Algonquin: Kiosk Campground Review & Guide
If you are looking for a quiet camping experience, then Algonquin’s Kiosk Campground is definitely worth a visit.
John and I spent a couple of days in August exploring this incredible campground, and we immediately fell in love with it!
Kiosk Campground is located in the northern part of Algonquin Park, 415 km north of Toronto near the town of Mattawa.
Because it’s over a 4-hour drive from where we live, this campground was part of a two-week Algonquin Park road trip.
There were plenty of activities to keep us busy, so we immediately had regrets about not being able to stay longer.
This guide will give you an overview of what we experienced at Kiosk Campground. Decide for yourself if it is a place worthy of your camping bucket list!
Pros and Cons of Algonquin’s Kiosk Campground – Quick Guide
If you are in a hurry, here’s a quick list of the pros and cons of Algonquin’s Kiosk Campground:
Things We Liked
Things We Did Not Like
Algonquin’s Kiosk Campground Reservations – What You Need to Know Before You Go
Making a reservation to camp at Algonquin’s Kiosk Campground is pretty easy.
Just like all the other Ontario Park campsites, you can book your campsite up to five months in advance of your arrival date through the Ontario Parks reservation system.
In order to make a reservation online, you will first need to have an Ontario Parks account.
Registrations begin at 7 am EST.
We booked our stay at Algonquin’s Kiosk Campground for August and had a relatively easy time getting a site for the days we wanted.
On the plus side, most of the sites at this campground were pretty nice! So I really don’t think you can go wrong.
☑️ Expert Tip – Be sure to pre-register and check in online before arriving at the park. It definitely expedites the process once you arrive. This can easily be done by logging into your Ontario Parks account and heading to your reservation.
The park is open for camping from the end of April until the end of October.
Algonquin Kiosk Campground Address:
PO Box 147, 6905 Highway 17 East, Mattawa, ON, P0H 1V0
ttps://www.ontarioparks.ca/park/algonquin/kiosk
Arriving at the Park
Because the Kiosk Campground is located in the northern part of Algonquin Park, you can expect that it takes a little longer to access than the campgrounds like Pog or Canisbay, which are located along the highway 60 corridor.
You will need to access the campground off the Trans-Canada highway. Thankfully, the road leading to Kiosk (ON-630 S) is paved and in relatively good shape.
It will take you about 30 to 45 minutes to travel the roughly 30 km from the Trans-Canada to the Kiosk Campground.
You will have some spotty cell service for the first 15 km, and then after that, consider yourself “unplugged”!
Once you arrive at the campground, head to the Park Store to check in. There is no gatehouse.
Kiosk still requires campers to have a paper permit for your vehicle, so while you can check in online, you will still need to attend the Park Store.
This is where you will also purchase any firewood or ice needed for your stay.
We arrived after the 2:00 p.m. check-in, so once we were done at the Park Store, we could head straight to our campsite.
Kiosk Campground Map
Navigating the Park
Kiosk Campground is pretty small, so you won’t have too many issues navigating around. That said, we found the signage within the campground to be pretty sufficient.
As far as the campground roads go, they were fairly narrow, and made of packed dirt.
The quality of the roads was definitely hit or miss, though. Some areas were quite smooth, but others were covered in potholes, which was not fun with a trailer.
Parking
The parking lots we came across around the campground were a good size.
And while our truck stayed parked for the duration of our stay, you should not have any trouble finding space to park.
There were parking lots at the Park Store, a large one at the day-use area, small ones at the beach, as well as small lots near the flush toilets.
Camping at Algonquin’s Kiosk Campground
Kiosk Campground supports a wide range of camping options.
You can book sites for car camping, tenting, paddle-in sites, a rustic cabin, and RVs up to 32 feet (9.7 metres).
Just keep in mind that there are only non-electric campsites available.
And because not every campground section fits every style of camping, make sure to pay close attention to the site details when you book.
Kiosk Campground is home to 26 campsites as well as one rustic cabin.
Campground at a Glance
Kiosk Campground
- 26 Campsites
- Non-electric sites only
- Water tap
- Flush/Vault Toilets
- Wooded sites
- 1 Rustic Cabin
Roofed Accommodations
As I mentioned earlier, Kiosk Campground is home to one rustic cabin, located close to the day-use area and beach.
Rustic Cabin
The two bedroom Kiosk Cabin in Algonquin was built in 1936 on Kioshkokwi Lake. The kitchen was added in 1940, and hydro was installed in 1956.
The Rustic Cabin sleeps up to six people with an open concept kitchen and living room.
The cabin is equipped with an electric refrigerator, electric stove with oven, heat, and has running hot and cold water.
