I had it for 2 weeks on the PCT, and it’s my experience that close to 50% of people will get some form of it in the first few weeks of a hike. Circular trail from George Lake Campground, 100 km, 10 days. We celebrated by taking 4 hours to rip dead tree branches the size of my leg out of the high canopy using ropes. I would recommend this trail to anyone. This means when you come out of the woods in a week your car will be right there. Time –  7 hours If you look at the map, you can see here that it is very tempting to just cross the dam and pick up the trail on the other side, cutting off about three kilometres from the hike. As of 2016, reservations are accepted up to 5 months in advance of your arrival date. Matt also had blisters but his were borne out of cheap hiking boots I had cautioned against, so sympathy for him was minimal. MOST of them have been “edited” with sharpies to fix this. I checked in to get my permit, parked the car, walked across the campground, and was at the trailhead at 11:00am. However, I’ve always dreamed of running it - in 12hrs or less. … it really is impressive the amount of water they can hold back. Digital Download. We had Ian’s dog Bronson with us who had never done something like this and there had been a bit of a question as to whether a dog can do this trail or not. Appalachian Trail, Appalachian Trail Blog, AT, AT 2015, AT Blog, AT Blog 2015, Backpacking, Hiking, Killarney, Killarney Provincial Park, Lacloche Silhouette Trail, Ontario, Planning, Thru Hike, Training. I guess there are a lot of other unemployed hippies here, it’s nice not to be the only one. ( Log Out /  The trail is situated in Killarney Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada.The trail is named for Group of Seven painter Franklin Carmichael's painting "La Cloche Silhouette." 20 Comments on La Cloche Silhouette (78k Backpacking Trail) After maybe thirty minutes of trying all possible routes, I concluded this was definitely not the trail. Now I looped back to the east along the same creek for a kilometre or so, then turned northward towards the mountains. Killarney Provincial Park Unlostify online, with canoe trip routes, lakes, portages and hiking trails. One of the cool things about this site – you get to see the sun set on on side of you, and rise on the other. Then it was some campfire time, and I was in bed and asleep before it was dark … this would be true most nights ! The planters didn’t really alleviate any of this when they said that “a dog could probably do most of it”. I set up my tent in the designated location on the east side of the peninsula. Within about an hour, I saw the first yellow sign pointing to a campsite to the left of the trail – this is site H1 on Lumsden Lake. Day 1, I had seen people, and there were people swimming at the lake when I got to my campsite. It is known as the highlight and a sort of reward at the end of the trail (if done clockwise) as the view is incredible and the crack itself is pretty badass. You are near the water, and access to get down to it to fill up water bottles is relatively easy. Delicious ! The trail immediately climbed 600 feet onto a bare, white peak overlooking the lakes and mountains of the area with no sign of civilization as far as the eye could see. It was cool, so there was mist on the water, and shrouding the hills I was about to climb … in, La Cloche Silhouette Trail, Killarney Provincial Park – 7 Days 6 Nights – August 7-13, 2014 – Part 1 of 3, Goose River Hike, Fundy National Park, New Brunswick – 2 Days, 1 Night, La Cloche Silhouette Trail, Killarney Provincial Park – 7 Days 6 Nights – August 7-13, 2014 – Part 2 of 3, Granite Canyon – Death Canyon Loop, Grand Teton National Park – 3 days, 2 nights – August 24 – 26, 2015, Shoshone Lake Trail, Yellowstone National Park – 4 Days, 3 Nights – August 20 – 23, 2015, Tamarack Trail, Waterton Lakes National Park – 4 Days, 3 Nights – August 9-12, 2015, Skoki Loop, Lake Louise, Banff National Park – 4 Days, 3 Nights – August 5 – 7, 2015, Nigel Pass and Western Part of Brazeau Loop, Jasper National Park – 3 days, 2 nights – August 1 – 4, 2015, La Cloche Silhouette Trail, Killarney Provincial Park – 7 Days 6 Nights – August 7-13, 2014 – Part 3 of 3, Fishing Cove, Cape Breton – 2 Days, 1 Night, https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/killarney, La Cloche Silhouette Trail, Killarney Provincial Park – 7 Days 6 Nights – August 7-13, 2014 – Part 2 of 3 – KB Backpacking Blog. The trail is situated in Killarney Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada.The trail is named for Group of Seven painter Franklin Carmichael's painting "La Cloche Silhouette." This is a 100km loop starting and ending at the George Lake campground. The signs for the H5 and H6 campsites appeared on the left as I passed Cave Lake. By this point we had no memory of the sites we had booked over the phone (since we had done this without a map or knowing which sites were where) but in planning for the exit on Friday (day 5) we figured H48 or H49 would be nice places to stop and leave ourselves 12 km for the following morning. Luckily, by staying at site H7, I only had to do part of the climb this first day because the side trail that takes you to the campsite cuts off the main trail halfway up to the left. