The campground at Darlington Provincial Park sits in the trees above a long sandy Lake Ontario beach, a walk down the bluff from the loops. Lakeside, Cliffside, and Hilltop are the campground loops above the water. Bowmanville is the town the park names. On a summer afternoon you can spend the whole day on that sand and still be back at the van without packing up.
Lakeside has electrical service on every site and is radio-free. A number of Cliffside and Hilltop sites have power too. Summer weekends fill those pads, so book the Darlington site first and make the van the second reservation.
Ontario Parks accommodates tents through large RVs and trailers on these loops. If you need more sleeping space than a campervan, look at RVs for rent in Oshawa.
Darlington stays open in winter for hiking and snowshoeing. The beach is still there, the loops are quieter, and the bluff walks continue. McLaughlin Bay Wildlife Reserve's trails continue from the park toward Second Marsh, which is how a waterfront day can start if you are already in the loops.
Oshawa harbour and Lakeview Park
Walk the Waterfront Trail through the harbour lands, over the pedestrian bridge on Oshawa Creek, and on to Lakeview Park. The Larry Ladd Harbour Trail is the harbour stretch of that walk. The Port of Oshawa, run by the Hamilton Oshawa Port Authority, has been a working commercial harbour for more than a century. The cranes stay in view from the trail, and that working shore is what you are walking through.
Lakeview Park is the busy beach at the end of that walk. The Oshawa Community Museum and the Jubilee Pavilion are in the same grounds, so the afternoon can stay in the park after a swim. Lakeview Park Beach East has seasonal lifeguards and a green, yellow, and red flag system as of September 2026. Beach West is unsupervised, and personal watercraft stay out of the East swim area.
Second Marsh is a provincially significant wetland in southeast Oshawa, with boardwalks, bridges, and lookout towers open to the public. Walk the boards and climb a lookout after the harbour and the beach. West along the lake, Rouge National Urban Park is an Ajax trip.
Ganaraska Forest
Hike, bike, or ride in Ganaraska Forest, where sandy singletrack runs under hardwood and conifer. Mountain bikers and horseback riders share that floor, which is the texture of a day here. The Ganaraska Conservation Authority calls it "southern Ontario's largest, contiguous forest". West, Central, and East are the blocks you choose among.
Motorized use, including off-road motorcycles, ATVs, and off-roading, is permitted only in the West and East blocks. The Central Forest is kept as a passive-use area. In winter that central ground is for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
The tracts cross Durham Region, Oshawa's region, as well as Northumberland, Peterborough County, and the City of Kawartha Lakes. Kawartha Lakes and Peterborough take the nights at Balsam Lake, the Kawartha Highlands, and Warsaw Caves. Algonquin along Highway 60 is the Toronto trip.