The best camping near Pancake Bay Provincial Park
Discover the most magical spots to pitch your tent or park your rig on your next Pancake Bay Provincial Park adventure.
Bring a camera for wildlife and sunsets on this bay named for fur-trading paddlers’ dinner.
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Top-rated campgrounds near Pancake Bay Provincial Park
The best camping near Pancake Bay Provincial Park guide
Overview
About
Camp along a sheltered bay where Voyageur paddlers traversed centuries ago. With 476 campsites and five yurts stretched along a three-kilometre, white-sand beach, Pancake Bay Provincial Park is a prime summertime spot with hiking loops and a plethora of wildlife. On the 3.5-kilometre Nature Trail, a boardwalk straddles a vast marshland home to bald eagles, loons, and sandhill cranes. The bike-friendly Lookout Trail (14 kilometres) features lush sugar maples and a panoramic lake view where the legendary SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in 1975—don’t miss the sunset from Edmund Fitzgerald Lookout.
Notable campgrounds
- Best for group camping: On the west end of the campground, five beachside group sites host up to 40 people each. Water taps, vault toilets, and a comfort station are within walking distance.
- Best for panoramic lake views: Hilltop Campground is perched on a little hill above the campground and is also more private than the other campgrounds.
- Best for hiking access: Sites numbered in the 400s, on the farthest east side of the park, are near the area’s two hiking trails.
Tips for snagging a campsite
- Grab a lakefront site if they’re available—the roadside sites near Highway 17 can get noisier.
- Reservations open via Ontario Parks five months in advance of arrival. Holiday weekends fill up fast with nearby Sault Ste. Marie residents.
- Opt for a non-electrical site to improve your chances of getting a site.
When to go
This park is only open between May 7 and October 12. Spring and fall offer the best chance at fishing—it isn’t uncommon to see people casting their lines in hip-height gators. By mid-September, the sugar maples, red oak, and yellow birch are changing into a fiery tapestry, making for awesome hiking.
Know before you go
- Canoeing in the sheltered Batchawana Bay is easygoing but can become windy and unpredictable north of the bay as one paddles into Lake Superior.
- Dumping and water stations are a bit far from campsites. Be sure to pick up water on the way into the park.
- The beach has a dog area and is less crowded than most park beaches.
Top cities near Pancake Bay Provincial Park
- Pancake Bay Provincial Park
