My Victoria Day long weekend, the unofficial start of summer in Canada, was spent with two camping buddies on a return visit to Massasauga Provincial Park. Located about 2.5 hours north of Toronto, just south of Parry Sound, the Massasauga is a backcountry-only wilderness park with campsites accessible only by water. For the peace and tranquility of an isolated site miles away from civilization, the additional effort of paddling and portaging is well worth it.

Unlike my previous visit which was during late summer two years ago, this time around was cold, and on one day, very wet. Non-stop rain confined us to our tents for most of Saturday, followed by a windy Sunday. Still, there was time to explore the park and spend a good amount of time in the canoe – a welcome respite from the season’s first swarms of blackflies. This year we picked a site at the northern end of the park, which is significantly more remote and less travelled than the busy south side with its many power boats and cottagers coming in from Georgian Bay.

The rain did let up enough for some nice photos of the night sky, though we were not as fortunate as last time when we were treated to a spectacular northern lights show. There are a few more backcountry trips planned for the summer, so there’s hope yet!

Location and Route Map