Mikisew Provincial Park

With this being our last full day at Mikisew Provincial Park this morning we got up early, as we wanted to do both the Beaver Meadow Trail with the red markers and the longer Maple Canyon Trail with the blue markers.


















We went to the start of the trails and after looking at the trail map decided to do the Beaver Meadow Trail first and where it connects with the Maple Canyon trail and follow that trail until it connects with the yellow markers of the Old Dog Trail that we did yesterday and follow it back to the beginning.

The start of the trail took us around the golf course and then through a forested path before coming out into a clearing.

It was there we meet another person who was returning from the wetland. After I spoke to him about his camera, he let us know he had been taking photographs of a young male moose in the pond. We thanked him and continued.

It wasn't long before we once again entered the forest and the ground slowly began to get softer and more moist.

Then came the first of a number of boarded walkways which allowed us to cross through marshland.

This continued until we came to the beaver pond, where there was a long elevated wooden walkway with the pond on both sides.

Unfortunately, there was no sign of the moose in the pond which was disappointing.

The one compensation was that as we started up the hill after crossing the walkway there were moose tracks in the mud at the side of the trail.















The nice thing about this trail was that there were different views of the pond on our left side, including coming close to the beaver lodge.















When we came to the Maple Canyon Trail, it lead us away from the pond and through a wonderful hardwood forest with many of the leaves on the trees in various stages of changing colour.















There were a number of places along this trail, that had wooden benches so you could sit and enjoy the views from the high points along the trail.















Eventually, we came to a point in the trail where we found the trail marker showing all three trail colours and followed it back to the start of the trail.

From there it didn't take long to return to the trailer where we had lunch and then relaxed and enjoyed the sunshine for a couple of hours.

We decided to take a stroll down to the beach and once we arrived there, we took off our shoes and walked along the shore until the sun got lower in the sky. It was time to head back to the trailer.

While I made supper, Ron put the logs into the fire pit so we could enjoy our evening tea or coffee with a fire.

It was the perfect end to an enjoyable day.

Tomorrow we will pack up and make our way back home.

Mikisew Provincial Park

Late yesterday afternoon, we arrived at Mikisew Provincial Park. It is a small 323 acres (130.71 ha) park, established in 1964 in South River, Ontario.















The Park offers three shallow sandy beaches, boating and paddling around the small islands on Eagle Lake, as well as hiking through hardwood forest and past ponds and wetlands.















Last evening, we had a little time to walk to the entrance of the trails and then take a stroll down to Eagle Lake.

On the way to Eagle Lake, there was a sign a the start of a trail going to the Eagle Lake General Store should anyone need groceries or other items that they needed restocked.

We walked to the first of the three beaches and then continued along the pathway through a small wooded area with campsites and it wasn't long before we arrived at the second beach.

At this point we decided to turn around and return to the trailer for the night.















This morning after breakfast we decided to follow the path back to Eagle Lake and continue following the path beyond the beach.















The first trail was called the Lakeview Trail. It took us through, wooded areas, past the boat launch and out to a point of land where you could see a large areas of the lake.















As we continued along the path we came to the first yellow marker for the Old Dog Trail.

We continued following the Old Dog Trail as we knew it would eventually join into the Maple Canyon Trail and take us back to the start point of all three of the hiking trails.

We crossed one of the roads going through the Park and found the Old Dog Trail marker and the marking post showing both the yellow and the blue line for the Maple Canyon Trail.

It was a nice walk through the forest until we came to the starting point of the three trails near the entrance building and the golf course.















After lunch, Ron wanted to go fishing, while I took the dog along the pathways through the campsites taking photographs of the autumn colours.

Unfortunately for Ron he didn't manage to catch any fish, but he did enjoy being out on the lake. I got some wonderful pictures of the trees and the lake.

It wasn't long before we were back at the trailer and I was making supper.

We decided to have an early night as we wanted to do both the Beaver Meadow Trail and the Maple Canyon Trail.

Returning Home from Chutes

Today we are leaving Chutes Provincial Park to return home.

After breakfast and before we left, we wanted to go and see a full view of Big Chute Falls.

We followed the trail beyond the observation deck and went down a long flight of steep, wooden stairs.

This put us half way below the falls and above another set of rapids. 

It was soon time for us to make our way back to the campsite pack up our things and prepare the trailer for us to go home.

It wasn't long, before we were on the road and soon back on the Trans Canada Highway.

The return home was fairly uneventful, with only two slow downs for construction.
















