*this post originally appeared on our former family blog 🙂
July 3, 2018, updated July 16, 2021
We returned a week ago from an incredible canoe camping family vacation in Killarney Provincial Park and I absolutely MUST tell you about it! Sometime this Spring, Jake started dreaming and researching family vacations that would be easy on the pocketbook, high on the adventure. Last year we stretched the girls with 2 nights backpacking in the Adirondacks. It was such a positive experience, we knew they were ready for something a little more physically demanding. Enter….northern Ontario and a 3-night backcountry canoe trip in Killarney Provincial Park!
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Map of Killarney Provincial Park
One of our all-time favorite adventures (pre-children) was kayaking for 3 nights in the San Juan Islands. That trip really affirmed my love of backcountry camping PLUS…. I didn’t have to carry things on my back! A match made in heaven 🙂 I knew that a family canoe trip would be a hit, I was just a little nervous about portaging, which I had never done before! “Pour taj” as they say in Canada, is when you lake hop and carry your canoe and belongings through the woods to the next lake in the region. The Killarney region is a swiss cheese landscape of lakes. We started at George Lake, portaged to Freeland Lake, then portaged to Killarney Lake.
This is the best Killarney Provincial Park Map available. We didn’t purchase it until we arrived, but in the future, we highly recommend purchasing this map Killarney Provincial Park ahead of time! There’s only so much you can research and remember online, the physical map is so helpful! This Killarney Provincial Park canoe routes map has a unique two-sided map to help you plan the trip and then more details on the trip side once you are physically on the lakes.
Killarney Provincial Park Canoe Rental
We rented an 18.5′ canoe from Killarney Outfitters. That size canoe comes with a 3rd seat that was plenty wide for both of our girls (age 7 and almost 9). By the end, we even figured out how to attach our Crazy Creek chairs to the seat, and they fit side-by-side! We realize that we will not be able to do a trip like this again until the girls are big enough to paddle their own canoe (well, they might be small enough to comfortably fit for another year or so).
Killarney Outfitters were really helpful in the planning stages of this trip. Jake called them countless times to ask questions and bounce ideas off of them. When we arrived, we purchased this map and a waterproof phone case. Jake’s phone has an amazing battery life, so all of these pictures were taken through the waterproof, floating drybag.
Killarney Provincial Park Reservations
Once we outlined our Killarney Provincial Park backcountry camping trip, it was important to make our reservations 5 months ahead of our entry date! Reservations are required for camping in Killarney Provincial Park! We recommend making your account now and then setting an alarm for 7:00am EST on the day that is exactly 5 months in advance of your arrival date. Click here to make your Killarney Provincial Park Camping Reservations.
While this can feel stressful to make such detailed plans 5 months in advance, backcountry camping in Killarney is worth it! It’s also really comforting to know that one of the few camping sites on your chosen lake is guaranteed to be yours!
Killarney Provincial Park Canoe Routes
George Lake Killarney is the main starting point for many of the canoe routes recommended. We stopped in the office at George Lake Campground Killarney to gain permission to leave our vehicle and camper parked for the duration of our Killarney backcountry camping. If you are looking for a beautiful Killarney Provincial Park RV camping location, this campground is right on the lake and provides the best of base camping and canoe day tripping! There’s a collaborative and joyful atmosphere at the canoe launch. I love how helpful fellow adventurers are as greetings are shared, dogs are petted and smiles are shared.
The first portage, between George Lake and Freeland Lake is a mere 50 meters and very easy. HOWEVER, our 2nd portage, between Freeland and Killarney, was 430 meters. Not far….but we started our trip in the mid-afternoon and so it was pushing dinner time when we were heading in. About 1/2 way through the hike, THE MOSQUITOS DESCENDED! Be sure to have your bug spray in an easy-to-access location. We learned this lesson the HARD way!
It’s slightly uphill and we were all heavily laden (this was before I figured out how to use my canoe paddle to carry more items). The girls were crying/ whimpering/ miserable as they must have been mighty delicious. It didn’t occur to us that this might happen, so we hadn’t applied bug repellent before starting the hike. We passed a day-tripping family portaging their 2 canoes and picnic supplies when we were in the crux of misery and when Jake and I went back through mosquito valley for our 2nd trip, we about fainted when we quickly came upon ALL OF OUR BELONGINGS already more than 1/2 way down the trail! Clearly, that wonderful family each grabbed a few of our items and ran them 2/3 of the way down the trail for us! Thank you so much kind strangers! We will pay it forward, someday 🙂 It’s little things like that which make me feel so much love for the human race. The first 24-hours of our trip were quite unpleasant (car problems, trailer problems, late starts, high heat, yada yada yada) and that was just what I needed to pull through and make the final leg of our entry positive.
