Awenda Provincial Park

Located on Georgian Bay, just 20 minutes northwest of Penetanguishene, Awenda Provincial Park is a must-see. Spanning more than 2,900 hectares, with great diversity in both terrain and natural ecosystems, this forested landscape leaves visitors amazed. Classified as a Natural Environment Park, you will experience the Nipissing Bluff, Kettle’s Lake, and a number of boulder, sand, and cobble beaches at the shoreline. With 333 campsites, 33 km of trails, four beaches – and so much more – you’ll find fun in every season.

Camping

Car Camping

Within Awenda Provincial Park there are six campgrounds.

1. Bear Campground
2. Deer Campground
3. Snake Campground
4. Wolf Campground
5. Hawk Campground
6. Turtle Campground

The park is covered with Sugar Maple and Red Oak trees offering a lot of  shade for the campsites during the summer months. This lush treescape also makes Fall a beautiful season for camping in the park.

Bear and Deer Campgrounds are radio-free.

Snake Campground is both radio-free and pet-free.

Wolf Campground is the largest campground and all sites have electrical hook-ups.

Hawk Campground also offers electrical hook-ups (about half of the sites).

Turtle Campground offers traditional campsites and is the furthest away from the beach.

All six campgrounds are serviced by drinking water taps, vault toilets, and a central comfort station complete with flush toilets and showers. Laundry facilities are included at the comfort stations in Turtle, Hawk and Bear Campgrounds.

If you’re more inclined to stay in the “great indoors” – there is a 6-person cottage available for rent.  The Stone Cottage at Awenda is located directly on the shores of Georgian Bay providing guests with beautiful sunsets and unobstructed views of Giants Tomb, Hope, Beckwith and Christian Islands. This 1,000 square foot refurbished cottage has an exterior constructed of fieldstone and mortar with a warm inviting interior finished entirely in White and Red Pine.

Backcountry

Backcountry camping is not available at Awenda.

Winter Camping

The park is not open for camping during winter.

Things to do

• Hiking
• Biking
• Birding
• Boating
• Canoeing
• Fishing
• Swimming
• Discovery Program
• Winter Activities (cross country skiing – 17kms of ski trials, snowshoeing)

Hiking

Awenda offers a variety of hiking trails ranging from 1 to 13kms in length, easy to moderate, suitable for both casual and serious hikers. There are 7 hiking trails in total.

Trail	Length	Time	Difficulty	Type
Beaver Pond Trail	1 km	30 mins	Easy & barrier free	Loop
Nipissing Trail	1 km	30 mins	Moderate	Linear
Robitaille Homestead Trail	3 km	1 hr	Easy	Linear
Beach Trail	4 km	1.5 hrs	Easy	Linear
Brûlé Trail	4 km	1.5 hrs	Easy	Linear
Wendat Trail	5 km	2 hrs	Easy	Loop
Bluff Trail	13 km	3.5 hrs	Moderate	Loop

Things to note

• The park is not open for camping during winter
• During Winter, there are no ski rentals or snow shoe rentals available in the park, so you would have to bring your own equipment
• The winter ski/snowshoe trails are backcountry style, meaning they are not maintained. However, the park is quite popular for winter activities, so a trail should be formed through usage.

Canoe/Kayak Rentals

Canoe rentals are available within the park, but only for campers. Canoe rentals are not available for day use visitors.

Park Reviews

Review by Kimberley Burton

“Enjoyed some R and R at Awenda this weekend. Here is my review.

Campground stayed in: Wolf Campground

Pros: Very nice secluded sites, firewood was dry, beaches were wonderful. Park store had some great food staples. Friendly staff. Neighbors were quiet. Nice town of peneteguishine close by. Lots and lots of chipmunks!

Cons: bathrooms were filthy. Seen them cleaned once all weekend. Toilet paper and mud everywhere. No one EVER wiped their seats and the bugs inside the bathroom were one too many for me. No cell phone reception in the park (my network provider is Rogers)