A Cozy Winter Camping Experience at Silent Lake Provincial Park

We love camping at Ontario Parks in the summer, which allows us to enjoy the serene outdoors and all the wonderful things we can do in the warm weather - thinking of it makes me miss summer! We have also learned to embrace the beauty of winter; the fresh cool air, soft snow, the beauty of trees covered with white snow, and all the fun activities we can do in the winter from skiing, tobogganing to snowshoeing and more. 

When we travel in winter to enjoy the festive season or to explore winter themed events and activities, we usually stay in hotels. We tried winter camping in one of the roofed accommodations at Ontario Parks, which is truly a lovely way to get close to nature, away from the everyday hustle and bustle. 

The cozy cabins at Silent Lake Provincial park located in Bancroft is equipped with all the comforts such as hydro and heating we needed to try winter camping without setting up camping gear. 

There is a ramp that leads to the cabin. On the patio, there is a propane barbecue with a side burner, shovel to clear out snow, and an outdoor thermometer. There is a picnic table by a fire pit outside facing the back of the cabin, which overlooks a beautiful forest where we spotted a variety of birds. 

The interior of the cabin is beautiful and simple with rustic furnishing and lovely décor which has lots of personal touches. The space is laid out in an inviting way for the family to spend quality time playing board games or cozying up by the indoor fireplace. 

There is a queen bed on one side, and a bunk bed on the other with a double mattress on the bottom and single mattress on the top. There is a lamp over a side table with a drawer in between the beds. The dinning table by the fireplace has two chairs and a bench.

The kitchenette has a microwave, electric kettle, mini fridge, counter space, and shelves. There is also a blanket box and a fan to use in the summer. 

The mudroom has baseboard heating, a bench, racks to dry clothing and hang jackets, plastic chairs, boot trays, and cleaning tools like a broom and mop. The heated mud room came in very handy to dry our winter gear. We found the cabin spacious and would accommodate up to 5 people comfortably. There are lots of windows that bring in light during the day, and makes the cabin feel airy. There is also a good amount of light fixtures throughout the cabin.   

We like that the cabins are in a separate area close to the park entrance, and nestled among trees close to the lake. The comfort station is in a short walking distance, and it has washrooms, shower rooms, and a dishwashing room. The shower rooms are accessed by code for those staying in roofed accommodations. 

We have to bring our own bedding/sleeping bags and pillows to place over the mattresses, lanterns or flashlights, utensils, dishes, and pots, and water jugs. Check in time to the cabin is at 3 p.m. and check out is at 11 a.m. There is a parking spot for two vehicles by the cabin. Roofed accommodations at Ontario Parks get filled quickly, so plan and reserve early. The experience we had was a memorable one.  

While staying at the cabin, we had plenty of time to enjoy the outdoors and the scenery at Silent Lake Provincial Park. There is a trail for snowshoeing and another for cross country skiing. Snowshoes can be rented out at the Park Office. On the day we planned to hike, it forecasted freezing rain so we didn't take snowshoes, instead hiked the 3km Bonnie's Pond Hiking Trail in hiking/winter boots. 

We loved the hike which has different terrain that winds through mature beech trees, and passes a large beaver pond, pine, and hemlock forests to a breathtaking lookout. 

Although the trails are maintained, the weather can change very quickly so we found some parts of the trail were slippery, and others fun to hike with fresh snow, lots of creeks and ponds. It is best to wear proper footwear and warm clothing, and leave a little early as it gets dark fairly quickly during the winter months. 

It is pleasant to see how the area had transformed in winter with fallen trees and branches covered with snow, and tall trees standing pretty. 

Since this trail was a loop, with clearly marked signs it gave us the confidence to go through the forest which took about two hours, and we found seeing the lookout was well worth the hike.  

If you enjoy cross-country skiing bring your own gear, as the park has more than 40 km of cross-country trails that wind their way through hardwoods, cedar swamps, groves of White Birch and beech stands. The terrain is supposed to be rugged, and ideal for family skiing. All four connecting loops start and finish at the day-use parking lot and are colour coded for easy recognition. 

Seeing Silent Lake Provincial park in the summer compared to winter was absolutely worth it! There are 31 Ontario Parks open in winter, which we plan to visit and see how different they are. Check the Ontario Parks website as some offer winter camping, roofed accommodations, and day use winter activities such as cross country skiing, snowshoeing, or skating.    

Disclosure: This post is in partnership with Ontario Parks. Please note that all opinions and thoughts expressed are my own. All rights reserved on photographs and written content Createwithmom © 2010 - 2020. Please Ask First