Canoe Camping Spots for Beginners near Ottawa

Canoe camping is such a fun way to camp! But the idea can be intimidating. And rightly so, as water can be dangerous and should be respected at all times. Click here for a good article on safety when it comes to canoe camping.

Now, if you’ve already spent some time canoeing, and some time camping, but haven’t yet put the two together…

Here’s a list of canoe camping spots near Ottawa that are ideal for beginners.

What Makes a Good Campsite for a Beginner Canoe Camper?

So what makes a “good” canoe campsite for beginners? That’s tough to answer, as there are a lot of additional factors that come into play when you move from camping to canoe camping.

If a campsite is further away or needs to be portaged to, that’s typically going to make things harder. The size of the lake can also have an impact. Depending on weather conditions, bigger lakes can be more susceptible to choppy conditions when the wind picks up. If you can rent a canoe where you’ll be camping, then that always helps as you don’t have to worry about transporting it.

Finally, you’ll want to consider the facilities available once you GET to your campsite. And by facilities I mostly mean an outhouse and a food box, or built-in bear hang.

Here are some spots around Ottawa that aren’t too tough to get to. Make sure you take a really good look at the map before booking so you know what you’re getting into!

Lac la Peche in Gatineau Park

Distance from Ottawa: 50 minutes
Distance from Boat Launch to Campsites: Shortest distance (sites 2 & 3) are about a km from the boat launch. Site 8, the furthest on the north side of the lake is about 3 km from the launch, and sites 10 & 11, the furthest on the south side are about 3.6 away from the launch. These distances would take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours to paddle.
Cost: $36 per night, includes firewood and parking for one vehicle.
Canoe Rental on Site: Yes
Campsite Facilities: Each site has a picnic table and a fire pit with a grill. Sites are clustered, with 3 or 4 sites grouped together, and there is one outhouse and one bear hang structure shared between each cluster.
Portage Required: No
Cell Service: No
Notes: I’ve stayed at La Peche a few times and I absolutely hate how the sites are clustered together. There’s zero privacy, which makes them perfect for group camping, if you can get a few sites together and you want to go with some friends.

Otherwise, it’s just too close for comfort if you ask me. At some of the clusters, you actually have to walk THROUGH other people’s sites to get to your own, and they have to walk really close to yours to get to the outhouse.

I also found the bear hangs to be unnecessarily close to the campsites. BUT I do love that there’s a built-in structure for hangs as this isn’t the case at most sites. If you’re canoe camping for the first time though, don’t let any of this deter you. La Peche is such an accessible spot that it’s a wonderful place to develop some skills without feeling overwhelmed.

Murphy’s Point Provincial Park

Distance from Ottawa: An hour and 15 minutes
Distance from Boat Launch to Campsites: Sites 401 and 402 are the closest to the boat launch, at just about 600 metres away. These are the only sites reserved strictly for paddlers.
Cost: $9.00 per person (in 2021)
Canoe Rental on Site: Yes
Campsite Facilities: Fire pits and picnic tables.
Portage Required: No
Cell Service: Spotty
Notes: There are two types of boat-in sites at Murphy’s Point. Sites 401 and 402 don’t have docks and are designated for non-motorized boats. Sites 403 to 414 all have docks and are therefore accessible to motorboats.

Parc régional du Poisson Blanc

Distance from Ottawa: An hour and a half.
Distance from Boat Launch to Campsites: There are a TON of sites on the Poisson Blanc Reservoir. Those closest to the welcome centre/boat launch are less than 500 metres away. But some are as far as 16+km away…. So Parc régional Poisson Blanc really does have something for everyone!
Cost: The cost of a campsite here varies, depending on the number of tents that can be accommodated (from 1-3), as well as on the time of year. Prices can range from $50 to $105 per night. This includes one bag of firewood and parking.
Canoe Rental on Site: Yes
Campsite Facilities: Picnic table, fire pit, and a dry toilet.
Portage Required: No
Cell Service: Spotty
Notes: The most challenging things about the canoe camping sites at Parc régional Poisson Blanc is actually GETTING a site. These campsites book up incredibly quickly so if you want to visit make sure you get on their email list so you can enter the lottery to book!

Charleston Lake Provincial Park

Distance from Ottawa: An hour and 40 minutes
Distance from Boat Launch to Campsites: Launching in Boathouse Cove, the closest sites (Buckhorn) are less than a kilometre away. The Bob’s Cove sites are about 1.7 km from the launch. The Hidden Cove site is just a little further, at around 2.25 km worth of paddling.
Cost: $10.17 per person (in 2021)
Canoe Rental on Site: Yes
Campsite Facilities: Fire pits and picnic tables. Wooden tent pads at each site. Shared outhouses among campsite clusters.
Portage Required: No
Cell Service: No
Notes: Charleston Lake Provincial Park’s backcountry campsites are clustered close together, and so don’t fully give off a private, backcountry feel.

