Chutes Provincial Park

Chutes Provincial Park is located in the town of Massey about 100 km from Sudbury in Ontario.

The Aux Sables River was a busy place in the 1800s. Logging was a major operation. The winter would be spent cutting timber and in the spring the logs would be transported to the Spanish River and on to Lake Huron and the sawmills. The Aux Sables River is full of rapids and falls and many log chutes were built to move the logs around some of the more dramatic drops in the river and avoid log jams.

Chutes Provincial Park was established in 1963 and was named for the 60m log chute that was built at the main falls to direct logs downstream.

Site Review:

There are approximately 130 sites at Chutes. This is fairly small by provincial park standards. 

We had site # 37.The sites are all a good size. Many can accommodate the largest of rigs quite comfortably. This is all on the same site

The trees are high and the campground roads are easy to navigate with large equipment.

Comfort Stations:

There is one comfort station to service the park with flush toilets, hot showers and laundry facilities. Vault toilets (outhouses) are located throughout the park. I hate these, but unfortunately, they are a necessary evil in the provincial park system. Some parks manage these better than others. I have seen vault toilets in brick buildings. I have also seen them located discretely tucked away and out of sight. What I hate is when they are smack dab in the middle of the campsites like they are here. I understand the idea of being conveniently located but when you have to put up a lattice partition in an attempt to afford privacy to the campsite then they are too close!

I urge you to consult the campground map at the Ontario Parks site when making your reservation to avoid being too close to one of them. The stench in the summer is gross.

There are no sites that afford a direct view of the water. 

I would avoid sites in the Trillium Trail campground loop (sites #113-#130) They are close to the boundary fence and the traffic noise from highway 17 is loud. The chain link park boundary fence separates this site from the backyard of a house.

There are 2 pull-thru sites in the park and both are in the Trillium Trail loop. Both sites are huge and the pad slope doesn’t look too severe.

All sites have fire rings and picnic tables.

Activities:

Hiking:

The main feature at Chutes Provincial Park is the Aux Sables River. There is a 6km trail that follows the river and offers many lookouts and photo opportunities.

The hike is not particularly difficult. There are 2 bridges that cross the water as well as 3 specially constructed observation decks.On this hike, you may also observe the Pink Lady’s Slipper Orchid (or the Moccasin Flower as it is also known). While this isn’t a rare wildflower, it is uncommon. When you find this orchid, do not disturb it. DO NOT transplant it – it will not survive. This orchid is disappearing in the wild partly due to misguided attempts to transplant it, and also due to habitat loss. 

This hike ranks up there among my favourite forest walks.

Swimming/Beach:

The Ontario Parks website describes the swimming area at Chutes Provincial Park as a… “fine sandy beach tucked in a bend in the river below the falls“…ummm no.

The beach area is rocky…very rocky. And while I’m not sure you’d plan a beach day at this beach; if you had water shoes I’m sure it would be quite refreshing and it is in a pretty spot.

Mouth Park:

If a beach day is what you had in mind then you might want to check out Mouth Park. This is the town beach located at the mouth where the Aux Sables River joins the Spanish River. It is about 3 km away on Carl Albert St. in Massey.

Biking:

There are no designated paths for biking. Bikes are not permitted on the hiking trail. The campground roads are paved and flat and are kid-friendly for biking.

Trans Canada Trail

The town of Massey is adjacent to the park. I rode my bike into town and found the Trans Canada Trail (rebranded the Great Trail in 2017) It is the longest network of recreational multi-use trails in the world.

To access the trail; go left when you exit the park and ride through the traffic lights on Imperial St. and into a residential section of town until you see this sign (about 1.5km)You will ride across the bridge over the Spanish River. Immediately after the bridge, there will be a stop sign. Make sure you go left. This is Lee Valley Road and is a part of the Trans Canada Trail. The road is flat, nicely maintained, and lightly travelled. Your ride takes you past farms and pastures.

Boating:

There are no boating facilities in the park. There is a public boat launch about 2.5km away. It is located on Carl Albert St. just before Mouth Park.

Canoeing/Kayaking:

Canoeing/ Kayaking is not an option on the Aux Sables River. It had occurred to me that if you had your own equipment you could put-in at the beach area and head down the Aux Sables River to the mouth where it joins the Spanish River. This would be a bad idea. This picture was taken from Highway 17 where the road crosses the Aux Sables River in Massey: If you want to canoe or kayak, I would just put-in at the boat launch. There is parking available. 

Things to Know:

1. Chutes Provincial Park does not have a park store. You can purchase wood and a few souvenir items at the gatehouse but everything else you would probably need can be found in Massey- except groceries! Apparently down Highway 17, there is a grocery store but there is not one in Massey. There is a convenience store you can see from the park entrance and can easily walk to. In town, you will find a liquor store, a couple of hardware stores, a gas station and some restaurants.
2. Take care on the hiking trail and at spots throughout the campground as there is poison ivy.
3. Leashed pets are permitted. There is even a small enclosed off-leash area near the beach.
4. There is only one comfort station with 4 showers for the entire park. If this is an amenity that you use I suggest trying to coordinate shower times with less busy times to avoid standing in line.
5. There are no paths that cut through the park to get from one side to the other. This is a bit inconvenient when trying to access the hiking trail and the beach area. We cut through vacant sites but if it was peak season and the campsites were occupied this would be problematic.
6. For information on other provincial parks in the Ontario Parks system click here.

IMO:

I really like Chutes Provincial Park. The campground was nicely maintained and the sites were a generous size. Most of the sites were away from the boundary fence. The further into the park you got, the highway noise became drowned out by the sound of the rushing water from the river.

I liked the river feature and the walking trail. I also like the proximity to Massey and the couple of extra things the town afforded.

The park is conveniently located just off Highway 17 so it makes an ideal stop as part of a road trip and yet, with the exception of the Trillium Trail campground loop, it manages to maintain a private isolated feel.

I would recommend Chutes Provincial Park as an RV Place To Go!