S05E08 Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park Review

[@CampingwiththeColes]

Cell Phone Service: Bell, Telus, Koodo & Virgin Mobile - cell service was excellent and reliable. If you've been to this park please let us know your experience with cell service, especially if your with a service provider different from the ones mentioned.

[@jerryva3czk14]

Rogers LTE coverage at site #214 works great, we just finished watching Camping with The Coles from Sam De Champlain PP❤

[@binaryspeaking]

Virgin Mobile was excellent at site 171 - Jingwakoki West. Not so great when visiting family camping out at Babawasse. Loved, loves, loved our campsite. Killarney is next in August. Our site was non-electric but electric has been restored to the park!!! Jingwakoki comfort station had zero hot water. Bruuutal. Babawasse wheelchair accessible comfort station also had no hot water. Deplorable. Showers to the left had semi-decent water temps but we didn’t learn that until our last day and a half. This was a huge source of frustration and disappointment. There was no showable effort of resolving the water issue. Will prepare to solar shower or set up a shower station outside our trailer to enjoy. Ended up “bathing” in the sink in our pop-up aframe-does not have a washroom. Despite the water frustration, we will be back!!!

[@CampingwiththeColes]

@@binaryspeaking thanks for the update

[@lisam7036]

Never been to this park. Wow a one stop shop. My husband and I tent camp so don't need the power. Might try this next year.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

You should really check it out, especially if you don't need power. Happy camping!

[@timfletcher7870]

There is a notice on the Ontario Parks Website that says the Hydro is restored and the bumpy road is under construction.

[@carolandkenlunney5430]

Glad you gave our favorite park at least a 9. We have been there for 14 night trips and still run out of time of everything we like to do. you'll have to take the trip to Eau Clair Gorge next time. it is gorgeous. Also there are trails and falls in North Bay to do too. We love Long Lake usually when we are on it we are the only ones on it. Serenity. This year we did the Superior route and although they are beautiful parks Samuel is still the favorite for us

[@katherineboisvert229]

I love the look at this park, such large campsites (lots of pine needles on the ground), very clean facilities and beautiful sandy beaches and many trails! Definitely adding this to my list for next year as well.

[@laureenkarry2856]

Great review of (what looks like) a great park! Thank you, and I look forward to going to here soon :)

[@susienikodemus5668]

Thank you for this review. Hope to visit this park and maybe the hydro issue will be solved. Thank you, love your videos.

[@e.ch4n]

15:40 the calm before the storm 😂, love it!

[@davidbrown3572]

Great looking park. Looks like an extension of Algoquin. Have to try it at least once. Too bad you need 2 cars to do the tubing or take a very long wet walk back to where you started. Checking the website it appears the hydro will return in the future to the campground. Some technical issues being resolved. Entertaining video. Thanks.

[@LCE-e4f]

thanks for the review! will add this to the camping list for next year

[@carolynanne6500]

Amazing Park and glad you enjoyed! Our family have been going to this park for over 25 years. (We live in North Bay.) I pretty much raised my kids at Sammy D. every summer. I want to add that this is a great family park. Kids can safely run around and ride their bikes. And, paddling up the Amable du Fond River is a wonderful experience, with lots of wildlife to see and great fishing. By the way, you folks were camping just 2 campsites away from my family. I heading out that way again next week. Cheers!

[@CampingwiththeColes]

You're lucky to have such an amazing park close by. Have a good time.

[@strobela1]

What a great video. The tubing was the best! This is a park we will be visiting because of your review. Thank you 😊

[@thercguy]

Another great video . Your camera work and editing skills are getting really good... Together forever ..til the very end . Love it .

[@mikemclean2449]

I love you two. Thanks so much for all your work.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

@@mikemclean2449 thanks. We love doing it.

[@cs6032]

Always liked watching your videos. You’ve done a great job giving an active review of all our wonderful provincial parks. Thank you

[@ashleycosta5076]

The rafting segment was the best! 😂

[@Whiskyncigars]

Loving the real-time/ real life practical updates on battery usage. That little power station is awesome.

[@thercguy]

Yes..I find this interesting too .we are going back to rent camping and welcome non electric sites with solar power etc

[@willymueller4587]

Great video, yes Ben one of the best things I purchased 2 years ago was a Alberta Lithium 100 amp hour battery, replacing my two extremely heavy golf cart batteries, had to buy their 10 amp charger as my converter won’t charge battery fully, absolutely no issues, especially with our schwintech slid out ( need full voltage to avoid issues)

[@CampingwiththeColes]

I'm still figuring it all out. Thanks for your advice on this.

[@AndyFyon]

We have visited this park several times. It is very nice. Your description of the entry road as rough is .... generous lol. It was really bad. But nice park and interp centre.

