Featured Park- Frontenac

Think park season is over? Let us introduce you to Frontenac Provincial Park.Open year-round, this park offers a wilderness experience, close to the major urban centres of Southern Ontario.

Your Threshold to Wilderness Adventure
Open a door to the wilderness at Frontenac Provincial Park where canoe trips take you through a mosaic of crystal-clear lakes, and hikes along endless trails reveal a fascinating north-south mix of plants and animals. Granite outcrops, extensive wetlands and forests encircling deep blue lakes set the scene in this natural environment park. Hone your outdoor skills through Frontenac's unique wilderness skills programs, and apply what you learn as you camp, canoe and hike in the park's 5,214 hectares of rugged terrain - your gateway to semi wilderness adventures.

Surrounded by Nature's Contrasts

The park is situated on the Frontenac Axis, the most southerly projection of the Canadian Shield. In this area - termed a transition zone by biologists - a great many northern and southern species overlap. A diverse environment of lakes, cliffs, swamps, rock outcrops, bogs, upland forest and beaver ponds co-exist in Frontenac, creating a range of habitats for many plant and animal communities. The park is further classified into three distinctive environmental zones: the northern, the transitional and the southern zones.

The Northern Zone
Hike along trails that traverse the deeper soils and rolling hills characteristic of the northern zone. Stroll through mature deciduous forests and lush, fern-filled valleys for a look at some of Ontario's rarest ferns and flowering plants.

The Transitional Zone
A younger, more open, mixed forest is typical of the transitional zone in the park's middle section. Focus your explorations on Big Salmon Lake which lies in the midst of a pine, birch, beech, oak and maple forest.

The Southern Zone
Investigate the southern zone of the park and its complex ecosystem of bogs, marshes and fens. Many burned-over ridges and beaver ponds make the landscape appear barren and inhospitable, but provide a superb habitat for wildlife such as the white-tailed deer, grouse, song and white-throated sparrows and other birds of the forest.

Some of the more interesting wetlands include the bogs near Arkon and Cedar lakes. Spot turkey vultures soaring on thermals of warm air above the rock ridges or osprey drifting in lazy circles scanning the waters below for fish. Catch a glimpse of the kingbirds and kingfishers along the shores. Great blue herons stalk their prey in beaver ponds, and two species of swallows, as well as hawks and owls, nest in the treetops. Other types of wildlife thriving in this environment are tree swallows, woodpeckers, barred owls, wood ducks, otters and mink.

Listen for the raucous screams of secretive red-shouldered hawks as they hunt beneath the leafy forest canopy. This increasingly rare species requires large tracts of mature, undisturbed hardwood forests for its breeding territory.

Beaver are especially evident in and around Big Salmon Lake. Other mammals are less visible, often emerging only after dusk. Coyotes and wolves howl across the lake at night and the occasional barking of a fox can be heard. Bears or signs of them are sometimes apparent, with deer, raccoon and porcupine more often observed.

Catch sight of the elusive five-lined skink - Ontario's only lizard. With luck, you may see another rare reptile - one of Canada's largest snakes, the black rat snake. Found mainly in the Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes area, this harmless snake can sometimes be seen along the trails of Frontenac.

The Impact of Historical Development

Frontenac's geology and remoteness delayed extensive settlement until the logging and mining activities of the 19th century became catalysts for development. During the 1840s, the feverish pace of the logging industry took its toll on the landscape. Complete stands of forests were clear-cut, with only the best logs being hauled to market. The unwanted logs, trees and dry slash left on the ground fed massive forest fires which burned large portions of the park. By the early 20th century, logging ceased. Badly logged out, fire scarred and eroded, the rocky landscape barely resembled early descriptions of the area.

Mica mining took the place of lumber as the sole source of cash for settlers. In Frontenac, mica was excavated from shallow pits at several mine sites, including the Tett Mine - once the largest producer of mica in Ontario.

As mining rose in importance, families began to settle and cultivate the thin soils of the Canadian Shield. They supplemented their earnings with work in the lumber camps and mines, but as market prices fell, the mines began to shut down. By the mid-1940s, all mines had ceased operating and with them went the pioneer families.

