Location Stoney Lake, 55km (34mi) north of Peterborough
Number of trails 6
Total distance 27km (16.7mi)
Interesting features Canada’s largest concentration of prehistoric Aboriginal rock carvings, glacial lake, waterfalls, white-tailed deer, wolves, coyotes, wild turkeys, ruffed grouse, spring wildflowers
Facilities/Services Parking, toilets, telephones, cultural interpretive visitor centre
Other Dogs on 2m (7ft) leashes permitted on the trails, but not in the protective building; wheelchairs available at the gatehouse; no camping permitted
A special outcrop of white crystalline marble (metamorphosed limestone) north of Stoney Lake made a perfect canvas for Algonquian-speaking shamans passing through the area 600 to 1,100 years ago. Over the years, these visitors carved 900 different symbols into the rock, although the reasons for their selection of this site and the precise meaning of the symbols died with the carvers. Still, locals somehow knew to protect the sacred site, and it wasn’t until mining prospectors publicized their find in the Peterborough Examiner in May 1954 that the world became aware of the petroglyphs. The site became a provincial park in 1976. Today, a giant glass building protects 300 distinct and another roughly 600 faded carvings from wind, frost, algae growth and people.
Known as “Kinomagewapkong” or the “teaching rocks” by the United Anishnaabeg Council, these symbols include turtles, cranes or herons, spiritual boats, snakes, thunderbirds and rabbits. The Curve Lake First Nation has been designated spiritual custodians of the site and often conduct praying, meditation and fasting ceremonies at the site. Visitors might see offerings of sage, tobacco, sweet grass, cedar, feathers, shells and stones left beside particular symbols on the rock. Members of the Curve Lake First Nation also operate the front gate and have been involved in setting up the new visitor centre.
Another important site at this park is McGinnis Lake, a 15 to 16m-deep (45ft) glacial lake. The water in McGinnis is meromictic, which means that the waters at the top and bottom of the lake do not exchange biannually as most lakes do. Instead, this lake has three distinct water layers, each with its own chemical composition. No oxygen exists below 12m (39ft). In July and August, the lake appears a brilliant jade colour, thanks to increased algae at that time. The algae also causes the lake to produce an excess of calcium carbonate so that a whitish-gray clay-like substance, called marl, gets deposited along the basin and shorelines of the lake. In some areas this marl is more than 10m (33ft) deep.
Note: This is a day use only park, so anyone wanting to hike all the trails should begin as soon as it opens at 10am or perhaps park outside the park and walk in. Also, pets are not permitted inside the protected petroglyph building.
Getting There
Take Northey’s Bay Road from Lakefield on Highway 28 or take County Roads 46, 44 and 6 north from Havelock or Norwood on Highway 7.
Further Information
Petroglyphs Provincial Park
General Delivery
Woodview, ON K0L 3E0
705-877-2552 or 800-667-1940
McGinnis Lake Trail
Level of difficulty 
Distance 2.5km (1.6mi) loop
Approx. time 1hr return
Trailhead East day-use parking lot
This 2.5km (1.6mi) loop leads to and from glacial McGinnis Lake. You’ll notice the jade colour of the water and the white marl deposits. Well worth stopping at, not because it’s a long walk, but because it’s a pleasant view and easy to get to on the way to the petroglyphs.
Petroglyphs Trail
Level of difficulty
Distance 1km (.6mi) linear
Approx. time 1hr each way
Markers Signs
Trailhead Main parking lot
Other Wheelchair accessible
This paved path leads past the washrooms and past the visitor interpretation building to the protective building that has sheltered the petroglyphs since 1984. Please stay on the trail, as there is a lot of poison ivy in the area.
Nanabush Trail
Level of difficulty
Distance 5.5km (3.4mi) loop
Approx. time 2hrs return
Markers Red blazes
Trailhead Main parking lot
This trail leads along two long boardwalks, across a bridge, up a steep hill and then along the north shore of Minnow Lake. The granite outcrops here are beautiful and you’re likely to see a white-tailed deer running away as you approach. An interpretive booklet describes the Aboriginal legends behind the symbols drawn on the petroglyphs.
High Falls Trail
Level of difficulty
Distance 8km (5mi) linear
Approx. time 3hrs each way
Markers Blue blazes
Trailhead Nanabush Trail
Other Camping not permitted
This is the longest and prettiest trail in the park. It shares the beginning of the Nanabush Trail across a boardwalk and then continues through open meadows and along exposed rock outcroppings. You must climb several steep, rocky hills. Outcroppings of marble and pink granite are visible in places.
The trail ends at the impressive and namesake set of vertical rapids on Eels Creek.
