Lost in Ontario: Camping on Labour Day Weekend at Limberlost Forest and Wildlife Reserve
A few months ago in the heat of the summer, I stumbled upon the camp sites at Limberlost Forest and Wildlife Reserve. I couldn’t believe that such a beautiful lakeside camp site not only existed but had lots of availability. We spent a weekend here in early July and decided there and then that we would book a camping trip during the labour day long weekend at the same exact spot. You can read more about our previous summer camping experience here.
We just got back from our camping trip over this past weekend and here are my highlights!
View of our tent from the lake
Floating in our Float-Eh Water Floats
We had a few moments of perfect weather when the water was lukewarm and the air was not hot, but warm enough and inviting. It was almost at at the cusp of fall weather but still warm enough to float on the lake in the sun. We poured drinks in our yetis and floated on the lake to soak up those last few days of summer. I love these water floats that I discovered at Float-Eh. They are a Canadian company that have created Canadian themed floaties that vibe with the Canadian outdoors. They were strong and durable to support our weight. No flimsy water floats here. They were so perfect and a few of our distant neighbours took notice and complimented them. The floats are a refreshing change from the standard unicorns/alligators/flamingos or vibrant colours that are commonly seen within water floats. Float-Eh carries several different water float options like a moose and a beaver but I fell in love with the loons that blended in perfectly with the surroundings. I mean how perfect are they!?!
Kayaking on Lee Lake
Lee Lake is a beautiful lake at Limberlost Forest and most (if not all) of the campsites are lake front. There’s nothing more serene than falling asleep to the sound of loons and waking up to the view of thick fog covering the lake in the morning like a blanket. Canoeing on the lake feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere. It’s a small lake and it doesn’t take too long to canoe from one end to the other. I love that all of the campsites are tucked into the trees further adding to that feeling of being completely isolated from the busy world. Canoes are available for rent at the main office.
Lunch at Picnic Bistro To Go
While my main reason for camping is to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, I do like Limberlost because it is still a short 15 minute drive from Huntsville and civilization. It was super convenient when we realized we forgot a few essentials that we needed. We also stumbled upon a chip truck one afternoon and decided to have lunch here. I love a good chip truck and this one did not disappoint. It was delicious. I had a traditional burger and fries. It's right on highway 60 connecting Huntsville to Algonquin so it's the perfect road trip stop if you’re heading in either direction.
Movie Night in the Rain
One of the not so fun parts of camping (for me at least) is when the weather doesn't cooperate and it starts to rain. At home, I can cozy up with a nice blanket and look out the window but when you're camping, you only have so many options: your tent or outside. We decided to set up a makeshift camping theatre with our tarp as well as Rikki's laptop and it was the perfect way to be outside and enjoy a movie in the light rain. It was nice watching the rain drops on the lake while enjoying a glass of wine and a movie.
Speaking of rain, the weather didn't work in our favour and Rikki and I are 'beginner' campers in the sense that we have our camping essentials but we don't have heavy duty rain gear or quality rain covers or tarps to face the different elements. It poured rain on our second night - I am talking torrential pour. When looking at the weather conditions for the following day, we realized it was going to be a cooler day followed by more rain and so we decided to cut our trip short by a day. The thought of packing everything up on Monday morning in the wet rain just didn't seem like a viable option so we packed our things up before the next rain fall and headed home. Despite a little bit of unpredictable weather and cool nights, it was a perfect little getaway.
