Campers have been accustomed to booking trips for three weeks in Ontario provincial parks, but they may need to adjust their plans this summer. Starting in 2023, the maximum duration groups can stay in some of Ontario's busiest parks will be reduced from 23 nights to seven nights. The new rules will also apply to remote areas and roofed accommodations. The change was announced in a letter sent to park users on Monday. The message states: "With increasing bookings, it has become difficult for people to make reservations in some of our busy parks, and reducing the maximum length of stay in certain parks will give more people the opportunity to camp and experience Ontario's parks." Also, over the past two years, demand for camping in Ontario has increased significantly. Some experts attribute this to public health measures implemented during the pandemic, which encouraged residents to stay at home for essential reasons. Additionally, campsites started filling up months earlier than usual, with some campers even beginning to reserve group sites only to cancel or reschedule them later. Residents have noted that some of these permits have been resold on sites like Kijiji. In August 2021, the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks pledged to crack down on campers reselling sites for profit. In the same context, Ontario Parks states that camping has steadily grown over the past several years, from 4.3 million in 2014 to 6.6 million in 2021. There may also be flexibility for long stays for trips that overlap with long weekends.

Below is a complete list of parks where campers can book for a maximum of seven nights during peak summer: Algonquin, Bon Echo, Kilbar, Penrey, and Sandbanks.

The parks where campers can book for a maximum of 14 nights during peak summer are:

Arrowhead, Awenda, Balsam Lake, Bass Lake, Blue Lake, Bonnechere, Charleston Lake, Chutes, Craigleith, Darlington, Driftwood, Earl Rowe, Emily, Esker Lakes, Fairbank, Finlayson Point, Fitzroy, Fushimi Lake, Grundy Lake, Halfway Lake, Inverhuron, Ivanhoe Lake, Kap-Kig-Iwan, Kettle Lakes, Killarney, Lake St.

Point Mara, Martin River, McCrae Point, Mikisew, Mississagi, Murphy’s Point, Nagagamisis, Ness, Oustler Lake, Pancake Bay, Point Farms, Port Burwell, Presqu’ile, Quetico, Rainbow Falls, René Brunelle, Restoule, Rediew River, Rock Point, Rondio, Rushing River, Samuel de Champlain, Sobel Falls, Selkirk, Sharbot Lake, Sepauld Point, Silent Lake, Six Mile Lake, Sleeping Giant, Sturgeon Bay, Turkey Point, Whitely, Wendy Lake

Meanwhile, the maximum length of stay for all other regional parks will be 23 nights.