Sibbald Point Provincial Park

Sibbald Point Provincial Park is one of the best family-oriented parks in Ontario close to Toronto. It is located on the south shore of Lake Simcoe, southeast of Barrie.

This was a full weekend camping -- which we rarely do -- and our experience there, compared to our usual midweek camping was better than some parks we've been to.
We were in a radio-free zone and people there at that time respected the fact that singing (or growling for the death metal fans), playing the guitar and banging on drums, although not electronically amplified, should also be avoided.

Our site was at #118 in Butternut Campground (formerly North-East Campground). It was listed as high traffic area due to the tap being adjacent to the site, but #118 was deep enough that the traffic didn't bother us. We also parked our car in front of the tap so for those who hangout there, like those who hangout at water coolers in offices, could have a conversation about the dead bugs in front of my car.
We liked the privacy of #118. The sites beside and behind us were far enough from ours and there were thick trees and bushes in between.
The showers and washrooms were a short hike through the forest and the trails were clearly signed. My kids enjoyed hiking there every time we washed in the evening because they could make use of their fun flashlights.

The main playground right at the beach had multiple playsets for young and older kids. There were also smaller playsets in some campgrounds and they are usually near the showers.

Our visit was during a busy weekend. The beach area was very popular for having picnics and barbeques from both campers and day users. The wind at some point carried the smoke to the playground from one of the nearby barbequers, and it was not a pleasant experience. We had to leave the playground for the time being to stop the teary eyes and to avoid vomiting from the nauseating gas smell.
We also had to set our Saturday lunch on the grass for there were no more picnic tables available at that time. Our Sunday picnic table was almost snatched out of our sight when we left it for a few seconds to get our cooking gear.

The beach had a foul smell at the time of our visit due to the seaweed bunked in some areas. The beach was huge though and there were a few clean spots for kids to swim at. The water was warm and shallow and my kids really enjoyed it.
There are a couple of small peninsulas at the beach for kids to explore and for older generations to go fishing.

We also managed to squeeze in a little hiking time during this trip. We took the Maidenhair Fern Trail. It was a self guided 2km loop trail and it took us 1hr to complete the loop -- with kids, and with stops at the interpretive posts to review the trail brochure.

I like Sibbald Point. I would definitely come back here for camping again. Maybe next time I would go for our usual mid-week camping though. 

hikecampandtravel.com