It also comes equipped with a microwave oven, toaster, kettle, fire extinguishers, wash basin, broom, dust pan, bunks (vinyl covered mattresses), table and chairs and a sofa.
Please note there is no indoor bathrooms and no cell phone reception. A compost toilet is available across from the cabin.
Check-in is at 4 pm, and check-out is at 10 am.
It is important to note that dogs are permitted in the cabin and smoking is prohibited in all facilities. Tents are also not permitted to be set up outside of the cabin.
You’ll need to bring your own food, cookware, dishes, linens, towels, and chairs.
Parking for two vehicles is available at the cabin, with one vehicle included in the fee.
Our Campsite Experience
During our visit to Kiosk Campground, we were lucky enough to score a waterfront site.
Our campsite was pretty spacious, with more than enough room for us to set up our dining tent.
While the waterfront sites were not completely private (I could still see my neighbours), there was more than enough shrubbery between sites to provide a good buffer.
The campsites that were away from the water were definitely less private. They were nestled into a pine forest with tons of tall mature trees, just no ground shrubbery.
Because we were right on the water, we were able to launch our paddleboards right from our site. We had no need to head to the beach.
What was pretty great though, was the public access point to the water for the non-waterfront sites in our area of the campground.
It meant that they also did not have to make the trek to the day-use area to access the water (nor did anyone have to cut through someone’s site to get to the water).
Our site was about a 5-minute walk to the closest toilet, and a 5 minute drive to the day-use area where the only water tap was located.
While our Teardrop Trailer is equipped with a bathroom, carrying water back to our site was a bit of a pain.
We did have some water in our tanks when we arrived at the park (knowing there was no fill station), but we did need to top up during our stay.
My advice, make sure that you have a container to carry water with you!
What Amenities Does Kiosk Campground Offer?
Onsite Amenities – Quick List
- 26 Campsites
- Flush and Vault Toilets
- Park Store
- Beach
- Canoe Rentals
Comfort Stations
Unfortunately, there are no comfort stations or showers at Kiosk Campground.
Laundry
There are no laundry facilities at Kiosk Campground.
Park Store
The Park Store is located in the day-use area, and was actually a good size for such a small campground.
Inside, you will find a small selection of Ontario Parks merch, including hoodies, t-shirts, hats, stickers, water bottles, camping cups, and more.
You will also find a small variety of snacks, an ice cream freezer full of novelty ice cream, a fridge full of cold drinks, as well as some camping essentials that you may have forgotten.
Because there is no patch for this campground, I purchased a sticker instead!
Visitor’s Centre
Algonquin Park is home to an awesome Visitor’s Centre. Unfortunately, it is located approximately 3 hours away from the Kiosk Campground.
Day Use Area
The day-use area at Kiosk Campground is home to the main beach, the boat launch, Park Store, Kayak Rentals, a small picnic pavilion, and picnic tables.
There was a large parking lot located adjacent to the main beach, as well as vault toilets.
If you want to visit the park for the day-use area only, you can reserve your daily vehicle permit to guarantee your day-use spot.
Permits can be obtained up to five days in advance.
Boat Launch
As I mentioned above, the boat launch is located in the day-use area of Kiosk Campground.
If you would like to head out on the water, only boats with motors of 20 horsepower or less may be used Kioshkokwi Lake.
There is a large parking lot adjacent to the boat launch where you can park both vehicles as well as boat trailers.
Kiosk Campground Beach
Kiosk Campground has one main beach, as well as other smaller areas to access the lake.
The beach is located in the day use area, with the swimming area marked by buoy lines. We visited this beach briefly on our first day in the park.
The swimming area was clean and did not get very deep, making it perfect for families with young children.
The water was tea coloured and not too chilly during our visit in August.
But as I mentioned earlier, John and I had a waterfront site, so there was no real need for us to drive to the beach.
Even though our entry to the water was rocky rather than sandy, it was actually not too bad when wearing water shoes or crocs!
The water stayed shallow for a good distance out, so we were able to swim or easily launch our paddleboards right from our site.
What Services Does Kiosk Offer?
Unfortunately, Kiosk does not offer all the usual services that you would find at other Ontario Provincial Parks.
Water
There is no water fill station at Kiosk Campground. If you would like to fill your trailer, you will need to do that before you arrive.
The Staff at the Park Store also mentioned that they would allow you to use the hose located behind the office.
As I mentioned earlier, we filled some water containers at the tap and filled our trailer from those containers.
You are NOT allowed to hook up your trailer to the water tap located in the Day-use area.
This is the only potable water tap available in the campground.