About halfway home we stopped for fuel, took the time to stretch our legs and have lunch.

It wasn't long before we were back on the road again.















A couple of hours away from home we stopped to have supper, before continuing on our journey.

It was nice to finally make it home, but I wasn't impressed to see by flower beds had become overgrown with weeds.

Chutes Provincial Park

Today was our first full day at Chutes Provincial Park and after breakfast were are going to go hiking on the trails.

We started at the beginning of the trail at the observation deck by Big Chute Falls.

I of course, took many photographs of the water coming over the falls but I will find a place where I can get pictures of the entire falls from a distance.

From there we walked along the trail beside the River aux Sables and at a section of the trail by the rapids one of the soles of my hiking boot came off. Fortunately, we were not far from our campsite.
















Ron told me to stay and take my pictures and he would go back to the campsite and get a pair of my running shoes and return.

While I was waiting, I thought what are the odds of me loosing another sole off another pair of fairly new shoes? Two days ago, while Ron was tying down the canoe after fishing at the inlet at White Lake, I walked up the gravel road taking photographs and realized that I had lost the sole off of my loafer.

When Ron returned, he not only brought in my running shoes, he brought along a roll of duct tape and asked if I wanted him to patch up my hiking boot. I thought why not? Especially, since there was less than 30 miles (48km) of wear on them.

We continued following the trail, past the Seven Sister Rapids and stopped at the observation area before we crossed both of the Twin Bridges and started back down the River Aux Sables on the opposite side of the river.
















We managed to make it as far as just past the last of the Seven Sisters Rapids, to the next observation area when the other sole came off my pair of hiking boots. I had enough of this nonsense and took both boots off, put my running shoes on and at this point we turned around to go back to the campsite.

I placed my hiking boots where they belonged, in one of the trash containers for garbage since they did not even survive our two mile (3.2km) hike.

After lunch we decided that we would go back out on the trail again to go through the forest and see what kinds of birds and wildlife we could find. We also brought along my last pair of running shoes and the duct tape, just in case.

We went back up the River Aux Sables, across the Twin Bridges and this time took the trail to the left away from the river.


When we came to the fork in the trail we decided to continue going away from the river.

At the next fork in the road we went toward the river which took us to a beach and the rapids above Big Chute Falls.

We retraced our steps and continued on our path going back up the river and we again bypassed the trail leading back into the forest.

We continued along the river, back over the Twin Bridges and back to our campsite completing our afternoon walk of 3.2 miles (5.2km).

After supper we relaxed with a cup of tea or coffee and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the campgrounds.

Tomorrow, there is one more small trail that we will take in the morning before we head back home.

Leaving White Lake and going to Chutes

Today we are leaving White Lake Provincial Park and heading back to Chutes Provincial Park for a couple of days so I can see the falls and walk the trails.

We decided to leave after breakfast because we were not sure how long we would be tied up in traffic due to construction.















On the way out of the Park we stopped and I got this photograph of the entrance sign for White Lake Provincial Park which is just off the highway.

We were pleasantly surprised that the traffic wasn't as bad and the delays were not as long as they had been on the way to White Lake.















Fortunately, we were early enough that they were drilling the holes in the rocks instead of preparing them with the blasting caps.

Although, where we were held up for almost an hour on the way to White Lake, once again gave us the longest wait time.















The company that is doing the work on this section of the highway is extremely slow. The fact they have barely moved beyond the set of traffic lights they were paving tells the story.

It took us a little over seven hours to get to Chutes Provincial Park and I was very happy to finally see the Park's sign.















We were in our campsite and set up by 4:00p.m. which gave us some time to walk around the park before it was time to make supper.

Our new campsite is right beside our original campsite, the difference is that this one has power so I can use my microwave and toaster.















After supper we spent the evening enjoying the peace and quiet.

Tomorrow I am looking forward to going hiking on the Twin Bridges Trail.

White Lake Campsite 79 - A Work in Progress

Today was our third day at White Lake Provincial Park with another sunny and warm 82F (28F) day.

After taking the dog out for her morning walk and enjoying the loons and their babies on the calm lake we returned to the trailer and had breakfast.















While relaxing over our morning cups of tea or coffee, we discussed our plans for the day. Ron wanted to go fishing and try his luck again, but with my knee still hurting from being in a cramped position in the canoe yesterday, I decided I would stay here at the campsite and sketch.

After taking a number of reference photographs I started this sketch of the empty campsite across the road. It had some lovely birch trees nestled among the pine and spruce trees, with a lot of wild flowers in bloom around the edges of the lot.

