Bass Lake Provincial Park

Only a ten-minute drive from the town of Orillia Ontario, Bass Lake Provincial Park is a great place to find relief from hot, stuffy Ontario cities in the summer. The sandy beach on Bass Lake is the perfect place to cool off with a swim, followed by a paddle along the shorelines in a canoe or paddleboard. It is also a perfect place for a picnic at one of the park’s picnic tables in the shade of a large tree. The hiking trail that snakes through the park will take you past geological, natural, and historic features. Along the Water View Trail, you will come across a giant rock, that might seem out of place. This is a glacial erratic: a rock that was dragged and deposited by an ancient glacier. You might also pass fields of enchanting wild flowers and ferns, or a stand of cedar, birch, or aspen trees. After stopping at a viewpoint overlooking the lake, the boardwalk will take you across a marshland full of birds, frogs, and aquatic plants. Continue along the trail to find evidence of an old barn, dairy shed, and the stone homestead of an old farm property. This ends your journey through the park; a journey that will surely have you yearning to return time, and time again.