[@douglizcarr4864]

We just got back from an incredible stay at this park. We wouldn't likely have gone if we hadn't watched your review. Thank you for sharing the information with us

[@CampingwiththeColes]

Great! Glad it worked out well for you.

[@markbeaulieu8004]

Have camped there for years. That cold water spring is a wild thing. We attempted to follow it up to its source but we could not find it. Its hard to explain the difference in temperature. It has to be close to freezing.

[@martinvanoene7192]

So nicely produced and made . Also a great park would love to go to . Really appreciate this and all your vids Thanks so much for all . Keep doing it .Am a a camper myself. Great Awesome

[@CampingwiththeColes]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@sallysuemostowy8266]

Thank you for this video! We just went camping at this park over the long weekend, we had site 188 and it was absolutely massive! We only camp with hammocks but you could comfortably fit multiple tents, note that this site has a downward slope. The tubing is such a fun activity, expect to get banged up a touch. Cheers.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

That is awesome! Glad you had a great time.

[@lisam7036]

Hello Ben and Cheryl. I am here right now and love the park. However a lot of the sites in Jingwakoki have a lot of rocks and roots making tent placement difficult. It is pouring here now and a lot of the sites here are flooded.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

Thanks for the update

[@lindamerkel8893]

We enjoy this park as well. I would prefer an electrical site though. I need my early morning coffee fix.

[@charlesstuart1119]

❤great song people! Where did you find it?! Tired of the city lights, time to pack up...❤

[@CampingwiththeColes]

That's "Honey Take My Hand" by Cody Francis. That was our opening theme song for seasons 4 and 5. We use a few Cody Francis songs in our videos. We get all our music from Epidemic Sound.

[@sparky-pp4dq]

Another great video! Hope your friends are back on the road and camping and that their trailer is good as new

[@CampingwiththeColes]

We'll... not quite as good as new yet. They're working on it. But they are not letting anything stop them from camping.

[@dominiqueroy1495]

You guys are adorable! Thanks for the review! (I just got back from a three night visit to Restoule, and wanted to give you a head's up that they now have an off-leash dog exercise area! The outhouse next to our site would definitely be rated a skunk, though... I was so disappointed!)

[@CampingwiththeColes]

Thanks for letting us know about the off leash area. Too bad about the loo.

[@Shrike456]

I've been coming here since I was a kid and I have so many great memories from fishing off the docks in Babawasse to having a car breakdown and being forced to leave it there a week or two before we could come back and pick it up! Heading there again in a few weeks too! I do miss the bridge that connected both campsites but I do get why they had to take it out.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

That's what camping in all about, making memories. Thanks for sharing.

[@Autoteck.1]

best i find in battery's is 2 golf cart 6 volts ,you can run them down to all most 0 . plus you can recharge in any temp. also they have a high amp hour . i used them for years

[@prayfornathannatureshow]

Nice park, I definitely agree with the having to go back there. Gotta check out more of the trails and the mattawa river for sure. I'm still on the fence on the tubing. Cheers!

[@CampingwiththeColes]

It was nice meeting you there, Nathan.

[@suezaple4950]

Love the campsites, They all look great . The tubing looked fun But poor Cheryl lol. Love that it has so much to do and what a pretty park have to love those Northern Ontario area's. Electrical Yes would be nice for those of us who need or want it. Thank's so much for this.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

LOL, it would be good if Cheryl could lift her butt a little higher in the tube. It would have saved her some bruising.

[@sudburyrentalz7804]

My hometown provincial park! Hope to see you both there one day!

[@lisam7036]

Plans to travel to Nova Scotia fell through so looked over a few of your videos and decided to book Sammy D. Not sure if the site I picked is a good one but I think the hiking and kayaking will make up for it.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

Too bad Nova Scotia fell through but you'll love Sammy D. Happy camping!

[@garyzdj]

Great Video folks, you`ve just made up my mind for a summer vacay ,what about the dog Beach area ? i need to get more North and do a 2 parter at Achray and there , Thx for this , Happy Camping, Cheers !

[@CampingwiththeColes]

Unfortunately there is no dog exercise area. Staff said we could use the old (no longer used) group site on the way to the day use area. It's not on the water and didn't look too inviting. It's a shame they don't allow the dogs to use the boat launch area for a swim.

[@garyzdj]

@@CampingwiththeColes Thx Guys, Love the Vids , Keep em Coming, Cheers !

[@victoriadev]

These videos have come out at the perfect time! I'm heading to Algonquin (Kiosk) and Driftwood in September with the possibility of a day trip to Samuel from Kiosk. I'm considering changing Driftwood to Samuel now. Decisions!

[@CampingwiththeColes]

Personally I would do Sammy D over Driftwood for sure. But, then again, if you have a waterfront site at Driftwood it's tough to beat that. Decisions, decisions...

