Mara Provincial Park Review & Campground Guide

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

Making a reservation to camp at Mara Provincial Park was a walk in the park.

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 Mara for the end of May and had no trouble securing a site.

But this is a really small park, so if it’s a favourite, I wouldn’t wait too long to book.

Mara is only open for camping from the first week of May until September 1, one of the shortest seasons we have encountered.

Mara Provincial Park Address:
181 Courtland Street, Ramara Township, ON, L3V 6H7
https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/mara

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Arriving at the Park

Once you arrive at the main entrance to the park, the gatehouse will be the first thing that you see.

There were two lanes leading up to the gatehouse, however, there were no parking spots for either cars or RVs.

We were told to go through the gate and just park alongside the road.

But just a heads up, there is no shoulder along the road to park, so you are leaving very little space for someone to drive around you.

The gatehouse seems to double as the Park Store, since we were able to purchase ice, firewood and my park patch there.

However, only staff are allowed inside the building. So I am not sure just how much, if any, park merch is being sold here.

We were given a printed map at check-in and continued on our way.

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Mara Provincial Park Map

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Navigating the Park

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

The park is so tiny that there are very few roads to potentially get lost on.

But honestly, the layout of the park was pretty simple. There are enough signs to get you where you need to go.

The main park roads were paved and relatively smooth.

The smaller campground roads were another story, however. They were in some seriously rough shape!

It would not be too much fun to bike on these roads!

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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.

Two were on one end of the beach nearset to the picnic shelter and Playground (Parking lots 1 &2).

The other two were closer to the opposite end of the beach (Parking Lots 3 & 4).

There was a pretty large lot across from the main comfort station (with the shower), and a small lot at the gatehouse (when you are exiting the park).

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Mara Provincial Park Camping

Mara Provincial Park accommodates a variety of camping styles.

From car camping to tenting, 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.

Mara Provincial Park is home to 105 campsites that are located in a single campground.

This campground has a mix of electrical and non-electrical sites. We even noticed that there were several pull-through sites that would be perfect if you have a larger RV.

We did notice that many of the large mature trees had been cut down.

We were told by park staff that in 2023, the park had to cut down a large amount of trees due to the Emerald Ash Borer – an invasive species that is devastating forests across southern Ontario.

Then, during early 2025, there was a huge ice storm that swept through the area.

Tons of trees were affected by the storm, adding to the loss of forest in the park.

Really was quite sad to see.

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Campground at a Glance

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Our Campsite Experience

During our visit to Mara, we stayed in site 7.

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

We could not see our neighbours behind us, but there was little shrubbery blocking our sightlines on either side.

Not to mention, had the site in front of us been occupied, we would have had even less privacy.

But in all honesty, we had it pretty good compared to the more centrally located sites. Those had next to no privacy!

And some of the non-electric sites were actually quite ridiculous with nothing but a log between them.

My advice to you is definitely to do your research and take a really good look at the site photos if you like even a little privacy.

But back to our site! I was impressed that even with the heavy rains that were going on in the area for days leading to our arrival, there were no soggy areas in our site.

And that went for all the other sites that were neighbouring ours.

We did notice some flooding in the non-electric sites that were in the 100s loop.

Just something to keep in mind.

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What Amenities Does Mara Offer?

Comfort Stations

A comfort station with showers is located centrally in the campground.

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 throughout the campground.

We found the comfort stations to be quite clean and well-kept, but a little dated compared to some others we have seen.

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Laundry

There are no laundry facilities at Mara Provincial Park.

If you need to do some laundry, your best bet would be to head into Orillia, which is about a 10-minute drive away.

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Park Store

As we mentioned earlier, there really isn’t a Park Store at Mara.

The Gatehouse has a very small selection of items for sale. I saw stuffed animals, a puzzle, patches, smores kits, hoodies, ball caps, and firestarters.

The thing is, the entire building is only open to park staff. So when we wanted to purchase my patch, we were served through a walk-up window.

We also noticed a freezer for novelty ice cream in the gatehouse. It was not running during our visit, which was just fine as it was barely double digits!

And as we mentioned earlier, you can purchase both ice and firewood at the gatehouse.

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Visitor’s Centre

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

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Day Use Area

Mara has a small day-use area. For such a small park, it was pretty nice.

In fact, I am willing to bet that most people who camp in this park are here for the beach.

The day-use area is located adjacent to the beach and has all the amenities that you could ask for.

As we mentioned, you will find 4 large parking lots in the day-use area.

A large picnic shelter is located adjacent to the parking lots 1 & 2.

There were also plenty of picnic tables, both inside the shelter and spread across all areas of the beach.

The day-use area also has the nicer of the park’s 2 playgrounds. It is located right on the beach, which is pretty perfect if you ask me!

Just a short walk from the picnic shelter, you will find the comfort station with flush toilets.

Unfortunately, Mara does not have a Dog Beach. There is a small dog exercise area next to the beach area (furthest from the picnic shelter).

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.

Oh, and one last thing to keep in mind – Mara Provincial Park has a permanent alcohol ban for anywhere in the park (especially the beach area), with the exception of in your campground.

