Frontenac is home to three beautiful provincial parks.
Discover car and back-country camping, canoe and kayak rentals, hiking trails, and spots to swim.
By Clark Richards, Park Superintendent
At Bon Echo Provincial Park we believe life is better the minute we go outside on an adventure, big or small. An experience here inspires people to discover, enjoy, value and protect the rich natural and cultural resources forever.
The boundaries of the park permanently protect over 20,000 acres of diverse ecosystems, rich human history and rugged beauty. Bon Echo has 530 campsites offering a range of experiences including fully serviced waterfront cabins, yurts, exploration tents and car campsites to remote canoe and hiking trail-accessed backcountry campsites.
Some visitors come for a leisurely day excursion or multi-week vacation to relax on the sand beaches, learn about the park’s cultural history and unwind around a campfire in the evening while staying in a full serviced cabin.
Other visitors like to incur some sweat equity and pursue a more physically challenging experience. Visitors can hike or trail run the 30km of trails, rock climb, canoe, portage and fish the 10 different lakes while staying on a serene backcountry campsite. There is a day or overnight experience and opportunity to connect with nature and history for everyone at the park. The awe-inspiring Mazinaw Rock and its rich history is one of the park highlights.
The expansive Mazinaw Rock is a remarkable geological and cultural feature located at the height of land between the Ottawa River and Lake Ontario watersheds. The granite cliff is 1.5km long and over 100m above Mazinaw Lake and is the site of over 260 Indigenous pictographs. The Mazinaw Rock remains a sacred place for Indigenous peoples providing a connection with their past and a continuing spiritual resource in the present.
The Friends of Bon Echo Park Organization offer a guided tour boat experience to take in the rugged beauty of the Mazinaw Rock and learn about its fascinating history from a passionate onboard Park Interpreter. The Cliff Top trail leads to the highpoint on Mazinaw Rock offering spectacular views of the surrounding landscape. This trail can be accessed by tour boat or by canoe, kayak or standup paddleboard rentals through the Bon Echo Outfitters Contractor in the park.
This is just one of a multitude of tremendous outdoor experiences available during the spring, summer and fall at Bon Echo Provincial Park.expansive Mazinaw Rock is a remarkable geological and cultural feature located at the height of land between the Ottawa River and Lake Ontario watersheds.
We look forward to seeing you in the park on your next adventure.
by Carolyn Bonta, Friends of Frontenac Park
For an outdoor enthusiast, a trip to Frontenac Provincial Park is essential. Frontenac was established in 1974 as a “Threshold to Wilderness”: a place to try wilderness camping and to learn outdoor skills without straying too far from civilization. Over the years, the park has grown popular with families, organized groups, and day visitors, all of whom come to experience its unique backcountry and stunning natural environment. Each season offers something special at Frontenac park, but you will get the most out of your visit if you plan your activity to match the time of year:
- Spring: before biting flies emerge: The birdsong on an early-morning hike or trail run through pine forests, rock barrens, and wetands of the southern half of the park is the best way to appreciate why Frontenac park is part of the Frontenac Forests Important Bird Area, a designation that recognizes the park’s enormous diversity of birds.
- Summer: Paddle a canoe into Camel Lake for some solitude. Most of the park’s lakes are deep, clear and perfect for swimming; I especially enjoy snorkeling in the west half of warm Little Salmon Lake among schools of fish and the occasional musk turtle.
- Fall: Back to hiking and trail running, this time through the northern half of the park which was settled up until the 1950’s. Remnant homesteads and old roadbeds are subtle reminders of the past, and entertain my imagination of what it might have been like to live in the park.
- Winter: Our climate can make trail travel slippery, so definitely bring foot grippers (Yaktrax or even Khatoola MICROspikes). With a pair of snowshoes and enough snow, create your own route! Set out down the Corridor Trail on a loop around Arab Lake, keeping an eye out for the Barred Owls and porcupine that hang out near the parking lot. But be careful if you travel across ice: beaver are active in winter and keep channels flowing, leading to weak ice in parts of many wetlands.
To explore beyond the Park Office / Corridor Trail area, a trail map is essential! In keeping with the Threshold to Wilderness origins, trail signs emphasize campsite locations – knowing you need to turn left to campsites 9 and 12, and go straight to sites 5 and 13, doesn’t help when you’re wondering how to get to Little Clear Lake Loop trail! The Friends of Frontenac Park’s detailed trail map ($12 for paper, $25 for waterproof) is a worthwhile investment. If you are planning to camp, book well in advance because most sites are occupied from spring to fall.
