Fanshawe has an expansive day use area that offers great picnic/barbeque areas as well as several maintained volleyball courts. If you're thinking about group gatherings in this beautiful area, consider booking the Watson Porter Pavilion or Beach Pavilion, both of which are fully enclosed and offer full hydro service and consumable water. With gorgeous views of the reservoir from both of these buildings, your guests will function is sure to be a hit.

We also maintain a wide range of trails that vary in length and difficulty to offer hikers and bikers of all levels a great experience. Our longest trail "The Lake Trail" is a mountain bikers or serious hikers dream come true, but be prepared to commit a large portion of your day to this adventure as the trail is over 20 Km long.

There are three ways to reserve a campsite. First, you can go through our online booking forum located at http://www.thamesriver.on.ca/Parks/internet_reservations.htm

Second, you can call toll free to reserve a campsite at Fanshawe, Wildwood or Pittock at 1-866-ONT-CAMP (1-866-668-2267) 8 am to 11 pm, 7 days a week.

Third, you can come down to the park located at 1424 Clarke Road, London, Ontario and book your stay at our registration office for your future visit.

With the spread of invasive species such as the Asian Long-Horned Beetle and the Emerald Ash Borer threatening our forests, it is important to ensure that you are not transporting wood, and potentially relocating pests. The safest measure you can take is to purchase your firewood at the park's tuck shop or registration building.  

For more information on invasive species go to http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/pestrava/pestravae.shtml

No skids, palettes, construction materials, manufactured materials are permitted.

During the campground operating season, mid April to mid October, Fanshawe Conservation Area is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Customer service staff are available at the Gatehouse and can be reached at 519-951-6181 ext. 357 for customer service or emergency related matters.  Security staff are also always on site daily between the hours of 4 pm and 8 am.

Outside of the operating season there are staff working daily, Monday to Friday, on site at the conservation area.  For assistance at this time, staff can be reached by calling the conservation area office at 519-951-6181 ext.367.  It should be noted that the gates are locked daily when staff end their day and go home.  On weekends, subject to staff availability, the gates remained locked.

Firewood, ice, worms, automated bank machine and ice cream are available at the Registration Office during posted hours. There is a "tuck shop / recreation centre" located in the "former park store building," with vending machines, firewood, ice, ice cream and other treats.

Our conservation area has a total alcohol ban for the May 24th long weekend. Alcohol can be consumed at any other time in accordance with the Liquor License Act. This means that open alcohol can only be present on a registered campsite and at no time is permitted in any public area.  Please note that at no time is alcohol permitted in the day use area.

While swimming is not permitted in the Fanshawe Reservoir, there is a swimming pool and splash pad available to campground users. The Pool area is supervised by lifeguards from the YMCA to ensure that everyone is safe and having fun.http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/water-eau/cyanobacter-eng.php or the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority website at http://www.thamesriver.on.ca/parks/Bluegreen_algae.htm

We closed the reservoir to swimming in 2009 due to the presence of blue/green algae, which is potentially toxic when absorbed through the skin. For more information on this algae please visit the Health Canada website at

We still have some seasonal campsites available for those of you wishing to spend the season with us. The best way to reserve one of these sites is to come to the park so that you can pick exactly which site best fits your camping needs.

On all standard campsites throughout the park, a maximum of 6 people are permitted, and all of these people must be registered at check-in. On the May 24th holiday weekend, a maximum of 4 people will be allowed per site. For larger groups, there is the option of booking multiple sites or one of our three group camping sites, depending on availability.

During the operating season, April to October, private boats are permitted on the reservoir, but we enforce a strict engine size rule. The maximum engine size permitted on Fanshawe Reservoir is 10 horsepower. If your boat has a larger motor, it can still be brought to the reservoir, but we ask that you only use an electric trolling motor or a kicker motor that is equal to or less than 10 HP.

Note that a valid park permit is required for both the vehicle and vessel upon entry.

Outside of the operating season dates, all docks and platforms as well as warning buoys are removed from the reservoir for the winter.  The conservation area patrol boat is also winterized and stored.  With this in mind, conservation area staff do not recommend that day use patrons go out on the reservoir in their boats because assistance is not readily available should they run into trouble. 

Yes! New for 2011, Fanshawe Conservation Area staff will be able to fully outfit you with a 16 or 17 foot canoe, paddles, personal flotation devices, and a safety kit. Canoes can be rented for half and full days and are available everyday from mid-morning until dusk at the park registration office.

Great!  A wide variety of species, including; walleye, bass, perch, pike, various pan fish, and carp to name a few, inhabit the reservoir and river below Fanshawe Dam.  All fishing must be done in accordance with provincial fishing regulations.

Note that annually the fishing season for Walleye is closed from March 15th to the second Saturday in May.

There is an abundance of wildlife species present at Fanshawe Conservation Area including but not limited to whitetail deer, groundhogs, skunks, bald eagles, osprey.  Early morning and evening are some of the best viewing times.  Also note that in the spring and fall wildlife viewing opportunities increase as the birds and animals tend to be more mobile and the concentration of humans in the area decreases.

You are most likely to come into contact with raccoons in our campground.  Over the years the raccoon population in the campground has grown and their sense of fear of humans has decreased.  Some useful tips to remember during your stay include: never feed or approach a raccoon (or any animal) it is a wild animal and must be respected, store all food and coolers in your vehicle not your tent, and deposit your garbage and recycling daily at the waste management center.