Beginning June 1, backcountry camping and day-use will be permitted in non-operating provincial parks and conservation reserves where these activities are normally available. Party size must not exceed the limit set out under the emergency order in force under s.7.0.2 (4) of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.
Before you visit: check what facilities/activities are available and pack what you need (e.g. water, snacks, mask/face covering, and hand sanitizer). Postpone your visit if you have any symptoms of COVID-19 or have been asked to isolate.
Please note winter activities are weather dependent, please check the Ontario Parks Ski Report or local weather forecasts for snow conditions.
When you visit: Continue to follow public health advice including practicing physical distancing by keeping at least two metres from others, wearing a face covering where required, when physical distancing may be a challenge or not possible and when entering indoor public spaces, and wash your hands regularly with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
Facilities
The wonders of Mashkinonje are best known by field naturalists from North Bay and Sudbury; and botany and nature-based tourism students from the local colleges and university. Mashkinonje Provincial Park consists of a diverse system of wetlands supporting all the major wetland types; marshes, bogs, swamps, fens and ponds; interspersed with undulating granite ridges that cover over 2000 hectares along the West Arm of Lake Nipissing. The park counts among its many wetlands two provincially significant areas the Loudon Basin Peatlands and the Muskrat Creek complexes.
The parks features are the result of a post-glacial lake that covered the area combined with a series of parallel low elevation folded bedrock uplands. The low upland bedrock areas were wave washed with soils eroded and deposited in the depressions. The amount of soil deposited determines if the depressions are nutrient rich or nutrient poor. The broken drainage also has a range of moisture levels from wet to dry. Add to moisture and nutrient variability- wave action on Lake Nipissing and aspect (south vs. north facing slopes) and the result are a variety of wetlands habitats that make Mashkinonje a very interesting location to observe nature. A combined group of community and educational partners have developed a system of hiking trails in the park to make the park features available to the public.
Park Facilities and Activities: 10 hiking trails in stacked loops totaling 30 km