Camping in Bruce Peninsula National Park

Bruce Peninsula National Park is a large piece of protected wilderness on the tip of the Niagara Escarpment, about a four hour drive from Toronto. It’s a beautiful destination for camping, hiking, and other outdoorsy activities.

The campground for car/tent camping is on Cyprus Lake. It has some basic amenities like bathrooms and water taps, and a peaceful, quiet vibe (e.g., no Bluetooth speakers or loud partying). Camping reservations can be hard to snag, so if you want a guaranteed spot – especially on a weekend or a holiday – it’s worth booking it in March when registration first opens for the season.

Alternatively, if you have the right gear, you can hike to one of the two backcountry campsites: Stormhaven and High Dump. We car camped at Cyprus, but we did pass by Stormhaven on one of our hikes. Check out these poles they have for keeping food away from bears.

Given that this park is right on Lake Huron, you might expect that we chose it as a kayaking destination. But actually, kayaking along the Bruce Peninsula is tricky business. There aren’t a lot of good put-in spots (or, crucially, put-out spots), and the weather can change on a dime.

The water may look smooth and glassy one minute, but by the time you get your boat launched, you could be looking at three foot waves. Such is the nature of the Georgian Bay.

In fact, we chose this destination for the hiking. The Bruce Trail – a 900km continuous trail that runs between Tobermory and Niagara Falls – goes right along the coastline of Bruce Peninsula National Park. With its beautiful rocky beaches and stunning cliffsides, this section of the trail offers some of the best hiking in Southern Ontario in my opinion.

The hike from Cyprus Lake campground to the end of the trail in Tobermory is about 18km, which we covered in two separate hiking days. Like Lion’s Head, Tobermory has no Uber or cab companies, so be sure to plan your routes accordingly. There are paid parking options at several points along the trail, which you may wish to reserve ahead of time if you’re going during peak season.

Tobermory itself is a cute little town, with some fun gift shops, restaurants and bars. It’s always nice to grab a pint at the end of a long hiking day.

If you hike the other direction from Cyprus Lake (south instead of north), you can complete a 12km out-and-back to Half Log Dump. Half Log Dump – which is much more attractive than the name suggests – is a popular destination for bouldering. I will say that this section of trail is some of the most challenging we’ve seen on the Bruce, due to all the ascending and descending as well as the rocky, uneven terrain.

Of course, the Bruce Peninsula is a great place for wildlife spotting. James even found a Massasauga rattlesnake!

Speaking of wildlife: this is not a place to leave your coolers unattended. Some of the local critters are not at all shy about trying to raid your supplies.