RONDEAU PROVINCIAL PARK – APRIL 2010

 

We camped at Rondeau Provincial Park in April 2010. It was unseasonably warm and we both had the Easter weekend off so we decided to pack up and head out camping. It was the first trip with our new 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 and our new 2010 Spree. Needless to say, we were very anxious to hook up and head out. It was also, officially the last weekend both of our teenagers travelled with us.

The park was fairly busy due to the unseasonably warm, wonderful Spring weather. This was our first trip to Rondeau. The campsites were fairly close together and not very private at all. The only factor that made them private was that it was off season and not packed full of campers. Here are some photos of the our site:

 

Rondeau Provincial Park is located between Lake Erie and Rondeau Bay. The beach on Lake Erie was very beautiful. Had it been just a little warmer, swimming might have been an option! We brought our kayaks hoping to get some time in on the water, but the wind pretty much held us back. Rondeau Bay itself was a disappointment. I’m not sure if it was due to low water levels and farm run off, but the shores of the bay were covered in disgusting, smelly slime. There was no way we’d have launched the kayaks there even without the constant wind. Here are some photos of Rondeau Bay:

 

And some photos of Lake Erie including a beautiful Saturday morning sunrise!

 

 

We hiked one trail while at Rondeau, the “Spice Bush Trail”. It was a pretty trail with portion of boardwalk through the wetter areas. It was still early in the season, so there were only a few signs of spring flowers poking through. Here are some photos:

 

Our weekend at Rondeau was a lot of fun. The park staff were wonderful, the washrooms and showers were clean. There were only two negative things about this park. The first would be the lack of privacy in the hydro campground. In the off season, this wouldn’t be an issue, but in the middle of summer it would if you like privacy. The second would be Rondeau Bay. Unless this is a typical early spring thing and the bay clears out further in the year, I wouldn’t come back. Launching a boat at the boat launch on Rondeau Bay would be totally disgusting. You’d be stepping in stinky slime. If you’re into beaches, the beach on Lake Erie is nice and I imagine that’s what draws so many people to the park in the summer. All in all, as usual, we had a great time. We hiked, walked around the park a fair bit, visited the beach, played soccer, enjoyed campfires and had a wonderful time together. I guess that’s what camping is all about in the end.

Here is a link to my Picasa album: http://picasaweb.google.com/Adventurer67/RondeauProvincialPark#

and one to the Ontario Parks page for Rondeau: http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/rond.html