Camping.
The Frost Centre unit holds 171 interior canoe-in and portage-in campsites across 26,500 hectares; Poker Lakes adds 47 across 1,800 ha. Together that is 218 sites, every one site- and date-specific, with party caps of 4, 6, or 10 and a booking number that doubles as the permit.
There is no on-site registration — you arrive with a confirmation, find your site, set up. The permit window opens January 2 and runs to December 18 annually.
The brief.
This is municipally run backcountry camping, not Ontario Parks — bookings go through the Township's reserve-a-backcountry-campsite page or the HHWT reservation domain at ahtrails.ca. Reservations are taken online or by phone (1-866-364-4498).
The system is canoe-access; expect at least one portage to most sites in Frost Centre, and shorter water access in Poker Lakes. Frontcountry alternatives sit on the Highway 35 corridor at Oxtongue Lake and around Halls Lake.
Peak season is May through October; the December 19 – January 1 window is the only annual closure. Choose Frost Centre for scale and route variety, Poker Lakes for a smaller, quieter trip.
2. places.
- 01
Frost Centre canoe-route backcountry
171 interior campsites permit-required Jan 2 – Dec 18; bookings are site- and date-specific.
- 02
Poker Lakes backcountry
47 interior campsites in the smaller 1,800 ha unit; same permit window and booking system as Frost Centre.
Today's read.
Cold but firm — winter-ready conditions · light winds · clean air.
By the book.
- 01Permits required Jan 2 – Dec 18 annually for both Frost Centre and Poker Lakes; site- and date-specific reservations made online or via 1-866-364-4498Source ↗
- 02Party caps of 4, 6, or 10 persons per site; booking confirmation number serves as the camping permit (no on-site registration)Source ↗
- 03HHWT canonical booking domain is ahtrails.ca; the Township's backcountry-camping-and-canoeing page is the readable equivalentSource ↗