Human-caused forest fire on OSA Lake in Killarney Provincial Park
When you’re backcountry camping on one of the hardest-to-book and most beautiful lakes in one of the hardest-to-book and most beautiful provincial parks in Ontario, you hardly expect to stumble upon a forest fire on Canada Day weekend. We spent two nights on Lake Killarney, including a hike up to The Crack, before making the […]
How to go backcountry camping during the pandemic
When the province of Ontario allowed backcountry camping starting June 1st, we only had a few days to plan our first trip, already booked for June 4th to the Massasauga Provincial Park. After months of not seeing people, we wanted to invite some friends, so we devised a few ways to eliminate infection while camping […]
Ontario Parks should reopen backcountry access to help fight the ‘echo pandemic’
Open letter to Jeff Yurek, MPP for Elgin-Middlesex-London and Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks As Ontario begins to consider its careful and considered reopening after the pandemic period, it would be prudent and wise to return the province’s treasured outdoor spaces to its residents. Parks Canada announced on April 15 that it will […]
Bottle Lake in Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park
Bottle Lake is admired by canoe campers for its ease of access, sandy beaches, and nearby waterfalls. Join the Urban Paddlers as we set out to explore the lake and the waterfalls at the north end of Bottle, and on Catchacoma Lake as well.
Potter’s Creek and Tom Thomson Lake loop in Algonquin Provincial Park
What could be more Canadian than backcountry canoe camping through Tom Thomson Lake over the Canada Day weekend? That’s the question I posed to my friends when I was organizing a four-night trek into the Algonquin backcountry, starting July 1. Though judging from their responses in the negative, I guess it did little to stoke […]
Bell-David Lake Loop and Silver Peak hike in Killarney Provincial Park
Interactive map | How to do it Urban Paddler has returned! After a brief three years in dry dock, we’re packing up our food barrels, strapping the canoe to the car, and getting ready to dip our paddles into the waters of some exciting outdoor adventures once again. Stay tuned for some new posts detailing […]