Hiking in Killarney Provincial Park: 4 Day-Use Trails (Photo Album)

We’re very lucky to have had the chance to spend one last day hiking in Killarney Provincial Park before having to trade in our hiking boots for snowshoes. This time, we chose to explore the park’s four day-use trails — we’d never hiked them and had heard they’re really nice though they’re shorter.

View of Georgian Bay while hiking in Killarney Provincial Park on the Chikanishing Creek Trail. — Chikanishing Creek Trail

Before we could get started hiking in Killarney Provincial Park, though, I realised at the park office that the person assisting us was someone whose name I recognised from the Friends of Killarney Park Facebook group. It was Cameron Hoepp, the park’s assistant superintendent!

We’re so grateful to him for showing us some alternate paddling routes and great snowshoeing options — now I’m already envisioning what my wintertime Killarney photos will look like!

Cameron also showed us the new and amazing book, In the Footsteps of the Group of Seven by Jim and Sue Waddington. I was particularly intrigued because I’d learned a lot about the Waddingtons while writing my own Following in the Group of Seven’s Footsteps article — Discovering the Canadian Wilderness Through Art, which features the works and ideas of Pierre AJ Sabourin.

Once we left the park office, we hurried to the first trail head, ready to enjoy the gorgeous autumn day we were having. We planned on covering the Cranberry Bog Trail, the Granite Ridge Trail, the Chikanishing Creek Trail, and Lake of the Woods Trail.

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Cranberry Bog Trail

4 kilometres; 2 hours

A lone pine stands on pink granite before the Cranberry Bog.

This was one of my favourite trails of our day hiking in Killarney Provincial Park. The scenery was beautiful, the path was natural, and we only met a few people along the way (though maybe that’s because it was still early enough — we started the hike around 10 a.m.).

A peak through a shadowed foreground of pine tress framing a distant view of autumn-coloured tree tops.

Tall yellowed grasses in a large clearing surrounded by autumn-coloured trees.

Peeking through a shadowy foreground for a first glimpse of the Cranberry Bog.

Panoramic view of the Cranberry Bog, which actually looks like a small lake, with deep blue water reflecting the colourful autumn trees near the shoreline.

A wooden bridge over a narrow water crossing

A beaver house in the middle of a small bay of the Cranberry Bog

View of part of the Cranberry Bog from behind a beaver dam, the wall of dam rising halfway up the view, showing the water's abrupt edge.

Cranberry Bog beyond a pink granite rock outcrop, a few pines to either side.

A large pink granite rock outcrop diagonally blocks Cranberry Bog from view, from top-left to bottom-right.

A large clear area of pink granite from which to view Cranberry Bog

Tall yellow grasses growing above deep blue waters, autumn-coloured trees lining the opposite shore.

A typical view of Killarney's white quartzite mountains rising above David Lake near the end of the Cranberry Bog Trail.

Browse the Cranberry Bog Trail gallery — click any image above to view a full-sized version in a pop-up carousel.

Granite Ridge Trail

2 kilometres; 1.5 hours

A windswept pine on Granite Ridge leans in the opposite direction as the slant of the hill.

Although this trail is very easy, clear and wide (not exactly the way we like it), it took us longer than expected to complete because there were so many people hiking in Killarney Provincial Park! The trail does become more natural and rugged at the top of the largest ascent, and the views are just killer. Definitely worth it!

View of a forest and large hill behind a portion of Granite Ridge.

An autumn-coloured forest stands between Granite Ridge and a large white quartzite hill.

The angle of Granite Ridge is almost perfectly diagonal before an autumn scene.

An autumn-coloured forest as seen from the top of Granite Ridge.

Georgian Bay just visible in the distance, beyond an autumn-coloured forest below Granite Ridge.

A typical view from Granite Ridge of a large forested area with hills rising in the distance.

A slightly rugged portion of the Granite Ridge Trail.

A clear portion of the Granite Ridge Trail.

Browse the Granite Ridge Trail gallery — click any image above to view a full-sized version in a pop-up carousel.

Chikanishing Creek Trail

3 kilometres; 2 hours

This was another trail absolutely crawling with people, and I suspect the busiest trail of the day, if not the busiest in general on any given day hiking in Killarney Provincial Park. Why? The scenery was stunning from the get-go and the trail is a lot of fun to hike!

