Provincial Parks Guide: Central Ontario
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This list has been compiled from the Ministry of Natural Resources web site.
All links will take you to the page on that park.
The "directions" (near north, etc) are relative to Peterborough.
TO THE NEAR-NORTH
Petroglyphs
A sacred place where holy
spirits speak
Deep within a forest northeast of
Peterborough is an extraordinary
collection of picture-words, called
petroglyphs. Prehistoric Algonkians
carved this assortment of shapes and
figures on a slab of crystalline
limestone between 500 and 1000
years ago. Depicting turtles, snakes,
humans, and other beings and
objects, the petroglyphs number
about 900. Comprising one of the
largest concentrations of aboriginal
rock art in North America, they are
regarded as an archaeological
treasure. A large, protective glass
building was constructed in 1984.
Wolf Island
Paleozoic limestone outcroppings rub shoulders with much older, Precambrian
bedrock on this island, which is accessible by foot from the Lovesick Lock. There is
no road access. During the late Wisconsinan-era, glaciers carved crescent-shaped
gouges and striations in the bedrock here. The island is blanketed by a variety of
vegetation, including swamp forest and thickets, mixed and deciduous forest, and
open rockland forest of scattered trees and shrubs.
Hiking trails are the only visitor facility. For safety reasons, swimming is prohibited
near the locks and dams of the nearby Trent-Severn Waterway.
Silent Lake
Silent Lake offers a perfect setting for enjoying the natural beauty and tranquility of
the lower Canadian Shield. The forest is a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees,
with birch, maple, hemlock and white pine the most common species. The trees are
mostly second growth as the area was opened up by loggers in the 1800s. Visitors
can see reminders of the logging period in the remains of logging camps scattered
throughout the area, and the huge, blackened stumps of trees consumed by fire
long ago.
Egan Chutes
A protected park:
A bend of the York River has become a wetland with
an adjacent sand flat, where poplar, white birch, ash,
buffaloberry, and purple flowering raspberry grow.
Minerals found here include nepheline, sodalite,
biotite, zircon, and blue corundum.
Lake St. Peter
The town of Lake St. Peter is gateway to a lake and park of the same name. The park
is on the southern edge of the Canadian Shield and the bedrock in the area contains
many notable minerals.
The park has 62 campsites, 46 large enough to accommodate trailers. There are no
electrical outlets, but all sites have easy access to drinking water, vault toilets, and
other amenities. As this is a very popular park, reservations for campsites are
recommended, particularly during the peak summer season. There is a store near
the park entrance, and a wider range of goods and supplies available in the nearby
Town of Maynooth.
Algonquin
Algonquin stretches across 7,725 square
kilometres of wild and beautiful lakes and
forests, bogs and rivers, cliffs and beaches -- a
canoeist's and camper's paradise as far as the
eye can see. Established in 1893, Algonquin is
Ontario's first and perhaps best known
provincial park.
The only way to explore the rugged beauty of Algonquin's Interior is by canoe or on
foot. For a less demanding vacation, there is a "second" Algonquin -- the Parkway
Corridor, a 56-kilometre stretch of Highway 60 running through the southwest corner
of the park. Here you can enjoy camping swimming, museums, hiking, learning and
picnicking with the comfort of modern amenities. Easily accessible for daytrippers,
about one-third of all Algonquin visitors stay nearby and come to the Park to visit a
museum, walk a trail, or go for a swim and a picnic. Swimming is especially good at
the beautiful sand beaches at Lake of Two Rivers.
Camping in Algonquin: roughly 1,200 campsites are available in eight campgrounds along the parkway
corridor, while another 1,900 campsites dot the Interior. The eight campgrounds in
the corridor accommodate tent or trailers, and offer a range of amenities, including
comfort stations, showers, laundromats, boat-launching ramps, beaches and picnic
grounds.
TO THE NORTH WEST
Emily Park
The Pigeon River, part of the Kawartha Lakes system, winds through rolling hills,
open meadows and woodlands of Emily Provincial Park. The shoreline marshes
and wet cedar woods provide a sanctuary for great blue herons and many other
birds, wildlife and plantlife.
Balsam Lake
Balsam Lake Provincial Park is located along a chain of lakes which are linked, via
river and canal, into the Trent-Severn Waterway. This region of south of central
Ontario is known for its pastoral charm. Close at hand are the Haliburton Highlands,
the Muskoka Lakes region, and the rugged Precambrian wilderness.
TO THE EAST
Sharbot Lake
Sharbot Lake is situated near the cities of Ottawa and Kingston on the southern
flank of the Canadian Shield -- a billion-year-old expanse of exposed Precambrian
bedrock.
Ferris
The park is situated on a series of rolling hills called drumlins, which overlook the
Trent River just a few kilometres from the town of Campbellford. Formed by till left
behind by the glaciers that once covered Ontario, these almond-shaped hills are the
ideal spot from which to view the panorama of the area.
Presqui'le
Presqu'ile -- French for "almost an island" -- is a boomerang-shaped spit of sand
and limestone that juts sharply into Lake Ontario. The land formation is a tombolo,
created as wind and waves piled sand and gravel from the lake bottom between a
limestone island and the mainland. The action of the water and wind reinforces the
peninsula with sand and causes the beach to grow by as much as 2 metres each
year! Richly varied, the park's natural landscape features sand dunes, sand and
pebbled beaches, limestone outcroppings, forests, reedy marshes and coastal wet
meadows called pannes which are of international significance. The park is a haven for migratory
birds.
Sandbanks
When the glaciers receded from what is now southern Ontario, more than 12,700
years ago, they left behind the land and water formations much as they are found
today. The southern and southwestern shores of what is now Prince Edward County
were exposed to the waves driven by prevailing westerly winds, creating ideal
conditions for the development of sandbars and dunes.
Two spectacular stretches of sand dunes -- including the West Lake formation,
considered the largest freshwater sand dune system in Canada -- make this park
unique and memorable. Most of the dunes are between 12 metres and 25 metres
high. The beaches are among the finest in the province, where golden sand and
sparkling water make an ideal partnership.
TO THE NORTHEAST
Bonnechere
The park takes its name from the Bonnechere River, once an important square
timber logging route. The river meanders around several tiny oxbow lakes before
reaching Round Lake. Other natural features include a beaver pond and a marsh.
There are 114 campsites available from mid-May through Labour Day. Other
facilities include a playground, horseshoe pits, volleyball net, walking trails and
boardwalks for nature viewing. Special events and children's programs are featured
weekly.
Visitors can enjoy swimming from one of the best sandy beaches in eastern Ontario,
boating, fishing, and hiking through the picturesque Bonnechere River Valley forest.
Round Lake is well-suited to canoeing and boating.
Bon Echo
Bon Echo Provincial Park is on the southern edge of the Canadian Shield in Eastern
Ontario. Its beautiful forests, lakes, and beaches combine with a rich cultural history,
and one particularly outstanding geological feature -- Mazinaw Rock -- to make this
park one of the most popular outdoor recreation areas in the province.
The Ontario Map Showing Park Locations