Day Trip: Algonquin Provincial Park - November 16, 2013

With some decent weather finally making a day of hiking possible, we headed up to Algonquin on Saturday hoping to do the Whiskey Rapids trail.  This trail suffered damage during the flooding this spring, and only opened a week ago.  We were really curious about how much the trail had changed, and if there would be any signs of just how high water had gotten.

The plan was to hit the visitor centre first, ket the kids spend their gift certificates, then hit the Tea lake Dam picnic area, cook up some hot dogs on mum's BioStove.  She'd bought this in the early summer and hadn't had a chance to try it out.  Then we'd do the trail and head home.

Unfortunately, when we were paying for our things at the gift shop, the lady working there told us Whiskey Rapids was closed again because of flooding.

What?  We couldn't believe it!  After all summer of wanting to check this out, it closes again after only a week.  We couldn't help but laugh.  Unsure what to do, and with the trails having a bit of ice on them, we decided to play it safe and just do the Spruce Bog Boardwalk trail.  Kind of a a let down, but it was better than sitting at home watching the kids play video games.

On the way to Tea Lake Dam, we saw two moose!  We hadn't expected to see much in the way of wildlife.  It was a cow and her baby.  On the way through the park earlier in the day we saw a six point buck.  Biscuit barked a few times, not crazy barking but the little woofs he let out made the moose raise their heads, giving us better photo opportunities.  I should say it gave everyone else photo opportunities.  I was seating in the middle of the back seat, holding the dog.  No matter where I tried to move, there was either

Once we got to Tea Lake Dam, we hunted for dry sticks, which wasn't easy.  Thankfully, the BioStove lights easily and it takes hardly any time to get enough heat going to cook some hot dogs on the grill attachment.

All in all, it was a great day.  The temperature dropped pretty low by the time we ate, but otherwise, it was a great day.

Day Hike: Miller Creek Conservation Area

Yesterday was such a beautiful day, Chris and I decided to do a little exploring.  Originally, we'd thought about going to Petroglyph's Provincial Park, but given the distance, and the need to get back to get the kids off the bus, we figured we'd stick to something closer.

Canadian Columbine's along Miller Creek Trail

I knew there was a conservation area near Bridgenorth with a hiking trail, so looked it up on my phone as we were driving.  The information was pretty limited on the website, and the little map was very inaccurate. Normally, when you go through Bridgenorth you want to take E Communication Rd. but the entrance to this little road was ripped up and under construction so we went a little further and turned onto Holden Rd.  Bridgenorth is a little confusing...the street name changes three times in less than a KM.  It starts as Chemong Rd just before entering town, changes to something else until you hit the traffic light, then it's something else.  Once you are out of town and hit the big curve the road becomes Line 8 Smith.

Anyway, once on Holden, you soon come to Line 7 (which is what E Communication becomes) and turn left.  The map on the phone showed it to the right, so we drove up and down the road looking for it.  It's practically right across from Holden and the sign is pretty hidden.  It's brown with yellow letters.  You'll see the gate a few meters into the little driveway. There's really only parking for 2 cars, so I'm guessing this park doesn't get used much?  The trails certainly didn't seen all that heavily used.

Red Wing Black Bird

Okay, so there's only about 1km of trail.  Almost immediately, the route forks.  If you go to the right, you'll get to a wooden tower platform thing where you can look out over the swamp/marsh and watch for birds.  We only saw a red wing black bird but there are usually ducks, herons and several other species hanging around according to the sign.

The actual trail goes along the edge of the marsh, giving you more chances to see birds.  The mosquitoes were crazy bad in the shady areas, so we didn't stick around too long, just did the loop and headed back out.

There's no place to sit and have a picnic (unless you carry a blanket and set up in the one area that's a little field.  Basically, it's a small little protected area with a marsh and small creek, but I imagine it's a good spot to watch for birds.  We did see a yellow bird that definitely wasn't a goldfinch, but I couldn't positively identify it. It might have been a pine warbler.  I got a picture but the angle didn't give me a view of it's wings or tail so I couldn't be sure.  I just know the wings weren't dark enough to be either a male or female goldfinch.

