DISCOVER POINT GRONDINE PARK

Imagine yourself walking on smooth, pink, granite bedrock interlaced with veins of quartzite and overlaid with a quilt of grey lichen, emerald moss, wildflowers, and lustrous green bushes overloaded with sweet blueberries, twisted windblown pines, and oak trees emerging from thin pockets of soil. You inhale the restorative scent of those pine needles baking in the sun and listen to cicadas buzzing and birds singing from the encircling forest. As enraptured as you are by your immediate surroundings, a glance at the horizon is equally captivating. The sun reflects off the white quartz LaCloche mountain range to the north.

To the south, Georgian Bay glistens, beckoning you to set your canoe upon the Kaa-Gaa-gehns Water Trail to paddle through beautiful inland lakes to the silver waves and granite cliffs of Collins Inlet.  This is not your imagination; this is Point Grondine Park in Ontario, Canada.

Point Grondine Park, located just south east of Killarney Provincial Park, is proudly owned and operated by the Anishinaabek people of Wikwemikong Unceded Territory. It has opened its backcountry including a 6.9-km day loop and 21-km overnight hiking trail and interior canoe routes connecting to six lakes. The Eco Resort is a phased development that when complete will feature 25 campground sites with two cabins and glamping options. The trailhead will also be fitted with a staffed gatehouse and interpretive center for park visitors. Visitors that reserve backcountry sites can expect to be greeted with a standard backcountry orientation by the Park Guardians. It is one of the Amazing Places of the Georgian Bay UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. 

Point Grondine is the ancestral home of the Odawa and Ojibway First Nations. Wikwemikong citizens today use the land to harvest berries, wild rice, fish and game as their ancestors have for thousands of years.

On my trip this summer, I collected blueberries, bunchberries, and serviceberries to accompany a campfire meal of fresh-caught fish. To me, this is a timeless event that pays homage to the people that came before me rather than merely a simple meal. I walk the same trails, paddle the unchanged waters and sit around similar campfires—everything I do here is done with reverence, with thoughtfulness, and with respect. I am fully immersed in the history and nature that surrounds me.

Whether paddling the Coastal Water Trail on Georgian Bay or the Interior Canoe Routes, the history of the region shows itself to those who seek it. Remnants of 19^th-century logging camps, the ghost town of Collins Inlet, and indigenous pictographs are still visible throughout. It is amazing that these centuries-old relics prevail. The climate here can be harsh, and the land bares evidence. Winters are cold and snowy, summers; hot and dry. The soil is thin, exposed bedrock predominates, trees are stunted and gnarled, waves often pound the shoreline of the Bay, and strong winds whip up off of the big lake and in through the inland lakes. But it’s exactly these conditions that make this a special place. I have travelled far and wide, exploring, hiking, and paddling new places, but whenever I return to the north shore of Georgian Bay, I wonder why I ever leave.

Things to Do AT POINT GRONDINE PARK

Throughout the summer months, you can enjoy Authentic Indigenous Experiences, provided by Wikwemikong Tourism, that connect you to the territory of its original descendants. 

The park is accessible through mandatory park permits that can be purchased online at www.grondinepark.ca or by calling 1-705-859-3477 or 1-844-945-8687. Please note that this park is still in development so you will need some backcountry skills.  

camping 

There are 22 single and group backcountry campsites located throughout the Park’s 18,000 acres. A few are located on the Wemtagoosh Hiking Trail and the rest are accessed by water. 

Paddling: Kaa-Gaa-Genhs Water Trail

TRI-LAKES CANOE ROUTES (INTERIOR)

Length: 1-2 days- Approx. 20km (round-trip) 
Access/Launch: Trailhead-Mahzenazing Lake

PHILLIP EDWARD ISLAND LOOP (COASTAL)

Length: 1-7days- Approx. 75 km
Access/Launch: Trailhead Mahzenanzing Lake

Hiking

MERV’S LANDING

6.0 km Looped – Advanced

Self-guided hike

WEMTAGOOSH FALLS LOOP

GEORGIAN BAY COAST TRAIL

21.0 km Looped - Advanced

Self-guided hike/Backcountry camping

Equipment Rentals

Killarney Outfitters, located west of the Park in the town of Killarney, rents and sells canoes and a wide assortment of camping gear.

KILLARNEY OUTFITTERS

1076 Highway 637,
Killarney, ON
(705) 287-2828
www.killarneyoutfitters.com

Where to Stay

Point Grondine Park can also be enjoyed as a day trip, with lakes to paddle and trails to hike. Consider staying overnight at one of these nearby resorts.

AVALON ECO RESORT

476 Hwy. 637,
Killarney, ON
(705) 688-3453
www.avalonecoresort.com 

SPORTSMAN’S INN

37 Channel Street,
Killarney, ON
(705) 287-9990
www.sportsmaninn.ca 

KILLARNEY MOUNTAIN LODGE

3 Commissioner Street,
Killarney, ON
(705) 287-2691
www.killarney.com

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