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Just before I was about to jump in, this guy appeared ! LA CLOCHE SILHOUETTE TRAIL - 7 DAYS, 6 NIGHTS - AUGUST 7, 2014 Killarney Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada (Part 2 of 3 - Days 3 and 4) (Part 1 is HERE) (Part 3 is HERE) Day 3 - H19 to H32 (Shigaug Lake) - Three Narrows and Hansen Township Sections Difficulty - 8 Views - 8.5… By the time I had set up camp and collected firewood, it was 5:00pm and the swimmers had left (they mostly day hike in, so they have a three hour walk back to the campground) so I had the entire lake to myself. Killarney Provincial Park map online. Park, Ontario 3110 metres of elevation gain Twilight 0711 Sunrise 0741 Sunset 1843 Twilight 1913 Weather Forecast June 12-13, 2020 - MAP (detailed maps at bottom) It is a good idea to have a printed map as well as a compass. You follow the blue markers that are nailed to trees along the way … but to be honest, it would be hard to accidentally get lost on this section of the trail (don’t take that as a challenge). Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Day 1, I had seen people, and there were people swimming at the lake when I got to my campsite. On Jeff’s map I have broken it into the trail from H7 to H16, and then H16 to H19. The benefit of this is you get uninterrupted views of the lakes and valleys around you while skipping along easy to walk on quartzite. Luckily H49 had a solo hiker who hadn’t booked the site either. Either way, as far as Ontario goes Killarney is considered one of the more impressive Provincial Parks known for its proximity on Georgian Bay, white quartzite cliffs and sparkling blue lakes covering the landscape like a pizza splotched with a faulty nozzled ranch sauce bottle. Bring your own T.P. We got to a campsite at H48 that seemed beautiful, but low and behold and group of kahki-laden wilderness warriors unwilling to share their experience with us kicked us off our site. To obtain more, I needed to scour the surrounding woods for downed wood. I came to the bottom of a hill where I looked up at a wide but rock strewn trail. I found the trail markings of the path to it a little scarce … but really, keep the water to your right and you will eventually get there. – You can use the call centre to book campsites, backcountry sites, cabins, yurts and cottages. Site H16 is just off the path along side this lake. We knew waking up that the day consisted of a 300 foot climb directly up to a ridge called “The Crack”. Each site has a “Thunderbox” somewhat discretely hidden from the campsite, but that is where the discretion ends. You won’t see any signs of civilization aside form the planes flying overhead and an eerily abandoned truck, and some blue arrows you have to follow off cliffs. Guidebook and Map| Hard copies of map available at local outfitters, including Lefebvre’s, Mountain Eq… Contact Killarney Provincial Park for more information. selecting a trail or route based on your level of expertise) before making a reservation. Er führt entlang eines Sees, durch schönen Wald und es gibt schöne Wildblumen und oftmals Wildtiere zu sehen. Trust me, I was a very happy man when I came out and did not have to walk that extra kilometre to get to my vehicle ! I reached the turn off down to site H19 at 4:15pm. I'm planning a backpacking trip to Killarney Provincial Park to do the La Cloche Silhouette Trail. I came to the bottom of a hill where I looked up at a wide but rock strewn trail. A fire and 5 knorr sides, some much needed coffee and sleep. https://www.youtube.com/user/SSNCanada, LA CLOCHE SILHOUETTE TRAIL – 7 DAYS, 6 NIGHTS – AUGUST 7, 2014, Killarney Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, As of 2016, reservations are accepted up to 5 months in advance of your arrival date. I’ll take a week or so out of the city and from canoe trips I’d done in Killarney I knew it was beautiful there. The trail is named for Group of Seven painter Franklin Carmichael's painting "La Cloche Silhouette." Plan Map vs. Trip Map. Ian’s knee had developed something I’ve always called Illiotibial Band Syndrome. I have no idea how people could do this if the rocks were remotely wet, as they are smooth, steep and already slippery. The side trail popped me out high above the lake, and it was my first wow moment. There is also private property and some buildings in this area that needs to be respected. I had my first walk on the exposed granite here … something I would be doing many times over the next few days. Luckily, by staying at site H7, I only had to do part of the climb this first day because the side trail that takes you to the campsite cuts off the main trail halfway up to the left. The approach is a 100 m vertical drop down to the valley, which in itself is a gnarly challenge. You head down the hill and make a turn to the west at a dam. There are two trailheads in the George Lake Campsite. I went over to the west side of the peninsula for a swim (and by “going over”, I mean a 25 yard walk). , and enjoy the view ! On Jeff’s map I have broken it into the trail from H7 to H16, and then H16 to H19. White cliffs over a private lake on a long narrow peninsula for a 270° view of your oasis. 