Inverhuron Provincial Park Review & Campground Guide

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Inverhuron Provincial Park Reservations – What You Need to Know Before You Go

Making a reservation to camp at Inverhuron 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, you will first need to have an Ontario Parks account.

Registrations begin at 7 am EST.

We booked our stay at Inverhuron for the May long weekend, so it was a little competitive getting a preferred site.

And while we didn’t manage to get a waterfront site like we wanted, our site was really nice.

In fact, I don’t think you could go wrong with most of the sites at this park!

Inverhuron is open for camping from the end of April until the end of October.

Inverhuron Provincial Park Address:
19 Jordan Rd., RR#2, Tiverton, ON, N0G 2T0
https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/inverhuron

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Arriving at the Park

Once you arrive at the main entrance to the park, there is a short drive to the gatehouse.

There, you will find a single drive-through lane, as well as several long RV parking spots outside the gatehouse.

The gatehouse also doubles as the Park Store and Park Office. It was pretty small, so they only carried a limited amount of merch, food and things you may have forgotten.

We were able to grab a printed map and my park patch, as well as purchase ice and firewood at the gatehouse.

We arrived right at the 2 o’clock check-in time, so we headed straight to the fill station and then off to our site.

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Inverhuron Provincial Park Map

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Navigating the Park

We found that Inverhuron Provincial Park was really easy to navigate.

There were plenty of large signs to help you find your way around the park, the day-use area, and the campgrounds.

But honestly, the layout of the park was pretty simple. Even without the signs, it would be difficult to get lost.

The main park roads were paved and smooth. And while the one-way campground roads were narrow and unpaved, they were in pretty good condition.

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Parking

From what we saw, the parking lots located throughout the park are more than sufficient in size.

There were a total of 4 large parking lots in the beach/day-use area. One was nearest to the playground, 2 near the picnic shelter, and one right off the beach.

The boat launch also had its own parking lot, as well as one near the gatehouse, one at the comfort stations, and at least one inside the campground area as well.

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Inverhuron Provincial Park Camping

Inverhuron Provincial Park accommodates a variety of camping styles.

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

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

Just keep in mind that not all types of camping can be accommodated at all sites. So you will need to watch for this when making your reservations.

Inverhuron Provincial Park has 3 main campgrounds – Holmes Bay, Lime Kiln, and Gunn Point Campground.

All in all, Inverhuron is home to 242 campsites.

Only the Lime Kiln campground offers a mix of electric and non-electric sites. Holmes Bay and Gunn Point only have electric sites.

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Campgrounds at a Glance

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Rustic Cabins

Inverhuron Provincial Park is home to 8 rustic cabins. These roofed accommodations are a great way to experience the park if you are not into tent or car camping, and don’t have an RV.

Located right across the street from the lake, these cabins, which sleep up to 5 adults, were super cute!

The cabins come equipped with a kitchenette with a microwave, mini fridge, coffee maker and counter space. There is even a gas fireplace for heating.

You will also find a dining table and chairs for indoor meals, and bunk beds with decent mattresses to sleep on.

Outside, there is a gas barbecue, a picnic table, and parking for 2 vehicles.

There is a central comfort station with flush toilets and showers for use by those renting the cabins.

If this sounds like a great way to glamp in the park, keep in mind that you will need to bring your own bedding, food, pots, pans, dishes, cutlery and other personal items.

There is also a 2-night minimum stay and a 3-night minimum stay on long weekends.

Unfortunately, pets are not allowed in the rustic cabins or on-site at any time.

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Our Campsite Experience

During our visit to Inverhuron, we stayed in the Lime Kiln Campground.

The campsite was a good size, level with a gravel pad, and had plenty of mature trees for privacy.

Not only could we barely see our neighbours to one side or behind us, but even the site directly across the street was mostly hidden from view.

Only the site on the side closest to the electrical outlet was open enough to see our neighbours.

But since this is the side where we faced the back side of the trailer (opposite side of the door), we had plenty of privacy.

We also really liked the fact that our site was less than a 10-minute walk to the beach. And even in early May, we took full advantage of that!

If I had to complain, the one thing I did not like about our site was the placement of the fire pit.

While it was tucked to one side of the campsite, the ground sloped away from the fire pit on the one side.

