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Hiking/ Camping in the Georgian Bay Area

3K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  TO_Joe 
#1 ·
This weekend i want to go hiking/camping in the Georgian Bay area combined together with a trip to Toronto.

Which area is best to visit? The peninsula and/ or Tobermory? Or the Midland/Georgian Bay National Park Area?

I will mostly likely spend one full day max in the area. Where can anyone recommend that offers nice views, accessibility and good trails for just one day?

Any tips or places to visit in Ontario other than Toronto? London, hamilton, kitchener, etc? I will be coming from the Northeast U.S. Thanks!
 
#2 · (Edited)
for just one day, your best bet would be Killbear Provincial Park near Parry Sound, or Awenda P.P. near Midland. Both are only 2.5 hours drive from Toronto (pending on decent traffic). Don't expect to camp at either of them though; through most of the summer almost all parks in Ontario are already reserved. Even for non-reservable sites, people may line up as early as 9 am. Start checking into it now at www.ontarioparks.com . It might not be so bad now, as peak camping season is wrapping up. And forget about the long weekend.

You best bet for hiking would be along the Bruce Trail on the Bruce Peninsula. You could camp at the Bruce Peninsula National park up there, but it may be full too.

However, the best ways to experience Georgian Bay cannot be done in a day. Georgian Bay has literally thousands upon thousands of islands, and none are easily reached. To get the full effect, it's best to put aside a few days and go canoeing/kayaking. I was just up near Killarney (north shore of G-bay) two days ago for a 5-day canoe trip. It is utter wilderness up there; we canoed 2 hours south from Killarney and had a whole island to ourselves. The water was a gorgeous torquoise green.. you could swim and see down at least 50 feet into the water. An absolute paradise. Camping in the interior of Provincial Parks is easier than car-camping, as the sites are not all reserved. There's Killarney, French River, and the Massassauga, all large wilderness parks. Or, you can camp on Crown Land for free (publically owned land.. call an outfitter to find out where). Of all the Great Lakes, Georgian Bay is by far the most beautifull. Becuase the Canadian Shield graces it's east coast, it feels far more remote than anywhere else.

Another option for experiencing Georgian Bay would be to take the Island Queen cruise out of Parry Sound. It's a 3-hour cruise through the Thirty-Thousand Islands (largest fresh water archipelago in the world)... it gets you out far enough to see what it's all about.

To sum it up, you'd want to spend a bit more time up there to not be disapointed. The most interesting parts of Georgian Bay are not easily accessed, as major highways do not run adjacent to it. Take the time to explore a few little roads and niches. Get a detailed map; the official Ontario Road map will not help you in the least bit.

Another alternative liesure option you may not have considered would be to scuba dive at Tobermory; it's a popular spot as there are many shipwrecks there. Also, if your up for a party, check out Wasaga Beach for the long weekend. It's the longest freshwater beach in the world (14 km, I beleive) You won't see much natural splendour, but then again, maybe you will ;)
 
#3 · (Edited)
Algonquin has covered it all very well.

But I would just add that you aren't going to experience much in 1 day -- especially if you want to spend the day in outdoor activities.

Perhaps the best is to rent a sail boat and launch from the Killbear / Magnetawan area to get the 1 day experience.

A Few of My favourites:
1. Killarney (also the farthest, near Sudbury) -- one of the most beautiful parks in Ontario; also this is where the Group of 7 artists drew its beautiful and vibrant paintings of the area. Canoeing / kayaking is great. Great fish and chips off the pier in the village of Killarney (in a converted school bus -- the guy catches it fresh from the lake in the morning) -- about 15 km from the park entrance.

2. Tobermory / Bruce Penninsula (maybe closer depending on where in the US you are coming from -- if you are coming from Michigan, it is about 300 miles from Detroit). Great hiking on the Bruce Trail. My favourite is Wiarton -- Colpoys Bay -- head on the Bruce trail on the south side (just a few miles past the airport) -- really picturesque -- yiou will see the white dolomite caps and the deep blue waters of the 75m deep bay.
 
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