RECONNECT TO your true nature
Want to reconnect to your true nature?
Connecting with the natural world is one of the easiest pathways to get you there!
Come to Manitoulin Eco Park to camp in a landscape that is being tended to increasingly support and reflect the resilience of our ecosystem.
It’s not a secret that spending time in nature:
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reduces stress and anxiety
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improves mood
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improves immunity and reduces inflammation
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promotes learning, social skills, and more...
Come stay at Manitoulin Eco Park, where we aim to regenerate cultural practices which:
connect us with ourselves, with one another, and with the land.
How? By cultivating deep nature connection, holistic health, and peacemaking practices, in the context of treaty relationships with ancestral expertise. naturally reconnecting
Learn more about what makes Eco Parks here
what to expect
If you’re looking for a place to hike, rest, and reconnect, or to learn more about camping, building campfires, living in a Tipi, or various other nature skills, then welcome!
Manitoulin Eco Park is the place for you…
Manitoulin Eco Park is a rustic, conservation-oriented, campground featuring forest campsites with more-than-the-usual privacy and WiFi accessible in common areas and by a few sites. plus we have open-field camping in our 360° dark sky preserve (particularly for astronomy fans).
We are a quiet, family-friendly campground which welcomes the differently abled, with plans for sharing demonstrations of food, housing, waste management, and other regenerative and resilient practices. Not only do the owners and many staff members live on site but dogs, cats, chickens, goats, and ponies live on site too; your well-behaved pets are most welcome, and service dogs stay for free.
Our several unpowered bunkies are filled with bunks (not furnishings or decor) with space to sit, cook, and eat on the mini-porch or by the fire circle. Most camp sites are off-grid... meaning no power, no water, no connections. Don't worry, you're not fully disconnected as your phone will receive WiFi and reasonable cell signal near the office. Cell service varies by provider and location on the campground.
We have sites which accommodate trailers, but very few with access to power, and none with direct water or sewage hookups. The new Tipis (now moved to sunny sites better suited to their use) are traditional, and rental comes with training on how to get the comfort and air flow you desire. See the full description of the different types of accommodations and sites here.
Water from the main well (truly superior water quality) is available from a front gate tap, and a summer kitchen tap near the office. The water is treated by nature, and transported to keep water tanks filled in easier-access locations. Water locations are on the map.
While we do have a few flush toilets by the nature centre, many outhouses and port-a-potties service most sites. A kids playground, a Ninja course, and mini-putt are located by the main office. The hot showers operate by rope-pull, and we’re planning more ecosystem-friendly measures as we grow.
The two summer kitchens are backup facilities for people new to camping, those who forget to bring stoves, to help when there are fire bans, and for travelers who are not equipped with full gear. In other words, we’ll do our best to support you, but there may be line-ups if you don’t bring your own stove and cookware.
Further development of improvement programs and events are in the plans for the park. Subscribe below for more information, or to fill the below form to make suggestions.
Check out our FAQ page for more useful information and details on our booking and cancelation policies.
Day Events
Multiple DatesSat, Jun 01Jun 01, 2024, 7:00 AM – 8:00 AMJun 01, 2024, 7:00 AM – 8:00 AMIf you awaken early, something fun to do away from the campsite that won't make late risers grouchy can make everyone's vacation better. Loosely based on Movement Therapies such as Yoga, Brain Gym, and Trager, this is open to all ages, but children must come accompanied by an adult or caregiver.
Multiple DatesSun, Jun 02Jun 02, 2024, 9:30 AM – 11:30 AMJun 02, 2024, 9:30 AM – 11:30 AMThe fresher & wilder your food, the less you need to eat, partly because of a greater density of the building blocks your body needs for maintenance & repairs, and partly because it's less work to extract nutrients. You may think wild foods are unpleasant - you might be pleasantly surprised!
Multiple DatesSun, Jun 02Jun 02, 2024, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PMJun 02, 2024, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PMThe five flavours we distinguish are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and pungent (the Japanese term is umami). Traditional Chinese Medicine suggests that the very tastiest foods are also the most nourishing, and that these are the foods which effectively incorporate and blend all five flavours.
Sun, Jul 14Jul 14, 2024, 5:00 PM EDT – Jul 19, 2024, 12:00 PM EDT
Jul 21, 2024, 5:00 PM – Jul 26, 2024, 12:00 PMJoin Jon Young, Shore Charnoe and other community members at Living Connection 1st with new and old friends in common unity for deep connection with the natural world, ourselves and one another. Together we create a village to help all deepen connection for our time together.
Activities & Services
Store
Non-toxic camping supplies, beverages, local arts and crafts, packaged snacks (such as potato chips and ice cream bars).
Bow Hunting
While we are no longer permitting baiting and rifle hunting, we may host bow hunters during the fall season in limited areas of the park away from other seasonal users.
Nature
Center
Interpretive centre with local species binders and displays of fossils and wildlife found onsite and beyond.
Agriculture & Forestry
Events announced on an ad hoc basis for those interested in regenerative practices.
Hiking
With kilometers of hiking trails passing through 4 different ecosystems, including Niagara Escarpment outcrops, loops are available for different levels of energy and fitness.
Playground
Shaded swings and tree house, with Ninja course and other balance and strength options
Pool
Solar heated, saltwater pool
Canada's first Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) designated commercial Dark Sky Preserve
Visitors may choose to camp right inside the DarkSky Preserve, which is hidden within a hardwood forest. You may also choose to camp in our traditional forest campground and still visit the DSP. The Preserve has a communal area in an open field that is great for stargazing and has 360-degree sky viewing.