rondeau provincial park

My last visit to the park was for a triathlon which hi-lighted some of the best aspects of the park. The beach can sometimes be a bit messy on the shore but the water was nice that day and with the sandbars you can walk out quite a way. Great for families with small children. There are plenty of shaded roads for long bike rides and plenty of trails to get out into the woods. My wife and I will often take the bikes out there and park just outside the park (turn left before entering the park and you will find beach access parking by the cottages, we park there, hit the beach, then bike into the park for free).

Decided to take the scenic route home along The Talbot Trail and decided to stop in and enjoy the park. Did not stay very long but what we did see we enjoyed. I have no visited the 1st Provincial Park (Algonquin) and this is apparently the 2nd. Very beautiful and BIG park.

Camped here again over the last week of the summer. The park is dramatically less busy than in previous years. The reason, during the unusually cold winter, the water on the bay froze hard enough to allow heavy equipment out on the bay to remove the pier cheaply. They were unable to remove the pilings (which were supposedly the safety hazard). So now all that remains is an eyesore, where the heart of the park used to be. The goal of the previous park warden was to return the park to "nature". By removing the pier they have punished the overnight campers and left the cottagers (the group they were targeting) unaffected. This park charges the same daily fee and overnight fees as any other park. However here for your $16 day pass charge or your almost $50 overnight fee, you get to view the cottages of the lucky and privileged few who live in the park. I would recommend taking a pass on this park, until they decide whether it actually is a provincial park, or a gated community for cottagers.

We stayed 6 nights in August at Rondeau. Great spot for cycling around- both for adults & kids. Nice hiking trails. Handy store in the Park & an even better one 5 minute bike ride from the entrance. (Great for ice cream!) Lake Erie side beaches are quite narrow & grassy- OK for swimming but not as nice as Long Point or the Pinery. The Bay side has great sunset views & is nice for fishing. Our campsite was good with trees all around- fairly private- however most of the sites we saw were very open with few trees around them. One night someone stole coolers from several sites & took all the beer & booze. The next night the OPP were cruising through the whole park. Saw Baltimore Oriole, Yellow common Warblers, Barn wallows, Downy Woodpeckers, Nuthatches and more right ON OUR SITE! Lots if Spiders too. Overall a pleasant experience.

Loved this park. We had a very large private campsite with electricity. Great hiking and biking trails. Beautiful beach! Bathrooms need ventilation and reg cleaning. Also lots of loud music from other campsites.

We own a family cottage at Rondeau and have had it since 1954. I have been going there all my life, as many other cottagers in the park.We are right on the lake and can easily walk down to the beach which is sandy. The water is great, shallow at the shore and families really enjoy this!There are roughly over 200 cottages in the park. Great community.Love the paved roads for cycling, walking and rollerblading.It is a wonderful family experience.There is a cost to enter the park, $16 per car. Restaurants inside and outside the park or nearby.Camping is available, some hydro sites.This is NOT North, and there are not any traffic issues to deal with.Rondeau is a hidden jewel.

There is some really interesting ecology here BUT they huge abundance of poison ivy along the trails does not make it great for little kids. One addition point is that we noticed that the bathrooms are now being cleaned by an independent company and they seemed to be right on top of it!

Average park with lots of lush green trees. If you are thinking of exotic hiking trails offering breathtaking scenery, views of lakes amidst mountains, etc, then you will be disappointed. Rondeua has some very family-friendly camp grounds with kid-safe habitat. We camped here with two kids in mid-June. Both kids were under 3 years of age and did not suffer any ticks or mosquito bites (applied Muskol, that's all). The services & friendliness of all staff at Rondeau (permit office, visitor centre, park store, patrol wardens) exceeded my expectations. They will go out of their way to answer any questions. The restaurant (park store) opens at 9am, and the birds will wake you at 5. That's 4 hours till the first sip of coffee, so bring your own brewer. The store offers breakfast items (bagel, egg sandwich, etc) served till 11am, and lunch all around. Menu has burger & fries, cheap price and probably worth it. Do try icecream at restaurant, better than Robins & cheaper than the icecream truck. The beach on the eastern shore (accessible from campgrounds) is impressively dirty with mounds of algae and floating dirt washing up with water. You will not want to walk barefoot, let alone swim in its waters. But I would recommend to visit the beach (if you can resist the urge to observe cleanliness) in early morning hours, like 7am, when the sun rises. It is very tranquil and peaceful, even romantic. Do NOT visit the trails - what a waste of time. There are better nature trails in the forest woods in my urban city. Marsh Trail observation deck, cross it off your list - boring view of murky water & hydro windmill farms on the other side. Instead, drive down on lakeshore road, it's beautiful, lots of lush green tall trees, and arrive at Visitor Centre where they host animal exhibits and petting snakes. Kids will like it. Oh yeah, prices: Admission fee for extra car: $13 per night. Ice at restaurant: $2.50. Coffee: $1.70, one size only. Fire kindling: $5. Firewood: $7. Depending on how much heat you're looking for, you can burn a bag every 2-4 hours.

Really a nice place to go with family/friends. The road inside is through a lush green trail with tall trees. You can take ur car till the beach or the camp site... one of the cleanest beaches, lots of trails insise too.. best view is from the wooden bridge durung the evening sun set..

My wife and I bought a 37' Titanium RV and sailed it to Rondeau on its maiden voyage. Not knowing the park we chose a site away from the madding crowd. Unfortunately the site was quite uneven and being neophyte RVers, we dealt with the listing during the stay. The park Rangers were very pleasant, the park was extremely clean and we revelled in the solitude. Oh yes, the dogs had a great time too. A word of caution, the only service at the camp site is shared electrical (30 amp). Potable is provided from taps throughout the park and there is a sewage dump and tank water station available.

Rondeau P.P. is on the North shore of Lake Ontario. It is a great spot to view the spring migration. It is quieter than the super popular Peele N.P. You might not get the numbers but do see the same number of species.. There are guided morning and evening walks and great marked trails. The visitor centre is a very good source Of information and keeps updated sightings of the migrant birds seen. The staff is very friendly and helpful. It is only one hour drive to Peele if you want to do both parks. Many people do.They also have camping and picnicking facilities.I have only been to the park in May.

The government is trying to return this to wilderness because of its importance to wildlife in the province. There are disagreements with leaseholders who have been there for decades, but it will not impedeyour enjoyment

this is a beautiful park, deer and raccoons all over the place sometimes tho and they are too friendly - my son got surrounded by raccoons he was feeding once and a deer stuff its nose into my car window and touched my face - how is that for close. The fishing there is great, the park is magnificent and there is a short hiking trail and beautiful sandy beaches. Good family day!

This provincial park has a nice beach area. The dept of natural resources has a person to tell about the wildlife found there, and bird watchers spend time there. There are some private cottages in the park, as well as walking trails. It is quite pricey to go there for the day

There are walking trails that are well groomed and well maintained. Each has a description before entering the trail, that give you the kms. Lots of birds to watch. Fantastic fall colours. Will go again soon.