This made it hard to place 5 chairs around the fire, as 2 people were stuck leaning backward!

Another thing that was a bit of a pain was the lack of water taps. We had at least a 5-minute walk to the closest tap going in either direction.

That’s a lot considering we were hauling buckets of water to do dishes.

Yet on the walk from the main camp road to the day use area, there were water taps at regular intervals, lining the road (but seemingly in the middle of nowhere).

Not by any means a dealbreaker, though.

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What Amenities Does Inverhuron Offer?

Comfort Stations

Comfort stations with showers are conveniently located in each of the three campgrounds.

You will also find a comfort station with flush toilets located in the day-use area off the beach parking lot.

Vault toilets were located at the boat launch, as well as in each of the campground areas.

We found the comfort stations to be quite clean and well-kept. The water was hot, and the pressure in the showers was excellent.

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Laundry

A coin laundry is available in the Lime Kiln and Gunn Point Campgrounds. It can be found attached to the comfort station.

The laundry room was very clean, with two sets of washers and dryers, as well as a large laundry sink and counters for folding.

During our visit, three out of four machines at Lime Kiln were in good working order.

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Park Store

As we mentioned earlier, the Park Store is combined with the Gatehouse.

The store was pretty small but very clean and organized.

The park store sells Ontario Parks merchandise, clothing and souvenirs, as well as a small selection of items that you may have forgotten when packing for your camping trip.

As we mentioned earlier, you can purchase both ice and firewood in the Park Store.

And while there was nowhere to purchase scooped ice cream, the Park Store did sell a small selection of novelty ice cream.

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Visitor’s Centre

There is no Visitor’s Centre at Inverhuron Provincial Park.

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Day Use Area

Inverhuron has a small day-use area. For such a gorgeous park, it wasn’t spectacular, unfortunately.

The day-use area is located adjacent to the beautiful beach and closest to the boat launch.

You will find 2 large parking lots in the day-use area.

A large picnic shelter is located adjacent to the parking lots. There are plenty of picnic tables both inside the shelter and around the outside.

The day-use area also has a small playground, which was quite nice, as well as a sandy beach volleyball court.

The kids definitely made use of that!

You will find the Dog Beach and exercise area closest to the boat launch.

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.

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Boat Launch

Inverhuron has a boat launch with adjacent boat trailer parking for guests who are bringing watercraft with them.

The boat launch can be found near the Playground and just next to the dog area of the beach.

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Inverhuron Provincial Park Beach

Inverhuron Provincial Park is home to 1 km of gorgeous sandy beach along the shores of Lake Huron.

During the summers, you will find that the water is shallow and quite warm.

The beach is a short walk from each of the campgrounds, which is a definite perk. No need to drive there, unlike Pinery Provincial Park or many of the other parks.

While it was too chilly for us to swim during our visit, we walked the beach several times during our visit.

The water was a gorgeous turquoise colour, so you could almost imagine yourself somewhere tropical!

The lake was also quite calm at this beach, so paddleboarding would have definitely been an option for us.

And if you didn’t already know this, Inverhuron is home to some incredible sunsets!

Unfortunately for us, the weather didn’t cooperate so we were not treated to one of the infamous sunsets.

There are a few things to keep in mind when heading to the beach. One is that there are no lifeguards on duty.

Signs are everywhere, and this is pretty common at all Ontario Parks.

Secondly, dogs are not allowed on the regular beach at any time.

But as I mentioned, the dog beach is located on the far end of the day-use portion of the beach and didn’t look any different.

Dogs are even allowed to be off-leash while in the water.

And lastly, Lake Huron can get pretty rough at times, so you need to be careful. In fact, the waves were crashing pretty hard on our first day visiting.

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What Services Does Inverhuron Offer?

You will find all the usual Ontario Provincial Parks services at Inverhuron.

Water

There is one sanitation station at Inverhuron Provincial Park. It is located as soon as you enter the park, and right off the main road.

The water fill station is a completely separate loop (and across the road) from the dumping station, which was awesome.

I was also surprised to see that there were 4 water fill taps in the loop!

You will find three water fill taps on the driver’s side, which are spaced out plenty for large trailers to fit between.

The fourth tap is located on the passenger side and is closest to the loop exit.

