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Chubbytubby
Quiet Beauty. Always enjoy our stays here. Scenic charm. Lots of wildlife. Clean water. Decent facilities. Friendly staff.
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BucketThis
I did some fall camping & rock climbing at Croker. It's a cool spot! Here is a review and a link to some video I took when I was there. This review is mainly focused on the climbing aspect. Cape Croker Park is owned and operated by the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation. It’s located on the eastern shore of the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, Canada and nestled between 2 hefty limestone bluffs. Cape Croker offers pretty good quality sport and trad routes. Other areas just down the road are Lion’s Head, TV Tower and White Bluff, which are more popular and better known for climbing then lil Cape Croker. BUT! You make a nice day or two of climbing at Croker and then head just around the corner to the other areas for a nice lil climbin’ trip.Cape Croker is an ideal place to set up camp for a climbing trip. It’s a hike away from the Croker climbs and just a short 10-20 minute drive to the other crags in the area. Sites range from ‘roughin’ it areas where you just hike in and camp wherever you want to full on cabins with hydro and water. Costs range from $28-$60/night. You can check out all the rates here:http://www.capecrokerpark.com/rates.phpHere is a link to a video I did at Croker:http://www.bucketthis.com/cape-croker-rock-climbing/Climbing GuidebookI couldn’t find a guidebook for this area or even a half decent website with the climbs from this area. My 1st day here I just hiked in to what looked like the crag. When I pulled out my phone to get GPS coordinates, I found a very handy Google Maps tool that had the crag area and a handful of the climbs with descriptions. Score! This combined with rock climbing dot com’s site, Iw as able to piece together all the climbs and had a map with gps coordinates for where everything is. All of this and legendary fall weather was all I needed for an amazing climbing weekend.GPS GOOGLE MAPS LINK:https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&t=h&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=107153861308622782006.0004382633f59f1491b2a&dg=featureROCK CLIMBING DOT COM (*Warning*..only use this for the climbing descriptions and grades in the Right and Left Ladder links. The approach info and most other info on this post is completely WRONG).http://www.rockclimbing.com/routes/North_America/Canada/Ontario/Central_Ontario/Cape_Croker/The people who run Croker are very nice and accommodating:)
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neilmT7759HF
This is NOT a "Glamping" destination! This is for families/couple/friends who are into a northern camping experience at it's best! The water in Sydney Bay was outstanding and clean. A little cool on our first trip to Cape Croker Indian Park, but very refreshing. Wear water shoes to swim, flat pebbles/rocks under your feet. Kayaking was awesome in the bay, many families used their canoes or rented at the park office. Very friendly staff, but do not break the rules ... saw one family with three trailers evicted for being too loud and what we can tell, had been drinking on an "alcohol ban", the weekend of the popular Pow-Wow. The washrooms are not pretty, but clean. And they supplied "good" toilet tissue, not the one-ply stuff at provincial parks! We stayed in the "beach" sites area. Large sites, but you are close to your neighbours. Make new friends, and you'll have a blast. We had a couple storms come through, so batten down and you'll be fine. The Niagara Escarpment faces you everywhere. Didn't walk the trail on this visit ... more interested in chillin' on the water with our floaties and kayaking. This is a great location for young families, no real beach, but the water is shallow at the shore for kids to romp in the water. A very good age mix of folks too. We are in our early 50's, in a popup tent trailer. Everything from tents, to trailers, to huge RV coaches. We had a hydro site right on the water and loved every minute of our weeks vacation. A couple wet, windy cool days ... but all in all and outstanding camping experience on a First Nations reserve.
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Lifes_Isfortheliving
Cape Croker is the real deal camping northern experience. I have been coming here for 20 years and I continue to love it here. The campsite is never crowded--lots of space and the sites are bigger than the Provincial Parks which near by. The amenities are great--showers on site. What I really love is the location on the Bruce Peninsula on the Niagara Escarpment and the bald eagle watching! Lots of wildlife and birds--bring your camera!
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846tammym
I Read all the reviews right back to 2009 and to be honest this is an awesome place !!!the people at the park are nice and we received awesome service from all the staff. The park offers a play ground, beach area and yes it is rocky bottom but the whole lake is rocky bottom. beautiful scenery and they have showers and a laundry area for people to use.we stayed in the maples and I was impressed big time . we walked to the beach daily . they offer a cottage rental and they offer group camping. also you can have a trailer there that is over 10 years old and your fee includes your hydro no user pay rate for that and the boat launch is free..so it may not be what all people are looking for but at least your not stacked on top of one another there is lots of space between sites...i would recommend this place to anyone as this park is clean quiet and has beautiful views ....poison ivy I have yet to see any on my travels through the park...
