The best camping near Pancake Bay Provincial Park

Discover the most magical spots to pitch your tent or park your rig on your next Pancake Bay Provincial Park adventure.

Bring a camera for wildlife and sunsets on this bay named for fur-trading paddlers’ dinner.

Popular ways to camp

Community favorites near Pancake Bay Provincial Park

Top-rated campgrounds near Pancake Bay Provincial Park

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Private Camping/Lake Superior Beach

1 site · RV, Tent1 acre · Sault Ste. Marie, ON

Private bush lot, steps to the beach. At our camp site you get to enjoy the privacy of a bush lot at a dead end road and just a 2 minute walk to a sandy beach on Lake Superior. This is a large site with room for 2 trailers. Also enjoy ATV and hiking trails. Our camp site is on an all season paved road, 45 minute Drive from Sault Ste Marie, where you will find all of your camping needs.

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Batchawana Beach Paradise

2 sites · RVs, Tents1 acre · Sault Ste. Marie, ON

The property sits along a well maintained lazy road, There is a driveway and a cleared area for parking an RV. Directly across the road about 100 meters away from the trailer is a public sand beach. Set up shop on the beautiful sand then meander down the beach and hunt for beach glass and some other treasures that have washed ashore. The view is amazing and the water is welcoming, 7 minutes from the little local grocery store and Gas bar (and home of the best apple fritter you've ever had) 15 minutes from Pancake Pay Provincial Park 45 minutes from Sault Ste. Marie

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Rosewood Forest

1 site · Lodging72 acres · Goulais River, ON

72 Acres of primarily sugar maple forest with a secret stand of mature white pines on Taylor Creek. Some walking trails with a beautiful Oak Amphitheatre for wedding ceremonies. Parking is 4 km from the renowned Robertson Cliff main trailhead, overlooking the Goulais River Valley and Lake Superior. The property is excellent for forest bathing, active rest, bird watching, unplugging, camp fires and star gazing. Great biking opportunity to Robertson Cliff trailhead followed by a hike to the scenic lookouts, and cap it all off with a cold exposure plunge in Robertson Creek Waterfall.

The best camping near Pancake Bay Provincial Park guide

Overview

About

Camp along a sheltered bay where Voyageur paddlers traversed centuries ago. With 476 campsites and five yurts stretched along a three-kilometre, white-sand beach, Pancake Bay Provincial Park is a prime summertime spot with hiking loops and a plethora of wildlife. On the 3.5-kilometre Nature Trail, a boardwalk straddles a vast marshland home to bald eagles, loons, and sandhill cranes. The bike-friendly Lookout Trail (14 kilometres) features lush sugar maples and a panoramic lake view where the legendary SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in 1975—don’t miss the sunset from Edmund Fitzgerald Lookout.

Notable campgrounds

Best for group camping: On the west end of the campground, five beachside group sites host up to 40 people each. Water taps, vault toilets, and a comfort station are within walking distance.
Best for panoramic lake views: Hilltop Campground is perched on a little hill above the campground and is also more private than the other campgrounds.
Best for hiking access: Sites numbered in the 400s, on the farthest east side of the park, are near the area’s two hiking trails.

Tips for snagging a campsite

Grab a lakefront site if they’re available—the roadside sites near Highway 17 can get noisier.
Reservations open via Ontario Parks five months in advance of arrival. Holiday weekends fill up fast with nearby Sault Ste. Marie residents.
Opt for a non-electrical site to improve your chances of getting a site.

When to go

This park is only open between May 7 and October 12. Spring and fall offer the best chance at fishing—it isn’t uncommon to see people casting their lines in hip-height gators. By mid-September, the sugar maples, red oak, and yellow birch are changing into a fiery tapestry, making for awesome hiking.

Know before you go

Canoeing in the sheltered Batchawana Bay is easygoing but can become windy and unpredictable north of the bay as one paddles into Lake Superior.
Dumping and water stations are a bit far from campsites. Be sure to pick up water on the way into the park.
The beach has a dog area and is less crowded than most park beaches.