Killarney Provincial Park Camping
You must prepurchase a Killarney backcountry reservations permit to sleep on the lake. The passes open up 5 months before your anticipated date and you want to snag them immediately! The lake we stayed on has 11 campsites, with a 4-night maximum stay. We LUCKED out by choosing site #21. We were tired and hungry by the time we arrived to Killarney Lake and we wondered if we were crazy for passing up the first 2 campsites. However, I wanted a VIEW of the amazing granite rocks, so we passed the first two and then hit the JACKPOT! I’m not positive what the campsites look like at the far end of the lake, but our site was PERFECTION! If you are looking for Killarney Provincial Park’s best campsite, aim for site #21 on Killarney Lake. We named it Kosker Cove and there was a lot of shallow area with little rock islands for the girls to play on. They played for hours and hours on our private beach.
While they swam and rock hopped, I read and napped in my hammock. For at least 2 hours each afternoon, I enjoyed my Eno Doublenest hammock (a Christmas gift from this past year). It was JUST what the Doctor ordered after a busy school year. *Be sure to also purchase the Eno Straps!
Jake wanted to be in charge of the food for this trip, so while it stresses me out a bit to give up control, it was nice being totally off the hook for cooking! Our new favorite camp meal was cinnamon bun biscuits! Jake used a premade bisquick mix and made a buttery, brown sugar syrup to bake them in. As you can see, the mornings had just enough chill to wear our long pants and rain jackets. Heidi was really into helping him bake these treats!
Further proof of just how much time I spent in my hammock. Here was my view one afternoon while Jake and the girls attempted to start a fire with a magnifying glass (They achieved a lot of smoke, but no flames).
The Crack, Killarney Provincial Park
One day, we decided to hike “The Crack”. We hadn’t done much research on Killarney Provincial Park hiking (I mean, we came to canoe!), but it was marked on our map and most people we had talked to on the lake mentioned enjoying the hike. One of the trailheads was just a short canoe ride from Kosker Cove, so after an oatmeal breakfast, we packed some trail mix and headed out. If you are familiar with this hike, you are currently thinking “You attempted this hike after eating only oatmeal and only brought some trail mix!?!?!”. Well, as I said, we didn’t research the hike. Dear readers, if you are planning to head to “The Crack”, please eat protein for breakfast and assume you’ll eat lunch before heading back to your campsite 😉
Killarney Provincial Park’s the Crack hike is truly a lovely hike (after another short walk through a mosquito zone, this time we had applied bug repellent!). As we climbed up, the trail turns to boulders. The girls and I only had packed one pair of shoes that are suitable for water. Our treads weren’t great and we would have preferred tennis shoes, but we made it!
Hazel, in particular, proved to us that she is part MOUNTAIN GOAT! On the way up, she just TOOK OFF! Jake was in the back with Heidi, her sandals were particularly slippery. So, I tried my hardest to catch up to Hazel, but I simply could NOT! She was basically running over the rocks and it is treacherous terrain. Every few minutes I would stop and yell for her. At one point, a man hiking down had a good chuckle and reassured me that Hazel had run by him not long ago. Finally Hazel heard me yelling “STOP” and she waited for me. I was getting more and more worried that she would slip and become injured. So, she got a stern lecture on hiking safety 🙂 Speaking of safety, this hike inspired our kids hiking daypacks, in particular the safety whistle!
Camping in Killarney
We just had SO much fun AND relaxation on this trip! Each evening, the energizer bunnies (aka Hazel and Jake) took off on the canoe or hiking on our island while Heidi and I enjoyed relaxing on the boulders and reading in bed. Due to the time of year and latitude, we weren’t able to stay up late enough to enjoy the night sky, but the nights were just cool enough to be comfortably snuggled in our sleeping bags.
The girls did SO well on the canoe! They paddled and enjoyed gazing while letting their fingers and toes dip into the water. The water is so clear that you can see the rocks, lily pads, and fish (though there are not many fish) DEEP DEEP down below.
And a tradition that stems from my first backpacking adventure with Mount Union CollegeWilderness Trip/ University of Mount Union Wilderness Trip. I taught the girls THE BEAVER SONG!
After 3 nights, we were relaxed and ready to head home. We had a few more adventures on the way home, but that’s fodder for another FAMILY WHO TRAVELS blog post (spoiler alert…we fell in LOVE with KOAs on this trip!).
If you’re on the fence about what would be a good introductory canoe camping adventure, head on up to Ontario. The landscape of the drive is breathtaking…but the lake region is truly wonderous. One thing is certain….WE WILL RETURN!