Charleston Lake is also a huge lake, so there are lots of motorboats on the lake during the summer. But honestly, in my books that makes it an even better spot to begin testing out your canoe camping skills. Who wants to be deep in the backcountry without another soul around if something goes wrong? Not this girl! Having a neighbour in a motorboat to flag down sounds alright to me. These campsites will be in high demand because you can paddle to them OR hike a short distance into them.

Frontenac Provincial Park

Distance from Ottawa: 2 hours
Distance from Boat Launch to Campsites: There are 48 backcountry site sin Frontenac, with some easier to get to than others. Sites 3,4,5, and 15 on Big Salmon Lake are the only campsites that don’t require any portaging. Site 3 isn’t too far from the boat launch (around 1 km), site 4 is about 3 times that distance, and to get to the end of the lake near sites 5 and 15 is about 5 km total.
Cost: $12.43 per person (in 2021)
Canoe Rental on Site: No- but Frontenac Outfitters is close by.
Campsite Facilities: Fire pits and picnic tables. Shared outhouses among campsite clusters. One of my absolute favorite things about Frontenac is that they have food lockers at every campsite- so you can lock your food and don’t have to worry about bears or critters getting into it.
Portage Required: Depends on the campsite you choose. Choose wisely! 😊
Cell Service: No
Notes: Frontenac Provincial Park’s backcountry campsites are clustered close together, like many other provincial parks. You definitely won’t feel alone out there.

I LOVE Frontenac for beginners though because of the food lockers. Not having to worry about a bear hang or other methods of food storage is a great way to help keep everyone (animals included!) safe.

Bon Echo Provincial Park

Distance from Ottawa: 2 hours and 10 minutes
Distance from Boat Launch to Campsites: All the paddle-in sites at Bon Echo are on Joe Perry and Pearson Lake. The closest campsites are just a 500 metre paddle, while the furthest are still no more than 1.5 km away. Getting to Pearson Lake may require an additional portage depending on water levels.
Cost: $10.17 per person (in 2021)
Canoe Rental on Site: Yes.
Campsite Facilities: Picnic table, fire pit and a thunder box. A Thunder box is basically a box made of plywood with a hole cut into the top- there are no walls, but they’re usually situated in a fairly private spot! Food will need to be hung from the best tree you can find.
Portage Required: Yes, 500 metres from the parking lot to the boat launch.
Cell Service: No
Notes: These sites are perfect for the still-a-beginner canoe camper who wants to try portaging… But doesn’t want to try it in the middle of nowhere! A 500 metre portage isn’t the shortest I’ve come across either (although it certainly isn’t the longest), so this, combined with the relatively easy terrain, is a great way to test out your portaging skills.

Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park and Algonquin Provincial Park also have numerous backcountry campsites to choose from- too many to break down in detail here, but those parks are definitely worth a look as well!

Mont Tremblant National Park

Distance from Ottawa: 2 hours and 15 minutes (minimum- certain sectors, like Pimbina-Saint-Donat and L’Assomption are further)
Distance from Boat Launch to Campsites: There are 75 canoe camping sites at Mont Tremblant National park. The shortest distance is 1 km from the boat launch, and the longest distance is 5 km.
Cost: $34.20 for a site per night- sites can accommodate up to 6 people (in 2021)
Canoe Rental on Site: Yes. A package is available for $97.00 per night which includes your campsite (for two people), canoe rental, and firewood.
Campsite Facilities: Picnic table, fire pit and a dry toilet.
Portage Required: No.
Cell Service: No
Notes: I have never gone canoe camping at Mont Tremblant National park… But now I want to! Their regular car camping sites get you so close to some of the most beautiful terrain I’ve seen within hours of Ottawa… So I can’t imagine what the canoe camping sites look like!

North Frontenac Park Lands

Distance from Ottawa: 2 hours and 20 minutes (depending on the lake you’re visiting)
Distance from Boat Launch to Campsites: There are I-don’t-even-know how many campsites at North Frontenac Parklands. Distances vary, with some being as short as 400 metres. And I don’t think there are any that require a portage!
Cost: $22.50 for a site per night- sites can accommodate up to 6 people (in 2021). You will also need to buy a road permit for your vehicle at $9.50 per night.
Canoe Rental on Site: No.
Campsite Facilities: Picnic table, fire pit and a thunderbox.
Portage Required: No.
Cell Service: Spotty
Notes: I love canoe camping at North Frontenac! Some people grump because there can be a lot of motorboats on the lakes and you’re essentially in cottage country… But I bet those people have never camped on their own private island inside the North Frontenac Park Lands!

Despite the “busy-ness” of these lakes, the campsites themselves are often dispersed more widely than those at provincial parks. So in some ways you get a much more private experience. Our first trip there was to a little island on Crotch Lake that we had all to ourselves and I still look back fondly on it!