McLaren Campground — Hotel in South Stormont

Just got back from McLaren Campground, stayed two nights (Wednesday-Thursday) with a tent on a water view lot, no electric/water connection.||ARRIVAL|Arrived a little before the check in time (3pm) but there wasn't a problem. No one else was in line. Easy registering. ||LOT|Originally booked lot 126 on the waterfront. Once we got there we noticed it was very rectangular, not deep, and right across from a cabin. Not only were we blocking their water views with our tent but also couldn't set up in the way we wanted as the lot wasn't spectacular. We went back to the registration and asked for the lot next door. Prior to online booking we checked the neighbour lots to see if we'd have neighbours and we didn't so we knew 125 should be available. There was no problem switching which was fantastic. We used our scissors to cut some grass so we could see the water better and once that was done lot 125 was perfect!||SEA WEED / ALGAE SMELL|Very rarely did we smell stagnant water smell but the RV neighbours kiddie corner our lot complained of the smell. The park staff came with a truck and removed dried up sea weed. Not sure if it worked but the smell needs to be assessed upon your arrival so you don't get stuck with it on your lot. ||STAFF|All of them were friendly and accommodating. I know the area of Ingleside as I have relatives there but I'm sure if someone had a question they'd know where or what to do. ||AMENITIES|There is a field to play ball, boat launch, swings, volleyball net, only thing missing would be kayak/canoes. We would have really liked to rent or use a kayak. We didn't bring bikes and don't have kayaks although people with RV's certainly did. Bathrooms were cleaned and or checked with employees initials on it. I have no idea where garbage/recycling disposal was. Luckily we washed dishes and only had our paper plates for garbage and we put that in the bathroom garbages. ||WOOD|Only wood from McLaren is allowed for burning. It's not expensive, $7.99 for a bag which lasted a night and half for us if slowly burned. The use of kindling and paper is helpful to start a fire as the campsite wood pieces are very large and some not as dry as others. ||STORE|Ice, dry food, ice cream, wood can be bought at the entrance/registration building. They accept debit/credit. ||THINGS TO DO|Free tickets to Upper Canada Village are provided at registration. We went and enjoyed the park even though we'd been there prior as elementary school kids. There is also a bird sanctuary and historical site not far away as well. ||DOGS|Dogs are allowed. I never heard one bark, never encountered a problem. ||All in all we would go back. The lot on the water was lovely, peaceful and a great getaway from Montreal. Other than a few things missing at the park, it is very nice. A mom duck and her 9 cute ducklings swam about and we enjoyed watching them with the...

The campground was a mix of trailers, tents and 5 cabins that border the river front. We stayed in Dickinson Cabin and the remaining 4 cabins were also occupied by the rest of our extended family. All the cabins are the same ,very basic. Upon arrival it did not appear that our cabin was swept/cleaned... no worries we did it ourselves.||||The queen bed and bunk bed in the bedroom are covered with a plastic sheet (likely for hygienic reasons) and when covered with our linens makes for a noisy and hot sleep - not good. Even though there were ceiling fans in both rooms I am glad we brought fans which made it a bit more comfortable. There are lots of electrical outlets, a full size fridge, small microwave, lots of cupboard space, dining table with bench seats (so you can't lean back or sit for a long time comfortably), and a futon in the living room/dining area. There is no sink or running water in the cabins but there is a tap right near the cabin and the bathroom is a short walk. The deck will hold 4 chairs comfortably and the bbq is pretty good. Lots of parking and good shade at this site. ||||There are lots of tall trees however, it is not a very private camp ground. You can pretty much see into everyones site. The bathrooms were not the cleanest at times and there is a distinct sewage smell that can't be ignored when the wind is coming your way (thankfully this was limited for us). The kids (9 to 16 years) swam from to the island across the river and had lots of fun between all the cabins. There is a big picnic table but its tricky to find a level spot at most of the cabin sites except ours. The staff was responsive and kept the campground...

Really enjoy this campground. Certainly one of our top Ontario parks we enjoy. There are sites for every type of camping other than RV Resort style. With that in mind, the sites for larger rigs are reasonably flat and spacious. Some have 50amp service, some with 30amp and some with no power at all. There is water available at many of the sites. A bunch of seasonal sites around the park too. Some are nicely setup and some downright gaudy. There are many ten sites on the water's edge that look great but many of them are on quite the slope so be careful when you read the descriptions of the site you are looking to book. The staff is very friendly and helpful. We haven't experienced annoying neighbours in the many times we've been here. That has to be due to the staff as this park gets busy and we all know that busy often leads to rowdy. We have a ridiculously long trailer (45') and have no issues getting through the roads so that's good. The dump station is setup reasonably with a bit of an angle toward the pit so you can get everything out. The only issue is that you really have to be aware of where it is and not get stuck in the road that goes to it unless, of course, you are dumping, because anyone at the dump station will be blocking the road. The only downfall to this and all other provincially managed Ontario parks is the price of wood. They make a rule that you can't bring in external wood due to invasive bugs etc but then charge a ludicrous fee per bag, ($9 this season plus tax) If they really don't want people to bring in wood, charge a reasonable price and people...