Last summer, we stayed at a few different parks in Quebec. Parc national d’Oka was one of the best parks we’ve ever camped at in terms of staying with kids. There’s decent hiking, lovely campsites, nice clean facilities… But best of all is the beach! It’s 7 km long!
And it’s so close to Ottawa that you’ll definitely want to consider it if you’re thinking about camping with your own kids.
The beach went on forever.
Getting There
Parc national d’Oka is just two hours from Ottawa. You can use these coordinates to get there: 45.475089, -74.060934. Most of the drive was on Highway 50 through Quebec, so it was a nice easy drive too.
Ways to Stay
Ready to Camp Units
There are different ways to stay at Parc national d’Oka. Like most other Sepaqs, there are “ready to camp units,” which are basically like solid, pre-built tents. These options are definitely the easiest when it comes to getting yourself ready, thinking about what you need to pack and ultimately, actually camping.
RV Sites
When we went, we actually rented an RV and ended up staying at one of the park’s RV sites. This was our first time ever staying in an RV and we weren’t sure what to expect- would the sites be super small, and crowded? Would we basically feel like we were just parking in a parking lot and not actually camping?
Turns out the sites at Parc national d’Oka were quite large and spaced well apart. We didn’t actually feel very close to our neighbours at all. We had enough space to park our little RV, and set up an additional canopy- with more than half the site still sitting empty.
Camp Sites
While we were there, we drove past some of the campsites. They looked pretty good to us! No closer together than campsites in any other park, with nice big trees around to provide shade. Of course, every site had a campfire pit and a picnic table.
Our RV site.
Why It’s Great for Kids
Between staying in the RV and all the awesome stuff available for kids at Parc national d’Oka, the week we spent there was one of the easiest we had spent camping- ever. We loved being able to spend so much time outside in nature, but also be so comfortable.
The Beach
The beach at Parc national d’Oka is likely the reason most people choose to stay there. I’m quite sure that I read somewhere that in total, it was over 7 km long. But I can’t find an actual source, so I’ll just tell you after being there, that it was REALLY long. The swimming was great for kids too because it was one of those lakes where you can walk out forever and the water doesn’t get too deep. There were lifeguards on duty from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
I will warn you that if you head really far down the beach, to the east, it becomes much more secluded. And it appears that nudists have decided to use this section of the beach for themselves. But you really have to work to run into them. We had hiked down and gotten ourselves a bit turned around trying to hike the trail around Lac de la Sauvagine. So the odds of running into a nudist accidentally are very small.
Kid’s park at the beach.
Most of the action and the amenities in the park were close to the beach (not the nudist one). The kid’s park at the beach was awesome, and designed to be fun for all ages.
Right by the beach there were also sections set up with tons of picnic tables and charcoal grills, making it really easy to spend the whole day there.
The boardwalk behind the beach.
The Aquazilla Water Obstacle Course
Parc national d’Oka also had an Aquazilla water course, which our daughter was too small for, but which looked super cool. In order to play on the course kids have to be six years or older. As a bonus for adults, if kids are between the ages of 6 and 8 they MUST be accompanied by an adult- a built in excuse to play!
The Aquazilla was a massive, inflatable obstacle course set out in the water. We were there for a whole week and rain or shine, there were kids out playing on it.
How fun does the Aquazilla look?
Hiking
I almost forgot to talk about hiking! The hiking at Parc national d’Oka wasn’t GREAT… But you know who it was great for? Kids. There were a handful of different trails in the park to choose from, and all of them were pretty easy! Plus they were super well maintained and easy to follow… Perfect for hiking with kids.
We hiked the Grande Baie Trail, which was an easy 4 km loop with an observation tower near the Bay. When we went, the boardwalk out over the bay was taken down, but once this is rebuilt it will make a great addition to the trail!
We also hiked the Calvaire d’Oka which had a little more elevation gain, but ended in a beautiful view. At 4.4 km total, this trail was good for kids too.
The Observation Tower. My daughter LOVED climbing this thing!
Restaurants and Ice Cream!
Right by the beach there were a couple little restaurants, as well as an ice cream shop. I can’t remember all the food that was on offer but I’m pretty sure there was pizza. Like honestly, can camping with kids get any easier than pizza? We went for ice cream on a rainy day and that was a huge hit.
Rentals
Unfortunately, we somehow didn’t find time to get around to renting anything that was on offer. But there were tons of fun options for adults and kids alike. For water sports, there were kayaks, pedal boats, and SUP boards that could be rented.
And for those who wanted to stay dry, there were fat bikes, and onewheel skateboards. How cool is that?
The Facilities
Finally, the facilities were nice and clean every time we visited. They were also really conducive to having kids with you. For example, there was a family shower in the building near our campsite that even had kid’s toys attached to the walls.
There was also a camp store in the park so that if you forgot anything you wouldn’t have to go to far to buy it. Beside the store was yet another park designed to be fun for kids of any age.
Trip Thoughts
We honestly felt so spoiled by how easy and fun it was to stay at Parc national d’Oka with our 2.5 year old daughter. Having the beach to relax at every day and so many amenities close by made our time there really enjoyable. A week passed in the blink of an eye- I somehow didn’t even find the time to hop on a onewheel skateboard!
If you’re just getting into camping with kids, or you want to take it a little bit easier, I can’t recommend Parc national d’Oka enough!
Views from our hike on the Calvaire d’Oka.
