Most of us dread driving through Toronto these days, and that’s one of the reasons why my wife and I haven’t spent much time exploring some of the campsites out that way.
On our last leg home from our trip to the east coast, however, since we were passing, we decided to visit a few of Ontario’s provincial parks in eastern Ontario. We were able to visit Murphys Point, Sharbot Lake and Silver Lake. All three are in the Rideau Lakes area of the province and are part of 13 provincial parks within the the 36,000 square kilometres of the Algonquin Settlement Area. They are relatively close to each other and we found out that if you have a pass to one of them you can visit the others during the same day.
Our first day in the area, we camped at Murphy’s Point Provincial Park. It is 1,239 hectares in area and is part of the Historic Rideau Waterway. This park is on Big Rideau Lake and is bordered by Hogg Bay, Noble Bay and Loon Lake. Two of the highlights of this particular park are the Silver Queen Mica Mine and McParlan House.
Unfortunately, for us, the mine was not open when we visited, but when it is, they have interpretive staff in costumes leading guided tours down the trail and into the mine that operated in the early 1900s. There are interesting exhibits related to the mine on the grounds.
The other trail loops around Loon Lake and leads to an early homestead, McParlan House, which is the site of an archaeological study.
The park is located on the southernmost extension of the Canadian Shield known as the Frontenac Arch. Its geology, wetlands, forests and meadows combine to make it home for a diverse range of flora and fauna species and offers protection to several at-risk species. One group of fauna of local interest in the area are moths. Since 2015, there have been 980 species of moth identified in the park. This includes several species that were previously unknown. So, I kept an eye peeled for any, and what I spotted was a Little Wood Satyr (megisto cymela,) which is actually a butterfly.
An initiative being started at this park and others is a Moth Wall. Rotated weekly throughout the park, it is designed as a self-serve interactive display that is plugged in at night to attract moths. You may then use field guides to identify the moth species, and even photograph them.
After a pleasant overnight, we moved to Silver Lake Provincial Park and enjoyed a walk through a marsh area on a boardwalk and the views of the lake. It is a very picturesque lake and it had a lovely beach area. A boat-launching ramp was being used by fisherfolk and recreational boaters. The lake would also be ideal for kayaking and canoeing activities. It was relaxing stay at our campsite that evening.
Not too much further down Highway 7, in Frontenac County, we stopped in at Sharbot Lake Provincial Park. We decided to take one of the two hikes while we went into the park for the day. There was no cost as we had paid a fee at Silver Lake that was good until 2 p.m. This was a nice surprise.
Two hikes are noted at this park, the first being the Discovery Trail and the second the Ridgeview Trail. We decided to do the latter. There was a bit of a climb up the ridge on this trail that divides Black Lake from Sharbot Lake, but worth it to get a view of these two lakes.
All in all it was nice to have been able to visit these three parks on our way home. With one more stop planned in Prince Edward County, we felt pleased with our ongoing adventure.
