Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park

Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park is located in Pointe au Baril, about 40 km from Parry Sound, in Ontario.

Site Review:

Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park is small by Ontario Parks standards. There are only about 80 sites.  The entire park could be walked in less than 20 minutes.

There are a variety of sites, some of which I would consider to be the worst sites I have ever seen at an Ontario park:

• The pull-thru sites #202 #204 #206 #207 #208 are decent. They are level and spacious enough to accommodate larger equipment.
• Sites # 9- #17 are on the point near the water.  These sites are small and very close together. This pic is of 4 sites- #14  #15  #16 and #17 separated by logs
• Site #204 on the other hand, is quite large and can accommodate virtually any size equipment.
• Sites #201, #203 and #205 face the beach.

Sites near the Sanitation Dump Station

For some reason, that I do not understand, they have located the trailer sanitation dump station directly in the middle of the park. It is on the side of the camp road between 2 outhouses directly across from sites #49, #51 and #52. Sites #50 and #54 are on either side of the outhouses. These sites have a front-row view (and smell) of every trailer and RV that is dumping their grey and black water tanks. Yuck. They are the most poorly located sites I have ever seen at an Ontario Park. Personally, I would avoid them at all costs.

As for the rest of the sites, it is hit and miss. The quality of some sites is ok with reasonable privacy and roomy lots, while others may be only separated by a log.

Some not even by that. This is 3 separate sites with no privacy between them

We had site #107. It was large with good privacy.

All campsites have picnic tables and fire rings.

Comfort Stations:

There are no flush toilets at Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park. This is the first time that I have been to an Ontario Park that has been designated for camping, where there have been no flush toilet facilities.

There are 4  pairs of outhouses located throughout the park. Considering the park is so small, you are never very far from one. Convenient yes, but also difficult to avoid the smell. I would carefully consult the Ontario Parks website when booking.

And while there are no flush toilets, they do offer shower facilities. There are 2 shower closets located across the road from the entrance to the park. This is not convenient at all. this driveway across from the park entrance leads to the shower facilities

Activities:

Boating:

There is a boat launch. There are docks where (after purchasing a permit) you can secure your boat.

Sturgeon Bay Marina is located directly across from the docks. According to other reviews, you can rent motorboats for day use from there. The Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park office had no rental details. You would independently have to source your own information in that regard.

Canoeing/Kayaking:

The park does rent canoes for day use on the bay (though not kayaks or SUP boards like some other provincial parks do).

I easily launched my own kayak at the boat ramp for a morning paddle. The bay is populated with many cottages, none of which are particularly visually interesting and while there is some rocky shoreline that might be considered aesthetically pleasing, there really is very little to look at. In fact, I felt that I was the one on view as cottagers enjoyed their morning coffee on their decks.

The most interesting part of the paddle for me was the area right around the boat launch where there were logs, lily pads and rock outcrops to maneuver and it was kind of fun to be on the lookout for frogs, turtles and dragonflies.

Hiking:

There are no hiking trails.

Biking:

There are no biking trails.

Swimming:

There is a small beach roped off for swimming. It is sandy and shallow. Given that this is really the only activity offered at Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park it does get crowded especially on a hot summer Saturday.

Things To Know:

1. Wood and ice are available for purchase at the park office.
2. The park store has a few souvenir items, not groceries or forgotten items.
3. There are no flush toilets.
4. Showers for campers of Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park are located across the road from the park entrance sign.
5. Highly recommend carefully consulting the Ontario Parks website paying particular attention to site size and location when making your reservation.
6. Nearby Ontario Parks are Killbear Provincial Park and Grundy Lake Provincial Park.

IMO:

Overall, I am a big fan of Ontario Parks. Some parks like Algonquin, Sandbanks and Lake Superior are phenomenal by any standard. There are also a number of parks in the system that while lesser known are excellent in their own right; Arrowhead, Kettle Lakes and Samuel de Champlain come immediately to mind. I, however, was unpleasantly surprised by Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park. It is not at all what I have come to expect from an Ontario provincial park experience.

Sturgeon Bay is small, uncomfortable and has minimal amenities. Unless you have your own boat and Georgian Bay boating is your thing, there really isn’t much to do.

I think what gets me chuffed the most about Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park is that you pay the same rate here as you do at every other Ontario Park and you do not get the same value. Killbear and Grundy Lake are each within 50km of Sturgeon Bay and with those 2 options, I wouldn’t waste my time with Sturgeon Bay.

I guess every list has to have a bottom.  Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park is the one at the bottom of my Ontario Parks RV Places to Go list. I would not recommend it.