Awenda Provincial Park

Awenda Provincial Park is located in a peninsula along the shore of Georgian Bay. It has a rich history of logging dating back to the 1880s. The park features four sandy beaches for swimming and has over 30 kilometres of hiking trails that weave through the different habitats in the park.

We’ve been to Awenda twice:

Hiking Trails

Awenda has over 30 kilometres of hiking trails that range in length from several hundred metres to 13km. Below are some of the trails that we’ve hiked.

(1) Beaver Pond Trail (680m, rated easy). The trail loops through a nature reserve zone and most of the path is along a wooden boardwalk. There are a few interpretive signs that provide details of the lives, behaviour and habitats of beavers and how beavers have altered the area in the park.

(2) Nipissing Trail (1km, rated moderate). The trail consists of 155 steps up the Nipissing Bluff, which is a raised beach created 5,500 years ago by glacial Lake Nipissing.

(3) Robitaille Homestead Trail (3km, rated easy). The trail begins with a steep climb up a ridge, passes by the foundations of the Robitaille family house and farm and ends at an ancient sand dune.

(4) Wendat Trail (4.5km, rated easy). Wendat means “island dwellers” after the Iroquoian speaking people who lived and farmed here between 1200 and 1650. The trail loops around Kettle Lake and contains two wooden viewing platforms that provide nice views of the lake.

Other Activities and Attractions

Awenday also offers a variety of other activities and facilities, including:

  • Five sandy beaches along the shore of Georgian Bay, one of which is a designated area for pets
  • Snowshoeing and cross-country ski trails in the winter

Camping

Awenda offers front country at six campgrounds and has about 330 campsites. The campsites in Bear and Deer Campgrounds are radio-free and the campsites in Snake Campground are radio-free and dog-free. Awenda also has one cottage located along the shore of Georgian Bay that is available for rent. We stayed in Bear Campground both times and found that the sites along the outer ledge of the loop are quite spacious and private.