— Travel and Trekking Jots & Shots
Historic Waterway
Pond near the Pickerel River, part of the French River Delta
Having grown up in largely uninhabited Northern Ontario, a seemingly endless wilderness characterized by the boreal forest and the Canadian Shield has been my playground. In particular, the French River corridor spans from the Georgian Bay to the West Arm of Lake Nipissing, offering any combination of outdoor adventure, history, culture, and relaxation, whether travelling for leisure or trekking for a rugged escape.
Browse the selection of articles below about travel and trekking in French River.
Historically an important waterway, the scenery along the river amazes as it visibly transforms from the rocky windswept shores of Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay to the lush forested banks of Lake Nipissing. For this reason alone, travel and trekking in French River can’t be missed.
For wild scenery, historic river trips, abundant hiking, and good ol’ camping and fishing, outdoor travel in French River is a summer must. Think trails, canoes and kayaks, moose, gravel roads, and rustic lodges. Smell the pines and the fish fries.
There’s plenty more to do for all types of travellers to the region. A culturally diverse area which is historically significant in many aspects of Canada’s and Ontario’s development, travel to French River is a rich multi-faceted experience.
The French River area is dotted with many small and not-so-small lakes and other rivers, each with excellent boating, paddling, fishing, camping, picnicking, and swimming. On land, there are numerous trails for walking, cycling, hiking, and horseback riding.
There are also some opportunities for cultural and historical exploration, and agri-tourism is growing in the area.
Plenty of lodges, trailer parks, campgrounds, and provincial park campsites make the area more accessible for travel and trekking. But as in any rural area, public transportation is limited and businesses are spread out. It’s better to plan ahead before making the trip.
Whether hiking, camping, paddling, fishing, horseback riding, off-road biking, wildlife watching, cycling, picnicking, boating, swimming, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, or anything else outdoors is your thing, French River’s got somewhere you’ll love. If three provincial parks with trails, campsites and campgrounds, beaches, picnic areas, a lookout tower, a suspension bridge, a visitor centre, backcountry camping, and water routes aren’t more than enough to keep you busy, there’s more.
And don’t forget that French River, including Dokis First Nation, is only a hop, skip, and a jump away from Lake Nipissing and Mashkinonje Provincial Park, and just a scenic drive away from Killarney Provincial Park, so be sure to see what they can add to your trip.
Whatever you do, make sure to check out these favourites:
Imagine hitting a single while a live band plays a cover of the latest hit single in the background. That’s the atmosphere the participants of Dokis Summerfest get to enjoy every year. Since 2011, this annual community event has been rocking a July weekend with family-friendly activities that have been attracting more and more people. The grounds of […]
If you’re in the French River area and your legs are itching to go, the French River Multi-Use Trails offer little-known walking and riding options. The trail network consists of three main multi-use routes, with three shorter non-motorized-use side trails branching off. I’ve previously written about our excursion walking Pioneer Trail to Lac Barbotte Lookout, but since then, […]
French River is known for its paddling routes, not hiking trails. But few know that hikers can go backpacking Papase Trail at Dokis First Nation, a 21– to 28 kmkilometre return weekend hike to Five Finger Rapids on the French River. Nearly three years ago, we went hiking along the French River on Dokis First Nation’s Papase Trail […]
For us, visiting the area’s most famous historical site is an annual tradition, whether we’re hiking or snowshoeing along French River to Récollet Falls. The last time we went was a snowshoe trip on a sunny day that gave us a colourful perspective of the always beautiful scenery. Its trail head located just outside the French River Visitor […]
Mashkinonje Provincial Park is one of my favourite places to hike, no matter the season. Most appealingly, there are over 30 kilometres of natural trails, accessible for free and usually not crowded. On our last trip snowshoe hiking Mashkinonje Park, we tackled the Samoset loop to Lapin Beach. The Samoset loop to Lapin Beach is approximately five kilometres […]
My attachment to my tattoos goes more than skin deep. Using them as brand icons isn’t something I planned, but I’m sure happy with how things have turned out! I’ve been using my Eco-Footprint tattoo as my brand icon for almost five years now, and it’s always served me well, ever since it was designed for me and […]
On Labour Day, we made our way to Killarney for a day hike around the lighthouse area. Even though the season is already turning cold, this fact reinforced on that day due to light rain and heavy fog, there was still plenty of pretty plant life to observe and photograph. Some flowers are still blooming, some berry trees […]
We’ve lately been busy picking berries, as is usual for us in the summer. We’re actually our biggest customers, and that’s because we don’t stop at freezing or canning our berries. Dehydrating berries for a winter supply is one of our top priorities in the summer. Since we make our own granola, granola bars, trail mix, and other […]
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