple of nights, but not for a long stay.