Bass Lake Provincial Park Review & Camping Guide

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Bass Lake Provincial Park Reservations – What You Need to Know Before You Go

Making a reservation to camp at Bass Lake Provincial Park 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, though, you will first need to have an Ontario Parks account.

Registrations begin at 7 am EST.

While we did not have too much trouble booking a campsite at Bass Lake, as I said earlier, the campground was at capacity for the Canada Day long weekend.

Just something to keep in mind.

Bass Lake is open for camping from the middle of May until after the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend in October.

Bass Lake Provincial Park Address:
2540 Bass Lake Sideroad East, Oro-Medonte Township, ON, L3V 6H2
https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/basslake

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Arriving at the Park

Once you arrive at the main entrance to the park, you are able to check in at the gatehouse.

At the gatehouse, we were able to grab a printed map and get our parking permit.

We arrived just after the 2 o’clock check-in time, so we were able to make our way to our site right away.

We were also able to purchase our firewood, ice and park patches at the gatehouse.

There were several parking spots large enough for RVs right by the gatehouse.

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Bass Lake Provincial Park Map

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Navigating the Park

While not the smallest Provincial Park we have visited, Bass Lake was by no means huge either.

There were plenty of signs to help you find your way around the park, as well as enough signs in the campgrounds themselves.

We really liked the fact that most of the roads (including the campground loops) were paved.

Not only that, but the campground loops were labelled as one-way, and people actually respected that!

This made it easier, considering that the roads in the campgrounds were actually quite narrow.

Even though we are driving a tiny teardrop trailer, we still had a bit of a challenge backing it into our site without needing to roll the front wheels of our tow vehicle over our neighbour across the way’s site.

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Parking

In general, we found the parking lots located throughout the park to be sufficient in size for this park.

There were several lots at the beach, in the day-use area, by the Parks Store, at the comfort stations, and at the gatehouse.

I even noticed a small lot in our campground loop. It was a grassy corner that you may actually miss, were it not for the blue ‘P’.

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Bass Lake Provincial Park Camping

Bass Lake Provincial Park accommodates a variety of camping styles.

From car camping to tenting, group camping, and RVs up to 32 feet (9.7 metres), you will find it all.

They even have 5 sites with roofed accommodations called “Prospector Tents.” More on this later.

You will also have the choice between electric and non-electric sites.

Unfortunately, not all types of camping can be accommodated at all sites, so you will need to watch for this when making your reservations.

Bass Lake Provincial Park has 4 main campgrounds – Cedar, Lakeview, Hilltop, and Eastside – with a total of 182 campsites.

The Lakeview and Cedar Campgrounds offer exclusively non-electric sites, while Eastside has only electric sites, and Hilltop offers a mix of electric and non-electric sites.

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Campgrounds at a Glance

Prospector Tents

If you would like to camp but don’t have an RV or even a tent, these Ontario Parks’ roofed accommodations might be for you.

The Prospector Tents are giant canvas tents with wood framing that sit on a wooden platform.

The tents are furnished with 2 bunk beds (with mattresses), a table and chairs, and storage shelves. They even come with a propane barbecue.

This is as close to glamping as it gets in an Ontario Provincial Park!

The Prospector Tents can accommodate 6 people with parking for up to three cars.

Keep in mind that you will need to bring your own bedding, cooking utensils, dishes, pots and pans, etc.

Another thing to note is that there is no electricity in the Prospector Tents, and vault toilets and water taps are located nearby.

No Pets are allowed at these sites.

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Our Campsite Experience

During our two separate visits to this park, we chose to stay in different campgrounds, just to see the difference.

Hilltop Campground

During our first visit to Bass Lake, we were booked to stay at campsite #157 in the Hilltop Campground.

The campsite is private from your neighbours on each side. However, you have the vault toilets right behind you, and there aren’t many trees to block the view.

There was a constant stream of people going to the bathroom during the day, as well as into the night.

Most of the people around us were in tents, so that definitely explained all the foot traffic.

And another quirky thing about this spot was the placement of the fire pit. We were practically sitting in the bushes!

We could not sit all the way around the fire pit, only in a half-circle. No big deal, just odd.

Other than that, the electrical box was in a good spot, and aside from a few tree roots, the site was pretty level.

It was the first time this year that we did not need to use our levelling blocks or an extension cord!

The site has mostly shade with some morning sun closest to the road.

The site was about a 5-minute walk to the comfort station with showers, which we really didn’t worry about since our Teardrop does have a wet bath.

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Eastside Campground

On a subsequent stay, we booked a site in the Eastside Campground. We really liked this one.

While it was not the most private site we have ever had (we could clearly see our neighbours on all sides), it was quite nice with partial sun and lots of mature trees.