Marsh Trail
Level of difficulty
Distance 7km (4mi) loop
Approx. time 3hrs return
Markers Yellow blazes
Trailhead Main parking lot, close to the washroom
This is a very hilly trail that leads along a rocky path through a dense red pine forest. You may see beavers, ducks or muskrats on the marshy portion, and the forest is full of chickadees. The Marsh Trail joins the Nanabush and High Falls trails to continue past Minnow Lake.
West Day Use Trail
Level of difficulty
Distance 5km (3mi) loop
Approx. time 2hrs return
Markers Orange blazes
Trailhead Across the road from the west day-use parking lot, in the opposite direction from McGinnis Lake
This trail begins in a low wetland marsh with occasional stands of poplar and cedar up to a drier, rockier, root-filled trail through stands of pine, oak, and then birch. A bridge leads over a valley created millions of years ago by a glacial meltwater river. In autumn, the path is surrounded by stunning green followed by yellow and orange.
Location Fern Glen Road, just west of Hwy. 11 to Hwy. 69/400 at Parry Sound
Number of trails 1
Total distance 75km (45mi)
Interesting features Canadian Shield; significant marshes between Bartlett, Doe and Compass lakes
Other Pets on leash permitted
Facilities/Services Parking
The Seguin Trail follows the path of the former Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway, which was built in the late 1800’s by J.R. Booth. Today, the trail is maintained by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and managed by the Park to Park Association, which promotes the trail between Algonquin and Killbear parks.
Getting There
Trailheads can be found just across from the Visitor Centre in Parry Sound or on Fern Glen Road, but the trail can be accessed via Highway 518, where it intersects with the highway.
Further Information
Park to Park Trail Association
70 Church St.
Parry Sound, ON P2A 1Y9
705-746-7663 x 26 or 888-213-8134
Location Midhurst
Number of trails 5
Total distance 15km (9mi)
Interesting features Birds of prey, bears, beavers, coyotes, owls, porcupine, raccoons, turkeys and wolves
Facilities/Services Parking, toilets, telephones, visitor information centre
If you have kids, Springwater Provincial Park is an absolute must. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources houses injured, orphaned and human-imprinted birds and wildlife that can’t be released into nature in specially designed enclosures that provide the animals with an appropriate level of space. Your kids will spend hours watching snowy owls, hawks, porcupines, beavers, raccoons, wild turkeys, wolves, coyotes, bears and other wild animals up close.
For a longer walk through the park, take advantage of three cross-country ski trails that lead through forests and meadows.
Getting There
Take Highway 26 north from Barrie.
Further Information
Springwater Provincial Park
1331 Hwy. 26
Midhurst, ON L0L 1X0
705-728-7393 or 800-667-1940
Animal Display Path
Level of difficulty
Distance 1km (.6mi) multi-loop
Approx. time 1hr return
Trailhead Park office
Other Wheelchair accessible; maintained for walking year-round
This paved path meanders alongside enclosures with glass windows and fences housing a variety of birds and animals that can’t be released back into the wild because of permanent injuries or human imprinting that has prevented them from learning to hunt. They might include snowy owls, hawks, porcupines, beavers, raccoons, wild turkeys, wolves, coyotes, white-tailed deer and bears.
William R. Wilson Trail
Level of difficulty
Distance 1.5km (.9mi) loop
Approx. time 1hr return
Trailhead Parking lot 2
Other Maintained for walking in the summer, snowshoeing in the winter
This nature trail for children describes animals that live in two types of forest and a marsh.
Red Trail
Level of difficulty
Distance 5.5km (3.4mi) loop
Approx. time 3hrs return
Trailhead Main parking lot
This trail leads through a cedar ash forest and a mature red and white pine forest and up and down hills to loop around the periphery of the park.
Green Trail
Level of difficulty
Distance 4km (2.5mi) loop
Approx. time 2hrs return
Trailhead Main parking lot
This trail leads past the waterfowl and wildlife display area through pine, maple and oak forests, into meadows, and along old logging roads to loop around the south end of the park.
Blue Trail
Level of difficulty
Distance 2.5km (1.6mi) loop
Approx. time 1hr return
Trailhead Main parking lot
This trail makes a small loop to join some of the best parts of the woodland and nursery trails.