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JuneandFrankStolp
the area natural location the Niagara Escarpment rock formation. The native people dancing costumes and friendliness
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ShelleyZed
There is no 3.5 "Good" rating available on this scale, so I gave it a 4/5 because it's definitely better than a 3. Before I launch into my review, here's a breakdown of the good and the bad:Good: beach site views, hiking, swimming, customer service, priceBad: small sites, no privacy, loud neighbours (could have just been bad luck), pay showersWe've just returned from a Labour day weekend camping trip in Cape Croker. Our site was in the "Beach" area and I have to say the view of the Sydney Bay Bluffs from our site were spectacular. The views were definitely a highlight of the trip - great hiking up a portion of the Bruce Trail to the Rockfall Caves and the Ladder to the top of the bluffs. I didn't go all the way up because the trail was slippery with mud and moss, but the experience was still amazing, I've never seen boulders like that. The Rockfall Caves aren't named all that well since they aren't caves, just more boulders that have fallen down from the escarpment. Still worth the trek though.One key downside to the park is that the campsites are extremely close together with no privacy from your neighbour - in the Beach area anyway, I don't know what it's like in the interior camping areas. All I can say that is that we were there for two nights and did not get a lot of sleep - you could hear every conversation from neighbouring sites as if they were right next to our tent (because they basically were). I could even hear someone snoring the next site over. There were also some dudes partying loudly both nights until the wee hours. Quiet hours were posted but not enforced.Still, the swimming was good - the water is shallow and not too cold, and the bottom is soft and a bit weedy once you get past the rocks. The beach is not sandy, it's grassy and rocky, but again, the view of the bluffs while you're swimming is amazing.Customer service by the park staff was also good - there was a mix-up with our site booking and they graciously provided us with free ice and firewood (too bad the firewood was damp and didn't burn well, but hey. To buy wood, it costs $7.50.All in all, it was an enjoyable weekend and I would definitely consider going back - but only if we can get a Beach site again. And I'll bring ear plugs next time.
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BeagleBrigade
I have camped here 5 times now and it has become our "go to" spot on the peninsula. But you have to go there with certain expectations, or lack of them in some cases. Cons: To be fair, the comfort stations (the main one and the one by the beach) are in rough shape and we prefer to skip the showers. The privvies in the campgrounds are generally a better bet. Campsite quality is very diverse. Many are poor, lots of "acceptable", and only a handful of what we would rate as "really good". But that is our view and your mileage may vary. Swimming area is not really a beach - very rocky until you get past the shallows and no sand to speak of. Would be nice if they had fewer seasonal sites that detract from the overall appearance of the campgrounds.Pros: the view across Sydney Bay to the bluffs is fantastic and the avenues to enjoy "nature" are plentiful. Without the crowds you now get at Cyprus Lake, for example. Lots of opportunities to go hiking right from the campground or nearby Bruce Trail access points are high on our list of reasons to stay here. Swimming in Sydney Bay is excellent - out past the cobblestones that is - and water is normally much warmer than other nearby spots. There is a sandy beach at Little Port Elgin well into the reserve but we have not been there. Rough Area is okay to try for smaller tent equipment. However, many of the sites have a rock/cobblestone surface - not ideal for most tents. We have a dining shelter and one 4-person so the Maples is our preferred area. Beach camping area is mostly RV/electrical with a few tent sites and thus not our taste. Our advice would be to avoid long weekends and stick to non-weekend dates if possible - weekdays is normally very quiet, weekends are not.We prefer to tolerate the "rough edges" for the quality of the surroundings. If you are looking for ideal sandy beaches and washroom facilities, best keep looking. But you will miss out on an excellent camping spot.
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AllanP145
Where I go to recharge myself. Great for the outdoors enthusiast. Excellent park for canoeing and kayaking on big water.....Georgian Bay. Easy access to The Bruce Trail. Spectacular setting on The Niagara Escarpment.
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feet2sea
The beach does have some rocks, however after walking for about 10 feet there is a lovely sandy bottom. Shallow area that goes for yards! Great camping place for older couples and families. Camping ranges from unserviced to full services. Yes the signage can be confusing, then you are on vacation and can take your time finding where your spot is. After it is easy!The Chippewas of Nawash Band are gracious hosts. The campground is perfect for those who wish to come and relax, hike and meet interesting people. It is rustic, quiet and perfect. Great for bike riding, canoeing, hiking, close to other attractions in the Bruce area. The bird watching in the area is amazing!!!! Great place for artists to paint plein air.