[@fayobrien234]

May I make a suggestion for your consideration? Perhaps you have already tried this…if not, you may wish to consider this….we always camp and hike with our 30 lb Labradoodle. I always use a waist leash with a harness on my pup. It makes hiking with the dog much easier and keeps both your arms/hands free to balance yourself or grab onto rocks/trees on those more rustic/rough trails. I find using a leash and collar can easily pull me off balance and pulls at my arms too much especially going uphill where the dog wants to jaunt up quickly. Sometimes I even take her off her leash just for the hills and leash her back up where she is waiting for me at the top!

[@CampingwiththeColes]

Thanks for the suggestion. He is a bit of a handful. He's so excitable and pulls so much. We started using a Halti head harness and that helps a lot. He's not to fond of it though.

[@MarkWitzel]

@6:17 you posted Generator Hours. Where did you find those? I don't see them specifically listed on the Ontario Parks website anywhere other than general info about limiting use of generators.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

That was on the bulletin board outside of the comfort station. It's strange that there isn't a consistent time for generators throughout Ontario Parks. Each park has their own hours. It's usually posted on a bulletin board or in the pamphlet you get when they get there.

[@everysn0wflake]

Finally the video is out!!! We went last year when Algonquin was all booked out, and it became one of favourite parks too. We look forward going back.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

It moved way up the list to one of our favourite parks now.

[@everysn0wflake]

Yes, it is definitely hidden gem. Thanks for uploading the video on a Saturday and making my 12hour shift that much better!

[@fayobrien234]

Strange - we had an electrical site at SCP when we camped there about 4 or 5 years ago.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

I believe they lost power in 2019.

[@fayobrien234]

@@CampingwiththeColes eh… it was definitely pre-2019 when we went.

[@ronl1272]

I was there with the family in July and had a blast.

[@patriciadelorme9006]

Another great video!!! Thank you for sharing your trip at Samuel de Champlain. I’m hoping to go next year. I know my mother would prefer electricity, however, I’m okay without it since tenting until the recently. The tubing section, did you need a vehicle parked there to go back to the entering area, or is it walkable? Would it be beneficial to have a paddle when tubing? Looking forward to your changing batteries video. Unfortunately my battery died on me twice so I know I no longer have 100% power from it now. Thinking of changing to lithium as several people talk about it.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

We were lucky when tubing, that we had two vehicles so that made it easy. Many people walk. It would be about one km to walk on the park roads. I don't know exactly what we're doing about batteries yet. I'll figure it out.

[@angelahall6461]

Wishing I was at SamCham💗💗💗

[@jerryva3czk14]

Just arrived here, and we are happy to share that hydro has been restored 🎉. This park is absolutely amazing ! All campsites in Babawasse Campground have electrical services. Additionally, campsites 190-216, 163-165, 185 and 188 in Jingwakoki Campground offer electrical service.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

Thanks for the update!

[@samscrapalot]

We’ve been going for several years and I feel like we’ve only touched the surface. It’s such a great park.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

We'll definitely be back!

[@elijahandnaomiakida4468]

Cheryl tuning out during battery talk 😂

[@tennyis28]

FYI i was looking at booking a site and they have power at a lot of them now

[@CampingwiththeColes]

Exciting news!

[@terryminogue4477]

Hi there, Coles. Jim and I are going to camp at Sam de Champ mid-August to Sept. 1/24. According to the message board for the park, electricity has been restored to this park. Not sure if all the park has electricity yet. It still shows non-electrical in the Jingwakoki campground. We are all set with our power bank and solar panels, so we'll be good. We have great affection for this park. Our family went there year after year for decades. So it is like coming home when we go there. Yes, the road in is bumpy, but it keeps the speed down. We will keep you informed about the electricity situation. Take care, Terry.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

@@terryminogue4477 thanks for the update.

[@supergoodcamping]

What a great park! I love how big & private most of the sites are. The waterfall was a sweet find & your taste in stickers is impeccable. :) Sorry to see the issues with the batteries - but it would seem weird if something didn't go wrong, right?

[@CampingwiththeColes]

I was waiting to see if you watched our Driftwood video from last week. You'd love my sense of style throughout.

[@supergoodcamping]

@@CampingwiththeColes Just got back from the cottage & playing serious catch up. It's next on the playlist!

[@michaelferguson7880]

Just FYI as I'm writing this (July 29/2024) the park website says all the electrical has been fixed and everything is working! Can anyone confirm?

[@CampingwiththeColes]

@@michaelferguson7880 several people have messages us confirming that the electrical had been restored.

[@robertsitch1415]

I guess you could say that next time you buy batteries for the trailer, either consider buying larger amp-hour rated batteries or maybe lithium like you talked about.

[@perrybeuermann1424]

How was the biking.?