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

But as I mentioned earlier, I found the water taps to be more spaced out compared to other parks we have been to.

There are no water hookups at the individual campsites.

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Dump Station

The sanitation area is located across the street from the fill station and directly behind the gatehouse.

As with the fill station, you will find a total of 4 dump stations.

There are two lanes, with two dump stations located in each lane.

And just like at other parks, expect the sanitation area to be busy around check-out time.

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Garbage and Recycling

There was a garbage/recycling loop located just before you get to the dump station on your way out of the park.

There were also smaller garbage and recycling stations located at the entrance to each of the campgrounds.

These garbage bins seemed to fill up quickly, however.

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Wi-Fi

The kids were quite happy when they realized that Inverhuron had decent cell reception in the campground.

Not only was I able to check emails and make phone calls anywhere in the park, but the boys were able to stream their playoff hockey game while sitting around the campfire!

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Things to Do at Inverhuron Provincial Park

If you are not the sit-at-your-campsite-and-enjoy-nature kind of family, Inverhuron has got a variety of activities to keep everyone occupied.

1. Enjoy a Bike Ride

If you enjoy riding your bike, Inverhuron is home to a really great mixed-use trail.

The Chain Trail is about 4 km in length, and is easy enough to complete in about half an hour.

The trail is wide, flat, and takes you along the shoreline and around most of the park.

While we didn’t have our bicycles with us during our stay, we saw a ton of people, including families with young children, riding their bikes on this trail (we walked it instead).

Another option is to ride your bikes on the park roads.

As I mentioned earlier, while the main roads were paved, the campground roads were not.

However, they were in really good shape, so we saw plenty of kids riding up and down the campground roads.

I also noticed that there were racks to lock up your bike at the comfort stations, playground, and at the beach.

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2. Go for a Boat Ride

Inverhuron Provincial Park has a really decent boat launch area.

Not only will you find a large parking lot for both vehicles and boats/trailers, but there is also a picnic area and vault toilets right next to the launch.

On the weekend we visited, we only saw one boat on the water.

But this was probably due to the rain and the cold temperatures.

But with how calm the water was on our second day, I would definitely be willing to paddleboard or kayak on the lake!

Life jackets are available for rent at the gatehouse if you have forgotten to bring your own.

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3. Try Your Hand at Fishing

If you are into fishing, Inverhuron is a great place to fish for Lake Trout, bass, pickerel, perch, salmon, and pike.

For boaters, the waters offshore of Inverhuron provide excellent fishing opportunities. You can find salmon, lake trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, pickerel, and bass in the waters of Lake Huron.

No boat? No worries!

You can easily fish from shore or off the banks of the Little Sauble River. There, you may catch rainbow trout, brown trout, bass and perch.

Just remember, if you are fishing in the park, you will need a fishing license and you will need to follow all fishing regulations.

And if you don’t have any of your own fishing gear with you, Inverhuron Provincial Park is part of the Tackle Share Program.

Just inquire about gear rentals at the gatehouse,

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4. Go for a Swim

As we mentioned earlier, our mid-May visit didn’t give us the opportunity to hit the water.

That said, the water was clean and clear, with a nice sandy bottom.

It seemed to stay pretty shallow for a good way out, too.

John took the chance and dipped his feet in the water. He said it was quite cold!

I’m sure that will change once the weather warms up.

Since we have swum in Lake Huron before, we know it gets up to a comfortable temperature by summer.

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5. Take Part in the Discovery Program

According to the website, Inverhuron Provincial Park offers a basic Discovery Program for kids.

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

There is also a weekly calendar of events posted throughout the park.

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6. Do Some Birding

While we are not avid birders, Inverhuron offers some great opportunities to bird watch during the spring and fall migrations.

I have to say that while I did hear some birds at our campsite (mostly robins, blue jays and warblers), it was pretty quiet.

Unlike the week previous, where we visited Darlington Provincial Park, the cacophony of birds was almost deafening!

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7. Enjoy a Hike

Inverhuron Provincial Park is home to 4 hiking trails. The trails were quite nice and most were very easy to manage.

In fact, we were able to walk all of them in a single day with little effort.

The trailheads are located throughout the park, but the signs were a little on the small side.

