Lake St. Peter Provincial Park: Video Review

John: Good morning, everybody. It’s that time to play Car Tetris. Uh we are off to Killarney. Oh wait, no not Killarney. Uh Port Burwell. No, that was last trip. Um, I like to say, Lake St. Peter.

CAMPFIRE TIME (1:19)

Britt: There’s nothing more comforting and more enjoyable while at camp than just sitting around the campfire.

And the park wood here is actually good. I know we’ll talk about that in our our final review, but like the park wood’s actually good.

John: Magnifique.

Britt: Impressive.

Your dogs are focused, and you’re curious about what they’re focused on… I think they have the right thing in mind.

WHAT WE FEED OUR DOGS (2:01)

Britt: So, for those who ask what we feed our dogs, this is a it’s a quick-baked air-dried whole food.

Uh, Luc, you’ve gotta wait. They’re practicing their patience right now.

Um, but it is Carna4. And we absolutely love this. We rotate between the different formulas. So, this one right now is fish. Um, but sometimes we do like Willow’s favourite is goat, and we’ll do lamb and just the different variations they have.

We don’t need to protect it from people walking by.

But we are going to put a little bit of this over top to make it special. Little bit of that on top in their slow feeder bowls so that they don’t eat too quickly because that one especially will inhale his food if given the opportunity.

She’s not much better. So, slow feeder bowls for the win.

There you go, girl. Okay, Goose.

Willow’s doing a little bit of sunbathing over here on her favourite mat, but she’s also keeping an eye on the fact that John’s cooking. And she’s hoping she’ll get some.

John: No, you’re lactose intolerant. We know what happens.

Britt: You silly girl.

Lucifer’s over there on his place in the back. He likes having his place under the table there. Um ‘cause it creates like a little den for him. And I mean, his little Wingo mat there fits perfectly, so it works.

If it makes them happy, it makes us happy.

But you’re still not getting our breakfast.

BREAKFAST TIME (3:50)

John: All right, Kas pack. Breakfast time. So, we got to get our coffee going. You can see I got a quiche off to the side there. Don’t worry, I’ll be covering that up.

And over here, yeah, don’t mind the messy burner. in here. We got another quiche going.

Oh, yeah.

WATERFRONT CAMPSITE (4:17)

Britt: All right. So, we came to visit my mom and Bill, her boyfriend, but they are on one of the waterfront sites here. And like, look at this view.

Come on, Goose.

He’s already been out paddling once because they have the kayaks here.

But just look at that. Absolutely incredible. The waterfront sites here are so unbelievably worth it.

And many of the waterfront sites, if not all of the waterfront sites, I don’t didn’t look that closely, but many of them at least are also electrical.

So, if you have a trailer and you’re looking for an electrical site, you can actually get electrical on the water here, which is a big plus.

PUPPY SWIM TIME (5:15)

Britt: Ready to go for swimming, bud?

Bring mom.

Bring mom.

Good boy. Drop it. Good boy. Good boy.

Goose.

Goose.

Good boy. You bring mom.

Good boy.

Good boy.

We love the ChuckIt! Breathe Right balls because, as you can see, he can squish it right down. So, he’s not ingesting a whole lot of water while carrying it back. And they’re durable, and he thinks it’s the greatest thing ever.

Good boy.

The excitement.

Good boy.

And of course, biothane for the win ‘cause it’ll be easy to clean.

Good boy, Goose.

KAYAKING WITH LUCIFER (6:55)

Britt: Just out here paddling with Lucifer. Look at that. A loon. Absolutely gorgeous.

And coming back over here…

There it goes.

Loose was interested. He perked up a bit.

Back over here. You can see there’s the boat dock over there. And this shows how private some of the campsites are because you don’t even see like the trailers and the tents and stuff like that.

Right now…

CAMPER’S BEACH (7:30)

Britt: This is the main camper beach um back by the boat dock. So, not the one in the day-use area, but the one back by the, the campsites themselves.

Um, as you can see, it’s not very big. The, the um sandy area, I think maybe water levels have risen.

It is not dog-friendly.

But if you are looking for a beach area just for, you know, you’ve got some older kids who can go off on their own and hit the beach for a moment, or you’re traveling with teenagers, or even if you want to take turns, there is that option.

