We acknowledge that Mara Provincial Park is located on the traditional territory of the Huron Wendat, Mississauga, Anishinabek, and
Ho-de-no-sau-nee-ga (Haudenosaunee) Nations. We are thankful to be able to explore this beautiful place (www.Native-Land.ca).
Our first trip with our new Apex Nano 185BH travel trailer!
After work on Friday, I drove home and finished up the last minute additions to my packing. Kory was busy triple checking everything on our trailer. We had planned to camp closer to home for our first trip, but it was not it to be due to COVID lockdown. We got on the road later than planned but we were happy to have an uneventful drive up to Orillia.
We pulled in to Mara Provincial Park, in Orillia, Ontario, just before midnight. It was tough to see the signs and find our way around in the dark. A helpful staff member directed us to our site, #56. Thankfully, the site was very easy to back into (our first time parking the trailer!) and we quickly set up and went to bed. Site 56 has no privacy but is conveniently located near the comfort station.
We woke up to a beautiful morning and decided to walk the Riverside trail. This is a short trail that follows a river to the beach and day use area.
We listened for warblers as the girls ran ahead. Lyssa was lucky enough to see a snake but it quickly moved out of sight so I’m not sure what species it was.
Soon we arrived at the beach. It was lovely! Mara beach is wide with soft sand and a beautiful view of Lake Simcoe.
There was a picnic shelter, bathrooms, and a nice playground on the beach. Alas, we couldn’t stay as we needed to get on the road to our next destination, Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park!
Sleeping in the trailer was wonderful! It was so quiet and comfortable. We love backcountry camping and have plans for many more nights in tents, but for car camping, I’m so thankful for the trailer. My favourite part might be rolling out of bed in the morning and being able to turn on the stove to get my coffee going!
We only spent the night at Mara, but it seems like a nice park. Some of the sites we passed looked relatively small and close together. The park is in a very convenient location and has an awesome beach!