Killarney Provincial Park was established on the north shore of Georgian Bay in 1964, but its origins trace back to the conservation efforts of artists, notably A.Y. Jackson of the Group of Seven, who pushed to protect the area for wilderness recreation and its unique landscape.
For several decades, I have heard of the natural wonders of this region, and this spring spent a week camping, hiking, and kayaking there, camera in hand. It was a dream come true.
In this post, I am sharing photos from four distinct locations in the Killarney area.
POINT GRONDINE PARK:
We set up camp in Point Grondine Park, a First Nation owned and operated 18,000 acre recreational area east of Killarney Provincial Park.
Point Grondine Park features 12 new spacious campsites for tent or trailer camping. They are primitive in nature (which means they are off grid, with privy toilets available on site) but very private and quiet. It was so lovely to wake up each morning surrounded by trees and birdsong.
Our Airstream trailer provided all the comforts of home - propane powered refrigerator, stove and oven; flush toilet and shower; comfortable queen-sized bed; and solar powered batteries for our satellite internet. We used our gasoline-powered portable generator a few times for additional electrical needs.
One day we hiked to Mahzenazing Lake, which had some lovely rock outcroppings along its shoreline. This is the largest interior lake in Point Grondine Park.
Scenes of fresh water, sturdy smooth rocks, and wind-sculpted trees, (very typical elements of the Canadian Shield), always captivate my artistic mind. I was able to capture several paint-worthy views with my camera during our hike.
KILLARNEY LIGHTHOUSE TRAIL:
Another day we drove to the little town of Killarney on the shore of Georgian Bay to hike the famous Lighthouse Trail (pictured below).
The slabs of rock were huge, and we spent an hour clambering along the shore. I love the powerful diagonal lines of rock crevices, and the blue/orange colour palette in the photo above.
Shown above is another dramatic photo from that day, featuring interesting puddle shapes that lead the eye toward moody skies over Georgian Bay. This will translate into an awesome painting.
Interesting lichens provided a striking colour contrast with pink granite, worn smooth over millions of years. The Canadian Shield is very old, with parts of it dating back over 4 billion years. This makes it one of the oldest and most stable geological regions on the planet.
CHIKANISHING TRAIL IN KILLARNEY PROVINCIAL PARK:
My favourite hike of the week took us 3 km along the Chikanishing (pronounced chicken-ISH-ing) Trail in Killarney Provincial Park. We hiked over several large smooth granite ridges with beautiful old growth pines, pictured above. The patterns of lichens were extraordinary, especially when you realize these plants only grow about 1 mm in diameter each year.
We soon reached Georgian Bay, where a collection of rocky islands dotted the shoreline. I was delighted to see two kayakers paddle by, to provide a sense of scale and adventure in the photo above.
Everywhere I looked, pink granite provided a stunning contrast to blue water and sky, and pale green lichen added its unique textural topping to the rocks.
The water of Georgian Bay was very clear, revealing underwater stones and rock shelves. I always wonder how large trees can anchor and survive on what appears to be solid rock on these islands.
Shown above is another dramatic composition with diagonal lines and my favourite blue/orange colour combination. Intricate lichens add interest to the foreground.
As we sat on a rock ledge eating our picnic lunch, it seemed there was a potential painting subject everywhere I turned.
While we paused to absorb the beauty and peace of these rocky islands, I was reminded anew how fortunate we are to live in this part of the world.
GEORGE LAKE IN KILLARNEY PROVINCIAL PARK:
On our last day of camping in Killarney, the weather was warm and sunny with little wind, so we took the opportunity to launch our kayaks from the beach at George Lake in Killarney Provincial Park. The photo above shows me in my kayak at the base of one of the impressive rock cliffs on the lake.
Shown above is the same rock face from a different angle. My kayak would look like a tiny speck in this photo.
Shown above is one of the most famous rock cliffs on George Lake. I love the diagonal rock crevices juxtaposed with vertical mineral stains. The two pines at the summit give a sense of scale to this massive, smooth headland.
The same headland looks very different viewed from behind (pictured above). That smoothly eroded kind of rock surface always reminds me of elephant hide.
George Lake is lined with interesting rocky shores. The contrast of pink granite and green conifers dominates the photo above.
Our day on the water provided a fitting finale to our week exploring the wonders of Killarney. Now I understand why artists like the Group of Seven were captivated by this stunning region and kept returning here to capture the iconic Canadian Shield landscape in their famous paintings. I have so much admiration for this land and look forward to capturing some magic of my own in watercolour. Stay tuned!
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This past August, as my husband and I explored the north shore of Lake Superior with our travel trailer in tow, we had the immense good fortune to obtain a serviced camping site for a week in a most amazing place that very few people have heard about: Pukaskwa National Park.
Over the years, we had seen the sign for the turnoff to this Park on Hwy 17 between Wawa and Marathon and finally dropped in for a few hours in the summer of 2020, to check out the camping facilities.