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Mara Provincial Park Beach

Mara Provincial Park is home to a decent stretch of gorgeous sandy beach along the shores of Lake Simcoe.

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

And while the beach was not groomed when we visited (it was still closed in May), the soft sand was nice to walk on, and there was plenty of it!

The beach is also just a short walk from the campground, which is a definite perk.

No need to drive there, unlike Pinery Provincial Park or many of the other parks that we have been to.

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

The water was pretty clean and clear, but I did notice that it had a little bit of a rocky entrance in some areas.

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

When heading to the beach, just keep in mind that there are no lifeguards on duty.

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

And as I mentioned earlier, dogs are not allowed on the beach at any time.

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What Services Does Mara Offer?

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

Water

There is only one water fill station at Mara Provincial Park. It is located right in front of the main comfort station.

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

What was not so awesome is that the water fill is located on the main road that goes through the campground!

If you have a bigger rig, you could potentially block the way for other campers to get to their sites.

Also, the water tap is located on the passenger side. For us, this is on the opposite side where we need it.

Luckily, there is a long potable water hose provided.

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

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 on a separate loop road.

As with the fill station, you will only find one dump station.

The dump station is located on the driver’s side of the loop road.

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

The good thing is, the loop is quite long. So even though we had 2

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Garbage and Recycling

There was a garbage/recycling area located just before you entered the campground area of the park.

It was easily accessible and even had containers to dispose of used propane cylinders.

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Wi-Fi

We were pretty surprised to find that we had decent cell service everywhere in this park.

Not only was I able to check emails and make phone calls, but I actually wrote this entire blog post while relaxing at my campsite!

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Things to Do at Mara Provincial Park

This park is pretty small, so there are not a ton of activities to keep you busy if you want to leave your campsite.

That said, we totally enjoyed our time here!

1. Go for a Bike Ride

Unfortunately, Mara does not have any designated bike trails.

However, you are able to ride your bike on the campground roads.

Just keep in mind what I said earlier about the poor shape of the roads.

Another option is to ride your bike outside the park boundaries.

I wouldn’t do this with young kids, but John and I would have totally done this ride had we brought our bikes along.

Courtland Road (which leads to the park entrance) takes you through a residential area. It also takes you into a small part of town.

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2. Go for a Boat Ride

While Mara Provincial Park does not have a boat launch, Lake Simcoe is a great place to go for a boat ride.

If you go to Orillia, there are plenty of places to launch your watercraft.

But if you are just looking to paddleboard or kayak, you could easily launch these from the beach.

We have paddled on Lake Simcoe many times before, and it has been a lot of fun.

If you have forgotten to bring your own lifejackets, some are available for rent at the gatehouse.

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3. Try Your Hand at Fishing

If you are into fishing, Mara Provincial Park is a great place to go.

Lake Simcoe and has great fishing opportunities for sunfish, walleye, Lake Trout, Smallmouth Bass, perch and Lake Whitefish.

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4. Go for a Swim

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

That said, Lake Simcoe was clean and clear, with a nice sandy bottom (there is a short rocky area, but after that, it’s all sandy).

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

And because we have swum in Lake Simcoe many, many times, we know that the water gets to be a really comfortable temperature by July.

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5. Do Some Birding

While we are not avid birders, Mara does offer some decent opportunities to bird watch.

The area is home to species like the Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Coopers Hawk, and Osprey.

That said, we found the park to be pretty quiet with not a lot of birdsong.

Unlike our first camping trip of the season, when we went to Darlington Provincial Park. The cacophony of birds in that park was almost deafening!

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6. Enjoy a Walk in the Park

Unfortunately, Mara Provincial Park does not offer any hiking trails.

There is a short walking trail that takes you from campsite #63, past the playground by the roundabout, and all the way to the beach.

The trail was wide and flat and pretty easy to walk on.

Unfortunately, during our stay, much of the trail was closed due to fallen trees (presumably from the ice storm).

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5. Take Part in the Discovery Program

According to the website, Mara Provincial Park does offer 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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Is Mara Provincial Park Accessible?

We found the Comfort Stations at Mara to be pretty accessible.

Both allowed for barrier-free access to the flush toilets as well as the showers.

We even noticed an all-terrain beach wheelchair locked up by the parking lot nearest the picnic shelter.

What we did not notice during our walks through the campgrounds, however, were any designated barrier-free campsites (although the website states that there are two).

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Are Pets Allowed at Mara?

Yes. Dogs are welcome at Mara 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 exercise area at the far end of the day-use area.

What I found interesting is that there is no sign indicating that this is a play area for pets, but it is labelled as such on the park map.

But just a reminder, dogs are not allowed on any part of the beach.

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Is There Winter Camping at Mara?

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

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Our Park Rating

We give this park 3 out of 5 stars for having:

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Final Thoughts

We had a really great time at Mara.

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

Would we visit again?

Honestly, I think we would only come back during the hot summer months when we could make use of the beach.

While there was nothing really wrong with this park, it was definitely not a favourite.

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Pin This Post for Later!

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