Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park is located about 50 km east of the city of North Bay, Ontario.
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Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park has 212 campsites (105 with electrical service) in 2 separate campground areas:
- Jingwakoki campground
- Babawasse campground.
Site Review:
We had site #216 in the Jingwakoki campground. It is an electrical site. Most of the electrical sites, however, are in the Babawasse campground.
They are large with generally good visual privacy between them. Minor leveling is sometimes required.
Best/Worst Site:
One of the best electrical sites in Jingawakoki campground is site #193.
The privacy is very good, and you have direct access to the water.
One of the worst sites (also in Jingawakoki campground) is site #198. Usually, you don’t see a site close to a vault toilet like this one. This camper is as far away as possible on the site. If it was a bigger unit or had slideouts etc. it would fill the site and be even closer.
Activities:
Samuel de Champlain is a jewel in the Ontario Park system. It is not as well known as nearby Algonquin Park, and it really should get more credit than it does.
Hiking:
Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park has a nice selection of hiking trails that vary from the easy <1km Wabashkiki trail to the more difficult “Nature” and “Geology” loops found in the Etienne trail system.
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Etienne System Trails:
four loops ranging in length from 2.5 to 9 km; strenuous
Discover scenic views of the Mattawa River while traversing challenging terrain. -
Kag Trail: 2.5 km loop:
difficult with steep climbs
This trail travels through several ecosystems, including tall majestic Red Pine forests, Gem Lake and oak highlands. -
Wabashkiki Trail: 1 km loop:
easy
Explore a marsh and its resident wildlife on this trail and boardwalk set on a peninsula in the middle of Moore Lake. -
Forestry Research Trail: 1 – 2 km loop:
easy
This trail winds its way through active forestry research plots. A trail guide is available at the Visitor Centre.
Museum/ Voyageur Tours:
A main feature of the park is the Mattawa River. The river was vital to the fur trade, and later to the logging industry. It wasn’t until the construction of the railway in the 1880s that the importance of the Mattawa as a transportation route began to fade. Today the Mattawa river is designated as a Canadian Heritage River, making it one of the country’s most historically significant waterways.
The Voyageur Heritage Centre (located near the main entrance) has a small yet comprehensive museum detailing the history of the river- complete with a replica of a 38ft birch bark freighter canoe.
While at the Heritage Centre, you can book a Voyageur Adventure Tour. The guided tours involve paddling a 30ft Voyageur canoe and then following in the footsteps of the Voyageurs as they travelled along the Mattawa river. There are a couple different tours to choose from and they vary in length from 1 to 3 hours. Cost for the tours range from $8 to $17 pp.
Tubing:
Visitors to Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park can bring their own floatation devices and enjoy a float down the Amable du Fond River. There is a ‘put in’ and a ‘take out’ spot. The float portion is about 1 to 1.5 km long. The current is not dangerously swift, and the river in this section is not very deep. I watched a couple kayaks try and run it, but they got stuck a few times due to how shallow it is in spots. It looks to be a fun, family-friendly activity. Just be prepared to walk yourself, and your tube, back to where you started.
This is a natural tubing experience. There are no signs or promotions in the park to indicate this as an activity. It’s the type of thing that you need to be aware of before you arrive.
Canadian Ecology Centre:
Another unique facility at Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park is the Canadian Ecology Centre. It is a separate entity from the park in terms of programs offered etc. but does share the landscape and an observatory.
The observatory has a retractable roof and houses a 16″ Meade telescope used to view the night sky. When we were there on the Labour Day weekend the observatory was open on both Saturday and Sunday nights from 8 pm until 10:30 pm for a naturalist-led program. You would have to drive to this area as it is not really walkable from either of the campground areas.
Biking:
Biking is popular along the roads of Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park. The grade is generally flat with some incline and decline areas. The main roads are paved. There are not any specific bike trails in the park.
Kayaking/Canoeing:
You can rent kayaks and canoes from the park store. Canoes rented from the park are only to be used on Moore Lake
There are other outfitters in the area, like Algonquin North Wilderness Outfitter, that offer Mattawa River Day trips and will deliver canoes into the park if you are interested in some more serious canoeing of the area.
Things to Know:
- If you are interested in a Voyageur Canoe tour. Call ahead to see the schedule.
- Be prepared to drive in this park. While the beaches, park store and equipment rental are accessible on foot, the Canadian Ecology Centre and the Visitor Centre are just a little too far away to comfortably walk.
- Should note that canoe, kayak, and stand-up paddleboard rentals are for flat water use only.
- Bring extra extension cords. Some sites are far from the electricity hook-up. If you do not have enough extension cord you can rent what you need from the park store.
- You can get firewood, ice, a limited amount of camp supplies, and some souvenirs from the park store as well.
- Bring your own inflatable raft or tube if you want to float the section of the Amable du Fond River. There is nothing available to rent in the park.
IMO:
A great park with lots of things to do. It is picturesque with a nice selection of sites in a wooded setting. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and would recommend Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park as an RV Place to Go.