Provincial Park Review: Restoule

View from lookout on Fire Tower Trail

Our recent trip to Restoule was only for two nights but we very much enjoyed ourselves.  The park is off the beaten track, with fairly private, woodland type campsites, and several options for activities to keep you occupied.

We stayed in the Putt's Point campground, near to the beach.  The site we had was large enough for our two tents, but the slight pad slope made it difficult to find good spots to set them up.  There was a good distance between us and the next row of sites behind us, and probably 20 feet of wooded area on either side.  You could see your neighbour, but they weren't so close you felt like they could be staring at you all the time.


We were also two sites down from a vault toilet, coming off a holiday weekend.  In some places we've been, the odour from the outhouses would waft a good distance but these didn't.  While they did smell (it's an outhouse, what can you expect) once you were inside, they were also clean and mostly free of bugs.  The comfort stations, on the other hand, smelled bad from a good distance, but were fine once you got inside.

Standing at the base of the Fire Tower

Restoule offers several trails for hiking, three of which allow bicycling as well.  We didn't have our bikes, though next time I think I'd take them.  Two of the bike trails are rated easy, and perfect for young children (or those of us with bad knees) while the third, Gibs Trail is unmarked, unmaintained and considered challenging.  We did the Fire Tower Trail, which is 7 or 8 km (depending on which sign you are looking at) and though it starts off very flat, gets quite difficult.  There are several sections where you are picking your way up or down steep hills and jumbled rock cuts.  I made the mistake of wearing flip-flops because I hadn't packed socks and knew my shoes would rub my heels raw.  Not exactly easy.  The view from the lookout was worth it, as was poking around the old fire tower high on a rocky plateau.

The park also offers excellent canoeing.  Being park of the Upper Restoule-French River canoe route, you can use Restoule as a jumping off point for the back country route, or chose to take day trips.  It's a beautiful area, and if we go again, I'd take my canoe for sure.

The only disappointing thing for us was the beaches.  With water levels being so low, there wasn't much actual good swimming area.  The water stays really shallow (maybe 6-7 inches) then drops down into a mucky, stick-filled ooze that the kids wanted nothing to do with.  We did check out the visitor's centre, which is very small, but a good way to kill half an hour.  There's no park store either, but the town of Restoule, about 9km away, has a good general store that has, literally everything...gas, food, tools, dishes, camping gear, rope, chain...it's an old fashion general store, something you don't often see anymore.

In all, Restoule was nice.  There were some noisy campers, some singing Disney songs like they thought they were Celine Dion, and some who were whooping it up like they were in a bar watching play off hockey.  None of the sites stood out as being "best in the park" sites, nor were there any that we saw that made us say "That site would suck" That's pretty rare, in my experience.  Other than some of the pad slopes being annoying for levelling a trailer, or finding a good place to put a tent, the sites were all acceptable. (that we saw...we didn't manage to drive down every little path) Also, all the sites were fairly open to the roads.  It was like someone went by with a giant, rectangular cookie cutter to make them.

If anyone else has been to Restoule, I'd love to hear your thoughts.  I'm curious if the beaches would be better earlier in the summer, and if the lookout is even better with the fall colours.

Provincial Park Review: Presquile

I'm guessing almost any camp ground is going to be better when you're one of the only people camping there - no crowds, no noise, no disgusting bathrooms.... but our first trip to Presquile was definitely one of our best trips to date.

View down the shore from our site

Chris and I came to this park when the kids were babies, in the off season just to drive through and have a picnic.  We were able to drive through one of the campgrounds, High Bluffs, and at the time we thought the sites were really spectacular...right on Lake Ontario?  What could be better?  Well, to be honest, those water front sites wouldn't be our first choice, not now anyway.  They are very open, at least the ones closest to the water, and offer no privacy. The back loops of this section are more private though.  This section was also the most populated during our trip (arriving the monday of Victoria Day Weekend and leaving on the Wednesday.)  Our campsite was in the Lakeside Campground, and our site was right on the water as well, but it was treed in and would be fairly private even when there were a lot of people around.

