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Hi all,
Wasn't sure where to put this so please bear with me. I know Algonquin can get pretty bad for bugs in June, I was wondering whether any other Ontario parks are generally less bad for bugs, or whether they are all same.
I know there's going to be bugs everywhere, but i've heard horror stories about them in Algonquin. Maybe because it's very dense?
Thanks!
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The problem with any parks north of say, Orillia, in June is you're getting hit with black flies AND deer flies AND mosquitoes and other things as well. Parks south of there are still quite buggy but you generally won't find black flies. This is the difference maker - with their persistence and the chunks of skin they take out, they're the worst, in my opinion.
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If it's black flies you're talking about, they are often worse in shield country... off the shield in places like the Bruce peninsula, there will still be black flies but maybe not to the extent that's in Algonquin. Maybe try Cyprus lake PP or other parks south of the shield at peak fly time. No guarantees, hiking the Bruce did include some fly bites.
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The Pinery on Lake Huron is pretty decent in June. Now that I've said that I might have jinxed the place
In September the little biting flies at the beach can be really bad but other wise that park is relatively bug free throughout the year.
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petey wrote:
The Pinery on Lake Huron is pretty decent in June. Now that I've said that I might have jinxed the place
Hmmm...been there a dozen times, including in June, and this is not my experience. The skeeters in the Pinery can get pretty bad and stable flies are out anytime it's hot. That said, the Pinery is way better than anything on Lake Erie (Rondeau, Wheatley, Long Point etc) since there seems to be a lot of standing water and marshy areas around those parks.
But hey, if somebody doesn't like bugs, camping is not for them. ;)
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I live very close to Pinery PP and visit it often. The beach is outstanding, but it is a very popular park in the summer, and can get very congested with people, although june is not high season yet. I have the same experience as spicol, skeeters can get very bad, but not too many blackflies. The flies on the beach in july, august and sometimes into september have been horrid the last couple of years. They are biting flies and come off the beach in clouds, driving man and beast off very fast.
I have had some better luck in Georgian bay, when out on the edge of the bay the breeze was often cool, especially in august ,and skeeters short lived at night.
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Maybe I've had some downright nasty experiences with bugs and the ones at Pinery seem tame in comparison? All relative I guess but it does seem better there than northern parks but a nice breeze is going to help no matter where you are. July and August at Pinery are way too busy as mentioned above but there are enough remote trails and water ways that getting away from the crowds is easy to do, just not in the campsites them selves. We usually go to that park 15 or 20 times a year as we live in London and the drive is about an hour. Saw my first bug there back in March on a camping trip. A week later I was in Algonquin and the temps hit minus 27 one night. What a crazy winter and spring!
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Apparently Kap-Kig is Black Fly free due to it's elevation from the river. I am hopefully going to be checking it out this season at some point and can let you know if it's true or not
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Personally , a southwestern Ontario frontcountry-only beach park like the Pinery seems like such a different experience from Algonquin that I can't imagine bugs being the deciding factor between them... two very different kinds of camping trip, not better or worse just different, and if there's a difference in bug levels that's not the major distinction.
In terms of backcountry tripping on the Shield, yeah there will always be bugs in June, but wind makes them a lot less intense. So parks on the shore of Georgian Bay like the Massasauga and western French River are going to be more exposed and therefore often less buggy, depending on the weather.
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