In late September 2023, we make our first trek through historic Killarney Provincial Park. We begin our journey by travelling to Willisville, ON, where we launch our canoe on a sunny afternoon. From there, we make our way down Frood Lake to the park itself, whose boundary actually begins in Cranberry Bay at the east end of Frood Lake.
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The first portage is 1,700m and seems more intimidating on the map than it turns out to be. We find ourselves quickly on Grace Lake, where we camp for night one. Grace is filled with wildlife; otters, loons, beavers, frogs, and even water snakes accompany us for a picturesque and memorable sunset.
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A lazy morning on day two finds us make our way to the east end of Grace, where we have another 2,000m portage. Equally picturesque, this short bit of work finds us sliding ol' Swifty onto Carmichael Lake, which is basically an isolated bay of Nellie Lake, where we stay for night two. But first, we do a bit of rock climbing to take in the late afternoon vistas from the top of the gleaming white hills.
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Day 3 finds us doing more rock-hopping from Nellie, in order to locate the vantage point from which A.Y. Jackson painted the famous "Nellie Lake". We share this journey with our new friend Rob and capture some of the iconic Killarney views from atop the quartzite hills. From there, we make our way down the infamous "Notch Portage", but not before Sheri's pack loses one of its straps. A quick trailside repair has us finish the portage in plenty of time to find our final campsite on Murray Lake.
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The third and final night in the park treats us with a gorgeous, starry sky, and we are even surprised by a lovely showing of the Aurora Borealis! The next morning is another gem in terms of weather, so we take our time heading out of the park. We make our way down Howry Creek, toward Charlton Lake, and are blown away by the peaceful and scenic paddle down the creek.
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This loop is accessible to just about any paddler, with a bit of planning ahead. We highly recommend a visit to this historic place - it is absolutely worth all of the hullabaloo!
**All drone footage filmed OUTSIDE of Provincial Park boundaries**
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#THISISHOWWECAMP #getoutside
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Avenza Maps - https://store.avenza.com/
Xander Budnick - https://www.youtube.com/@UCDoJIpPvtEwFvfNXsZvCqKw
Camper Christina - https://camperchristina.com/
Killarney Provincial Park - https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/killarney
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Where we found the route - https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/kevin-callan/
https://www.ontarioparks.com/parksblog/100-anniversary-group-of-seven/
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https://www.algomacountry.com
https://www.northernontario.travel
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All Music by Jay Case - www.jaycasemusic.com
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