Richmond Lake Park

Well, technically I haven't seen the inside of this park but my experience with who I presume to be the owner has eliminated any possibility of that happening in the future. My husband and I arrived shortly after 8 pm on a Sunday night to have a short evening visit with my sister, brother-in-law and two young nieces. Unfortunately, we were rudely turned away by the very unfriendly woman at the front gate. My husband politely said we were here to see his sister, and the woman snapped, "well who's your sister?" We gave her name and site number, and the woman proceeded to tell us in an absolutely condescending manner that visitors aren't welcome after 8 pm, and that in order to visit our family we would need to book a site for the night. Needless to say, that's where our experience with this park ended, and I only hope others are made aware of the completely unacceptable treatment of potential park patrons before they make reservations here. A little kindness and positivity goes a long way, and first impressions are very powerful. I always love supporting family owned businesses when I can, but not when their business practices entail rudeness and disrespect. Sidebar: I also should have known better than to give this park a chance when the park rules on their website include "no rap music". I personally don't love all rap music either, but to ban an entire genre of music from a campground says more about underlying attitudes of the park operators than their opinions of the music itself.

Richmond Lake campground is on a horseshoe-shaped lake just outside Parry Sound, ON and is run by a middle-aged couple and his brother-in-law. Many waterfront sites, although a few are run-down. Most have great water views. The common bathroom definitely needs maintenance, but since I was looking for a natural experience, I did not mind. Strictly no dogs, and no late night loud noises allowed. Mostly a family-focussed quiet campsite. There is a decent sandy beach. Fishing is decent, rental boats are not in the best condition though. The best part of this campsite is that it is barely two minutes drive to a large Walmart Supercenter, Dollarama, Canadian Tire, No Frills Grocery, tackle and bait store and many many restaurants and McDonalds, Tim's etc. So, the best of both worlds! Don't forget Parry Sound has the amazing 30,000 island ship cruise for about 4 hours from the main harbor.

I'm guessing I'm just dumb. I went online and searched convientely located campgrounds to stay at along the way with my two kids. I should have gotten the picture after you never returned my calls. After finally connecting arranging a date when I told you I would be there, no one was there to let us in. No management skills, no one to even call when you arrive. Steer clear!!!

Richmond Lake Park has seen better days. It was rundown, not maintained and overpriced. Also there is no playground and no gameroom. On the plus side it was close to restaurants, gas stations and a grocery store.