Paddling around Killarney in Georgian Bay

By end of August, the weather finally stabilized and the weatherman announced a sunny period, without any storms in sight. That was the signal, I was waiting for, so without any delays, I got packing, threw the canoe on the car, and got going in the direction of Killarney at the northern shore of Georgian Bay. After an early start and pleasant 4-hour drive, we arrived around 8:30am at the Killarney Provincial Park, paid for the parking permit at the nearby Chikanishing parking lot, and started to paddle across the Colins inlet, and then around the west end of the Philip Edward Island towards the Fox islands.

Good thing, we started early. The wind has picked up during the late morning, and the waves were getting bigger, but by then we were paddling through the protected waters between the numerous islands and shoals on the southern side of Philip Edward island. These waters are ideal for sea kayaks, and that’s what you see mostly out in the open water, but I prefer a medium to large tripping canoe since I usually carry more stuff than I could put into a kayak. The disadvantage of a large canoe is that it rides quite high and is more susceptible to head and cross winds.

By noon we found our camping spot and set up our base on a nice rocky island with a high, but easily climbable granite hill with a beautiful view in all directions. The weather was fantastic, mosquitoes few, and beside photography, we engaged in a lot of swimming, paddling, exploring nearby islands and bays, and more swimming.

Here are some pictures from the trip.

Our 'private island' campsite

Kayaking and canoeing paradise

Rest stop on the return way

Typical Georgian Bay scene

Advertisement