Dump Station
There is no sanitation station at Kiosk Campground.
If you need to dump your trailer, you can head out of Algonquin Park to nearby Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park where you will be able to use the sanitation station.
Garbage and Recycling
You will find a small central garbage and recycling area in the parking lot of the Park Store. There, you will find only garbage and recycling bins (none for propane tanks).
Just be aware, you are expected to sort your recyclables into paper products, glass, and cans.
Cell Service
There is absolutely NO cell service anywhere in the Kiosk Campground.
As I mentioned earlier, you will have some spotty service up until the half-way mark (15 km) on you way into the park on Highway 630 S.
After that, consider yourself officially UNPLUGGED!!
Things to Do at Kiosk Campground
Kiosk is an awesome place for enjoying the outdoors.
1. Go for a Paddle
One thing John and I always look forward to when we’re camping is paddleboarding. And Kiosk was definitely a great spot for it.
There are so many kilometres of shoreline to explore with your canoe, kayak, or paddleboard. And we made sure to cover as much as we could during our stay!
We split the lake in half and took two days to paddle the majority of the perimeter (2+ hours each day).
We had a ton of fun. Plenty of interesting spots to explore, including a small island covered in birds and nests, cool and interesting lakefront properties to admire, and several paddle-in sites to check out.
Just be sure to head out early in the day. We found that the water in the center of the lake became pretty choppy in the afternoon, making paddling a lot less fun.
2. Enjoy a Refreshing Swim
Kioshkokwi Lake is a great spot for swimming.
The tea-coloured water is clean and warm enough for a comfortable dip.
As we mentioned, it stays fairly shallow in the roped swimming area at the beach, which makes it a good option if you’re visiting with younger kids.
Just keep in mind that the water can get a bit rough once you head farther out, especially later in the day.
Of course, we preferred to do our swimming right from our campsite!
3. Do Some Stargazing
Kiosk is an absolutely AH-MAZING place to do some stargazing.
Although it’s not officially a dark sky preserve like Point Pelee National Park, there is very little light pollution in the area, so the skies are incredible!
During our visit, John and I experienced not only clear skies, but the added bonus of the Perseids Meteor Showers going on.
Just WOW!!
I only wished that my astral photography skills were up to par (which they most definitely are NOT)!
4. Try Your Hand at Fishing
For anyone who loves fishing, Kiosk is a wonderful spot to indulge in a favourite pastime.
Kioshkokwi Lake is home to a healthy population of Lake Trout. And if you head out just a little further, the nearby Amable du Fond River is pretty good for Brook Trout fishing.
During our visit, we saw people fishing from small boats, from the water’s edge, and even from paddleboards!
5. Do Some Birdwatching
While John and I are no bird experts, we do appreciate some of the amazing birds that we see while camping.
Algonquin is a hugely popular birding destination with it being one of the most southern locations to get northern specialty birds such as Canada Jay, Spruce Grouse, and the Black-backed Woodpecker.
In fact, over 260 different bird species have been recorded within the park.
We were happiest seeing and listening to the Loons on the lake at night!
Is Kiosk Campground Accessible?
We found Kiosk Campground to be very accessible.
The Park Store as well as many of the flush toilets allowed for barrier-free access.
That said, we did not notice an accessibility mat at the beach, nor did we notice any sites that were designated barrier-free campsites.
Are Pets Allowed at Kiosk?
Yes. Dogs are welcome at Kiosk.
Pets are allowed at the campground and in the day-use area, but must be leashed at all times.
Unfortunately, there is no pet exercise area or dog beach.
Just a reminder, dogs are not allowed at the main beaches.
Is There Winter Camping at Kiosk Campground?
No. Unfortunately, Kiosk Campground does not offer winter camping. It also does not offer any winter activities.
The only campground in Algonquin that is open for winter camping is Pog.
ers a couple of snowshoeing trails (with rentals available) and ice fishing.
Our Park Rating
We give this park 5 out of 5 stars for having:
Final Thoughts
Our visit to Kiosk Campground definitely exceeded our expectations.
The combination of awesome paddling, excellent stargazing, and a nice, quiet experience, made it a memorable camping trip.
We left already talking about when we could come back!
If you are not bothered by a lack of some creature comforts (namely showers, electricity and cell service), then this is the campground for you!
DEFINITELY recommend. Will be back!!
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More Campground Reviews:
- Algonquin: Rock Lake Campground Review & Guide
- Algonquin: Pog Lake Camping Review & Guide
- Algonquin: Canisbay Lake Campground Review & Guide
- Algonquin: Lake of Two Rivers Campground Review & Guide
- Algonquin: Kiosk Campground Review & Guide
