Please read before you book
Camp Lake St. Joseph is a remote, boat-in fishing camp in Northwest Ontario. That’s what makes it special, and it’s also what makes it different from a hotel. The page below explains the realities of visiting us, what we’re responsible for, and what falls to you.
We’d rather you know all of this before you send a deposit than discover it on arrival. If anything here raises a question, call us at 1 (800) 563-2267. We’re happy to talk it through.
Remote wilderness location
There is no road access to camp. Guests reach us by boat, and once you’re here, you’re a significant distance from towns, medical facilities, and emergency services.
By booking a stay, you acknowledge that you are entering a remote wilderness environment and that you accept the risks that come with it. Those risks include, but are not limited to: boating and watercraft operation, rough or sudden weather, cold water, rocky and uneven terrain, docks and shorelines, wildlife, insects, fire, hand tools and fish-cleaning equipment, and the ordinary hazards of outdoor recreation.
Camp Lake St. Joseph is not responsible for accidents, injuries, illness, death, or loss of property arising from your participation in these activities, to the fullest extent permitted by law. Guests participate at their own risk.
All guests are required to sign a liability waiver and assumption of risk agreement at check-in. This applies to every member of your party. A parent or legal guardian must sign on behalf of any guest under 18.
Health, mobility, and physical requirements
We want every guest to have a great trip, and part of that is being straightforward about what a stay here physically involves.
Getting to and around camp requires:
- Boarding and riding in an open boat, including in wind and waves
- Stepping in and out of a 16′ boat from a floating dock, without assistance
- Walking on uneven, rocky, and sometimes wet or muddy ground
- Navigating stairs, ramps, and natural grades between cabins, docks, and camp buildings
- Carrying or managing your own gear and personal belongings
Our facilities were built for a remote wilderness setting and are not designed to accommodate mobility devices, wheelchairs, or guests who require assistance with transfers. We cannot guarantee that every guest will be able to get into a boat, and our staff are not trained or insured to lift, carry, or physically assist guests.
If you or anyone in your group has a mobility limitation, a chronic health condition, or any concern about the demands described above, please contact us before booking. We’ll tell you honestly what we can and can’t do, and we’ll help you figure out whether this trip is the right fit. We’d much rather have that conversation in advance than have someone travel a long way and find out on the dock.
Guests are responsible for assessing their own fitness to travel and participate. Camp Lake St. Joseph is not responsible for medical events, pre-existing conditions, or health complications occurring during your stay.
Medical emergencies and evacuation
There is no medical facility at camp and no doctor or nurse on staff. The nearest medical care is a substantial distance away, and reaching it requires boat travel and ground or air transport.
In an emergency, our staff will do everything reasonably possible to assist and to summon help. However:
- Response times in this region can be lengthy and are outside our control
- Weather, darkness, and conditions may delay or prevent evacuation
- Cellular service is unreliable to nonexistent
- All costs of emergency response, medical transport, air ambulance, and treatment are the responsibility of the guest
Air ambulance and remote evacuation costs can be significant, and most domestic health plans do not cover them outside your home country.
We strongly recommend that every guest carry travel medical insurance and trip cancellation insurance for the duration of the trip. Guests are responsible for bringing an adequate supply of any prescription medication, along with any personal medical devices or supplies they may need.
Boating and watercraft
Guests operating camp boats, or their own boats, do so at their own risk and are responsible for safe and lawful operation.
You are responsible for:
- Complying with all Transport Canada and Ontario boating regulations, including operator competency requirements that apply to you as a visitor
- Wearing and maintaining appropriate personal flotation devices
- Assessing weather and water conditions before heading out, and using your own judgment about when to stay in
- Knowing your own limits and the limits of your equipment
- Supervising any minors in your party at all times, on and off the water
Lake St. Joseph is a large lake with extensive rocky structure, shoals, and reefs. Water levels vary. Hazards are not marked. Navigate accordingly.
Camp Lake St. Joseph is not responsible for injuries, damage, or loss resulting from the operation of any watercraft, whether camp-owned or guest-owned.
Rental equipment and credit card authorization
A valid credit card is required on file for every guest reservation, and a pre-authorization hold will be placed for all rentals.
This applies to boats, motors, electronics, golf carts, shore lunch kits, and any other camp equipment. Charges for rentals are processed at checkout. If equipment is damaged, lost, or not returned, the card on file will be charged for repair or replacement.
Guests are responsible for the condition of rented equipment during their stay, including damage caused by grounding, striking rocks, improper operation, or negligence. Normal wear is expected and is not charged.
Our rental fleet, motors, boat sizes, and available electronics are subject to change based on availability, maintenance, and safety considerations. We reserve the right to substitute equipment of comparable function.
Ontario fishing licences
Every guest who fishes must hold a valid Ontario fishing licence. This is your responsibility, not ours.
Camp Lake St. Joseph does not sell, issue, or provide Ontario fishing licences, and we cannot obtain one on your behalf. We recommend purchasing your Outdoors Card and licence online before you travel.
We are not responsible for fines, penalties, or enforcement action resulting from a guest fishing without a valid licence, or from a licence that is expired, incorrect for the species, or of the wrong type. We are not responsible for your inability to fish if you arrive without one.
Lake St. Joseph access tags
Lake St. Joseph is a tag-only water body. Non-resident anglers cannot fish the lake without a tag, and tags are only available through the licensed operators on the lake. Your tag is separate from your Ontario fishing licence, and it is provided by us on arrival at no additional charge.
Tags are allocated to camp from a limited annual quota set by the Province of Ontario. That quota is not ours to expand.
