earl rowe provincial park

Large park, well maintained, clean. Gets busy in peak seasons. Great for walking, biking and large pool for swimming. Pool costs extra but I feel it shouldn't since natural swimming area is usually closed due to environmental issues. Fish ladder explains the spawning of fish in the area. Nature presentations.

A nice spot for hiking during the winter as they have an off lease area. For camping, the facilities are clean and have everything you need. Pond has always been pretty dirty and geese dropping in the sand are a perpetual problem.

This camping park is situated just outside of Alliston Ont. home of The Banting Homestead. This is a good place to park for one night or extend your stay. If you are planning on going for the day you will be disappointed that the beach is covered in bird poop and the lake is not open for swimming because of bacteria. However for an extra fee the pool is great for families. For those who say overnight and are not into sitting on a beach or going to the pool there are wonderful hikes, canoeing> Plenty of large camp sites on both sides of the road. Walking access to both sides.

We went there last weekend because two different sets of friends have recommended that we try this park and the swimming pool. So I was expecting a lot from it. I guess that's why I was soooooo disappointed. They charge you $14 to enter the park. We arrived there and there was a lake and a beach, but the lake was so dirty and stinky! Our 3-year old daughter ran right towards the lake and she almost got in it! I was so disgusted by that lake. We set our things in the shade near the trees. The sand and the grass was full of goose excrements and feathers. I was sooo disgusted especially because out toddler daughter always wants to run around barefoot... Also our friends told us there is a small playground for kids, but that was also a big disappointment because it was a man-made slide with metal and wood and it was completely unsafe for small kids. My daughter could have fallen from that anytime if I was not there to catch her. We went to the swimming pool and they charge you $3.50/adult. The swimming pool was nice and clean, shallow around the edges and deeper as you got towards the centre. But everything was nice up to the point that there were so many people in the pool that you could not really swim anymore. Needless to add that some people went in with their clothes on... Anyway, after this experience, I am pretty sure that we don't have to drive one hour north to get access to a nice outdoor swimming pool. I am sure there must be something in the GTA area.

We booked a camp site here on a Fri night. When we arrived it was hard to find the campsite, so we used our gps. It was very private except for the people camping across from us. There are lots of trees inbetween each camp site. The sites are very large, we had 2 tents and our vehicle plus a picnic table and firepit and still had lots of room to play badminton. The comfort stations were really close by as well, which is a bonus. The pool and the beach were far and we chose to drive. the beach was beautiful but the water was full of bacteria, which isn't the parks fault. We heard the pool was going to be closed on the Sat, not sure why. Another trip advisor mentioned the train at night which she was right, there was a train blaring through the night but I didn't really seem to mind that. All in all it was a really nice place, wish everything was a bit closer to walk to, but still a gorgeous place to go camping.

So we were staying in Alliston, and decided to spend a day in Earl Rowe Provincial Park. There are a lot of things to do here. Hiking, canoeing, swimming, BBQ, wildlife watching...the list goes on. We rented a canoe ($13/hour) and paddled down the river and then around the lake. The water is pretty low and slow on the river, so it's not too dangerous, and you get to see catfish, snapping turtles and birds like the blackfaced gull and Canada goose. It's a very peaceful way to spend the day. You can also go hiking on the trails that are clearly marked or go swimming at the pool for an extra fee. The lake was closed for swimming due to bacteria when we were there though. The $14 parking fee was a bit steep, and the whole bacteria thing was a bit of a downer though. Still, if you and a bunch of friends want to spend a day outdoors playing beach volleyball and having BBQ, it's a nice place to go. Just make sure you carpool. And also, I would definitely recommend the canoeing.

We hiked 11 km of the trails in the Provincial Park today. Most of it is through woodlands and open type meadows. The most interesting part of the hike was the "Lookout Trail". A bit of a climb but worth doing for the views of the surrounding area. There are more interesting parks nearby such as Mono Mills and the Forks of the Credit. Earl Rowe is better suited for campers and families. There is a expansive beach and a giant swimming pool.

This is a great spot to go camping, especially if you have younger kids and you just want an introduction to camping life. Amenities are modern (good/clean bathrooms and showers) and there's a store on-site for basic camping needs/groceries/treats etc. Not to mention you're only 5 minutes from a grocery store/lcbo etc.As mentioned, the lake is pretty gross - our kids swam in it for a bit, but its mostly useful for taking a canoe or paddle boat on (they rent them there).It's a really large campground, lots of walking and biking available too. We haven't tried the pool but plan to when we return this month.Probably not the best for light sleepers though - as mentioned in other reviews, you can hear train whistles through the night. At one point I thought there would be a massive rail crash because they were so loud. That being said, everyone else in the tent slept through it.Be sure to use the website to choose a spot that has some partial shade!

I went to Earl Rowe Provincial Park this past weekend and had a great time. We really enjoyed the swimming pool area (there is a small for the pool) great for just a day or a whole weekend.

Would be excellent if it was a cleaner lake. When I started going in the mid 90's there was only 1 small beach on the east side by the store. Now they extended it right up to the pool...Why if you can't swim in it? But the park I do like despite the dirty lake.

I had a great time camping, very clean washrooms, clean park and appreciate the park officers doing there round -abouts BUT don't even bother fishing there

This is a normal set up for a provincial park but was noisier than any other we have visited. It is very near roads and train tracks. Trains are blowing whistles all night as well as road noise like motorcycles and sirens going by. We stayed on site 108 in the Riverside part so not sure if this caused some of the issue. Maybe the main park across the road is more peaceful. We also had neighbours with loud music going until midnight which isnt really appropriate in nature...5 minutes to Alliston which is nice if you need something or don't want to cook. Maybe would try a different area of this park if I had to go back which I doubt I will.

We were located at site 261 - group of 6. It was decently sized. Can have up to 3 tents. The space was well kept, grass had no weeds, and were well cutFire pit was great - You can buy firewood ($7) and ice ($3.25) at registration. Close to washroom/shower area -2 minute walking distance Only thing that we were lacking at our site, were shaded areasThe conservation park was very well kept. Washrooms were cleaned and mopped throughout the day on a daily basis. There are 4 shower areas in each washroom with their own door. Again, very cleanThe beach area was beautiful, however not swimmable.There were geese throughout the beach area, visibly there was a lot of poop along the shore, and there was quite a stench from the waterThere was paddle boating -which was decently priced - ($13/h) Canoeing as well Overall a great experience!

We have camped with our trailer at Earl Rowe Povincial Park several times. The sites were nice and the location was quite. It is not a big location, but there was a beach a, a pool and other activities to keep the kids busy. I would recommend this location for camping.

Great trails for walking. Tiny lake. Huge "pool" is actually a splash pad! They have paddle boats and other items for rental. There is an enclosed fish ladder there for migrating fish.