Awenda Provincial Park is located on the northern tip of Penetanguishene Peninsula on Georgian Bay. After an afternoon of butter tart festivities in nearby Midland, we headed here for some trail exploration and a night of front-country camping. This park is a bit of a hidden gem; the campsites are large and clean, and the plant and wildlife diversity here is impressive especially given its relatively small size. Best of all, the park is less than 2 hours drive from Toronto and not very busy, especially on a regular weekend.
Fun around the campfire.
There are a couple of sandy beaches north of the campsites, reached by hiking paths or a short drive. The 30-km network of trails in the park are all fairly easy to tackle – we chose to explore the Wendat Trail, a 5-km loop around Kettle’s Lake located east of the campground. The lake was formed curing glacial retreats during the most recent ice age. There are several boardwalks and lookout points along the trail for great views of the wetlands and surrounding forest. The fall foliage in this area should be spectacular, and that would be a great time for a return visit.
Two of our three tents on the spacious campsite.
One of the beaches on the north side of the park.
The frigid waters of Georgian Bay. Giants Tomb Island in the distance.
Canoeing on Kettle’s Lake.
Turtle eggs?
Very green path on the Wendat Trail.
Curious looking tree stump.
Wetlands on Kettle’s Lake.
Wildflowers on the trail.
This trail would be ideal for fall foliage.
Jeff at the boardwalk and canoe launch.
Cynara and Jonathan through a small pine forest.
Swamplands where a small creek connects to the lake.
Blooms by the lake shore.
On the beach at night. Very chilly and windy!
Bright moon and overcast skies dashed our hopes for star photos. Maybe next time…
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Peter Lam Photography 