Voyageur Provincial Park is located about an hour from both Montreal and Ottawa in Ontario near the Quebec border.

Site Review:

Voyageur Provincial Park is a large park with approximately 420 sites (130 with electric service) spread out amongst 3 campground areas.

• Iroquois Campground
• Portage Campground
• Champlain Campground

You can find electric sites in each of the 3 campgrounds.

There are a lot of site options here. There are seasonal sites, open sites, shaded sites, as well as shared sites.

Shared sites:

Shared sites, aka double sites, are not that common in Ontario provincial parks. A shared site is usually a large site that has been divided to accommodate 2 separate camping units. There are usually 2 picnic tables and 2 campfire rings but on one site with no discernable separation between them. 

This setup is nice for groups travelling together.

The main problem with shared sites is the temptation to book one of them and think you can have a double-sized site all to yourself. This, of course, could happen and then it’s lucky you. However, this is risky, especially at a busy park like Voyageur. You could end up with a neighbour that you will have absolutely no privacy from. 

A complication I discovered at Voyageur Provincial Park is the site descriptions found on the Ontario Parks website. Things don’t match up. Normally I would advocate consulting this site as I have found the information to generally be accurate and helpful for other parks within the system. I do not recommend it for this park though. There is a lot of misinformation and it is confusing.

Ontario Parks Shared Site Misinformation:

Take sites #377 and #378 in the Portage campground, for example.

These are actual pictures taken while I was there.

One shared driveway leads to a private clearing surrounded nicely by trees and bushes. In the clearing, you can see 2 picnic tables and 2 fire rings indicating 2 sites. This would be what a shared site looks like.

However when you consult the site information on the Ontario Parks website. You get conflicting information. It says it’s a double site and it also says it’s not.

The problem is that unless you have been there and know for sure which are double sites and which are not, you really can’t tell. The campground map is also of no help. You could book your site based on the website information and wind up being very close to people you don’t know. You would then, of course, be subjected to their noise level, their activity level, possibly their pets, their children, their waking /sleeping schedule and so on. 

My advice is; if it says it shares an entrance then just assume that it’s a shared site and book accordingly.

Misinformation about Suitable Equipment:

Another problem with the information found on the Ontario Parks website concerns the size of equipment that the site can accommodate. During a walk around the campgrounds, I repeatedly saw some exceptionally large sites that the website claims can only allow smaller equipment.

Take site #83 for example:

This is a beautiful site with access to the river. The description on the website indicates that it’s an 18m x 14m site that can only accommodate a trailer up to 18ft.

Compared to site #354which is an 11m x 12m (smaller than site #83) and says that that can accommodate equipment up to 32ft long.

We had site #35 in the Champlain campground which says it is a 17m x 16m site able to accommodate equipment up to 32 ft. In my opinion, though, it seemed a little tight. It also says that privacy was average for this site when in reality it was a wide-open corner site with no privacy at all.

There are a lot of website description discrepancies.  This is unfortunate because there are many exceptional sites at this park.

All sites have a picnic table and a campfire ring. The main road throughout the park is paved and the campground roads are easy to navigate.

All of the campground areas have at least one nicely appointed comfort station with flush toilets and free hot showers (Champlain and Iroquois have 2)Laundry facilities are available in each campground.

Activities:

Swimming at Voyageur beaches:

There are 4 beach areas within Voyageur Provincial Park. Two of them are located in the Day Use Area. Main BeachSecond Beach

There is a beach at the Champlain campground and at the Iroquois campground. All beaches have roped-off swimming areas but are unsupervised. They are sandy with a gradual slope.

Hiking:

There is one hiking trail within the park. It is a 1.8 km loop through forest, meadows and wetlands.

Biking:

There are no designated bike paths but the main road is paved with a fairly level grade to allow for some relaxed riding. There is probably about 5 km of paved road as well as the campground roads.

Canoeing/Kayaking/Boating:

Voyageur Provincial Park is located on the Ottawa River. There are many boating opportunities to enjoy.

There are 2 boat launches within the park. The one located in the Champlain Campground is better suited for small boats. The other launch located near the Iroquois/Portage campgrounds can accommodate larger boats.

Canoes and kayaks can be rented at the second beach in the Day Use Area at the boat rental hut. There are numerous bays and inlets along the shore that make for a nice relaxing paddle.

Day Trip to Ottawa:

Voyageur Provincial Park makes a good home base to visit Montreal or Ottawa since both are only about an hour’s drive away. We visited Ottawa. There are many sights to see in the Nation’s capital.

Other camping options if in the Ottawa area are Rideau River Provincial Park and Fitzroy Provincial Park

Things to Know:

1. There is a camp store/snack bar in the Day Use Area.
2. Wood and Ice can be purchased at the main gate or at the store in the Day Use Area.
3. Leashed pets are permitted and there is a dog beach.
4. Fishing is permitted with an Ontario fishing licence providing you stay on the Ontario side of the Ottawa River. If you should cross to the Quebec side to fish then you would also need a Quebec fishing licence. 

IMO:

Voyageur Provincial Park is located conveniently between Ottawa and Montreal. There is easy access to highways 20, 40, 401 and 417 making it an ideal base to visit those areas.

Voyageur has the usual amenities you would expect at an Ontario Provincial Park as well as some large spacious sites. The beaches are well kept and the Day Use Area is inviting with ample parking. I really enjoyed our stay here and would definitely recommend it as an RV Place to Go.