Small islands off the coast of Georgian Bay seen while hiking in Killarney Provincial Park yields splendid views of the Georgian Bay from the Chikanishing Creek Trail

But maybe it was because it was mid-afternoon by then and people just wanted to be outside.

Everyone we met that day was super nice, but on this trail, there seemed to be an air of joyous freedom. People seemed to spend more time milling about, enjoying the endless views of Georgian Bay while hiking in Killarney Provincial Park.

As we stopped for a little snack, we watched a large group of twenty-something Europeans we’d befriended.

A few of the guys stripped down to their underwear and waded into the water, swimming to a nearby island. Their friends watched for a while. Once the swimmers had reached the island and hiked around to the other side, their friends promptly hid all the clothing that had been left on shore.

Marc and I continued on our way, but hearing shouts and laughter some minutes later, we easily guessed what it was (winky face).

Chikanishing Creek cuts narrowly through pink granite towards Georgian Bay.

A panoramic view over Chikanishing Creek and the surrounding forested landscape.

A pink granite shoreline hugs the clear shallow waters of Georgian Bay

A silvery piece of driftwood sits on pink granite rock beside Georgian Bay.

Large rocks protrude here and there from a small bay, and little islands dot the horizon.

Dark cracks in the pink granite seem to move forward towards the pine-tree-lined shore of Georgian Bay.

A large, clear area of pink granite rock culminates at a stand of pines on the Georgian Bay shore.

Smooth pink granite undulates towards Georgian Bay, barely visible beneath a bright blue sky.

View of a pink granite shoreline hugging a small bay around to a point.

Pink granite smoothly lining the blue waters of Georgian Bay along Chikanishing Creek Trail

A scenic view of a pink granite rock outcrop rising above an autumn forest in the background.

Smooth pink granite beside clear Georgian Bay waters

Browse the Chikanishing Creek Trail gallery — click any image above to view a full-sized version in a pop-up carousel.

Lake of the Woods Trail

3.5 kilometres; 2 hours

This might have been our favourite hike of the day hiking in Killarney Provincial Park — it’s a tough call!

Scenery photographed while hiking in Killarney Provincial Park on the stunning Lake of the Woods Trail.

The trail was nice and natural most of the time, and there were pretty views of Lake of the Woods, and even of Silver Peak.

View of Silver Peak while hiking in Killarney Provincial Park on Lake of the Woods Trail — Silver Peak from Lake of the Woods

We didn’t see anyone else the entire time, which likely accounts for our quicker pace. The trail is a new one, so perhaps not as many people know about it.

But we rather felt that it was getting late in the day to start what is officially a three-hour trail, and that most people would prefer to take more time. With only three hours left until sundown, we weren’t concerned about our pace, but in all likelihood, many other people would be…

While we really did enjoy this trail, it was unfortunate that some older kids saw us atop a cliff from across the lake and spotted the dogs. We could hear them yelling, “Look, dogs!”

I thought that was cute at first, until the kids started howling to try to taunt the dogs. Since they didn’t let up for the next 10 minutes or so, I’m glad my dogs were smarter than them and didn’t pay them any attention! Lol!

The natural path of the Lake of the Woods Trail, here leaf-covered.

Distant view of a short wooden bridge crossing a meadow

Lake of the Woods surrounded by an autumn-coloured forest

Scenic view from the Lake of the Woods Trail

A dead tree's red leaves partially hide Lake of the Woods from view.

A lowering sun shines brightly on orange pine needles in the foreground, casting Lake of the Woods in shadows in the background.

A close-up view of the same wooden bridge which had been seen from afar at the start of the trail.

A long row of green pines along the shore of Lake of the Woods is reflected clearly in the water.

A lengthwise view of the long Lake of the Woods

A tree-framed view of a small bay at the end of Lake of the Woods

Browse the Lake of the Woods Trail gallery — click any image above to view a full-sized version in a pop-up carousel.

Trail Info for Hiking in Killarney Provincial Park

If ever we’re short on time, but with a penchant to be hiking in Killarney Provincial Park, we’d hike these trails again. But of course, we’ll always prefer the backcountry

View of the Cranberry Bog, a bit of pink granite rock visible in the foreground. — Cranberry Bog

If, like us, you love hiking in Killarney Provincial Park, you’ll also want to check out these articles, which describe other area trails: