Rene Brunelle Provincial Park

Rene Brunelle Provincial Park is located about 20 km outside of Kapuskasing in Ontario.

 Rene Brunelle Provincial Park is located on Remi Lake in northern Ontario. When aviation was in its infancy, Remi Lake used to be a base for floatplanes. At the park, you can learn about the bush pilots of the time who explored the region with missions ranging from forest fires, mining exploration, and aerial timber patrols.

Site Review:

There are approximately 90 sites suitable for RV camping at the park. More than half of them are serviced with electricity. There are an additional 5 sites that are walk-in and tent-only. The walk-in sites (#91, 92, 93, 94 and 95) have their own private beaches.The majority of sites are grouped together in the East Bay campground. Overall the sites are big with good visual privacy between them and can accommodate large equipment.

There are a number of sites with direct access to the lake. Some of these premium sites are seasonal but many are for transient campers as well. Site # 56 looks like it has the best view. For the sites that are not located on the lake, you could go to the dock located near site #57 for access. Or take the trail to Camper’s Beach. This can be a considerable walk from some sites. 

Comfort Station:

There is a comfort station with flush toilets and free hot showers centrally located in the East Bay campground. There is also a laundry room with pay-to-use washers and dryers. A playground is located beside the comfort station in the East Bay campground. We had site #66. It is a pull-thru site with fairly good visual privacy from neighbours. It is located close to the path to Camper’s Beach and to the dock. All sites have campfire rings and picnic tables.

Activities:

Swimming/Beach:

Rene Brunelle Provincial Park has 4 beaches. The Campers Beach can be accessed via the path near site #63. The other 3 beaches are located within the park but are a 2.5 km drive away. Two of the beaches are in the Day Use Area and the other is reserved for group camping use.Main BeachThe main beach in the Day Use Area is marked off with bouy lines and has a nice sandy bottom. One of the better beaches that I have seen in a northern park. Most are rocky but the beach here is quite nice and the slope is gradual.

Boating:

There is no boat launch within the park. The closest boat launch is outside of the park about 1 km away.

There are a lot of cottages and homes that share Remi Lake, I noticed a lot of jet skis, definitely a busy lake for boating.

You can rent motorboats from the park for use on the lake. See the gatehouse for information on rates.

Canoeing/Kayaking/ SUP:

You can rent various personal watercraft equipment for use on the lake, as well as rent pedal boats. Rates vary depending on the duration of use.

I used my own kayak and put in at the boat dock. I went early in the morning when boat traffic on the lake was light.  Once you round the point the shoreline past the park boundary is undeveloped and this made for a nice paddle.

Hiking:

There are 2 named hiking trails within the park:

• La Vigilance Trail (1.5 km- easy)
• Spruce Lowland Trail (1.6 km- easy). If you take a slight detour on the marked side trail, you can see a bear den.

Biking:

You can bike on the camp roads at Rene Brunelle Provincial Park. The road to the Day Use Area is 2.5 km each way and is a gravel dirt road. The roads in the campground loops are also dirt roads.

Moonbean Nature Trail:

Just outside the park entrance is an access point for the Moonbeam Nature Trail. The trail claims to be paved from the Rene Brunelle Provincial Park entrance to the village of Moonbeam. Supposedly you can use the trail for hiking, biking, rollerblading and even skateboarding all along the 10.7 km length to the junction at Highway 11.

I think at one point this may have been true. The trail initially started out as a paved trail. However, time and weather have eroded this trail considerably. Efforts have been made at maintenance with large patches now covered in coarse gravel. You are not rollerblading or skateboarding on this. Biking is challenging depending on the bike. A mountain bike or a fat bike would be fine. My bike, which is essentially a road bike with thinner tires, struggled in the loose gravel patches. My speed on this trail was very slow but I did persevere for the entire length and made it to the spaceship in Moonbeam.

I then turned around and headed back. The middle kilometers (km 3-6) are probably the best on the trail in terms of even pavement but it is also where the trail is the hilliest.

Along the trail, you will pass the Moonbeam Golf Club. This is a public 9-hole course.

Things to Know:

1. Wood and ice are available for purchase at the gatehouse.
2. There is no store for forgotten items. There are a couple of things available in Moonbeam. Kapuskasing is a 30-minute drive away for larger items.
3. There is a trailer dump station with potable water available at Rene Brunelle Provincial Park. You should note that northern parks regularly have boil water advisories. This was the case when we visited. We always come prepared with our own water on board and you might want to consider this as well before visiting and come with your tanks your full.

IMO:

I liked Rene Brunelle Provincial Park. It wasn’t as pretty as some of the other provincial parks that we have visited and I was surprised at how busy Remi Lake was with recreational boat use. The sites however were nice, the beaches were good (especially the Day Use beach) and the park facilities were nicely maintained with a variety of equipment options.

You might want to consider other parks in the area, and if so, about 2 hours down the road is Kettle Lakes Provincial Park, which in my opinion is much nicer. I would however still recommend Rene Brunelle Provincial Park as an RV Place to Go but probably only for a short stay.