Ron returned a few hours later and once again he didn't have any luck catching Walleye, Northern Pike or any other type of fish for that matter.

We decided that after lunch, we would walk the Deer Lake Trail which gives the option of a 1 mile (1.5km) long walk to the observation deck or continue around Beaver Pond for 1.6 miles (2.5km).

The trail was fairly level with just one section that went slightly uphill and then back down to the observation deck.

The observation deck allowed you to view almost all of the Beaver Pond.















From there we opted to follow the Deer Lake Trail around the Beaver Pond.

Aside from a few pathways through the forest we were pretty much within sight of the pond.

Some areas of the path went over soft, wet, marshy areas and a pathway made of wood planking wound its way through the forest on the edge of the wetland.

While on the trail you would catch glimpses of birds and butterflies, hear the rustling sounds of small animals scurrying through the underbrush and the never ending chorus of frogs.

It wasn't long until we were back to the beginning of the trail and heading back to our campsite.

We saw the sign for Clearwater Lake and decided to check it out which is listed as a fairly easy trail and only 1.2 miles (2km) long.















When we arrived at the start of the trail, Ron wasn't particularly thrilled about reading the warnings about meeting a bear on the trail, but decided that with it being fairly well travelled, the odds were worth going anyway.

The trail going through the forest was of hard packed earth and fairly level without a lot of tree roots near the surface which, if you are not watching where you place your feet could be a problem.















It didn't take long for us to make our way to the lake which as we approached it, we could see the sandy bottom through the crystal clear water.

There were canoes available for rent and a bench by the water where you could sit and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the place. The only sounds were the whispering of the leaves as the wind blew though them.















It was nice to see the fingerling speckled trout in the water by the shore and I watched them for a little while, until it was time to retrace our steps back to the car.

As we drove back to the campsite we talked about going on the Tiny Bog Trail in the morning and going fishing in the afternoon on our last full day in the park.















It wasn't long after we returned to the campsite that we had supper and the dog was taken for her final walk.

As the sun was setting it was time for a bonfire while we relaxed and enjoyed the evening.

Going to White Lake Provincial Park

Ron took Kyora out for her morning walk while I made breakfast and when he returned the three of us had breakfast together.

While I tidied up and put everything away in the trailer, Ron got everything ready for us to leave Chutes Provincial Park and start our journey to White Lake Provincial Park.

It wasn't long and we were on our way. As usual I had my camera ready to take pictures of the landscape.















The first couple of hours traffic moved fairly well and then we found that traffic was gradually slowing down. It didn't take long to find the reason why. The highway as under construction.

As we drove along Highway 17 every so often I was able to catch glimpses of Lake Superior, and it wasn't long before we saw signs for Batchawana Bay Provincial Park.

Ron thought it would be a perfect place to go for lunch and I would be able to take photographs of Lake Superior.

Batchawana Bay is a 418 acres (169.03 ha) Park that was established in 1973.

The Ontario Motor League placed a plaque at Chippewa Falls, showing Batchawana Bay as the mid-point in the 4,860 miles (7,821 km), Trans-Canada Highway; which is the longest national highway in the world.

It didn't take long to find a picnic site and we took some time to enjoy our lunch and then take a walk along the beach enjoying the view.

It wasn't long before we had to leave Batchawana Bay Provincial Park and continue our journey to White Lake Provincial Park.

Needless to say, we were once again back in traffic which was continuously being stopped due to the highway being paved.















One such stop was almost an hour long while they were paving an intersection, which seemed so much longer when you are sitting waiting with nothing else to do and cannot even leave the vehicle to stretch your legs.

We were fortunate at one spot, that we made it through before they closed the highway due to them putting the blasting caps into the drilled holes in the rocks so they could widen the road.

Gradually, there was more time between stops which meant that we were getting closer to our destination with more speed.














We finally, passed all the construction and when we stopped to refuel, we took some time to have supper before continuing on our way.

I was very happy that we were finally, making uninterrupted driving on the highway.

It wasn't long before we started seeing the signs for White Lake Provincial Park.















Finally, after 9-1/2 hours of driving for a trip that should have only taken seven hours, we made it to the Park and stopped at the gatehouse to get the map and instructions to get to our campsite.

We put the trailer into Campsite 79 and got it set up and ready for our first evening of camping.

After taking the dog out for a walk and strolling down to the lake, we returned to the campsite to relax before heading to bed.

