Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park is the new jewel in the Ontario Parks system. As a park map states, it’s a Signature Site with a ‘rugged rolling landscape of small lakes, wetlands, forests and rocky barrens’. 

 

This is a semi-wilderness area for cottagers who live in the area and the urban crowd who visit. Located 50 km north of Peterborough, it’s never really crowded, though, which is great for anyone wanting to get away from it all for a few days.

 

The parks office at 106 Monck St, Bancroft, Ontario K0L 1C0 can be contacted for reservations and trip planning. Tel. 1 613 332-3940 ext. 261

 

A 3-day canoe trip paddling and portaging with 4 expert woodsmen was my introduction. It couldn’t have been better… but I’ll let my pictures do the talking.

 

My companions:

* park superintendent Paul Smith

* author/writer Jamie Ross 

* author, videographer ‘The Happy Camper’ Kevin Callan  

* outdoor education tourism company founder Bretton Clark, The Land Canadian Adventures

 

 

It was a slow start…