[@CampingwiththeColes]

There aren't any trails for bikes so it's just biking around the campground. Nothing special.

[@perrybeuermann1424]

@@CampingwiththeColes thanks for the info love your videos

[@anilchhetri4724]

Do I have to bring my own tube or there’s tube available to rent

[@CampingwiththeColes]

You have to bring your own tubes. They don't have any for rent.

[@Scrum67]

What is a bearier free campsite?

[@CampingwiththeColes]

Barrier free is the term Ontario Parks uses to mean it's wheelchair accessible. Barrier free sites are often next to a comfort station. They are usually quite flat with no rocks or tree roots. Sometimes they have a special wheelchair usable picnic table and sometimes a raised fire pit.

[@gernestmartelle9547]

Is there a reason you do not have a small generator on board?

[@CampingwiththeColes]

I have a 3000 watt generator but I hate using it. The noise bothers me and I'm sure it would bother the neighbours too. It's a pure sine wave inverter generator that's much quieter than a construction type generator but it still is too loud for my liking. That's why I'm trying out the 1200 watt solar generator. No noise, no fumes, no gas. Unfortunately, no air conditioning either because I need over 2000 watts for air conditioning.

[@gernestmartelle9547]

I have a 2000 Honda and only use sparingly and it is quite quiet. No complaints from anyone so far.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

Yeah, I wouldn't complain either because gas generators are permitted and you have one of the quietest ones on the market but it would still bother me listening to it when I'm sitting out at my campsite. From past experience I had to run mine about 4 hours a day to top up the single lead acid battery I was using.

[@allanmedhurst5195]

What is the product your using to monitor your battery?

[@CampingwiththeColes]

That's a $30 item I got on Amazon. Here is the link amzn.to/44rXkPR

[@KeithFukumoto]

@@CampingwiththeColes That's cool and will tell you the basics. However, that one will wont give you a completely accurate reading. That tells you the current voltage which can range widely and settle after charging. You need a monitor with a "shunt" which will measure the actual power being spent. Especially if you get a lithium because with a lithium battery, the voltage stays high until the very end and that monitor wont be accurate at all.

[@robert172O1O7]

there’s also a train that goes by every morning at 2am

[@CampingwiththeColes]

That's not something that we noticed. I guess we're sound sleepers.

[@quebeccivic]

Yup, i made the switch to lithium batteries, 200AH and i managed 6day 5 nights with barely any sun to recharge them, my fridge is 12v only aswell and on our last day i still had 23% battery 🔋 no voltage drop nothing! Best purchase ever!

[@CampingwiththeColes]

Awesome, thanks for the info.

[@kylebrown2732]

What brand did you go with?

[@quebeccivic]

Most of the time we use electric sites, so i went with a budget solution, 2x 100AH ecoworthy in parallel, its opened the door to take those nice non electric waterfront sites and not worry about it!

[@Tunes102]

Any comments on how dog 🐕 friendly the park is?

[@CampingwiththeColes]

Unfortunately they don't have any dog exercise area. I asked staff and they said that we could go to the old group site (not in use anymore) to exercise our dog. It would be nice if they made the boat launch in Babawasse a dog exercise area.

[@kevinwilson7866]

@CampingwiththeColes hydro power has been restored as of last week. All campsites

[@CampingwiththeColes]

@@kevinwilson7866 WOOHOO 🎉🎉🎉

[@cuz0176]

They finally have electric sites at Samuel de Champlain

[@CampingwiththeColes]

@@cuz0176 Woohoo 🎉🎉🎉

[@ginetteblier]

We love the park BUT the road and the hydro not being repaired in 4 years makes us feel the management there is shaudy. No one ever has an answer to our questions. It's so sad.We used to love it there.

[@mbirch1593]

Sounds like our kind of park! We will have to check it out next year. We switched to lithium this year and well worth it! We also added more solar panels to our roof. We haven't been in a powered site for two years.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

I'm still trying to figure out the whole camping without power thing as I'm sure you could tell in the video. I like the portable solar generator because I can move it to a sunny place. Most places we camp the trailer is in a shaded lot so we wouldn't get much sun on the roof.

[@mbirch1593]

@@CampingwiththeColes We also have a 200 watt suitcase style of panels that we can move around with the sun.

[@RobSmink-e6z]

Your battery monitor was showing surface charge. If you monitor your battery charging, you will see 13 to 14 volts when it is fully charged. Then, it settles down to 12.6 once the charge is completed. so your app was misleading you. Hence your that was too fast comment. It would have been interesting using an actual battery charger plugged into your power box.

[@CampingwiththeColes]

Yeah, I didn't like using that app because I didn't understand the charging process well enough. I'm glad I switched to LiFePO4 batteries with a Bluetooth monitor since then. Much easier and accurate.

[@stevebarrett5704]

Power restored