Wild Immersion: Paddle and Hike Your Way through Nature
Exploring the wild spaces in Ontario’s Highlands means wandering off the beaten path, where you can be alone with your thoughts amid the abundance of nature. The exploration may begin with each step on the trail or dip of your paddle, but it continues within.
Experience the best of Ontario’s Highlands from a water perspective with paddle routes that will take you through pristine wilderness with fabulous views to enjoy along the way. By foot you will experience the region at a slower pace than with a vehicle or bike, but will reach new places where you can’t go on two or four wheels.
This summer, challenge yourself to go farther, see more, and venture deeper into the wilderness of Ontario’s Highlands.
Epic Paddle Trips
If you have your own canoe or kayak, great! If not, there are plenty of outfitters in Ontario’s Highlands who can get you on the water in no time. Use our list below but be aware it is not exhaustive.
Deep Roots Adventure (Minden)
Algonquin Outfitters (multiple Haliburton Highlands locations)
Perth Major Outfitters (Perth)
Smiths Falls Pedal and Paddle (Smiths Falls)
Palmerston Lake Marina (Palmerston)
Trips and Trails Adventure Outfitting (Bancroft)
Bonnechere River – Lower Bonnechere River to First Chute
The mighty Bonnechere River is a highlight of the Ottawa Valley’s diverse watershed and runs a total of 145 kilometres from Algonquin Park to the Ottawa River. Along its course the river passes through two lakes and has a varied terrain that includes rapids, waterfalls, and the many chutes built by early log drivers. This river is suitable for every skill level, depending on where you put in.
Time: 7 hours
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Put In: At the base of the Second Chute, in Renfrew
Little Hawk Lake Loop – Little Hawk, Snowshoe, Midway, Bearcat Lake
Little Hawk Lake is a good lake to paddle if you love to go places that are not super popular. If you have the time to do the full loop, Little Hawk Lake can also take you to Snowshoe Lake, Midway Lake, Bearcat Lake, Clear Lake, and Big Hawk Lake. There are campsites available on Bearcat Lake.
Time: This is a build your own adventure, so you can make it as long or as short as you want
Level of Difficulty: Easy to moderate – some portages along this loop, the longest being 1500 feet
Put In: Public boat launch near Little Hawk Lake Resort & Marina (45.13453270, -78.72235615)
Mississippi River – Sheridan’s Rapids to Playfairville
This river is often overlooked, but it is a beautiful option for someone who doesn’t mind a bit of whitewater or portaging. Intrepid paddlers may choose to paddle the entire route from Mazinaw Lake to the Ottawa River which will take approximately eight-to-ten days. We’ve highlighted a short trip that’s great for a lazy Sunday afternoon spent on the river.
Time: Five hours
Level of Difficulty: Easy to moderate – some smaller rapids and long straight stretches of flat water.
Put In: Sheridan Rapids
Poker Lakes - Haliburton Highlands Water Trails
The Haliburton Highlands Water Trails is a backcountry canoe route system made up of 28,000 hectares of public lands with a wealth of lakes, rivers, trails, and campsites for backcountry camping. Poker Lakes itself spans 1,800 hectares with 12 lakes to explore by canoe or kayak. This makes a fabulous nature immersion in remote backcountry. If you have the time to camp in one of the 47 campsites, all the better.
Time: Could be a daytrip or multi-day adventure
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Put In: 5128 Highway 118
Related stories: Hello Big East, Connected to Water
Nunikani Lake Loop – Haliburton Highlands Water Trails
Paddling on Lake Nunikani is so amazing it brought it into the Top 60 Canoe Roots in Ontario. Located in the Haliburton Highlands Water Trails, a network of paddle-in campsites located on 28,000 hectares of deep in the wilds of Haliburton Highlands, this loop will take a couple of days but will be worth the effort and is suitable for all skill levels.
Time: 2 long or 3 shorter days
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Put In: At Haliburton Water Trails, Frost Centre
Day Hikes
If you love to feel like you are the only person to ever set foot on a trail, and are alone in the world, one of these hikes is for you.
Snowden Park - Minden
This beautiful park spans 450-acres and consists of two large loops with one connecting link between them. Expect to encounter stunning lookout points, wetlands, and forested terrain. The park is accessible year-round and this three-kilometre trail would be great for snowshoeing in winter.
Manitou Mountain – Ottawa Valley
Do the Manitou Mountain, Eagles Nest and Juniper Ridge Lookout Hike for a five-hour loop that travels more than 15 kilometres. This route would be considered “hard with a total change in elevation of almost 600 metres.
Rose Hill Nature Reserve – Lennox & Addington
This trail is part of the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust, dedicated to conserving wilderness properties in Eastern Ontario. The total area of the Rose Hill Nature Reserve is almost 400 acres, and there are two-kilometres of marked trails on the property. The Hemlock Trail is part of this trail system and is home to a beautiful hemlock stand.
Dahl Forest – Minden Hills
This forest is part of the Haliburton Highlands Land Trust group of properties and spans 500-acres featuring five-kilometres of hiking trails that are only accessible on two feet (no bikes or motorized vehicles allowed).
Silent Lake Provincial Park - Bancroft
Hiking at this provincial park is worth the admission! Access 19 kilometres of remote trails like the three-kilometre Bonnie’s Pond Trail of the more challenging, 15-kilometre, Lakeshore Hiking Trail. Both will get you deep into the wilderness and immersed in nature.
All-in-One Nature Immersion
If you want to experience it all – hiking, paddling, and exploring as an all-in-one adventure – a must visit is Haliburton Forest & Wild Life Reserve. Spanning more than 100,000 acres, Haliburton Forest is a sustainably managed forest with 400 kilometres of trails to hike and dozens of lakes to explore, including Havelock Lake, Kelly/Johnson Lake, MacDonald Lake, and Wildcat Lake.
Here you can take a course to build your outdoor skills from Yours Outdoors, or just get out and get moving on trails or lakes (or both), and at the end of the day you don’t even have to leave, you can stay in one of their on-site cabins, Cabinscapes, or pitch a tent of your own.
