Reservations
Killbear is open from May 12th until November 6th, and from January to March. During this time all visitors must have either a Camping Permit, or a Day Use or Seasons Pass (available for purchase at the park offices).
To reserve a campsite click www.ontarioparks.com or phone 1-888-668-7275. You can make reservations 5 months in advance of your arrival date.
Killbear in winter.
Tips
Killbear is one of the most popular parks in Ontario. Although it can be difficult to get a reservation during July and August, Killbear is rarely full. The park has 880 campsites. Non-reserve-able (first come-first serve) sites are no longer available.
The busiest periods for camping at Killbear are the Canada Day weekend (July 1st), mid July – mid August and the Labour Day weekend (1st Monday in September).
There are often empty campsites the last two weeks before Labour Day, especially if you avoid Friday and Saturday nights.
If you have difficulty getting a reservation, consider changing your dates or shortening your stay (i.e. try a Sunday to Thursday booking). Since some people end up changing or cancelling their reservations, check the website every few weeks to see if anything has opened up.
If you are willing to move your site you may be able to patch together a longer stay on campsites that have gaps between reservations.
To look for campsite availability – use the availability calendar on the reservation page of the Ontario Parks website or phone the call centre.
Spring Camping
A little known secret about Killbear is that the blackfly season is exceptionally short (typically 3 or 4 days in late May) and not very intense. Although mosquitoes can be thick in the bush later in the spring and early summer, they are not usually much of a problem at campsites except for a brief period at dusk.
Fall Camping
Fall camping is exceptional at Killbear as Georgian Bay usually stays fairly warm through most of September and the number of visitors drops by 50 – 80% which leaves you with kilometres of empty beaches, rocky shoreline and hiking trails to explore.
Fall Colours at Killbear often peak around Thanksgiving (the 2nd Monday of October). During the last half of October the park turns a beautiful copper colour as the beach and oak leaves stay on the trees much later than the maples.
During the closed season (November and December, and April until early May) visitors are allowed to park at the main office for free and go for a hike, bike, ski or snowshoe. The bathrooms at the main office are open year round. Please note that dogs must be on leash at all times in the park, even when the park is closed.