LOON SIGHTING (8:21)

Britt: You see the bugs?

I didn’t want to talk in the last video because I didn’t want to stress her out, but that was a Mama Loon. We found just kind of chilling on her nest.

So, I quietly floated past while taking some videos.

Um, but definitely obviously um if you do come across something like that when you’re in the wild, you, you don’t want to disturb her. So, even talking I thought might stress her out. So, we just kind of floated by and got you the recording, but waited to give you an explanation.

DOG-FRIENDLY SWIM SPOTS (9:26)

Britt: Okay, so I mentioned that the beaches here are not dog-friendly, but we have a few solutions for you. Well, two actually solutions for you, if you have a dog who loves being in the water like our little man does, but you don’t have a waterfront campsite.

So, the first is this boat launch area, which is actually… I mean, some boat launches are iffy, but it’s actually fairly nice.

Um, there is some vegetation, so if you have a dog who’s like sensitive about vegetation in their feet, but it is a fairly large area, and having been pretty close to the boat launch with the site we were on with family, um, we didn’t see a lot of people here, so it’s definitely an option.

But the second option is right by the boat launch area.

We’ll walk right back up here.

And this was brought to our attention by our family that we were with. There’s a trail here.

You go this through this little trail here off to the side of the boat launch. You come to a little sitting area.

There’s like a picnic table here. See, it’s clearing. Somebody’s left their boat here. But there’s a picnic table, there’s a little bench, and up here there are multiple spots you can go down.

Um, I know there’s one down here in front of the, the bench.

So, I’ll show you this one first. You can see that goes down to the water, but it’s a fairly like small little trail.

But over here, which runs right alongside the, the boat launch, there is this. It’s the perfect little area to be able to take your pets down and just go out into the water. There’s one over here.

Then over here, there’s another picnic table. And there’s a spot over here. And they’re like super shallow, and they are perfect for pups.

So, we’re going to let these guys go and have a little fun.

PACK UP TIME (11:25)

Britt: Well, it’s pack up day. As you can see, the shelter, the tent, it’s already packed up, ready to go.

We just put the puppies in here because Lucifer’s having a bit of a freak out over the black flies and he feels safer in there. But we’ll make sure there’s plenty of ventilation as we pick up the last few just little things around. And get ready to leave.

It’s always sad on pack up day, but an amazing, amazing site. Um, despite the like, you know, a couple privacy issues, it worked really well for us and we really enjoyed it.

LOOKOUT HIKING TRAIL (12:05)

Britt: Before we head home, we’re going to do the Lookout Hiking Trail.

Ready, little man? Let’s go…

John: And just like that, we are done the Lookout Trail.

Follow that way to the campground. Another 10 km.

FINAL REVIEW (13:49)

Britt: All right, guys. So, as you saw, we were at Lake St. Peter, and this was our first time there, but let me tell you, it will not be our last. No spoiler.

GETTING THERE (13:59)

John: Yeah. So, uh, Lake St. Peter is from Grey-Bruce County, about 4 and 1/2 hours.

From the GTA, you could do it between uh, I believe it was 3 to 3 and 1/2 hours. So uh, alternate routes but um yeah.

So on our way there, we found a little place called Furnace Falls, which is just uh around Minden, around the Minden area. Um County Road 503, and uh yeah, so we stopped there, had a little break, gave these guys a little bit of a of a break.

Britt: Yeah, it was a really nice, like it’s a little park area. It’s actually listed on Minden’s Parks. Um, but it’s got like there’s um, there’s outhouses, there’s places to park your vehicle, and there was a little path down in, and you’re able to see the falls and they’re not big falls, but they’re really pretty

So, um, it’s well worth the stop there. It’s a nice place to just stretch your legs a little bit.

John: Yeah, pretty much. Yeah.

Britt: Makes getting there a little bit easier.

You catching the bugs, buddy? He likes to um catch mosquitoes and flies. So,

CAMPSITES (15:05)

Britt: Um, once we got there, obviously, the big draw is the campsites.

Um, so, there are only 65 sites in the park. It is a very small park that is both electrical and non-electric.

Um, there is a section of normal campsites that is kind of near the front when you first come in, but as you get farther back into the campsite, there is a bunch of absolutely gorgeous waterfront campsites, including waterfront electric.

