Mara Provincial Park
RV Guide
Introduction
Sitting on the shores of Lake Simcoe, Mara Provincial Park offers RV campers exciting recreational opportunities as well as the chance to enjoy home away from home. Located south of Atherley, off Highway 12, on Courtland Street, vacationers at Mara Provincial Park can engage in activities such as hiking on Riverside Trail along the shores of a stream in the park where beautiful flowers, birds, and wildlife can be seen. Opportunities to enjoy cycling along the park roadways, fish for sunfish, lake trout, walleye, smallmouth bass, lake whitefish, and perch, canoe and kayak on Lake Simcoe, and swim in the lake are also available in Mara Provincial Park. Additionally, a discovery program in the park enlightens campers about the features and wonders of nature in Mara Provincial Park.
There are 105 RV campsites in Mara Provincial Park, with almost half equipped with electric RV hookups. Facilities and amenities available in the park include water taps, pit/vault toilets, dump station, playground, garbage station, recycling station, telephone, firewood, restrooms with showers, wheelchair accessible areas, picnic tables, picnic shelter, swimming beach, firepits, access to trailheads, and parking lots. Restaurants, gas stations, convenience stores, boat rentals and shopping are available close by.
Mara Provincial Park was established in 1970.
RV Rentals in Mara Provincial Park
Transportation
Driving
Located south of Atherley, off Highway 12, on Courtland Street, Mara Provincial Park is a simple drive-in park that is easy to access by RVs, trailers, and other motorized vehicles. The park’s roadways, which are paved, allow for easy navigation to the different sites of interest. There are no driving restrictions within the park.
Parking
There are a number of parking options for RVs, trailers, and cars at Mara Provincial Park, since there are five parking areas available within the park’s premises. One of the parking areas is around the campground, while the remaining four parking lots are in the southern part of the campground. Overnight parking is available in the park.
Public Transportation
There are no direct public transportation services to Mara Provincial Park.
Campgrounds and parking in Mara Provincial Park
Campsites in Mara Provincial Park
Alternate camping
Mara Campground
Mara Campground in Mara Provincial Park features 105 pet-friendly campsites available for RVs and tents. 50 campsites in the campground are equipped with electric hookups for RVs, while the remaining 55 campsites do not have hookup options for RVs. RV length limit at the park is 32 ft (10 m). Amenities available in the campground include water taps, pit/vault toilets, dump station, playground, garbage station, recycling station, telephone, firewood, restrooms with showers, wheelchair accessible areas, picnic tables, firepits, access to trailheads, and parking lot.
16 campsites are available on first-come first-served basis, while the remaining campsites are available by reservation.
Seasonal activities in Mara Provincial Park
Off-Season
Discovery Program
Mara Provincial Park staff engage RV campers in a Discovery Program that provides insights about the park, its features, history, and plants and animals. RV campers are given tools that fire their imaginations and lead to observations of the wonders and elements in the park. The event is open to all.
Swimming
Mara Provincial Park boasts a beautiful beach on the shore of Simcoe Lake where visitors and campers enjoy outdoor activities, meals, and swimming. Swimming is allowed within the designated swimming area in the lake, and is open to campers of all experience levels.
Birding
Opportunities to view beautiful birds abound at Mara Provincial Park as the park is home to bird species such as great blue heron, green heron, coopers hawk, and osprey. Some of these birds are commonly seen along the trail in the park.
In-Season
Canoeing/Kayaking
At Mara Provincial Park, RV campers can launch their canoes and kayaks on to Simcoe Lake and enjoy paddling. Canoeists and paddlers on the lake are presented more exciting opportunities as the lake offers access to the Trent Severn Waterway. There are no canoe and kayak rental facilities available in the park, hence RV campers are required to come with their vessels to the park. Boat rentals are however available nearby.
Fishing
Great fishing opportunities are available to RV campers and anglers on Lake Simcoe in Mara Provincial Park. As a result, campers visit the park with their fishing gear and tackle to enjoy catching fish species such as sunfish, lake trout, walleye, smallmouth bass, lake whitefish, and perch. RV campers can choose to fish from the shore of the lake, on the lake from their canoes.
Hiking
Mara Provincial Park features a half-kilometer (0.3 mile) trail that takes RV campers along the soft maple wetland in the park to the banks of the stream. The trail, often referred to as the Riverside Trail, offers campers the opportunity to enjoy scenic views of beautiful flora (such as Jack-in-the-Pulpits) and diverse fauna in the park. RV campers who visit the park with their bicycles enjoy cycling on the roadways in the park, thereby exploring all the park’s features in the process.
