backus heritage conservation area

The volunteer stationed at the mill actually was very knowledgeable about the history of the mill and why it was the only mill that was not burnt during the war. The young lady at the Backus house was also very informative. Children gets to play with many games and toys of the past, so did adults. We were there for the July 1 celebration and they had all the special activities for kids. It was great fun for the little money we spent for admission. They by vehicle, does not matter how many people you can stuff in your car!

We camped here for a week starting on the Civic Holiday long weekend and it was full to capacity on the weekend. The sites are not private like you would find at a Provincial Park. They are open in a park-like setting. We had water issues one day where the water just stopped (while I was showering of course). The washrooms only had one stall and one shower per campground and 2 other outhouses. It seemed insufficient at first, but after everyone but us cleared out on the Monday we had the entire area that we were in to ourselves which was fantastic. I think the campground had some issues at full capacity but on a regular week it was very good. One of the services I liked was the park guys come at pick up your garbage if you leave it by the curb. We brought a telescope with us and the parking lot at the Heritage Village was a perfect spot to set up. The mill and pond is a very picturesque area and we took some nice pictures there. We used the pool a couple times with no problems. There is a bigger washroom and more showers at the pool facility. There is a learning centre which is a natural museum with lots of taxidermy wildlife that is very nicely set up. We would camp here again but probably not on a long weekend.

I live about half hour from Backus Conservation Area. I have two young children (age 21 months and 3.5 years) and we love coming to this park. It is a natural park, a campground and a historic village. There are nature trails and a nature centre and several historical buildings including an old home and an old school house. There is a also a swimming pool that can be used by both campers and day use. They also have several ponds and streams where you can fish. There is so much to do here. Probably my only complaint is that the campsites themselves aren't very large or private but that doesn't hold me back from going. It's also close to Long Point so there is plenty to do in the area.