Killarney Provincial Park Canada - Best Reasons to Visit

So, believe it or not, you can actually have a mini mountain camping experience in Ontario. These “mini mountains” are actually glorified hills, but they are still considered part of the La Cloche Mountain Range and can be found in Killarney Provincial Park in Canada, which is about five or so hours north of Toronto on the southern shores of Georgian Bay. This may seem like a long way to go (and it is if you’re used to the two hour drive from Toronto up to Muskoka), but its isolated and vast mountains and waterways will provide you with both an experience that is both, paradoxically, truly and untruly representative of the Ontario wilderness.

I say untruly representative of Ontario because, after we set up our tents, cracked open a beer and walked down to the beach in Killarney Provincial Park, we were all stunned when we looked across the lake. Large granite cliffs toward above the water, jack pines jutted along the shorelines and, yes, mini mountains rose above the horizon line. We had never seen such a landscape in Ontario. Being from the Toronto area, we typically vacation or camp in Muskoka and Algonquin (which are epic in their own rights), but camping in Killarney Provincial Park was a whole new thing. We did find out, however, that this landscape is very much an Ontario landscape; we just hadn’t searched the province hard enough.

The drive there is quite nice, as you can stop in a few of Ontario’s great northern towns along the way. I will caution you, however, that once you exit off of the 400 series highway and start driving towards the park, it is a good solid hour and a half through the bush. My friend and I drove towards the park with an eighth of a tank of gas left, parked the car, forgot that was all the gas we had left, and then, as we left the park, almost ran completely out of gas before we reached our first gas station almost two hours outside the park. This, though, is again a true testament as to how authentic of an Ontario wilderness experience this place is and, if this wasn't enough to convince you, here are a few more reasons that make this an unforgettable Ontario road trip:

Group of Seven

Whether or not you’re an art aficionado or just a nature lover, one of the coolest aspects of camping in Killareny Provincial Park is that the Group of Seven painters used to trek through Killarney Provincial Park’s forests and rivers to paint here (if you’re not familiar with the Group of Seven, they are probably Canada’s most famous artisits. They are known for painting some of Ontario’s most beautiful landscapes). The park has plaques throughout that indicate where and which artists painted there, and you can even follow trails that the artists took to find inspiration. Maybe you will even find inspiration for yourself!

Granite Islands/Coastlines

I know to some the ideal vacation consists of sandy beaches (Killarney Provincial Park does boast a sandy beach near the campgrounds), but the rugged granite coastlines and islands that jut out into Georgian Bay offer a view both spectacular and unique to the Ontario wilderness. A group of us hiked along a nearby trail that followed the granite coasts. The hike offered, in certain spots, incredible views of the surrounding islands, as the granite along the coast rises and falls depending on the granite’s level of erosion. The granite shorelines are also a deep orange/red colour, which will also provide an interesting backdrop for Instagram photos.

Hiking Trails

As mentioned above, camping in Killarney Provincial Park offers several hiking trails through various kinds of terrain. The trail along the granite coasts provide great lookouts towards Georgian Bay and the surrounding islands, but there are also trails that wind through the forest and mountains. We found a few secluded, empty lakes that were surrounded by tall trees and mountains. One of the lakes even had a large beaver dam that stopped the lake water from running into a river, which, in turn, made the water on the lake completely still. The trail allowed us to easily walk right up to the dam and admire the beavers’ engineering.

Portage Routes

Now, when we went, we didn’t do any portaging, but our campsite was directly across from a canoe drop in point, so we saw tons of people embarking on portages every day. Like Algonquin Provincial Park, you can rent a canoe, portage from lake to lake, and camp in the backcountry (a backcountry with mini mountains at that!). I can only imagine what the portage is like, but I can guarantee that cruising through a series of secluded lakes lined with small mountains and granite cliffs will be enough to rival any trip you’ve been on anywhere in the world.

Mountains in Killarney Provincial Park

I feel like I’ve mentioned these mini mountains enough times in this article, but I think they deserve their own subheading here. Why? Because where else in Ontario can you really go to get a mountain range experience? They may be glorified hills, but they are technically part of the La Cloche Mountain Range. For those individuals who have never been out west or experienced any actual mountains, this place can, and will, give you a good taste as to how epic mountainous regions can be. Consider this place a good warmup for your next mountain adventure, because, trust me, once you get a taste of a mountain experience you’ll want to experience it more and more.

So if you’re tired of hanging out in Muskoka or simply just want to get an “Ontario Mountain Experience,” trek up to Killarney Provincial Park for a camping trip. There’s a good chance it’ll become one of your new favorite spots.

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