New Year’s Camping At MacGregor Point

One last camping trip to close out 2023 and welcome 2024. It was almost mid-December when I found myself thinking about how long it had been since our last camping trip. Two months. That was far too long to go without a fun trip of some sort, so I decided to look for camping options close to home, and after a quick search, I found one at MacGregor Point Provincial Park in Port Elgin. Perfect for a three-day weekend!

A discussion ensued about whether or not to bring the boat. We were going to be camping of the shores of Lake Huron after all! The park itself doesn’t have a boat launch or great shore fishing spots, but there are boat ramps not far away. In the end, we left the boat at home.

Having never been to MacGregor Point before, I was unsure what to expect, but when we pulled into the Birch Boulevard Campground, I was pretty thrilled with what I saw. The sites were spacious and easy to pull through with a trailer, but still fairy private. There were plenty of trees between each site, and they were largely cedars and other conifers. There wasn’t a lot of privacy from the laneway, but that’s easy to negate by setting up camp accordingly.

Across the road from us were cabins, and there were plenty of trailers parked in sites for the winter season. If we had more of a “leave it in one place” kind of trailer, I’d do the same for a quick getaway. Just over an hour of travel from home is hard to beat! We usually drive a minimum of 3 hours to go adventuring.

After getting the trailer parked, something that almost sparked a very rare argument between Darrell and I, we set to work putting up the side tent on the trailer. We brought along the floor mats we use in the ice hut, the diesel heater, and plenty of extra blankets. The dogs made themselves comfy in no time.

Once settled, we took the dogs for a walk and stopped at the heated comfort stations. It’s so nice to have a heated bathroom when camping in cold weather! That said, when I later remarked to Darrell that I wished I’d packed my bathroom bucket so I wouldn’t have to leave the warm trailer at 2am to pee, I was thrilled to find out he had packed my bucket.

Find someone who loves you enough to pack your bathroom bucket without you asking.

The sun was setting as Darrell got a fire going, and for once the park firewood actually produced a decent fire without incredible effort. We sat around the fire, having burgers for dinner and listening to the sound of other campers busying themselves at their sites.

Panda and Molly headed to bed early, but Erza sat around the fire with us, waiting for me to take pity on her and give her a piece of by burger. She got some, as usual. One of my favourite things about MacGregor Point was how many dogs were there. It seemed like everyone had a dog with them.

We eventually headed into the trailer for the night, happy to have the heater to take off the chill of the night.

On the Sunday, we thought we might leave the park to find some shore fishing spots. Instead, we starting hiking some trails and lost ourselves in the beauty of the park. The dogs loved it and so did we.

Although I’d love to see the marshes in the spring, and all the birds that must stop there, and the pitcher plant marl that reminded me of a lake near home, the winter scenery was spectacular in it’s own right.

We walked along the beaches and out on the point. Lake Huron never disappoints with it’s views.

We travelled along boardwalks and read all the great informational signs.

We found tiny birds nests revealed by the lack of leaves.

There was so much to see, and such an incredible setting. The other campers were out enjoying the amazing winter day as well.

Normally in the winter, MacGregor has a skating trail, and snowshoeing and cross-country skiing opportunities. But we all know how crumby this winter has been. A light layer of snow had fallen and it was just cold enough for a nip in the air and to need winter clothing. Nothing like what I’d normally for December.

We were asleep before midnight, though I did briefly wake up to the sound of cheers. Even Erza was too tired from all the hiking to bother lifting her head at the noise.

I was charmed by MacGregor Point Provincial Park and can’t wait to return to it, hopefully in the spring as everything is coming alive again. There would be no bad time of the year to visit this park. It’s fantastic. It’s hard to believe that such a gem is so close to home for us. It was the perfect place to close out one year and welcome in the next.