During this stay, we noticed that the park had suffered significant damage during the March 2025 ice storm.

There were several trees cut down on our site, making it more open than we would have liked.

This seemed to be the case all over the park, unfortunately.

On the plus side, our site was just a 5-minute walk to the comfort station with showers, and a one-minute walk to the bathrooms with flush toilets.

One thing to keep in mind when staying at either the Hilltop or Eastside Campgrounds is that you will hear vehicular traffic on the main roads that border the park.

While it did get a little loud at times during the day, at night, the traffic noise was minimal.

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What Amenities Does Bass Lake Offer?

Comfort Stations

There are several comfort stations in the Campground areas at Bass Lake.

Comfort stations with showers are located in the Lakeview Campground and between the Hilltop and Eastside Campgrounds.

The Cedar Campground has access to vault toilets.

The Day Use area at Bass Lake Provincial Park has a comfort station, which is located near the Park Store.

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Park Store

The Park Store is located in the main day-use area.

The park store sells Ontario Parks merchandise (like my patches!), clothing and souvenirs, as well as a variety of items that you may have forgotten when packing for your camping trip.

The Bass Lake Park Store is where you can also rent canoes and kayaks.

And while there is no awesome ice cream counter like at Earl Rowe Provincial Park, Bass Lake’s Park Store has a small freezer where you will find a good selection of novelty ice cream.

***Just a heads up. The park store will be closed for July and August due to renovations. Unfortunately, kayak and canoe rentals will not be available during this time.***

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Visitor’s Centre

There is no Visitor’s Centre at Bass Lake Provincial Park.

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Day Use Area

Bass Lake has a decent-sized day-use area for a small park.

The main day-use area is lakeside and conveniently located next to the Park Store.

You will find 3 large picnic shelters (which are available for rent), a children’s playground, plenty of picnic tables, water taps, a comfort station, a walking trail, and beach access.

You can reserve your daily vehicle permit to guarantee your day-use spot at this park.

Permits can be obtained up to five days in advance.

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Playground

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Bass Lake Provincial Park Beach

Bass Lake Provincial Park is home to a short stretch of sandy beach on Bass Lake. The sand was powdery and well-groomed.

In fact, we noticed that the sand was groomed every day on the weekend that we visited.

And what’s great is that the soft sand leads right into the water. We did not need water shoes as the entire swimming area was pretty clean.

The water was clean and clear, and warm enough to swim in during the first weekend in June.

The kids had a blast (and so did the adults)!

There are signs at the beach access point warning of no lifeguard on duty. But this is pretty common at all Ontario Parks.

Another thing to be aware of is that dogs are not allowed on the main beach at any time.

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What Services Does Bass Lake Offer?

Bass Lake has all the usual services found at other Ontario Provincial Parks.

Water

There is one sanitation station at Bass Lake Provincial Park. It is located a short distance past the main gate on your way out of the park.

You will find one water fill station at the beginning of the sanitation loop.

However, if you take a look at the park map, it will tell you that a second filling station is located in the garbage and recycling area.

When we asked about this at the gatehouse, we were told that there is a tap at that location that you can use to fill your rig. You just need to have your own hose.

Since it was on our way to our campground (instead of circling back around to get to the sanitation loop), we went with this option.

There was more than enough room for us to pull into the garbage area to fill up Nellie.

If you choose to fill up in the sanitation loop, there is no bypass lane, so you may get stuck waiting for rigs that are dumping.

You will find plenty of water taps located throughout the campgrounds, as well as in the day-use area.

There are no water hookups at the individual campsites.

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Dump Station

Just like with the fill station, there is only one dump station in the sanitation area.

As we mentioned above, the dumping area is actually just a single-lane road without a bypass lane.

The fill station is first, followed by the dump station.

So with only one dump station, just expect it to be busy around check-out time.

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Garbage and Recycling

There was a small area just a short drive from the gatehouse with both garbage and recycling bins.

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Wi-Fi

We were actually pleasantly surprised by the fact that we were able to get a 5G signal at both our campsite and at the beach.

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t the greatest, nor was it consistent. But it was there!

I was able to make a phone call from my campsite as well as work on updating this blog post!

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Things to Do at Bass Lake Provincial Park

1. Enjoy Some Hiking

Bass Lake Provincial Park is home to two trails, which are more of a walking trail than a hiking trail.

While we did not really come across an actual Trailhead for the Waterfront Trail, it was well-marked and easy to find.

This trail loops through the park. There are various access points in the day-use area as well as in the campgrounds.

The first half kilometre of the trail, which begins at the beach parking lot, has been paved, making it accessible for everyone.

However, even the rest of the trail, with few exceptions, was well-groomed and wide. You could probably take a jogging stroller through here with minimal effort.

John and I really enjoyed the walk, which took us 50 minutes to complete, including plenty of stops for photography.