I only got to do a walk through some of the other sections but for the most part the sites were of good size and with medium privacy.  I wasn't impressed with the Pines Campground sites, and didn't get into the Elmvale and Trails End ones at all but the Maples and Craig's sites were pretty nice.  *Note - in the spring, the Craig's sites sit amid a bit of stagnant water which increased the number of mosquitoes in that area, but this will have dried up by summer.

You can see the boardwalk wiggling off into the distance

Presquile has a park store, with the usual selection of candy, basic camp meal options like Kraft Dinner, camp gear, ice cream and apparently, in the summer, a small cafe.  There is also several other things to check out, including a nature centre (not open when we were there) the Lighthouse Interpretive Center and Gift Shop (also not open) and a nice selection of trails.  We were only able to get to one, the Marsh Boardwalk Trail, (the kids didn't want to stop throwing rocks in the lake long enough to eat let alone go for a hike) and we took the dogs for a walk along the bike trail.  I definitely recommend the Marsh Boardwalk Trail.  There is 800m of boardwalk, excellent for spotting birds.  We saw a family of swans feeding.  Swans were introduced to the area and have thrived here.  Experts are unsure of the impact their presence will have on the eco-system yet, but they sure were cool to see.

Mom, Dad and three babies

We aren't big bird enthusiasts, mostly because its not an activity one can do with young kids who don't understand the concept of quiet, but I did manage to spot 4 species I hadn't seen before: Double-crested Cormorant, Common Flicker, Eastern Kingbird and Northern Waterthrush. We also saw lots of Red Winged Blackbirds, and there were some brave crows and bluejays who kept stealing kibble out of the dogs dishes.

Considering the time of year, we were lucky to not have swarms of black flies and mosquitoes.  Some of the parts along the bike trail had swarms of little flies that I'm not entirely sure the name of, and in some spots it was so bad it was like walking through a beaded curtain.  They don't bite though, it was just annoying to suddenly get a mouth full of little flies.

I did a quick check to see how booked up Presqu'ile is in the summer, choosing 2 nights, mid week in mid July and other than Trails End Campground and High Bluffs, most areas are about 50% booked.  Whether this indicates the park is semi-quiet all summer is debatable but when you look at how quickly parks like Algonquin fill up, it does seem possible. When I did the same thing on a random July weekend (non-holiday weekend) the only campground with available sites was Craig's, which is radio free.  We never take a radio, but I guess a lot of people must if only 11 out of 35 sites there were booked when the rest of the park is entirely full.  I put the question out to you, how important is it to you to have music playing when you are camping?

I got the feeling a lot of locals use the park on a regular basis for biking and hiking.  When we were in line to get our camping permit, there were a lot of people there getting day-use season passes.  Yes the pass lets you use any Ontario Park (excluding overnight use) but considering a lot of these people biked in to buy their pass, I figured it must be popular with those in and around Brighton. This is understandable because the bike path runs right along the shore of Lake Ontario (for the most part) and there are three really nice beaches and a lot of picnic areas, including a brand new screened in picnic shelter.

In general, I give Presqu'ile a good rating.  The site are the usual mix of good and bad, like with any park, but the good out number the bad.  There is plenty of things to occupy your time, lots of trails, as well as a store and educational opportunities.  Brighton is only a few minutes away and has at least two grocery stores where you can get supplies, and there is a Walmart about 15 minutes away in Trenton. (We had to make a trip there to get a few more little propane canisters.

If anyone else has been to Presqu'ile and would like to share their impressions, stories or favourite sites, leave a comment.  I'd be interested in hearing what others thought of this park.

Ken Reid Conservation Area

We did a short hike through Ken Reid today since the weather was nice. After a quick stop at the grocery store for picnic essentials, we headed to the park. Ken Reid is located just north of Lindsay, off highway 35 (take Ken Rei road) and is a good place for an easy hike. There are a lot of trail options, but for the most part they are relatively flat. There are some trails with exposed roots to trip the feet, so watch your step.

We parked at the beach and decided to do the point trail which is 2.8km. To start, you head down the cedar forest trail (my favourite section) then take the boardwalk. On the other side, you can go to the left, which puts you on the camp loop (729m) or to the right to take the Point Loop. There is a centre trail as well that takes you to the group camping field and a picnic shelter. We always stop here on the way back from the point, because the kids like to pump the old water pump.



