July 23-25, 2013
Highlights:
Mazinaw Rock: 150m long, 100m high
Hiking Trails:
- Cliff Top Trail: 1.5 km, three observation decks overlooking Mazinaw Lake
- High Pines Trail: 1.7 km
- Bon Echo Creek Trail: 1 km
It's late July and we decided to get away from town for a few days and settled on Bon Echo Provincial Park, in Cloyne, Ontario (about two hours from Ottawa.)
I'd been to Bon Echo many times growing up, but this would be the first time with my wife and kids, and our dog Hunter too.
When we left, the weather forecast called for some cool but sunny weather, but as we approached the park, we noticed some clouds coming in. We had just started unloading the van when a friendly camper from the site next door came over to help setup our tent... she said the storm was on the lake and would be here any minute. She was right - within two minutes it was pouring, just as we hammered the last stake into the ground!
The rain didn't last long, but it got really cool afterwards. We took a short walk to the edge of Mazinaw Lake for sunset views of Mazinaw Rock - spectacular! Then we spent the evening huddled around the campfire, then snuggled into our sleeping bags for the night. The temperature dropped to only 10`C... brrrr!
Next morning, we decided to head down to Napanee to grab some extra blankets as the forecast overnight was only 10` again. Along the way, on Hwy 41, we found a neat little Dark Sky road stop. People come here at night for an unspoiled glimpse of the night sky. This is Ontario's most southerly area free of light pollution.
Back from Napanee, we decided to rent a canoe for the afternoon. We paddled across the lake to Mazinaw Rock and did the hike up the steep cliff. The cliff is 150m long and over 100m high. What a view from the top! A great trail! The kids and dog loved it!
Afterwards, we paddled along Mazinaw Rock to check out the ancient Algonquin indian pictographs painted all over the rock faces. There are over 260 pictographs in all. Some were easily visible while others were harder to spot or distinguish. We spent over an hour on the water just enjoying the heat given off the rock face and enjoying the indian art.
A few close calls with the dog wanting to hop out of the canoe into other canoes passing by and we decided that was enough for our first family canoe trip.
Dinner and campfire, then bedtime with our new warm blankets.
The next day, we checked out the visitor centre and park store, then packed up the tent but stuck around to check out some of the hiking trails, including the High Pines Trail and the Bon Echo Creek Trail. Both were great hikes, and we spotted a few deer too which was great.
In the afternoon, we rented a canoe to head back to Mazinaw Rock and see if we could spot some peregrine falcons which were apparently nesting in the cliff rocks. No luck with the falcons, but we still enjoyed the paddle.
Before heading home, we thought it would be a good idea to get Hunter some exercise, so we headed over to the dog beach. Yes, a dog beach! What a pleasant surprise! It was a nice sandy beach, small but still clean and good for both us and Hunter. Other dogs came and went and everyone had a blast! Hunter was definitely tuckered out when we left!
Our time at Bon Echo had come to a close, but before heading home, we had to stop at The Spud Box for some world-famous French fries and burgers. Delicious! Almost worth the day trip itself!!
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| All packed up and ready go to go! I think Hunter is more excited than all of us! |
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| Campsite #95 was a great site in the Mazinaw Campground. |
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| Mazinaw Rock at sunset. |
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| Janie and Tyler reading about the Dark Sky road stop on Hwy 41. |
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| Looking up the first flight of stairs of the Cliff Top Trail. |
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| At the first lookout overlooking Mazinaw Lake. |
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| A great photo with Mazinaw Lake in the background. |
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| Paddling along Mazinaw Rock after our hike to the top. |
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| Rock face. |
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| The kids wanted to paddle around a bit without Hunter rocking the boat. |
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| Walking along the High Pines Trail, we encountered this beautiful deer. It didn't stick around too long. Hunter was leading the walk, but he just watched it bound away into the trees. |
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| Pictographs on Mazinaw Rock. |
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| Canoeing alongside Mazinaw Rock's pictographs. |
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| Another set of pictographs. |
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| At the dog beach! |
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| The Spud Box in Kaladar. Mmmmmm! |
