Restoule Provincial Park — Attraction in Unorganized Centre Parry Sound

TL;DR: Restoule Provincial Park is a below-average provincial park with below-average amenities, average privacy, terrible campers, good hiking trails, good paddling routes, and a below-average waterway.

My trip to Restoule Provincial Park was made by car with four campers on campsite 291 at the Putt's Point campground.

Campground & Campsite: Campsite 291 and many others in the Putt's and Kettle Point campgrounds are mediocre campgrounds. The pictures on the official reservation site are not up to date and do not reflect the current state of the campgrounds. The campsites are sandy, uneven, and often on a slope, the effects of which are compounded in the rain when the sand washes away. Each campsite had two picnic tables, which is more than the lone table typical to campsites in other provincial parks. The lots were of average size, and proximity to each other, and the trees were sparse enough to provide clear views to other campsites. Campsite 291 was the most private campsite observed in Putt's Point, with other campsites having much worse privacy.

Washrooms and Water Access: The washrooms at Restoule seem to be an odd mix of different types. Extremely smelly compost toilets with no running water or hand sanitizer were found at the busiest locations (void of sanitizing utilities for my entire stay), while spacious toilets with running water were found at the less-frequented entrance to the group camping sites and trail-heads. The main comfort station in Putt's Point with full plumbing and sewage was at a reasonable location and only a short walk from campsite 291. The water taps are placed at good locations, but none had a gravel or rock base below the tap, resulting in very muddy and dirty ground surrounding each tap.

Campers: Restoule Provincial Park seems to be a popular destination for individuals local to northern Ontario. The majority of the individuals on the campground on both weekdays and weekends were drunk or high, ill-mannered, ran loud generators 24/7, and behaved loudly and inconsiderately well into the night.

Amenities: The campground office ran out of firewood to sell, requiring a drive into town to purchase firewood. Canoes, Kayaks, and SUPs were available to rent at the campground office, although they were physically stored quite a ways away from the office (down by the dock in Putt's Point). PFDs and lifejackets are not available to rent.

Hiking and Paddling Trails: Restoule PP's campground is very conveniently situated in close proximity to multiple hiking and paddling trails. I traversed the "Restoule River Run" up until the portage point, as well as the Fire Tower Trail. Both were extremely enjoyable, with the latter's "Stormy Lake Lookout" offering beautiful views of the lake and surrounding forest. The Fire Tower Trail was moderately technical and is not recommended for those not confident in uneven and rough terrain.

Lake and Waterway: Restoule Lake and the waterway connecting to Stormy Lake are surrounded by many cottages in addition to the provincial park. This resulted in high traffic that made paddling more difficult, in addition to ruining the natural atmosphere of the water and land. Speedboats, jet skis, and other watercraft frequently passed by at high speeds in the course of my excursion...

Stayed at the walk in site #157 in Restoule Provincial Park this past weekend. Site is a good size overall, there is an even surface for tent placement. Trees situated in a way that allows you to hang a tarp for extra cover, if needed. Good shade. There were trees separating neighboring campsites but are not very private. Large picnic table on site. Flip top grill for the firepit. Appx 2 minute up-hill walk to the site from your vehicle, which you park at the dog beach, same area as washroom facility. There were 3 wagons on site to help bring your gear in/out of the sites. No siting of raccoons or bears. Dog beach is also a people friendly beach and is shallow and relatively clear. There is a garbage bin and drinking water tap at the walk in entrance. Ice and firewood are sold on site at the park entrance, bring firestarters and a hatchet as we found the hard wood to be a bit damp. There is a decent boat launch and about 6 docks, first come first served.

Composting toilet facility was pretty clean, supplied toilet paper and hand sanitizer as well as hooks to hang your personal items. No sinks, no showers at this particular facility. There was also a "bear box" to store food items but seems to be shared among a few other sites. Recommend you store food in your vehicle to be safe and bring a lock of some kind as our box was not equipped with one. There were a couple of other boxes for the other sites. Site 157 has its own pathway to the water, giving you your own private beach access. Shallow water, rocky entrance, not super weedy. There's a rope assist to get up and down the pathway as it is a sloped pathway. Fishing was great from the boat, didn't fish off shore. Lake is deep and relatively calm and is good for canoeing. There is a one stop shop in town called Gerry's with an LCBO, worms, hardware, toys, groceries, home essentials etc. There is also Mill Bay market with produce, dry goods, ice cream, seasonings and really nice meats. Fair prices and great quality. Would absolutely return and probably to the same site as it was the best private beach access available...

Came up here for the first time on July 12th for two nights and this will certainly not be the last time. The park area, the lakeshore and everything about this place is absolutely beautiful, or maybe it's just that Canadian natural beauty?

The drive up from Brampton, ON was quick and painless as we left early enough to avoid the Highway 400 northbound Friday rush. As we approach the park we were greeted with a "Entering Bear Country" so for us suburbanites this was reminder of where we're going and we made sure to follow all the suggestions to avoid bears. The check-in was very easy, they provided us with pamphlets on what precautions to take to ensure that we’re not attracting bears. The office has firewood and ice as well as souvenirs, books, etc, and this is where you come to rent a mountain bike, canoe, kayak, etc. This park was absolutely stunning with its majestic trees within its lush green forests. We stayed at a site #443 which was less than a 5 minute walk to the beach via the path. It was relatively quiet in terms of car traffic as there is no need to drive all the way there unless your site is located there. The washroom by our campsite was clean but has no running water so it goes right into a septic tank (or whatever is underneath those toilets) but they do have sanitizer to wash your hands. A short 10 minute walk away there is an actual was washroom structure with personal showers, proper toilets and sinks, and laundry (if you’re there for more than a few nights). We only had time to do the firetower trail which is about 8km roundtrip but the views from the mountaintop is absolutely breathtaking and worth the wait! We saw a few deer but...