The point trail takes you mostly along the shore of Sturgeon Lake, through cedar forests. There was a lot of recent beaver activity, and we saw a lot of ducks and geese in the water. They weren't too close so it was hard to tell but I noted mallard ducks, as well as possibly loons and common mergansers.

Ken Reid is a bird sanctuary but we hardly ever see birds because the kids make too much noise. They are getting better but still, without fail, when I see a bird and try to either get a picture or spot it with my binoculars, they start making a racket and scare the birds off. Stupid me got the kids their own binoculars for Easter then forgot to bring them with us. *sigh*

For our picnic, I did the lazy thing today. We stopped at Loblaws and grabbed a Veggie and Dip tray, a demi-baguette, some bruschetta, and some cookies. To be honest I didn't think the kids would like the bruschetta but to my surprise they did. I'll have to keep that in mind for next time. Yes it was a little awkward to eat. We ripped chunks off the bread and spooned the bruschetta onto them, which got a little messy but it was fun.

I know the dollar store has small bamboo cutting boards, I might pick up a few of them for camping and picnics. They were only about 4"X5" or so, perfect to fit in a backpack or picnic bag along with a small knife.

Trail Review: Sir Sandford Fleming River Walk

Difficulty: easy
Length: about 1km

We hadn't intended to try out this trail, in fact we didn't even know it was there. Chris and I had gone to Tim Horton's and decided to sit at the Memorial Park off Lindsay Street while we drank our coffee. It was a nice sunny day so I suggested we walk around a bit. The Memorial Park is nice, and we did a few geocaches there a few years ago.

We left the parking lot and followed a little trail that parallels the street (go past the picnic shelter towards the cemetery) and came to a driveway. On the other side of the driveway, the path continued so we decided to follow it. The trail meanders along the river where there are a few benches where you can sit and watch the water. We sat there for a while then decided to see where the trail went.

For a trail that goes through town, you can't expect much. The trail goes past some fields full of heavy equipment. We weren't sure if this was land being developed but we suspected it might have been students because Fleming has lessons on using them. Still, the trail was pretty enough and goes through a nice tree lined area, past a teepee and some other buildings before coming to the parking lot at the college. I recommend it for an easy walk that's close to home.

Trail Review: Emily Tract - take 2

We returned to the Emily Tract for another hike the other day and decided to do the full 2 loops totaling 2km. The second loop starts after the bridge halfway through the first loop. We went to the left, and right away noticed this loop was a bit hillier than the first (there is one fairly steep hill that takes you to a bit of a look out over a farm at the very back of the loop) but it was also quite pretty.

One interesting thing about this trail was the plaque with information about musclewood trees, also known as the blue beech. If you run your hands over the bark, it feels like rippled muscle. Very cool. You can find more information here. There were also a lot of areas where you're going through cedars which I love. Cedar trees make a kind of clattering sound when the wind picks up and it always reminds me of the scene in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves where the Sheriff's men come into the forest and there are bones hanging from the trees. It's eerie and gives me goosebumps every time. I can't help but look out for ghosts.

There were a lot of side trails that were marked with pink tape but we weren't sure where they went and didn't have time to explore them. Also, after the hill and look out, we saw a lot of sap buckets obviously belonging to the farmer whose house we could see from the look out.

There is one geocache on the Emily Tract. I haven't tried to find it yet but will on my next time through.
---That "Loony" Skunk GC1983M

Trail Review: Spruce Bog Boardwalk - Algonquin Provincial Park

Trail Review: Spruce Bog Boardwalk - Algonquin Provincial Park
Length 1.5 KM
Easy
Location KM 42.5 highway 60 corridor

The Spruce Bog Boardwalk trail is probably the best hiking trail to take kids on during the winter while in Algonquin. Rule 1: Take a bag of bird seed or trail mix with you. Rule 2: Bring a camera.

From the parking lot, go to the left to start, not towards the section of trail that parallels the highway. At the start of the trail as you head over the bridge, you will immediately see bird seed all over the snow, mostly the hulls of sunflower seeds. Go a little further, to the first bend, and put some of your trail mix in your kids hands and get your camera ready.