Recreate a picture of history along the several hiking trails that pay tribute to early mining, logging and settlement activity. Follow the old logging road of the Hemlock Lake Loop or study the remnants of mica mines along the Tetsmine Loop. The many abandoned farm clearings on the Big Salmon and Little Clear Lake loops remain as testimony to the courageous but unfulfilled dreams of the early settlers.

Gateway to Extensive Wilderness Adventures

Frontenac's extensive range of wilderness skills programs is an integral part of your park experience and the best way to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the remarkable natural environment you're about to enter.

Begin at the Trail Centre on Otter Lake - the last point for motorized travel in Frontenac and the place from which you gain access to the park's interior. Before embarking on your adventures, sign up for one of the park's many wilderness skills training programs to develop essential back-country skills. Learn how to select, handle and maintain camping equipment, develop survival techniques, apply low-impact camping methods to camp without harming the environment, understand maps and compasses and photograph nature. Weekend activities and adventures, including guided overnight camping and canoeing excursions, let you test your new knowledge in the park environment, during the four seasons.

Supporting these hands-on programs is a variety of displays and printed materials outlining the diverse geological, ecological and cultural features of the area, including details about campsites, hiking, fishing and canoeing. Ask to see the audio-visual presentation titled "Threshold to Wilderness" for an overview of Frontenac in all its seasonal splendour.

While at the Trail Centre, take a walk along the nearby Arab Lake Gorge interpretive trail or try out the waters on a leisurely canoe jaunt around Otter Lake. Day-users may picnic nearby or spend a couple of hours hiking along the Doe Lake Trail.

Camping is allowed in the park's interior only, and requires a camping permit available at the Trail Centre. While here, ask staff for route planning assistance to help you map out your journey. Set off by canoe and paddle through the connecting lakes, where portages allow you to cover much of Frontenac's varied landscape. More extensive water travel with fewer portages is available by linking up with the peripheral lakes. The park's extensive system of waterways and trails provides plenty of time and space for strenuous physical activity as well as contemplation and solitude.

Hear the loon's wild cry echo around the rocky shores of a lake as the evening sun sets and you pull up to one of several lakeside campsites. A portable backpacker's stove is ideal for cooking up a hearty dinner. Or take advantage of the fireplace provided for your evening cookout. Many of the lakeside camping sites are adjacent to natural beaches, and all have primitive toilet facilities located nearby.

In addition to the vast network of canoe routes, more than 170 kilometres of hiking trails offer a view of Frontenac's extraordinary scenery, taking you past such intriguing areas as Moulton Gorge, the Arkon Lake Bog and the Black Lake homestead. Different lengths and loops from 1.5 to 21 kilometres give the avid hiker, either beginner or experienced, plenty of choices to investigate particular areas of historical or environmental interest.

Bring along your fishing gear to practice angling in the park's waterways. The variety of lake sizes and depths, together with their shoals, beaches, marshes and rocky shorelines, provide suitable habitat for fish such as lake trout, brook trout, northern pike and bass. Find out what's biting where at the Trail Centre, but remember: keep only fish that are in season, and never take more than your daily limit.

A Park For All Seasons

The park is open year round - consider spring and fall as yet another way to enjoy all that Frontenac has to offer. Each season offers the visitor a different setting and experience. Frontenac's rugged landscape takes on particular beauty as the forests begin to green in the spring, explode into a kaleidoscope of colour in fall and then rest quietly under a deep blanket of snow in the winter. For a less busy, quiet stay, consider the spring and fall camping seasons when the days and nights are cooler and you get a feeling of having the park all to yourself.

Cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing and winter camping are popular park activities during the winter months. Stop at the Trail Centre to warm yourself by the fire and visit with fellow park enthusiasts or sign up for a wide variety of winter skills programs and activities.

Plan Your Visit Now

Frontenac Provincial Park is located north of Kingston and Highway 401 near Sydenham. To make your stay the safest and most rewarding, arrive prepared to enjoy the natural landscape and recreational opportunities. Supplies are available in the nearby towns of Sydenham and Verona and from local outfitters.