Kawartha Lakes, ON
Our second stop with Kym; we drove west from the highlands to the lakes. Our first stop was Emily Provincial Park. This park was largely geared towards camping, but there is a beach on which dogs are allowed (on-leash) and a short, easy trail through a patch of forest.
Our accommodation was by Cabinscape, situated in Kirkfield. I had stayed at one of their cabins before, but we didn’t have such a good experience this time. Our cabin, Bluebell, was at the end of an extremely potholed lake, and a 10-minute walk from the lake, which was a repurposed quarry. Guests are required to bring their own bedding and kayak rental cost extra. It was too small a space for two people. Despite this, we enjoyed a campfire one night and even watched a hare right outside our window. In her “adventure pup” pack, Rita received a branded bandana and some paw balm.
Our cabin was handy to Balsam Lake Provincial Park. The trails come before the park office. We parked at the Woodland Trail parking lot and connected all four trails into a 9km loop. This was a quiet trail through woodlands and meadows, with a lookout over the forest and informational and story boards for children placed along the route.
Next we headed to the town of Fenelon Falls, a town centred around the 50 metre wide waterfall. The falls are quite hidden due to the surrounding infrastructure but aren’t far to walk to. We had lunch at the Fenelon Falls Brewing Co., which was very dog friendly – dogs are also welcomed in their chocolate café next door. Rita received a couple of complementary milk bones. Murphy’s Pub and Lockhouse across the road also welcomes dogs. We wandered around the town, which mostly consists of antique shops. Rita was welcomed into most stores.
A must-do at Fenelon Falls is The Grove Outdoor Theatre. Dogs are not permitted “unless it’s a pet performance”, so keep an eye out for one of those. However, I absolutely had to mention it as the performance was spectacular. The play this season is Into The Woods, a Broadway musical intertwining well-known fairy tales. The actors were talented and engaging, yet the play had a community feel. Kym and I were smiling and laughing throughout.
On our way out of the Kawartha Lakes area, we visited Sibbald Point Provincial Park. This is a large park, mostly with campgrounds, but there were two nice trails and a dog-friendly beach area. The Maidenhead Fern Trail took us through woodland with well-maintained boardwalks. We then drove to the Heritage Trail, which led us from Eildon Hall, a rural manor dating back to the 1830s, down “the avenue” to St. George’s Anglican Church. Afterwards we visited the good-sized park store for some ON Parks merchandise.