So, if you are a trailer camper and you’re looking for an electric site, but would love that waterfront view, um, this is a great option to consider. And uh, I know the one that we were on that you saw in the video was not electric, but there are electric options there, and we’ve shared a couple of them actually on our TikTok account.

So, did you get it, buddy?

John: No, you didn’t get the nom nom nom after.

Britt: But there are so many absolutely gorgeous sites there. The sites um range from not very private at all to surprisingly private.

So, just take the time to go through your photos and see kind of what each one offers or to use the campsite photos Facebook group to check out what photos other people are sharing.

FIREWOOD (16:11)

John: Okay. And my favorite topic, uh, firewood.

Uh, so we opted to get provincial park wood um, which is always a, a gamble, but uh we had it was probably like the best provincial park firewood that we’ve ever had.

Um couple pieces of paper, some cardboard, and we did not have to split the wood at all, and it lit up and it lit up easily and it burned hot and it lasted.

So, kudos to the provincial park provider, whoever that may be. But, um, wherever they got their wood from, good job. But, uh, yeah, it was like winning the lottery.

BEACHES (17:00)

Britt: Oh, Lucifer. So, speaking of Lucifer and his favourite thing, swimming, there are two beaches.

There’s one up in the day-use area, and then there’s one back by the campsites in the back with the camper ‘s beach. Both sandy beaches, both beautiful. Um, both well worth a visit.

Unfortunately, there are no dog beaches. Um, so that was definitely a bit of a knock.

However, we were introduced by somebody who uh messaged us on social media to let us know that there was a spot that would have been absolutely perfect for him and that we needed to check it out.

And then when we got there, my mom pointed out the exact same place, saying that it looked like it would be a good spot. We should check it out.

So, we checked it out.

It’s over by the boat launch, which I mean, the boat launch alone is a great place to take your pups in.

But right beside the boat launch, you would have just seen it in our video. There is a little spot you walk over to where there’s a picnic table and a beautiful area to go swimming. This guy thought it was the greatest thing ever.

He did a ton of swimming there and really enjoyed just being able to get out in the water and, and play.

So, um, if you are bringing a water-loving dog, if you are bringing a water-loving dog or one that likes to chase flies, but also likes the water, um, this is actually a good option even though there isn’t a dog beach there.

BOATING & FISHING (18:22)

John: All right. So, boating and fishing.

Uh, so motorboats are allowed on this lake on the Lake St. Peter. Um, you can get canoe rentals, kayak rentals.

Um, the big fish there would be lake trout and bass.

But the one big thing that we saw when we actually headed out in the kayaks was mama bird being a good mama bird.

Britt: Yeah. We were out kayaking, and it was actually Lucifer who spotted it first, which it’s it’s really good that he is such a calm paddling dog ‘cause that could have been a big problem ‘cause he was sitting in front of me in the kayak.

Um, but I noticed him looking at something off just off the shore. Uh, so I kind of slowed down and I paddled in just a little bit closer to look, and sure enough, there was a loon sitting on a nest.

And we didn’t get too close. We showed you guys in the video. It was such a magical experience.

Um, obviously you don’t ever want to get too close if you’re in a situation like that, and you do see something like that.

John: Be very respectful for, to them.

Britt: Yeah. If you stress them out, it could have drastic impact on them. So, definitely be respectful. Keep your distance.

Um, zoom on your phone is an incredible thing ‘cause it allows you to feel like you’re closer without having to get too close and stress them out.

But, uh, we went and we actually checked in on the nest a few times over the course of our weekend there. And every time there was a loon, whether it was Mama or Papa, there was a loon right there. And it was so incredible just to see that side of nature.

So, um, that was only one of many absolutely beautiful spots that we saw. The paddling there was really pretty and I highly recommend it.

So, if you are somebody who enjoys canoeing or kayaking, that’s a great spot to go.

HIKING (20:03)

Britt: And then that brings us to our other favourite activity, which is one we really do consider seriously in every trip, especially Lucifer and I, because it is a favourite for us, and that is hiking.

Um, he is a high-energy dog. He wants to get out. I like exploring the trails. So parks that have a nice trail is a, a huge huge plus.

Um, Lake St. Peter has two interconnected trails. There is the Lookout Trail, which is two and a half km, and then the Cabin Trail, which is 4 km.

