Outdoor Recreation in the French River and Lake Nipissing Area

Rocky shoreline of winding waters at Grundy Lake Provincial Park.

There really is quite a lot to do around here, but it’s not always evident. Sure, there are the usual tourist attractions, like the lodges that offer boat rentals and access to fishing to their guests. But there are also inexpensive adventures for the independent explorer. By no means an exhaustive list, here are a few of my […]

Visiting Mashkinonje Provincial Park: A Guide [with Photos]

A view of the Lapin Beach bay while visiting Mashkinonje Provincial Park.

[Mass-kin-onj] People who spend time within the boundaries of Mashkinonje are very lucky to have beautiful, natural, well-maintained trails to hike. And unlike regular operating parks, visiting Mashkinonje Provincial Park is free. With about 35 kmkilometres of hiking and snowshoeing trails in various loops, a canoe route, barrier-free access, two beaches, and an observation tower, visiting Mashkinonje Provincial […]

Blue Jay

Close-up of a blue jay while hiking in Mattawa, Ontario

A blue jay landed in a tree nearby while we were admiring the view from a lookout point in Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park in Mattawa. I handed Marc the camera. He aimed, but before he could press the button, the blue jay moved to another nearby tree. Marc repositioned, and, sensing his hesitation, I whispered, “Click.” I […]

Tips for Identifying Milk Snakes (Rattlesnake Comparison)

Milk snake seen while hiking on the La Cloche Silhouette Trail in Killarney

We saw this milk snake during a week-long trek on the La Cloche Silhouette Trail in Killarney Provincial Park: And this milk snake was spotted just over a month later in Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park, near Mattawa: These beauties may look a little like rattlers, but milk snakes are actually harmless. They do rattle their tails against […]

Hiking the History Loop on Etienne Trail: Samuel de Champlain Park

River and forest landscape seen while hiking the History Loop on Etienne Trail in Samuel de Champlain Park.

We’re almost always behind schedule when we go on a hike, but we actually managed to leave a few minutes early on the morning we were hiking the History Loop on Etienne Trail in Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park, even though we’d only decided late the day before to head to the hills of Mattawa for a Sunday […]

Pet Woes: Lost and Ticked Off

Dogs and cats chilling in the dining room.

About a month ago, Marc and I hiked Killarney’s La Cloche Silhouette loop trail, but not without some consequences to our pets. We have two cats, Grooby-doo and Currdles, and two black labs, Fetcher and Maggie. This trip affected one of each, and although Fetcher is fine now, I can’t say the same for Currdles :((frowny face). Oh, […]

Preparing For a Trek: Gear and Food

A wide selection of food gear that could be helpful in preparing for a trek, but choose wisely.

A month ago, my partner and I were in the middle of trekking Killarney’s La Cloche Silhouette loop trail. It’s hard to believe so much time has passed already, but as another long weekend approaches and we begin to plan our next trip, we’ve got some things to adjust. Preparing for a trek can at times be tricky, […]

Trekking Killarney’s La Cloche Silhouette Loop Trail

A beautiful lake surrounded by mountains, the typical scenery of trekking Killarney's La Cloche Silhouette loop trail.

Five years ago, I undertook the challenge of hiking Killarney Provincial Park’s La Cloche Silhouette Trail by myself, accompanied by my black lab Fetcher. So it was nice to plan a trip with my partner and now two black labs (add Maggie). Of course there were bumps along the way, some organisational, some more physical (and you’d think […]

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