Provincial parks are great for day trips to enjoy beaches and/or nature trails. They're also the best reason to turn your family into... happy campers. (Camping is the best way to take full advantage of what those parks can offer: kids' programs, guided hikes, campfires, star-gazing, the list goes on.) You can book a campsite in advance at 76 provincial parks, 12 more parks are on a first-come basis. You will actually have to book many months in advance for the most popular parks and the best way to do it is online. When you go to <a href=”http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/reservations.html”>Reservations</a> under Online Services on their website, and click on Make a Reservation By Internet, simply click Find Sites On a Map to access their map browser. Click in a region, then on a specific park. (You'll see the campground layout and will get specific site info), then specify dates to see its availability. Those great tools really took the stress out of the reservation process for me. Now, if only they could really make truly idiot-proof tents, we'd be all set!
