Deer Creek Conservation Area – June 2015
Last year I was looking online for new parks within a 2.5 hour driving range for quick weekend trips. We’re trying to visit as many new parks as possible, but we’re running out of Provincial Parks and Conservation Areas. My online search took me to Long Point and Region Conservation Area. Of the five parks they run, I chose to reserve at Deer Creek Conservation Area (and later in the year at Backus Heritage).
Their online reservation site shows photos of the campsites, which can be a real bonus. The serviced sites have 30 amp and water hookups. The park was honestly better than what I thought it would be, based on my internet searches. So, here are a couple photos of our campsite:
This campsite was not the one I booked. We arrived at the park on Friday evening and drove to our site, the one I reserved. It was on the side of a hill and would have been a nightmare to level. It was also kind of small and different from how it looked on the reservation site. So, we decided to go back out to the front gate and find out which other sites were available. We couldn’t get around the far loop of the park road, our unit was too long to turn between two trees on opposite sides of the bend. I had to back all the way out to the main road. So, before I go any further, I have to mention, this park is not geared toward larger units. Our trailer is 32′ and our truck is a mega cab, which adds a lot to the total length. I wouldn’t want to park or maneuver anything much larger on these campground roads.
The campground supervisor – Deb, was awesome. When she heard we were looking for another site, she drove out to meet us and told us which ones were available that would work well for our size trailer. We ended up taking the one at the end of the campground road. Out of all the serviced sites in the campground, which are very small, maybe three other sites would work for us.
We had a great weekend weather wise. It was a little windy but sunny and warm. We brought our kayaks intending to paddle the reservoir on Saturday and do some fishing. The 80 acre reservoir is known for its fishing and scenery. There are numerous places you can fish from docks or the shore and catch rainbow or brown trout! There are also bass, crappie and other panfish. The launch facilities at the park are great too, whether it’s a canoe, kayak or small boat. Be advised though that only electric or non motorized boats are allowed on the reservoir.
It was a super day on the water! We caught quite a few bass and crappie. The water depth was over 45 feet in some places and crystal clear! After our day of kayaking, we were talking to a seasonal camper that’s been at Deer Creek for 40 years. He said the reservoir was huge and we’d only paddled a small section. Looking at the maps confirmed this. The bulk of the reservoir lies further north of the park. The nice thing about this park and paddling is that none of the shoreline is private property. The land surrounding the reservoir is all Conservation land. That means you are free to pull up on shore anywhere to stretch your legs or have a shore lunch! I can’t say enough how beautiful this reservoir and park was! Here are some paddling photos:
Deer Creek is a very small park with a mix of serviced, non serviced and seasonal sites. As I mentioned earlier, there aren’t a lot of larger campsites and the campground roads aren’t really meant for larger units. The total number of sites here is 32! One great thing about a smaller campground is that you can walk everywhere! From our site, you could walk to the docks at the reservoir, the showers and main comfort station, the day use area and beach and the boat launch. We sat around the campfire Saturday night watching people walk to the docks to fish and walk back with trout! Very cool. The park is very well kept and very clean. The grass is kept short and the roads well cared for. There are recycle bins placed all over the park for campers to use rather than one central area.
Here are some photos of the park:
The evening sky over Deer Creek Reservoir was just beautiful! We walked down every night, took pictures and just enjoyed the beauty. You’d swear you were up north and not in South Western Ontario!
So, to review this park – I would have to give it a VERY high score. We absolutely will return to this park next year, but stay a little longer to explore the reservoir and kayak fish. Part of the reason this park gets a high score from me is the super customer service. Park staff were always driving around the park, stopping to ask if you’d like any firewood, which they deliver to your site! They also stop to ask if you have any garbage they can take away for you. Very friendly and very, very helpful. They checked in on us a few times on the evening we arrived to make sure we finally found a site and got settled in ok. When I told the supervisor we were camping at Backus Heritage in October (another LPCA park), she offered to give me more info about the site I’d booked and whether it would be ok for our size trailer.
Ticks are a known problem in this part of Ontario, but I doubt you’d have issues at this park. As mentioned earlier, the grass is cut short and the trees kept trimmed too. The hydro and water hookups are never too far from your trailer, which is nice too. The site quality was ok, not much privacy, but it didn’t really matter to us, we just enjoyed being there! The park seemed to be dog friendly with many people having their fur buddies with them. There were dogs swimming at an area of the beach in the day use area.
If you’re thinking of booking at Deer Creek, here’s some advice. All the sites from #22 to #27 are on a hill with a side to side slope. Very difficult to level. Sites #33 to #28 vary with some having a slight to no pad slope. They look like pull thrus on the campground map, but most are not, with trees at the end of the site. They are not very private, but they are about the only ones in the area that will work for trailers in the 32′ length range. Sites #1 to #10 are mainly seasonals with a few overnight, but there are no hookups. Some of these may work for trailers around 32′. The nice thing about these unserviced sites is that they are directly across from the lake. Beautiful! There is a loop when you first come into the campground, sites #34 to #40. Here you may find a couple that are not occupied by seasonals that may fit 32′ or maybe a little larger.
The dumping station is another reason I would say this park is not designed for larger units. We had to pull up past it, then back up due to its close proximity to a building. Then, because the road out is not a loop, we could only get back to the exit by pulling up the road to the day use area, backing up onto the large grassy area then pulling out. So, in closing, if you have anything 32′ or smaller, you’ll find a suitable site at Deer Creek. I would not want to camp here with anything over 36′ for sure. If in doubt, call the park directly at 1-877-990-9934 and they will tell you if there’s a site suitable for your size RV.
If you do camp here, be prepared for the awesome, friendly service provided by Deb and her staff! You will want to return, I can almost guarantee that. One evening sunset at the reservoir, one paddle, one time out fishing by the docks and you’ll be hooked. This park is truly a treasure!
Here are some links:
http://www.lprca.on.ca/pages/1357922954/Deer-Creek
http://www.lprca.on.ca/pages/1357923555/Reserve-a-Campsite
HAPPY CAMPING!!!
Sue and Daves RV Adventures 