The trail takes you through forests, across marshes on a wooden boardwalk, and even past the Rowe Homestead, which was part of a working farm over 100 years ago.

All in all, we were pretty impressed with the trail! I would love to visit here in the fall to hike.

During our second stay in the park, part of this trail, including the Rowe Homestead, was roped off and closed.

Apparently, a turkey vulture had chosen this exact location to build its nest!

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This Trailhead can be found off the Waterfront Trail at marker #5.

The trail will take you through grassy areas and forest, ending at the gatehouse.

While I could not find any info about the length, John and I found it to be more of a shortcut across the Waterfront Trail. It was pretty short!

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2. Go for a Boat Ride

You are able to take boats out on Bass Lake.

And while there is a boat launch area within the park, you can’t leave boats out on the water overnight.

You will even find a parking lot with space to park your boat trailer adjacent to the launch area.

And if you are looking to kayak or canoe, you are in luck! As we mentioned earlier, the Park Store has plenty of rentals available.

You need to be over 16 to rent a canoe or kayak, however.

All rentals come with lifejackets and are available for 2 and 4-hour rental periods.

What I found was pretty awesome, is that the dock located right across from the Park Store has a neat little contraption that makes it easier to get in and out of the kayak!

You put your kayak or canoe on the special platform, get in and push off. The platform keeps your kayak stable, making it easier to get in or out.

This was the first time John and I had ever seen this.

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3. Try Your Hand at Fishing

Bass Lake is home to largemouth and smallmouth bass, as well as several panfish species like perch and sunfish.

You will find several floating docks in the day-use area that are perfect for trying your hand at fishing.

And just like some of the other Ontario Parks that we have been to, Bass Lake offers a Tackle Share program where you can borrow all kinds of fishing equipment.

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4. Enjoy a Bike Ride

You are welcome to ride your bike on any of the roadways throughout the park and campgrounds.

While we also came across bikers on the Waterfront Trail, just keep in mind that many people walk this trail.

Another thing to keep in mind when deciding to go out for a bike ride is that this park is quite hilly! This includes both the walking trail and the campground roads.

If you are in the Hilltop or Lakeview Campgrounds, you are in for an uphill ride on the way back to your site!

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5. Go for a Swim

This park has an awesome beach for swimming.

The only downside is that it is small and will probably get pretty busy during prime summer camping time.

The water is shallow throughout the roped-off swimming area, clean and really clear.

And as we mentioned earlier, the powdery sand continues from the beach into the swimming area.

We were pretty impressed with how nice the beach at Bass Lake was.

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6. Take Part in the Discovery Program

From what we can see on the website, a basic Discovery Program is offered at Bass Lake.

During July and August, kids can pick up a Discovery Activity Book and use the equipment and materials provided to explore the park.

While our kids are now too old for this program, they really enjoyed it when they were younger.

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Is Bass Lake Provincial Park Accessible?

We found the buildings at Bass Lake to be pretty accessible.

All the comfort stations allowed for barrier-free access to both flush toilets and showers.

Both the Park Store and the gatehouse were also barrier-free.

As we mentioned earlier, sites #5 and #6 in the Eastside Campground are accessible campsites.

While there isn’t a wheelchair mat taking you from the day-use area down to the beach like at Darlington Park, the parking lot is just off the beach and steps to the water.

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Are Pets Allowed at Bass Lake?

Yes. Dogs are welcome at Bass Lake Provincial Park.

Pets are allowed at the campground and on the hiking trails, but must be leashed at all times.

You will even find a small pet exercise area next to the boat launch.

Dogs are not allowed on the beach or in the Prospector Tents.

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Is There Winter Camping at Bass Lake?

No. The park is not open for winter camping.

However, from the fall closing date (Tuesday after Thanksgiving) through to the spring operating season in May, the park is open for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and winter hiking.

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FAQs

Can you swim in Bass Lake, Ontario?

Yes, you can swim in Bass Lake. The water is clear, clear, and shallow, making it a great place to go for a dip.

Is there a dog beach at Bass Lake Provincial Park?

No. There is no dog beach at Bass Lake. And pets are not permitted on the beach at any time.

What kind of fish are in Bass Lake Provincial Park?

You will find largemouth and smallmouth bass, perch and sunfish in Bass Lake Provincial Park.

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Our Park Rating

We give this park 5 out of 5 stars for having:

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Bass Lake Provincial Park Camping – Final Thoughts

Bass Lake was a wonderful surprise.

This park was very well maintained, including the trails, the beach and the washrooms.

We really enjoyed the private campsites, the beautiful forests, the clean lake and the peaceful vibe.

We would totally recommend this park, and can’t wait to come back for another visit.

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Pin This Post for Later!

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