Best Time to Camp

Camping has benefits in all four seasons

Summer

Summer is the prime time to camp in Huntsville/Lake of Bays in part because the summer is school break time for most children. In addition, summer is the season where we can reasonably be assured of good weather including warm or even hot days and balmy evenings and we all want to capitalize on our too-short summers by spending as much time outdoors as possible.

Summer is a great time for stargazing because it's warm throughout the night and usually doesn't rain as often as other seasons. You can see quite a lot once the light pollution of towns and cities is gone even without a telescope or binoculars. Swimming is a much-loved activity that's best enjoyed in the heat of summer and it's especially enjoyable following a day of hiking or canoeing.

Everything is ‘open for business' in summer so the range of events and activities is vast.

But summer is also the so-called high season in Huntsville/Lake of Bays which means that costs are higher for fuel, admissions to campgrounds and equipment rentals and it takes patience to get here on busier than usual highways. If you waited to buy camping gear in the high season the choices are greater but it's unlikely that you'll find any bargains. And unless you booked a campsite well in advance you may not get your preferred date and if you do get it, the campground (aside from very remote areas) is likely to be full of other campers eager to seize the best from those fleeting days of summer.

The other camping seasons

Autumn

Autumn is a wonderful time of year. There's just a touch of chill in the air and the striking beauty of the Huntsville/Lake of Bays cavalcade of colour is world-renowned. Even when the riot of colour has faded to a shimmer of gold and brown, the pungent aroma of fall leaves still tickles the nostrils reminding you that it's a great time to be outdoors.

The dog days of summer are over, and for many people camping couldn't get any better than in the fall. Days aren't as hot, and nights are just cool enough to snuggle into a sleeping bag for a good sleep. The summer vacation crowds have all gone home and following Labour Day there are plenty of excellent campsites available in the most popular campgrounds. Many of those are choice sites that require reservations far in advance during the summer. Best of all the black flies and mosquitoes are long gone. Wildlife is often quite active in the fall so there may be opportunities to glimpse them as they prepare for winter. Your best chance of hearing a wolf howl is from mid August to late September.

Fall camping gives one the sense that the world has slowed a little, and that nature can be enjoyed at a more leisurely pace. It's a perfect time to pack a good book in a watertight bag and after the campsite is set up, lean back against a sun-warmed rock and just read the afternoon away. It's the perfect time to be at one with nature as she folds up her tent and prepares for the long, cold winter to come.

As the seasons change, so too do the weather patterns, be prepared for severe weather in the fall – it's not unheard of to have an early snowfall in late October.

Spring

Spring is a time of rebirth for winter-weary and city-tired souls. In Algonquin Park spring also offers the best trout fishing in Ontario. (Remember that most residents and all non-residents need a fishing license to fish anywhere in the province.) Algonquin Provincial Park also has the best moose viewing in the province and the experts say, "you don't have to look very hard to rack up an impressive list." Since spring is the time for birth in the animal kingdom, almost anywhere in the wilds of Huntsville/Lake of Bays is a good spot to catch a glimpse of a tiny, spotted fawn or a mother fox with her kits.

Spring campers need to be mindful that the ice is generally not off our lakes until the last week of April or the first week of May. Check www.icewatch.ca and www.algonquinpark.ca for regular updates on ice and access road conditions. The first few weeks of May offer the best time for spring colours; they aren't as well-known as their autumn counterparts, but the more subtle hues of spring have an impressive beauty all their own that campers are particularly able to enjoy close up. The pastel green of Trembling Aspen, the pink wash of Red Maples and the silvery puffs of the Largetooth Aspen make early spring camping a visual delight.

Many outfitters and resorts have spring specials so don't discount spring camping even by canoe although it may be easier to take an RV or pop-up tent so you have an escape plan if the bugs get too bad.

Yes, spring is the time of black flies and mosquitoes in Huntsville/Lake of Bays. If your trip is early enough, you can avoid the bugs as long as it stays cool. The spectre of biting insects can turn many people off of a spring camping trip but with a good supply of heavy-duty repellent like Muskol or Deep Woods Off you can protect exposed areas quite well. Wear a bug jacket or light, protective clothing with long sleeves for a no-spray solution.

Winter

Winter is no longer off-season for many campers. Winter camping is an activity that requires training, a lot of equipment and an adventuresome spirit. But if you're already a summer camper, backpacker, hiker, backcountry skier or snowshoer, you might enjoy the challenge.

Solitude, snow-covered vistas, full-moon nights and pristine powder can be yours. And there are no crowds and no mosquitoes.

While it affords campers serious bragging rights, winter camping is not for the inexperienced. Camping in the winter increases the potential for things to go wrong. Unpredictable, cold weather is not something to trifle with if you don't know what you're doing. Start by camping close to your home and/or vehicle so that you can leave if necessary. Build up your expertise by taking course in winter camping, setting up in your own back yard or learning from experienced friends. Before you go winter camping learn to build a quinzhee (a mound of snow, hollowed out with a raised sleeping platform) or an igloo. An igloo is warmer than a tent and less energy-consuming than a quinzhee to build but it requires the most skill and practice to become efficient at building. Packing a tent is the easiest. A good four-season tent will have sturdy poles and a full fly covering the entire main tent body. But be sure to learn the tricks to anchoring your tent pegs in snow.

Other, less challenging options also exist for winter camping. The next time you get a craving to be at one with the snowy wilderness, you may wish to consider the merits of select provincial parks which offer rustic roofed accommodations in addition to classic winter camping. www.ontarioparks.ca

Winter camping in Algonquin Provinical Park

Algonquin Provincial Park www.algonquinpark.on has seven vehicle accessible, electrically heated yurts that are available for rent year-round. All seven of Algonquin's yurts are located in Mew Lake Campground along the park's Highway 60 corridor. Each yurt is equipped with basic furniture and sleeps up to six people. Yurts are popular alternatives to sleeping outdoors in a tent on the cold ground, so make your reservations early.

The park also offers trailer and RV camping in Mew Lake Campground on a first-come, first-served basis from mid-October until early May. Sites 1 through 66 have electrical hook-ups. You can purchase firewood from the wood lot in Mew Lake Campground. A heated, winterized comfort station provides drinking water, flush toilets, showers, and laundry facilities.

Camping away from Highway 60, in the interior of the park, is also available to hardier souls during the winter months. Enter the park interior from the highway or from one of many groomed ski trails, but do not camp within sight or sound of the trails or trail shelters, on designated summer campsites, or within 30 metres of shorelines or portages.

Interior campers are encouraged to seek out low-lying, sheltered and secluded areas where there is a good supply of standing dead wood for cooking and warmth.

No matter which type of shelter you choose for your winter camp, make sure you have a thick insulation layer (sleeping pad) between yourself and the snow. Invest in a good down or winter-rated sleeping bag, wear completely dry clothes to bed, and wear a warm hat; 30% of your body heat is lost through your head.