NEWS: Provincial Parks: Free vehicle permits for Mon-Thurs

Mono Cliffs Provincial Park

Free day passes offered Mondays-Thursdays in 115 provincial parks starting today, Monday June 7, 2021.

In a bid to help space out visits to Ontario's parks and prevent overcrowding, the provincial government is providing free day-use permits at 115 parks from Monday to Thursday.

Starting on today, visitors will also be able to book a daily vehicle permit up to five days before visiting 17 select provincial parks to avoid long line-ups during peak visitation hours. The newly instituted programs will be in place until September 2. The free passes are for day-use only, meaning they're ideal for a hike, walk, or a picnic by the lake.

The new booking system is available for these 17 popular parks this summer:

• Algonquin
• Arrowhead
• Batchawana Bay
• CraigleithDarlington
• Forks of the Credit
• Kakabeka Falls
• Kettle Lakes
• Lake Superior
• Long Point
• Mono Cliffs
• North Beach
• Pinery
• Presqu'ile
• Sandbanks
• Sibbald Point
• Turkey Point

All that's left to do now is choose a park and make a reservation.
It's a good idea for people to check a park's social media account for updated information on park capacity before showing up. If day passes and vehicle permits are sold out online, the park will not be letting more people in.

If all of those passes are sold out it means 'don't come'. The park is saving you the trouble of not having to travel to arrive at the gate to find out that it's full and you can't get in.

A valid permit is still required for all vehicles within provincial parks, including on free day-use days.

We recommend checking on Twitter before you head out to a park. If the park is full you will see a similar message to that below. Most parks are expected to reach capacity early in the day.

A daily vehicle permit is a great way to explore a provincial park for the day. Bike, hike, swim, picnic and make some magical outdoor memories.

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  Includes entry at any operating provincial park for one vehicle and its passengers.
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  Most permits are valid from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm, but can vary by park.