Now the Cabin Trail actually extends beyond the Lookout Trail. So um you would do the start of the Lookout Trail and then continue through the loop of the Cabin Trail.

Uh, don’t knock that over, buddy.

Uh, but in addition to the trails there, which both trails are there were absolutely beautiful. Um, they are a little bit challenging. They’re not necessarily uh beginner friendly.

They’re definitely not accessible if you’re in a wheelchair or pushing a stroller, or if you have a senior dog or a dog with mobility issues. Um, there was a lot of rocks you had to scale and whatnot on them. So I definitely wouldn’t recommend it for that.

But the park is really close to several other hiking opportunities that you could consider. So, um, just two kilometers from the park is the Hastings Heritage Trail, which is a nice little trail to get out if you are looking for something a little bit more, um, beginner-friendly and easier to navigate.

And the park is located in a great place, as far as being able to get to other parks.

So, if you don’t know, if you have your pass for a provincial park, you can go to any other provincial park during that time without paying a day-use fee at the other park.

So, you could be camping at Lake St. Peter and go hiking in other places. And that is great because Lake St. Peter is actually only a 25-minute drive to Algonquin’s East Gate.

John: Mhm.

Britt: And less than an hour drive to Silent Lake, which we have been to before, and we did the big hiking trail there, and we reviewed it. You can see that up here. Uh, but it was an absolutely beautiful trail as well.

So, if hiking is your thing, um don’t feel like you’re limited to just those two trails there. Um there are so many other options nearby that you can get out and explore and enjoy.

You can use AllTrails. We’re huge fan of AllTrails. We have AllTrails Pro ourselves.

We are also affiliates, so we will share our link down in the comments if that’s something you want to check out.

But we absolutely love that AllTrails finds trails for us everywhere we go.

But those are just a few options of places you can explore if you’re looking for more hiking opportunities.

FINAL RATING (22:31)

John: Yeah. Which brings us to our rating.

And by the way, if you see me like bumping up and down, that’s because Lucifer is under my chair digging, and his bum is hitting underneath my chair. So yeah.

Um, so our rating, uh, I know that they don’t have a dog beach per se, but there are swimming opportunities for them, especially if you have your own site or you go to the docks, right?

Britt: That spot over by the, the boat launch was pretty much like a small dog beach. And it was a really nice little spot, and being it’s a small park.

There’s not a whole lot of people there anyway. So, it’s not like you needed something huge.

John: Yeah. So, and there’s lots of other activities, right? Um, but, uh, I’m thinking probably a solid four.

Britt: Yeah, I would say a solid four. Four paws out of five.

Um, the sites could be a little bit more private in some areas. The site we got wasn’t exactly the best for privacy. Um, but then we went and we spent a lot of time hanging out with family and their site was completely different. Absolutely gorgeous private site.

Um, so there are options kind of on both ends of the spectrum, and with there being so much else to do, and it being such a, a nice relaxed park.

Like it wasn’t, it’s not a party park. There wasn’t a whole lot of noise and music. It, it has a very relaxed vibe. You are near…

John: Very, very uh family orientated.

Britt: Yes, very family-oriented.

You are near some cabins. Um, so you might hear some music coming from the cabins or noises coming from the cabins. Um, but even that like they were super respectful.

We had a great time and I definitely think it warrants a four paws.

John: And uh, in saying that, our next reviews will be Sharbot Lake and Balsam Lake, uh, where we spent a good portion of our 10-day vacation.

So uh, yeah. Um look, look for that.

Britt: And if you haven’t already, make sure you hit subscribe, hit that notification bell, that’s going to let you know when we put those videos out there.

So, if you are wanting to see more of these type of videos where we’re sharing locations and talking about things, and also, we have some educational content coming up, too, that we’re really excited to share with you, just like tips and tricks and gear recommendations and all that fun stuff for people who enjoy camping with their dogs and cats.

Yes, I said cats. I know so far this season, you haven’t seen the cats camping with us, but kitty parents, don’t worry.

When we get to um our next reviews, you’re going to see Theia making her debut on here, our newest cat. So, um, there is some fun adventure cat content coming up.

Uh, but yeah, make sure you hit that subscribe button, and you don’t miss out on what we have coming up, because I think it is going to help you plan your next big trip with your pets.

John: Absolutely. And stay toasty.