Reach new heights this summer by conquering Killarney Provincial Park's renowned hiking trail to the Crack. Located along a section of the La Cloche Silhouette Trail, the journey to the Crack begins just off of Hwy 637 on an old logging road that runs through the park until it joins with the La Cloche Silhouette Trail.
Regardless of your hiking expertise, it is recommended that you get an early start for this trail. Hiking the Crack requires, patience, concentration and skill to maneuver the large boulders that serve as "stairs" to reach the top of the ridge. However, the challenging hike is worth every effort and is the perfect opportunity to combine a day of exercise with awe-inspiring visual entertainment provided by Mother Nature herself!
Beginning as a wide, flat footpath surrounded and shadowed by beautiful coniferous and broad leaf trees, you will enjoy an easy and pleasant half-hour walk to stretch and prepare for the challenges to come. Gradually the trail exits the forest and you will make your way across a wooden footbridge over the picturesque bass-filled Kakakise Lake.
After returning onto the naturally sheltered trail for approximately one kilometer, you will begin the ascension towards the Crack. During the climb, take a break and descend the short trail to Kidney Lake to admire the first glimpse of the Crack as it rises to the north roughly two kilometers in the distance.
As you carry on and gain elevation, the earth begins to recede and its accompanying trees become sparse revealing the vast skies above. Look around and observe how the landscape has transformed from lush green forest to large bare surface areas of smooth, pale grey quartzite rock.
Navigating around the boulders and hopping from rock to rock, you will then enter the four meter wide divide and marvel at the magnitude of the towering rock walls rising approximately 15 meters high on either side of the trail.
Once through the crack, prepare to be treated to one of the most spectacular views in all of Killarney Provincial Park with spectacular sparkling inland lakes, rolling white hills and the vast coastline of Georgian Bay. This panoramic view is not one to rush, so be sure to bring a picnic and sit down to enjoy the scenery. Don't forget a camera to capture the fruits of your labour!
For more information on hiking and other activities in Northeastern Ontario's Killarney Provincial Park, click here!
