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Thursday, September 19, 2019

Killbear Provincial Park

Killbear Park - Ontario CA
I really am a country girl.  Growing up, many summer and fall days were spent exploring the large wooded areas next door to my home.  Forts were built and I knew the run of one creek for miles. It was on that creek that I found a moon-shine still, but that is another story.  

Many of my trips have provided opportunities to see and explore outdoor areas. While in Portland Oregon a few years back, I explored nature trails leading to a remote lighthouse; Haystack Rock (235 feet off the beach); and snow-capped Mount Hood. While in Calgary Alberta, Canada I explored Bow Falls in beautiful nearby Banff. In Vancouver BC, Canada. I also explored some amazing scenic villages along the route from Vancouver travelling north to  the Olympic ski village of Whistler.

Country Girl at Heart
A wonderful opportunity came up on my recent trip to see Ontario's beautiful remote Killbear Provincial Park. It is a large provincial park located on Georgian Bay in the Parry Sound District of Ontario, near the town of Nobel.

 Killbear combines sandy beaches typical of the Great Lakes with the rock ridges and pines of the Canadian Shield. (Wikipedia). Located about 3 hours north of Toronto (274.0 km) it was so worth the drive. Areas of Canada are more remote than the US parks and the terrain, stillness and beauty are awesome. 

The southeastern portion of the Park protects a typical area of bedrock barrens which represent a distinctive shallow soil habitat of trees and vegetation growing out of rock cliffs. The park is one area within a larger significant landscape, with 30,000 islands along the eastern coast of the Georgian Bay. This large bay open out into the eastern side of Lake Huron, with Michigan's UP (US side) to the west. The views, camping, landscape and remoteness makes Killbear a very popular summertime retreat for many. 

My guide and I explored rock cliffs, campsites, and beaches for over two hours. The trails and vistas are beautiful.  Before heading south back to "civilization", we had dinner at the locals' fish camp restaurant, Gilly's. It is on the water, just outside the park. The view of a distant lighthouse marking the Snug Harbour entrance channel from Georgian Bay, was breathtaking.   


Snug Harbor Light House - Marking the entrance to Snug Harbour - Built 1894


2 comments:

  1. Killbear seems to be showing up in my various social channels today! I have some friends spending some time there this weekend, beautiful park.

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  2. Fascinating! I'd love to go see that area too, but it's a bit of a haul . . .
    Your hair seems to be getting longer, still waiting to hear your thoughts on that . . . :)

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