Just a heads up, not all have parking spaces adjacent to the trailheads.

The Chain Trail is an easy and well-maintained mixed-use trail.

It takes you along the shoreline, past the campgrounds and through the forest.

There is a section near the rustic cabins where you are walking on campground road, but it’s pretty short.

I loved how most of the trail felt cushioned with mulch and soil. It was also pretty quiet.

I would say that the Chain Trail could easily be managed for someone with mobility issues or parents pushing a stroller.

One thing I did want to mention is that even though it had rained all morning, there were no puddles or large muddy areas on any part of this trail!

But do be careful, we noticed a couple of poison ivy signs along the way.

We finished the trail at the campground road. Right at that point, there is another small roadway across the street that will take you past the old cemetery.

The cemetery has a mix of modern and very old headstones. I like that stuff, so we explored the small area for a while.

It’s also a peaceful area to sit after your hike.

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The Maloney Trail is an easy trail that can be accessed from the Chain Trail.

This trail takes you through the forest and fields, and through former homestead locations.

In fact, there is a plaque that tells you all about the Maloney House. Just beyond the sign, you can see the remnants of the home’s stone walls (they are below ground level).

You will also come across an old Hay Dump Rake, which makes for a great photo.

The trail itself is grassy in some areas and mulched in others. Definitely nice on the feet!

We found it to be a great little trail to extend our Chain Trail Hike.

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The Tulip Trail runs from the Gatehouse, parallel to the main campground road.

While it is labelled as moderate because of the slight hills, it really wasn’t!

We found this to be an easy walk through the forest on a wide trail. Much better than walking along the roadway.

We added this onto our already long hike, since we were headed in that direction anyway!

The trail is named after the Tulip Trees that line the path (they were not in bloom during our visit).

As an added bonus, before you head out on this trail, be sure to take a look at the plaques right behind the gatehouse.

There is a gated off area that almost looks like a garden. The plaque describes this area as a snake hibernaculum – an underground cave or chamber that keeps snakes warm and sheltered during the cold winter months.

I had no idea!

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The River Trail starts in the day-use parking lot just behind the comfort station.

It follows the Little Sauble River through the forest and ends back at the beach.

This trail was challenging.

Not only were there some steep inclines and declines, but the trail was rocky and narrow, and there was a set of steep stairs made from rock.

There were also areas where trees had fallen across the path, forcing me to climb over to continue.

The path was also not the best marked. The sign at the point where I entered the trail (from the beach) stated it was the end of the River Trail.

Then throughout the hike, you need to follow red blazes spray painted on the trees. It’s a little confusing, as there were also yellow blazes at some points.

Then at one point, I came to an intersection that had a sign pointing to Cayley Street, and one pointing to the trail I had just come from (labelled River Trail), but the third direction was unmarked.

This would have taken me back to the start, but because I wasn’t aware of that, I exited the path onto the street (where I finally got my bearings).

While it was a nice trail, and it took me less than the hour to do it, I would definitely not do this one if you have mobility issues (or at dusk when I did it).

One thing to keep in mind, when we visited, there were signs at the gatehouse indicating that a bear was hanging around the area.

This trail would be prime bear roaming territory!

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Is Inverhuron Provincial Park Accessible?

We found the buildings at Inverhuron to be pretty accessible.

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

The Park Store/Gatehouse was also barrier-free.

During our walks through the campgrounds, however, we did not notice any designated barrier-free campsites.

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Are Pets Allowed at Inverhuron?

Yes. Dogs are welcome at Inverhuron Provincial Park.

Pets are allowed at the campground and in the day-use area, but must be leashed at all times.

As we mentioned earlier, you will find a small pet beach area at the far end of the day-use area.

The dog beach was just as sandy and pleasant as the regular beach. Just the actual entry into the water seemed a little rockier.

Just a reminder, dogs are not allowed in the other areas of the beach.

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Is There Winter Camping at Inverhuron?

No. The park is not open for winter camping or any winter activities.

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Our Park Rating

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

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Final Thoughts

We had a really great time at Inverhuron.

While the weather didn’t always cooperate during our stay, we were able to make some use of all the faciities at this park.

We really enjoyed the beautiful beach and the wooded private campsites.

Our only regret was that we didn’t book our stay during the summer months.

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