Donate to Killarney Provincial Park's OP125 Project: "The Crack" Trail

As part of Ontario Parks’ 125^th anniversary, we’re asking Ontarians to help us fund one of five legacy projects across the province.

Killarney Provincial Park’s legacy project is to upgrade the “The Crack” hiking trail. This is a short, day-use portion of the multi-day (80 km) La Cloche Silhouette Trail along Killarney’s white quartzite ridges.

Killarney aerial view — “The Crack” is a cleft in the top of the ridge between Kakakise Lake (foreground) and Killarney Lake to the north. The trail ascends 150 m, offering excellent views of the southern part of the park.

From the trailhead at Hwy 637 up to the prominent “Crack” in the ridge is a 3 km hike one way. The first half runs through old meadows and forested lowlands to Kakakise Lake, and then ascends steeply over open rocky terrain.

With ever increasing use, this trail section is badly eroded, with extensive root exposure in some areas.

root exposure on Crack trail — Erosion and root damage on the steep slope above Kakakise Lake. Once this section of trail is rerouted, this area will be rehabilitated.

Planning is currently underway to reroute some of the steeper sections through more suitable terrain. Heavily eroded areas will be closed and rehabilitated to a natural state.

It is anticipated that the work may be done in several stages and may take more than one year to complete.

winter sunset from cliff — A late winter view from on top of The Crack. Looking west over Killarney Lake, with O.S.A. Lake beyond.

This is an important legacy project because “The Crack” is one of the most popular trails in the area. From the ridge, one has expansive views over much of the southern part of Killarney Provincial Park, out over Georgian Bay, and beyond!

This trail section is used by countless day hikers as well as backpackers on the La Cloche Silhouette Trail which winds its way through much of the park’s interior.

Killarney topographical map — The trail runs from Hwy 637 (lower right) through old meadows and a range of forest types before climbing the quartizite slopes of Killarney Ridge. The trail is 3 km one way, and takes approximately 4 hours to hike the round trip. The last half of the trail is shared with the multi-day La Cloche Silhouette backpacking trail, an 80 km loop through the heart of Killarney’s wilderness.

How to contribute

If you’d like to help us rehabilitate Killarney’s “The Crack” Trail, visit our new donations page.

Making a camping reservation? You’ll have the option to add on a donation to a project of your choice.

You can also check back throughout the year to find out how close we are to funding the project!