Sioux Narrows Provincial Park — Attraction in Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls Township

This park simply must be experienced to be believed.

Right on registration we were welcomed by the the park Supervisor - Christine who resides right in the park along side all the guests.

The three summer students that basically maintain the entire park and it's 72 camp sites share an enthusiasm that smacks a weary traveller like a fresh breeze right off Lake of the Woods. As the end of our first day one of these young superstars drove up to our sight and wanted to know if we needed anything before they closed up the office for the night.

The park atmosphere is that of a community as the many seasonal campers, regulars returning year after year, and a sprinkle of first time campers are left to interact with minimal authority and supervision. The nightly drive thru of the white Provincial Park pick ups and the bullet proof vested Yogi's is remarkably absent from the routine.

The effect of the longer term seasonal campers and the otherwise often returning loyal park user is a palpable passion for the the park, the environment, and the quiet enjoyment of this amazing facility by their fellow campers.

In short, this is a fabulous park! There's a nice beach, campsites at waters edge, clean facilities and along amongst the towering pines at the edge of Lake of the Woods.

Doesn't get...

Although it was a quiet park, it is not well maintained. The entrance road has large potholes and the site roads are not much better. The sites are unkempt and when my husband tried to move the picnic table, one corner crumbled in his hand. When we arrived, we asked about the laundry facilities and we were told the washer and drier didn't work. We then filled our fresh water tank and found out the next day that there was a boil water advisory. There was a notification about it at the tap by our site but we did not see a sign at the fill station when we took the water. We found out that the municipality had taken over the maintenance from Ontario Parks. So even if you book through the Ontario Parks website, this park is not up to the level as other parks we have stayed. I do not recommend this...

The positive: the lake is lovely- clean and beautiful. The day use park and swimming beach is also great. The bathrooms are clean and the showers nice and hot. There are some beautiful unserviced sites along the shore.

The park feels run down though. The road in is very bumpy and needs to be resurfaced. The campsites also need tlc and levelling. Most of the electrical sites were occupied with permanent campers’ rigs but we had the whole campground to ourselves so it is obviously used as a seasonal weekend cottage/fishing base. We tried several times to pay but the gatehouse was always closed and no one came round. We ended up leaving what cash we...