Georgian Bay?

Has anyone ever paddled the area of Georgian Bay immediately west of Killarney Provincial Park?



I found myself in the area (McGregor Bay to be exact) for a couple days of hiking and fishing (from alumninum boats) but I didn’t have my kayak with me.



Seems like a great paddling/camping destination but we were staying in a cabin, so I didn’t really look into the particulars.



Has anyone been there?

Yes, I have.
What do you want to know?

what I want to know:
if I find myself up that way again, what would you recommend: A canoe trip through interior lakes of Killarney PP or a coastal sea-kayaking trip along what appears to be an endless number of bays and coves?



What’s not to miss?

Hard to pick one or the other
Killarney is what heaven will be like when and if I get there. The Georgian Bay shoreline is very nice as well. I would recommend a Killarney interiour trip if you are not likley to get back up this way again. George, Killarney, OSA, Grace and Nellie Lakes are the most scenic in the park but the whole area is amazing. The Georgian Bay coast between Killarney and the French River to the east south east is great paddling in a kayak or a large bigwater canoe. With Killarney routes being more sheltered then the Bay, you would not be affected by the weather nearly as much as a trip on the Bay. Reservations are requiered for Killarney but the Bay coast is mostly all crown land therefore no permits are requiered. Keep the questions coming.

Paddling paradise
We just returned from a week kayaking on the north shore of Georgian Bay. It was our second time there and will definitely not be the last. There are too many paddling options to count and the access is limited. We saw quite a few more people this August than we did when we went May of 2001, but the warmer water has me totally convinced that Late Summer or Fall is the time to go. Bugs weren’t bad and it was warm enough to take a swim every day.

Rob Macks
The owner and creater of “Laughing Loon Canoe and Kayaks” has paddled there more then once so you might try contacting him for info http://www.laughingloon.com/

crown land camping
For non-Canadians, what are the regs (off the top of your head…obviously I’ll research this eventually) for camping on Crown land? I’m a Michigander.

What we just did to see Grace Lake
was to paddle through Frood Lake from the west, park the boat, and hike up to the lake. Even with a 50 pound tandem, at my age (61), I don’t like mile long uphill portages. That is one problem I have with Killarney by comparison with Quetico: it seems harder to arrange a trip avoiding long portages. We also got at Greg Lake from Charlton. If we had had more time, we would have gone in to Killarney, maybe even OSA, as day trips, so we would have just the boat to portage and a little gear. But we got diverted by the outstanding hikes on Granite Ridge and Chikanishing.

Crown land permits
Crown land camping permits are required for non-residents (ie: non-resident of Ontario). There are a few exceptions, the most common being if you are renting equipment and/or using the services of an Ontario based outfitter. Another exception is if you are south of the French River. Permit costs are per person / per day.

Read here:

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/fishing/crownland.html

for all the details.



Paul