Dollar Store Camping Gear

Dollar stores are great places to buy camping gear. They’re cheap and disposable. No one will get upset if the stuff breaks or gets forgotten at the last campsite you visited. In the spring these stores unload all their gardening and water sports merchandise on us. I visited two big box dollar stores: Dollarama and Dollar Tree. I found that Dollar Tree had less merchandise but was cheaper because their prices only went to $1.25CAD. Whereas Dollarama now sells more merchandise because their top price is $3, but the same item seems to cost more at Dollarama. Here is a list of stuff I found either store that I think would be great to have while camping.

1. Water bottles and snack containers Plastic water bottles and stack containers are always useful. Make sure they’re BPA free (Recycling code #5 is best), and that they close properly so they won’t leak inside your backpack.

Lyme Disease At Ontario Parks

If you’re camping with your family in Southern Ontario, or anywhere where there are migratory birds, you should be paying attention to the notices the Parks have about Lyme Disease. Lyme is a bacterial infection that is passed by deer ticks, and is largely spread by migratory bird. Although initially only found in Long Point and Point Pelee, Ontario, Health Canada says there are established blacklegged tick populations infected with Lyme disease at these parks¹:

1. Long Point Provincial Park
2. Turkey Point Provincial Park
3. Rondeau Provincial Park
4. Pinery Provincial Park
5. Rouge Valley
6. Point Pelee National Park
7. Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area
8. Wainfleet Bog Conservation Area
9. Thousand Islands National Park area.

Camping in the Greater Toronto Area

The Greater Toronto Area is home to over 6 million people. There are five regions in the GTA: Halton, Peel, York, Durham and the City of Toronto. Surprisingly, there is quite a bit of camping in the area.

Halton Region

Halton Conservation Authority operates two campsites, Kelso and Rattlesnake Point. They are both located on the Bruce Trail and offer hiking. Both parks are very popular with rock climbers. Their campsites start at $50 per site and are located on grassy fields with little privacy. In addition, Kelso has a beach, canoe rentals, and mountain biking trails.