If our tag allocation is exhausted, reduced, suspended, or withdrawn, or if provincial regulations governing access to Lake St. Joseph change, we reserve the right to cancel or modify affected reservations. In that event we will notify affected guests as early as possible and work with you on alternative dates or a refund of amounts paid to us. We are not responsible for airfare, fuel, lodging en route, gear purchases, time off work, or any other costs you incur in connection with a cancelled trip.
Fishing regulations and conservation
Lake St. Joseph operates under Ontario fishing regulations plus lake-specific size, slot, and possession limits. Barbless hooks and species-specific handling rules apply.
Guests are responsible for knowing and following all applicable regulations. We’ll go over the current rules with you at check-in and they’re posted at camp, but compliance is on you. Camp Lake St. Joseph is not responsible for fines, charges, seizure of equipment, or other consequences arising from a guest’s violation of fishing regulations.
Guests are also responsible for meeting all requirements for packaging, identifying, and transporting fish, including across the international border.
Entering Canada
All guests are responsible for their own entry into Canada and re-entry into their home country.
A valid passport (or other approved travel document) is required. Admissibility is determined solely by the Canada Border Services Agency, and decisions are outside our control.
A past criminal conviction — including a DUI or impaired driving offence — can make a traveller inadmissible to Canada, sometimes decades after the fact. If this may apply to you or anyone in your group, look into it well before your trip. There are formal processes for resolving inadmissibility, but they take time.
You are also responsible for complying with all Canadian rules on firearms, alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, food, live bait, and other restricted or prohibited goods.
If a guest is denied entry, delayed at the border, or otherwise unable to reach camp, the reservation and deposit policy still applies and no refund is provided by Camp Lake St. Joseph. This is one of several reasons we recommend trip cancellation insurance.
Rates, reservations, and changes
Rates are subject to change at any time and without notice. The rate confirmed in writing for your booked dates is the rate that applies to your stay.
Additional reservation terms are set out on our Rates page, including deposit amounts, refund and transfer windows, guest count requirements, and group leader responsibilities. Those terms are incorporated here by reference.
We reserve the right to re-assign cabins or units when necessary. We reserve the right to refuse service, and to remove any guest from camp without refund for conduct that endangers or unreasonably disrupts other guests, staff, wildlife, or property.
Stays are booked by the full week, Saturday to Saturday. Partial weeks and shortened stays are not available and no credit is given for arriving late or departing early.
Weather, wildfire, and events beyond our control
Northwest Ontario weather is variable and can change quickly. Wind, storms, cold, smoke, and poor visibility may limit or prevent boating on any given day.
Camp Lake St. Joseph is not responsible for lost fishing time, altered plans, or diminished enjoyment resulting from weather conditions.
We are also not responsible for delays, interruptions, or cancellations caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including wildfire and fire-related travel restrictions, road or highway closures, flooding or extreme water levels, power or fuel supply disruption, labour disruption, government or regulatory action, public health orders, or acts of nature.
If we must close camp or cancel a stay due to such an event, we will contact you as soon as we are able and work with you on rescheduling or a refund of amounts paid to us. We are not responsible for third-party costs including travel, fuel, or accommodations elsewhere.
Fishing success
Lake St. Joseph is an exceptional fishery, and we’re proud of it. That said, fishing is fishing. Catch rates, fish size, and daily success depend on weather, water conditions, timing, technique, and luck.
No catch, quantity, or size is guaranteed, and photographs, reports, and testimonials on our website reflect past results rather than any promise of future results.
Personal property
Guests are responsible for their own belongings, including rods, reels, tackle, electronics, boats, trailers, vehicles, and personal effects.
Camp Lake St. Joseph is not responsible for loss, theft, or damage to personal property, whether in cabins, at the docks, in camp storage, in boats, or at any parking or staging area.
Vehicles and trailers left at the mainland staging area are left at the owner’s risk.
Pets
Dogs are welcome with prior approval and payment of a pet fee. Pets must be leashed and supervised at all times.
Owners are fully responsible for their pet’s behaviour and for any injury or damage the pet causes to people, other animals, wildlife, cabins, boats, or camp property. Owners are responsible for their pet’s safety, including around water, wildlife, and camp equipment.
We reserve the right to require that a pet be removed from camp, at the owner’s expense, if it poses a risk or disrupts other guests.
Alcohol, cannabis, and conduct
Guests who choose to consume alcohol or cannabis are responsible for doing so lawfully and responsibly. Operating a boat while impaired is illegal in Canada and grounds for immediate removal from camp without refund.
Cannabis may not be transported across the Canadian border in either direction, regardless of its status where you live.
Camp systems and connectivity
Camp Lake St. Joseph is solar-powered and operates on remote infrastructure. Power, water, hot water, refrigeration, and any available internet or phone connectivity may be limited, intermittent, or temporarily unavailable.
We work hard to keep everything running, but interruptions happen. Camp Lake St. Joseph is not responsible for inconvenience, spoiled food, or lost communication resulting from service interruptions, and no refunds or credits are issued for them.
Cabins are housekeeping cabins — guests handle their own cleaning and tidying during their stay.
Photography and media
We love sharing photos from camp. Guests may be photographed or filmed during their stay, and by staying with us you consent to the use of those images by Camp Lake St. Joseph for promotional purposes, including our website, social media, and printed materials, without compensation.
If you’d prefer not to appear in camp photography, just let us know at check-in and we’ll respect that.
Website content
We work to keep this website accurate and current, but errors, omissions, and outdated information can occur. Photographs are representative and conditions vary by season, cabin, and year.
In the event of a discrepancy between this website and the terms of your written reservation confirmation, the reservation confirmation governs.
Governing law
These disclaimers, and any stay at Camp Lake St. Joseph, are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein. Any dispute shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Ontario.
If any provision of this page is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force.
Questions
If any of this raises a question about your trip, please reach out before you book.
1 (800) 563-2267 · camp@lakestjoseph.com