For the first time since the pandemic began, Otonabee Conservation plans to open the caves and the caves trail at Warsaw Caves Conservation Area in Douro-Township for the 2022 season. The online reservation system for campsites at both Warsaw Caves and Beavermead Campground in Peterborough launches on Tuesday (March 1).
Warsaw Caves is named for a series of seven caves that formed thousands of years ago, at the end of the last ice age, by the rushing melt waters of a glacier that covered Ontario. All you need to explore the caves, described as a “natural underground jungle gym,” is a flashlight or a headlight.
“With provincial restrictions easing in the coming weeks, we hope to be able to open the caves for spelunking this spring,” says Jessie James, Otonabee Conservation’s manager of conservation lands, in a media release.
“We are also working on a plan to open kayak and canoe rentals this season,” James adds. “Campers and day-use visitors should stay tuned for official announcements in the coming weeks.”
The campground at Warsaw Caves Conservation Area, located 20 minutes from Peterborough and within two hours of the Greater Toronto Area, has 52 unserviced campsites located in a hardwood forest, with an accessible comfort station that includes washrooms, showers, laundry room, and a dish wash station. Warsaw Caves offers hiking trails, paddling, fishing, and swimming, with spelunking and canoe and kayak rentals to be confirmed.
Beavermead Campground, located in Beavermead Park in the heart of Peterborough, is owned by the City of Peterborough and operated by Otonabee Conservation. It offers 77 serviced campsites with hydro and water, 18 unserviced campsites, and two group campsites. A new comfort station featuring fully accessible washrooms and showers was recently built, and a new gatehouse will be completed for the 2022 season.
The 2022 camping season at both campgrounds runs from Friday, May 13th until Monday, October 10th, with the online reservation system available at 10 a.m. on March 1.
To reserve a campsite at Beavermead Campground, visit letscamp.ca/camps/beavermead-campground. To reserve a campsite at Warsaw Caves Conservation Area, visit letscamp.ca/camps/warsaw-caves.
For more information about Otonabee Conservation, visit otonabeeconservation.com.