Chickadees will probably be your first customers, but if you’re lucky, you’ll also get a visit from some Gray Jays. They’ll first fly to a tree nearby (close enough to take great pictures) then swoop down and land on your hand and snag some choice treats.

When I was a kid, I used to sit outside for ages with a hand full of sunflower seeds, hoping to lure some chickadees to land on my outstretched palm. It would take hours, but if you kept it up every day, they’d soon come down within a few minutes. Obviously, people have been feeding the birds on this little spot for a long time because both times we’ve been here, we had to wait only a minute before being visited.


The rest of the trail is a nice little walk across a long board walk and through some pretty forest. Though we tried enticing the birds at other areas around the loop, it never worked. Still, it’s a nice easy hike where a lot of people spot moose around the bog in the spring.

Trail Review - Somerville Tract

Trail Review: Somerville Tract
Length 3.9-8 KM depending on the route you choose
Moderate

The Somerville Tract is located on highway 45 between Kinmount and Norland, on the south side of the road. There is a fairly large sign and a good sized parking lot with outhouses available. (Snowed in when we were there. They aren't maintained in winter even though this is also a cross country ski trail) The Somerville Tract is also part of the Ganaraska Trail. If anyone is trying to hike the entire trail in bits and pieces, this is an easy, well marked section with some interesting features.

We hiked this trail when the snow was beginning to melt. We hadn't bothered to bring our snowshoes because where we live, only about 45 minutes away, there was almost no snow left. I had figured there would be some on the trail, since the tree canopy would block the sun and slow melting but there was at least 2-3 feet in most spots. Because of that, it was a little tough going as we kept falling through to our knees. That being said, it is a trail that is definitely worth checking out for a few key reasons.

1)We saw a ton of moose tracks in the snow, and they were fairly recent, probably the previous day. I’m hopeful this means I might one day spot a moose while hiking there.

2) Tornado damage. One part of the trail takes you through a swath of downed trees, I presume the result of the tornado that hit the area a few summers ago. It’s actually quite interesting to walk through and will give you an appreciation of mother nature’s power.

3) Jack pine plantation. We drive past the jack pine forests near Kinmount quite often, but it’s quite nice to walk through them. Orderly rows of trees, almost all the same size has a very different feel than walking through natural forest.

We only had time to do the first loop, and took the short cut because sinking into the snow really tired the kids out. Still, the hike totaled 3.9KM of gentle rolling hills. The second loop is classed as moderate according to cross country ski rankings, so I’m assuming it’s more hilly. The strangest part for me was on the short cut, when the path ended at a frozen swamp. As I’ve said before, I’m not a big fan of crossing frozen water, but it was clear the path continued on the other side. The map showed no bridges or boardwalks but I’m guessing there has to be something to get people across when the water isn’t frozen. I’m looking forward to going back now to see what’s under that ice.

Hiking Trail - Emily Tract

Stopping in to try out this trail was a last minute decision while returning from Peterborough. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much. I knew the Emily Tract only had 2kms of trail and didn't think it would be anything more than a path winding through the woods, without much of interest.

I was pleasantly surprised. We only had time to do the first kilometer loop but there were a few times where we had "oh cool" moments. First of all, the trail is fairly easy, with no long or steep hills, though the second section is apparently a bit more challenging. There are signs along the way to point out things of interest (also to warn of poison ivy). Basically, the full trail is a rather distorted figure eight. About halfway through the first loop, you can cross a small bridge and do the second loop, then once you get back to the bridge, finish the first and get back to your car.

The coolest part for us was realizing we were walking along the top of an esker, which is basically a long pile of sand and gravel left by melting glaciers. The trail drops off on both sides, fairly steeply. It felt like walking along the crest of a sand dune in the dessert...except it was snowy...and there were cedar trees growing on the slope. Er...well you know what I mean.

This would be a great little day hike for people camping at Emily Provincial Park. To get to the parking area from Emily Park, turn left onto the highway, then take the first left (apparently called Arterial Rd 14?) It's not too far down, on the left. There is room for about 8 cars in the parking area.

Cost: none