How Craigleith's tent-friendly Area A on Georgian Bay books on Ontario Parks' 5-month window, the 4-month cancellation block and how to catch a freed-up site.
Last checked: October 2026, against Ontario Parks' Craigleith page, Craigleith camping page, reservation rules and reservation penalties.
About
Craigleith Provincial Park is a small shoreline park on the southern shore of Georgian Bay, on Highway 26 in the Town of the Blue Mountains, at the base of Blue Mountain. Its shoreline is flat shale with fossils that Ontario Parks dates to 450 million years old. It has 157 campsites (66 electrical) in four areas.
Area A is the tent area, and the one this page covers.
The campground
From Ontario Parks:
- Area A: non-electrical sites, ideal for tents, with a comfort station (flush toilets, showers, laundry and a water tap) and a designated dog beach at the west end of the park. On the Ontario Parks booking map, Area A has 37 sites.
- Area B: electrical and non-electrical, for tents and trailers
- Areas C and D: radio-free; D is mostly electrical with water hook-ups for trailers and RVs, and has the day-use area
- Four comfort stations park-wide, two with showers and one with laundry; every site is a short walk from one
- Swimming: marked as not available
- 2026 season: April 10 to October 18
- Car campsites take up to six people; check-in after 2 pm, check-out before 2 pm
How booking works
Book on reservations.ontarioparks.ca or by phone at 1-888-668-7275 (7 am to 9 pm ET). Ontario Parks takes reservations up to five months before your arrival date, and its example is that July 29–31 arrivals first become available on March 1 at 7:00 am ET. Since Craigleith opens in mid-April, the first spring nights go on sale in mid-November, based on the 2026 opening date.
A non-refundable reservation fee applies. Most stays can run up to 23 consecutive nights, with 7- or 14-night limits at some parks between July 1 and the Saturday of Labour Day weekend; check the rules page.
How fast it sells out
Craigleith is small, with 157 sites, so expect summer weekends and long weekends to go soon after their 5-month date opens, and Area A's 37 tent sites to be tight in July and August. Spring and fall weekdays are generally easier.
When cancellations appear
Ontario Parks' rules:
- No changes or cancellations more than 4 months before arrival
- After that, the penalty is 10% to 50% of the campsite fees, based on how long the booking has been held (10% at a month or less, up to 50% beyond 4 months). The minimum is $7.52 + HST online, $9.29 + HST by phone.
- After 12:00 pm ET on the arrival day, a one-night penalty is added
Freed-up sites cluster at the 4-month mark and in the last week or two before a date, when the weather forecast comes in.
Watching it with Canada Camp Alerts
Watch Craigleith Area A for the nights you want. A night counts as open when any bookable site in Area A is free on it, and each night is checked separately. We don't match the same site across nights, party size or tent size, and we don't book or hold anything; you book it on Ontario Parks.
Free: one watch, email alerts, 15 minutes after season-pass holders. Season pass: C$25 once for 12 months (no auto-renew), up to 10 watches, instant alerts, Telegram and web push.
Tips
- Count back five months from your arrival day and be ready at 7 am ET.
- Bring a paddleboard or kayak. The shale shelf makes launching easy, even if swimming isn't on offer.
- Have a dog? Area A is near the park's west-end dog beach.
Nearby alternatives
Ontario Parks lists Craigleith's 2026 season for day use and camping as April 10 to October 18. 2027 dates aren't listed yet; expect a similar mid-April to mid-October season, based on 2026.
Ontario Parks marks swimming as not available. The shoreline is flat shale, which is good for launching kayaks, canoes and paddleboards, and the shale holds 450-million-year-old fossils.
No. Ontario Parks describes Area A as non-electrical sites that are ideal for tents. Electrical sites are in Areas B, C and D.