Part 4 of 4: Killarney Provincial Park

I first saw Killarney while on a family trip when I was quite young. Even then I was able to appreciate the vast wilderness and relative remoteness of this part of Northern Ontario. More recently, Elise and I did a back country canoe trip across the lakes at the south-east end of the park. Our trip fell on the Canada Day long weekend (July 1) yet we still managed to avoid contact with other humans for at least 48 consecutive hours! Of course, the deeper you travel into the backcountry, the more secluded you’ll be. Nevertheless, in this case we never left the main thoroughfare for canoe traffic. Generally, the additional effort that it takes to get deep into the backcountry is usually offset by the fact that you get complete and utter seclusion – if that’s what you crave (we sure do!).
For our backcountry canoe trip, we launched from Bell Lake and paddled south through Johnnie Lake, on through Carlyle Lake to Terry Lake and back again, moving from campsite to campsite each night. Backcountry camping takes a great deal of organization and planning as it is, but throw in torrential downpours like the ones we had during our trip and things get even more complicated. Setting up camp, gathering firewood and cooking while trying to keep dry becomes quite challenging. And, all this needs to be done well before dusk in order to find a suitable tree on which to hang your food pack so the bears don’t eat your rations. Backcountry camping can indeed be an arduous undertaking... but it’s all worth it!

Killarney has spectacular car camping, too. Staying at George Lake Campground will allow you to explore some of the great hiking trails that weave through the La Cloche Mountains. This modest range, with black volcanic rock jutting up through brilliant white quartzite dominates the park’s landscape. Whittled down over millions of years by ice ages, they were once taller than the Rockies. The La Cloche Silhouette Trail is a gruelling 78 km loop that takes you up and down through a variety of ecosystems. We are told by friends that the hike to Silver Peak is supposed to have the best view in the whole park, although we never had a chance to do it because of bad weather.

In addition to the epic views from atop the La Cloche Mountains and the seclusion of the backcountry, Killarney also exhibits some fascinating intermixing of landscapes. The inland lakes with their deep blue waters nestle between the hills and are surrounded by dense pine and spruce forests that are typical of Northern Ontario. Mixed in with these are lush hardwoods that are more typical of Ontario’s south. As is to be expected, there is no shortage of wildlife here including beavers, bears and moose. There’s a strong chance you’ll run in to at least one of these animals.

As with most of the Northern Ontario parks, Killarney has an enormous amount to offer the naturalist and that is why we include it in our list of favourites. Since it’s only about a 4 hour drive from Toronto, the Killarney backcountry has become our number one place to truly get away from it all.