Chutes Provincial Park

Today we are starting our vacation and heading to Chutes Provincial Park for an overnight stay before leaving to go to White Lake Provincial Park for four days and then returning to Chutes for a couple of days before returning home.

Chutes is a small 268 acres (108.32 ha) park that was established in 1970 close to the town of Massey, Ontario.

We arrived in the late afternoon after six hours of playing in traffic, although it could have been worse if we would have been travelling on a Friday night.

It is a quiet campground located on the Aux Sables River and has a 3.7 mile (6km) hiking trail with great views of scenic waterfalls and river gorge, as well as a wide variety of birds which I will enjoy on our return trip from White Lake.















By the time we had the trailer set up for the night and took the dog out for a walk it was supper time.

After supper we settled down for the evening to enjoy a campfire before we turned in for the night.















We will be leaving early in the morning as we have a long drive ahead of us to get to White Lake Provincial Park.

Hay Bay I

Today we took the trailer for our last trip of the year and went to Pickerel Park Sun RV Resort and Campground in Napanee, Ontario.

It didn't take very long for us to get into our spot and have everything set up. This time we brought Kyora with us and she quickly learned not to charge out at the other dogs or bark at people as they walked along the road.














Then we went exploring. The Campground is located on 21 acres (8.5 hectares) and features over 700' (213.4m) of shoreline on Hay Bay. The boat docks are set in such a way as where the small sandy beach is located the central dock forms a large, rectangular protected swimming area, with the boats docking on the outside, or at other straight docks on either side of the protected section.

The heated pool, been drained for the season, but there was bingo in one of the buildings and craft/art activities, there were a number of horseshoe pitches and Ron couldn't wait to go fishing.















After lunch, we went back to the docks and Ron went fishing while I did this little pencil drawing of the shoreline on the other side of Hay Bay.

Kyora, caught up on her beauty sleep as she lay behind Ron's chair and occasionally lifted her head and looked around to be sure that we were safe.










Time seemed to pass quickly, and before long the sun was getting lower in the sky and we headed back to the trailer to have supper and relax for the evening with a campfire.

We left the next morning, early enough to beat the Thanksgiving weekend traffic as we headed back home.

Going Camping in Algonquin Provincial Park

Today we went up to Algonquin Provincial Park in Whitney, Ontario for the rest of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

We stayed at the Lake of Two Rivers Campground which is of course, located on Lake of Two Rivers.

Algonquin Provincial Park, was established on 27 May 1893 and is the oldest provincial park in Ontario and the first provincial park in Canada.

Facilities include lodges, campgrounds, scenic drives, hiking and skiing trails and over 930 miles (1,500 km) of lake and river canoe routes.















The park lies across the southern edge of the Canadian shield and is located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River and has Highway 60 running through the south end of the park, while the Trans-Canada Highway bypasses it to the north.

Additions since it was first created have increased the park to its current size of approximately 2,955 square miles (7,653 square kilometres).

The rolling landscape was smoothed and gouged by the glaciers that receded 10,000 years go during the last ice age which also created the over 745 miles (1,200 km) of streams and rivers and over 2,400 lakes which provide access by boat to the interior of the park.















The park is considered to be an area of transition between the Northern Ontario coniferous forest and the Southern Ontario deciduous forest. Due to this unique mixture of the different forest types and also the wide variety of environments within the park, it allows the park to support a wide diversity of both plant and animal life.

The on land the park is famous for its wolves and a wide variety of other animal species are common and almost 250 bird species have been recorded throughout the park. The cold, deep, lakes are home to trout, small-mouthed bass, pike, muskellunge and walleye can also be found.

In 1992 Algonquin Provincial Park was named a National Historic Site of Canada in recognition of its many heritage values, a few of which are its role in the development of park management; it being an important site for wildlife research; its role in inspiring artists, which gave many Canadians an appreciation of their country; pioneering visitor interpretation programs many of which were later adopted by both national and provincial parks across the Canada.















A new visitor centre complete with bookstore, museum and restaurant was opened in 1993 to celebrate Algonquin's centennial.

Algonquin Provincial Park is the only designated park within the province of Ontario to allow industrial logging to take place within its borders. Logging began in the 19th century, especially for white pine and today over 70% of the park is still subject to controlled logging.

Recently park planning and land use pressures and have led to a lot of public debate regarding the appropriate use and designation of the park, which in my opinion doesn't bode well for the Park.

The last thing I want to see is a subdivision in the middle of the park or the lakes being ruined by having hundreds of cottages and motorboat traffic destroying the peace and tranquility of these pristine areas.