Gignac Family Adventures: Driftwood Provincial Park

After a rest up weekend in Mattawa after our 5 days at Algonquin Park - Brent Campground, we were eager to check out Driftwood Provincial Park just off of hwy 17 in Stonecliffe (About an hour's drive east of Mattawa).

We pulled in and saw the trailer fill/dump station before the Registration Building so we filled up our water, and dumped out what we had accumulated while at Brent (as there is dump/fill station there, a negative strike in our eyes for that park).

Check in was quick and easy - the building offers lots of pamplets for other Provincial Parks, as well as some clothing and Park gifts, wood, ice and some small snacks. About 7 or 8 km heading east on hwy 17 was a general store should you need to head out for beer, liquour, gas, groceries (it was advertised in the park newspaper also).

Once again we had managed to secure a waterfront site - our summer goal to make things easier for the kayaks, and so Pete didn't have to load and unload his Hobie and all his fishing equipment every time he wanted to head out fishing.

We pulled into site 32 which had spectacular view of the Ottawa River. We both almost said we wished we had booked more than two nights at this park before we had even set up!!!

Site 32 is a non - electric site (all along the water are) but the views made up for not having hydro and for us using the generator when we needed it. The comfort station was almost across the road from our site, raised up on a hill. This caused some car traffic - it seemed people here prefered to drive vs walk or bike to the washroom or shower.

Again, Pete's mission for this 2 night camping trip was based on fishing - the goal - a monster muskie or trout. Thankfully his back was feeling a bit better (after a 4 hr visit to the Mattawa hospital and some prescription muscle relaxants later...) and he spent a lot of our time at the park out on the water.

The water was accessible to swim right from our site, although was rocky underfoot. Water shoes are a must for here. Lots of other campers brough bigger boats or jetskis with them,and moored them out from their sites. The park has a boat launch and a small day use area

http://www.ontarioparks.com/park/driftwood
http://www.ontarioparks.com/park/driftwood

One downfall I found with the park is lack of garbage bins. You had to drive back out past the registration building to dump trash or recycling. It would have been handy to have something closer.

We only wished we had more time at this park to explore the land and water more...another year....definitely on our return to park list. Most sites along the water were booked while we were there, several off the water as well, and we did not venture to the electrical section but we saw lots of big rigs pulling in and out when we were checking in or out, so it is well visited but everyone from a single tent to a 32ft plus rig!

Right after we unhitched we were greeted with a thunder and rain storm. So we waited it out under the awning!