Warsaw Caves Conservation Area
Location Warsaw
Number of trails 3
Total distance 15km (9mi)
Interesting features Caves, potholes
Facilities/Services Parking, toilets, telephones, showers, swimming
Other Dogs on leashes permitted
Warsaw Caves Conservation Area was closed for eight years before local hero Ian Guest took on the job of running the campground and park in 1999. Lucky for hikers that he did too, because the 224ha (553-acre) site includes some of Ontario’s best caves, including one with ice that doesn’t melt, plus a lot of potholes, an underground stream, several alvars and a good view of the Drummer moraine. The caves were created when meltwater from the Indian River spillway that drained glacial Lake Algonquin into glacial Lake Iroquois weakened the limestone bedrock.
Bring a flashlight, a helmet and solid boots to explore the caves.
Getting There
Take County Road 4 north from Warsaw.
Further Information
White Pine Land Stewardship Services and Otonabee Conservation
250 Milroy Dr.
Peterborough, ON K9H 7M6
705-652-3161 (summer), 705-745-5791 (winter) or 877-816-7604
Scenic Lookout Trail
Level of difficulty
Distance 4km (2.5mi) linear plus loop
Approx. time 2hrs return
Markers Orange blazed L’s
Trailhead Cave parking lot
This hike begins on flat bedrock and leads to an extension that lets you view a variety of potholes (also known as kettles). From here, you either follow a small portion of the trail back to the lookout route or keep following the extension down the edge of the cliff to the Limestone Plain Trail. The Scenic Lookout Trail leads up along a granite ridge, past cedar fences, into a meadow to a lookout. The trail then loops back to the linear section that leads to the parking lot and the kettles.
Limestone Plain Trail
Level of difficulty
Distance 4km (2.5mi) loop
Approx. time 2hrs return
Markers Orange blazed P’s
Trailhead Campground
This relatively flat but rocky trail loops through a rocky forest and along the Indian River. It provides good views of the Drummer moraine, along which the Lookout Trail passes. An extension leads up the side of the moraine to the potholes area.
Limestone Plain Trail
Level of difficulty
Distance 7km (4mi) loop
Approx. time 4hrs return
Trailhead Cave parking lot
This trail connects the kettles, the easy Limestone Plain Trail and the Lookout Trail into one long hike. It involves at least four very steep climbs and lots of diverse habitats, including rock plain, forest and meadow.
Location Across from the Martyrs’ Shrine in Midland
Number of trails 6
Total distance 5km (3mi)
Interesting features Cattail marsh, trumpeter swans, wildflower garden, bee keeping
Facilities/Services Parking, toilets, telephones, visitor information centre, gift store
The Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre isn’t known for its extensive hiking trails, but what they lack in length, they make up for in content. This 1,000ha (150-acre) nature discovery centre features rare trumpeter swans, a floating boardwalk through the cattail marsh, canoe rentals, an observation tower, a sugar shack and lots of great bird-watching.
Your experience begins at the indigenous wildflower garden right at the entrance of the park. From there, you’ll wander back towards the swan pond, where the giant white beauties gather. Then you’ll walk across the bridge to the floating boardwalk above the cattail marsh.
Hikers can also take advantage of guided hikes and presentations about snakes, birds of prey, edible plants and astronomy conducted by naturalists throughout the summer.
Getting There
Take Highway 12 east from Midland.
Further Information
Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre
16160 E. Hwy. 12, PO Box 100
Midland, ON L4R 4K6
705-526-7809
Berm Loop to Tower, via the Floating Boardwalk
Level of difficulty
Distance .75km (.5mi) loop
Approx. time 30min return
Trailhead Adult swan pond corner fence
Wye Marsh’s fame is due, at least in part, to this floating boardwalk. The boardwalk meanders directly into the marsh to allow hikers a good up-close view of cattails and other wetland plants.
Hardwood Trail
Level of difficulty
Distance .25km (.2mi) linear
Approx. time 10min each way
Trailhead Visitor centre, adult swan pond
The Hardwood Trail leads between the visitor centre and the adult swan pond, where you can see the results of Wye Marsh’s successful breeding of trumpeter swans.
Return Trail
Level of difficulty
Distance .25km (.2mi) linear
Approx. time 10min each way
Trailhead Visitor centre, adult swan pond
The Return Trail also leads between the visitor centre and the adult swan pond.
ID Trail
Level of difficulty
Distance .5km (.3mi) linear
Approx. time 20min each way
Trailhead Visitor centre, adult swan pond corner fence
The Identification Trail leads from the visitor centre to the adult swan pond. Along the way, placards explain the types of plants that grow in a marsh and the many interesting uses for them, including cattail flour and a fern scrub brush.
Woodland and Muskrat Trails
Level of difficulty
Distance 3km (1.9mi) loop
Approx. time 1hr return
Trailhead Adult swan pond corner fence
The Woodland and Muskrat trails lead in loops through a pine forest at the edge of the marsh.