Frontenac Provincial Park is situated above an ancient granite ridge linking the Canadian Shield to the Adirondack Mountains and consists of forests, wetlands, marshes, lakes and granite outcrops. It offers canoe routes through 22 lakes and over 100km of looped backpacking and hiking trails. And the best part is that Frontenac is open all-year round.
Tag: Ontario parks
Hike #46: Darlington Provincial Park
Located along the sandy shores of Lake Ontario, Darlington Provincial Park boasts of providing a variety of recreational activities such as swimming, hiking, birdwatching, fishing and boating. It is also conveniently located right off Highway 401 and it is open all year-round.
Hike #44: Ferris Provincial Park
Ferris Provincial Park is located next to the Trent River in Campbellford and is reputed to be particularly scenic in the fall when the leaves are changing colour. Ferris offers just over 10km of trails through the forest, open meadows, and along the river, which provide nice vistas of the Trent River Valley.
Kawartha Highlands – Copper Lake
Nestled along the Southern edge of the Canadian Shield, Kawartha Highlands features a rugged landscape of small lakes, ponds, wetlands, forests, and rock barrens. It is the largest provincial park in Southern Ontario after Alongquin. And like Algonquin, it is the perfect place to explore the wilderness by canoe.
Killbear Provincial Park
Killbear Provincial Park is located along the rugged shore of Georgian Lake. It offers car camping at seven campgrounds where each campground has its own beach area (except for Georgian Campground). Besides swimming, other activities in the park include hiking, biking, canoeing and fishing.
French River Provincial Park
The French River Provincial Park offers 250 backcountry campsites along the shoreline of the French River that are accessible for paddlers and boaters. There are 13 access points along the river and all campsites are first-come, first-served. Besides canoeing or boating, there is a single hiking trail in the park: Recollet Falls Trail (4km round trip, rated moderate).
Hike #40: Helenbar Lookout Trail
The Helenbar Lookout Trail (7km, rated moderate) leads through the forest and is reputed to feature interesting geological features and a great view over Helenbar Lake.
Mississagi Provincial Park
Mississagi Provincial Park is located north of Elliot Lake and is situated in pristine wilderness. It is quite secluded and offers a range of camping options from car camping to backcountry camping for hikers and paddlers. Mississagi also offers seven hiking trails that weave through the park’s rugged landscape and several clear lakes for canoeing, boating and fishing.
Hiking in Lake Superior Provincial Park
Lake Superior really is superior to all the other Great Lakes. So it makes sense that there is a provincial park named after it. Lake Superior Provincial Park is located along the eastern shore of Lake Superior between Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa. It has a wide range of camping options from car camping on the beach to backcountry camping in the wilderness. It also offers a variety of trails that range in length from 1.5km to 65km that weave through the different habitats and landscapes in the park.
Hiking in Neys Provincial Park
I know I say this about a lot of Ontario’s provincial parks, but Neys really is one of my favourites. It is located along the northern shore of Lake Superior and features a beautiful sandy beach. Some of the campsites are located close to the water and even have their own path down to the beach. Neys also offers a number of hiking trails that weave through the different landscapes in the park, including ancient dunes, dense forests, pebble beaches, and rocky overcrops. These rugged landscapes in Neys provided much inspiration to the Group of Seven painters.
