Reviews of Manitoulin Eco Park - Gordon's (Zoo)

Bryan Sprange

If you're looking for an authentic camping experience, this is the place for you! I am reading a lot of poor reviews saying facilities were terrible and the office didn't sell supplies and the trails were creepy etc.... well this is not a hotel people, nor is it a provincial park. The forest site we stayed on was perfect. Plenty of privacy for us. Had a picnic table and a cook stand/table. The outhouses were of course smelly but I haven't met an outhouse that wasn't. The showers were rustic but we fully enjoyed that! Because we came to camp. There was something primitive about the shower cord pully to get the water going...definitely the rustic experience we wanted. And the trails were well maintained and marked well. Nothing creepy about them by any means. The staff we encountered were friendly and laid back! No complaints there. We loved that they didn't patrol every hour as in the provincial parks and we also appreciated that they didn't pour water on our campsite at 10pm as we've experienced in parks in the past. The staff were all super chill and happy. We definitely have no complaints there. You can tell this is family owned and the staff are close knit. They looked and felt like true hippies and we were thrilled! The skies were absolutely incredible. And that was the reason we went anyways. We were blessed by Mother Nature with clear skies and we were very thankful. The views were priceless. All in all Gordon's Park was perfect for us campers looking for a true camping experience!! I would highly recommend it to all the free spirited campers out there. If you're looking for glamour and perfect amenities then maybe camping isn't for you.... We will be making this an annual tradition for sure.

simone hogerweten

Place is amazing just the fire wood to expensive and bad quality fire wood

David Schaefer

It was a nightmare. What a waste of Money and Time. We came here for Astronomy Night. Only one small equipment was working. The main experienced person was not here. The two guys Key and Andrew was just passing time by talking. Wish I get money back. Their lasier light was not even working. She said battery died ????????????????. Not only that; no one directing us to get back to the parking lot. They were not letting us use LIGHT. HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE. I hope they refund too. Please do not go to this place for Astronomy night. Horrible place. None of the equipment works

Sarah Wong

As far as a private campground goes, this one is beautiful. Definitely worth a visit when you're on the island. Even if you're only able to come for one of their events, it's still worth stopping by. If you're staying over and want a treat, head around the corner to Garden Gate. Also the Manitou river and lake are just 10-15 minutes away and are a perfect little spot for swimming. But the Eco Park has a few nice trails and lots of space to explore plus fun things for the kids to climb. I'm excited to see what the new owners do and can appreciate that this is a first summer for them. That being said, sites and park are well maintained. A few trails are off limits but the other ones are well marked. There are lots of signs up with neat information and sayings. I suspect the park will evolve as the new owners make it their own. The dark sky preserve is incredible and only as good as the clouds allow and the other visitors respect the rules. Same is true for the other campgrounds. Only issues we had were with the other campers being loud although that stopped after a staff member at the park said something. We suspect that's what happened and that deserves a lot of respect that they could have simply avoided potential conflict. Jocelyn seems to be running things at the front and on the astronomy tours. She's passionate about what she knows and is very friendly. We wish her big success with her astronomy or related career! As far as the other staff, it often seemed like we were awkwardly trespassing on their property when anywhere near the bathrooms. Not entirely friendly but not rude either. Likely just due to visiting on their first big weekend of the summer after lockdown so things were probably stressful. Something I think they'll definitely figure out as time goes on. Lots of potential for this to be a warm and welcoming place with the potential to educate about a variety of topics.

Andrew U

We visited Gordon's Park for the first time during the Perseid Event in August and to try out astrophotography for the first time. I had booked the overnight stay via email and had requested a spot with more privacy as we planned to get up in the middle of the night for photos and didn't want to disrupt others. Site 40, although smaller than some of the other sites (especially with a large vehicle like ours), proved to be a great, more private spot and grew on us over our 2 night stay. Although we didn't stay for the entire evening talk, we enjoyed the telescope experience led by staff and enjoyed the educational components too. The main office/campground and the dark sky preserve campground are not one and the same. The dark park entrance is a just up the road off of Star Lane (which could be better signed from the road). The park is fairly open with few trees/shrubbery, but the sites are farther apart, which provides some privacy. The entire campsite has very little shade during the day, so come prepared with a large umbrella or other options for shade. There is a bbq and tools for guest use, which we used for our dinner rather than bringing our campsite bbq along - very convenient! The privys were always clean and well stocked with tp and sanitzer.We didn't take showers and swam instead, though I did inspect the shower area at the main office on our way out and they seemed clean and well-maintained. After the moon sets, the sky is so clear and well worth the wait. We really enjoyed the experience overall and will definitely be visiting dark parks in the future! P.S. If taking the Chi-Cheemaun ferry, make sure you book early and arrive early for boarding (1.5-2hrs prior). Just because you have a reservation doesn't mean you get a spot!

Mark Blot

The campgrounds is nice... with its semi private to private campsites.. and some nice hiking / walking trails. The only thing I was a little disappointed in was the firewood I found it was overpriced for kinlin. Besides the wood the campground is very nice staff is very friendly and helpful!

Fred Hopper

Great family vacation spot. Super staff.

Kay Bee

We spent 2 nights in Camp Cabins and booked for dark sky preserve. Pros- Staff were friendly. 2 stars were given for them Cons- - Paid for two bundles of fire woods which did not work. Ended up leaving them unused. -The cabins were not cleaned and shabby, bugs and spiderweb, spiders everywhere - No professional from astronomy community was there as they advertised, too pricey Advice: Need to be little transparent with the customers and pricing should be checked.

Vicky

Beautiful place! The owner is super sweet and helpful. Our little family can't wait to go back! Hoping to catch a glimpse of the northern lights.

Ahlini SG

Nice place to go off the grid. Acceptable facilities to an eco conscious camper. No shower /washrooms for the disabled. There advertising is misleading. Went for the advertised Aurora Borealis weekend. But was told it was shifted to tomorrow.