Esker Lakes Provincial Park — Attraction in Unorganized East Timiskaming

I recently spent a week camping at Esker Lakes Provincial Park, and overall, it was a fantastic experience. This park offers a true Northern Ontario camping adventure, providing an ideal getaway from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

One of the highlights of our stay was the serenity and beauty of the backcountry lakes. Having an entire lake to ourselves was a unique and memorable experience. From sunrise to sunset, the sounds of nature, particularly the birds, created a peaceful and immersive environment. While the bugs were present, they were manageable and didn't detract from our enjoyment.

The park's staff deserves special mention for their friendliness and willingness to assist with any questions or needs. Their helpfulness added a welcoming touch to our stay.

However, there were a few areas where the park could use improvement. The roads through the park were quite narrow, making navigation a bit challenging. Additionally, RV-friendly sites were limited, as many spots seemed reserved for seasonal campers. The bathrooms, while functional, were a bit dated, and we did encounter a minor inconvenience when a shower stopped working mid-soap.

One of the unique and fun experiences for our children was the flooded playground. While it might sound inconvenient, the kids loved running and playing in the water, adding an unexpected element of fun to their trip.

It's worth noting that there is no cell signal in the park, which could be a drawback for some but added to the sense of being truly away from it all for us.

Despite these minor issues, Esker Lakes Provincial Park offers a perfect place to relive the classic camping experiences of your childhood. The park would benefit greatly from additional funding for improvements, but its current state still provides a wonderful escape into nature. If you're looking for a traditional camping trip where you can disconnect and enjoy the natural beauty of Northern Ontario, Esker Lakes is a...

6 hours of drive from vaughan! its worth it! it was an amazing experience. The park staff Bri was so friendly and amazing! people are so nice that they will say hello or hi everytime they run into you.

A lot of mosquitoes tho since its mostly lakes everywhere so make sure bring a lot of mosquito repellents. We saw family of moose on the way as well as bear outside the park.

Make sure you have full tank gas or extra gas because 1 hour of drive before you arrived is just mostly trees (if you drive from ledger east side) and also its a large park that you have to drive for garbage chutes or washrooms. the nearest gas stations is in king kirkland (west side) and which is 30 minutes drive from the park

we went there and the first day is thunderstorms ⛈️ so basically the beaches were flooded but we still had fun. we also went canada day so life jackets and fishing rods were free.

We did all the trails and i will say the “lonesome bog” is the most amazing one! the longest one of the which is “trappers trail “ is a killer one 😅 we hiked for 5 hours and nearly died 😅 so id suggest if you love adventures too much and up for something thrilling then do it otherwise if your legs gives up easily then id suggest nope. also bring a lot (tons) of off spray or lotions as bugs, mosquitoes and fly will follow you 😅 we finished 2 big...

Wonderful stay at Esker Lakes PP. We even extended our stay we enjoyed it so much. Lots of places for the dogs to access water including a dedicated dog beach and large play area. Nice shorter trails 1.5 kms in length for our senior dog to do with us. Longer trails for those who wish to portage, hike to remote sites. Not any significant cycling trails though. But this park is known for canoeing and fishing, not cycling. The highway leading into the park is very quiet so you could cycle this road but there is no shoulder. Trails are well-maintained. Staff at the park is excellent! If you needed food supplies like eggs, milk, bread, staples like this you cannot buy it at the park store. Very limited stock. Mostly chips, soft drinks. So stock up...