410 likes. Plus they did say that in spite of all of this, the trail was breathtaking and 100% worth it. But the highlight is the lake itself and the white quartzite hills that surround it. Typical Trail. I wasn’t sure how far back the actual trail was, all I knew was the hill I’d descended that … Just before I was about to jump in, this guy appeared ! As you can see, the yellow markers that denote campsites were not designed with numbers. Again, there is no defined tent pad at this site, so you find a level, worn area. The trip starts with a short bridge over water into the woods … a walk in the park ! I also got to see my first beaver dam (it wouldn’t be the last !) While some other of my practices like using my food as a pillow and not carrying a trowel seemed more controversial, the cowboy camping was adopted by all. Having said that, the side trail has its own steep hill up as I headed back to the campsite at Topaz Lake. Basically it is an overuse injury on your knee that makes it very painful to go downhill or put a load on it. In my experience hiking you show up at a campsite when the day is done and if there happens to be other people there you get to hang out with them around the fire and exchange food/medicine. Two things went into my decision … firstly that in order to say you have hiked the trail, you should really hike the entire trail … and secondly, crossing the dam is prohibited. Moving on, there was some loose rocks on the trail I had to be a bit careful with as I descended out of this area towards Cave Lake (again, thanks poles for your assistance ! La Cloche Silhouette 78K Loop, Killarney Prov. They were 3 tree planters on their way up to Sudbury to start the season, and had hitchhiked to the park in an attempt to knock off the LaCloche as training for the planting season. We got up and made some of the nastiest folgers instant coffee I’ve ever tasted and got going as quick as possible. And there were lots of good trees available for hanging my food … Seven years in prison ! A wicked peninsula on Silver Lake. She wrote this after our 8-day, 90k hike along the La Cloche Silhouette Trail at Killarney Provincial Park. , and enjoy the view ! They had done the trail in reverse from our direction, so were at the end of what they described as a gruelling 5 days. It was cool, so there was mist on the water, and shrouding the hills I was about to climb … in Part 2 of this post ! I had my first walk on the exposed granite here … something I would be doing many times over the next few days. paddle@killarneyoutfitters.com. The site itself is a pine needle covered forest with lots of room. – Maximum party size is a maximum of six. The trail follows lakes, crosses streams, and is home to many species of wildlife. – Reservations can be made up to the day of arrival. ( Log Out /  Maybe more mental. If you are going clockwise, you enter the  loop at the western trailhead and exit at the eastern trailhead – they are maybe a kilometre apart. Hella fun, but gets exhausting and makes it hard to cover long distances. So the thinking is that you want to do these technical sections when you are a bit lighter because you have eaten some of your food (I started with close to nine pounds of food making my pack 44 pounds including 4 litres of water). – Call the park directly for trip planning advice (e.g. It is also a very pretty spot to stop for a snack. The trail is very difficult to navigate in the dark as the blazes are not reflective.  The majority of the western section of the trail is swamp, sinking shin deep in wet moss gets old pretty quick. I rejoined the main trail halfway up the hill known as “The Pig” … a rock strewn climb that earns its name. There is also no tent “pad” … you just look for an even spot of ground to set up. As training for the AT and to show my brother what hiking is all about, i convinced him to do the 78 km LaCloche Silhouette Trail in Killarney Provincial Park. I passed a body of water on my right – apparently it is not part of Three Narrows Lake, but shares water with it through a narrow passage. This dam is what makes  much of Three Narrows Lake a navigable lake – raising the water level by 5 metres. The reward at the top was my first elevated look at the landscape – including a view of the northern ridge of the La Cloche Mountains, a spot I would be traversing tomorrow. The La Cloche Silhouette Trail is a 78-kilometre (48 mi) backpacking loop across the white quartzite peaks of the La Cloche mountain range. " The main trail at Killarney Provincial Park is a 78 km loop known as the La Cloche Silhouette Trail. I walked back around to the cliffs and had a swim … it is amazing to be IN the water looking around at this beautiful spot. The side trail popped me out high above the lake, and it was my first wow moment. I had a swim, and waited on this western side of the peninsula for the sun to set. The campsite trail continues off to the left, about a half kilometre around the southern tip to the western side of the lake. At the bottom you can hear the roar of a 90 foot cascading waterfall, which thankfully ended up being a minor scramble with solid handles and refreshing as opposed to the crazy challenge we had envisioned. The end of the day we came to a beautiful campsite on an exposed white rock face over a pristine lake. I expected a lot from this hike … I got more. ( Log Out /  I also found a benchmark on the site … On the drive up realizing we would probably miss the rangers we called ahead and were woefully unprepared when they asked us to book sites. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Within about an hour, I saw the first yellow sign pointing to a campsite to the left of the trail – this is site H1 on Lumsden Lake. I had a swim, and waited on this western side of the peninsula for the sun to set. YouTube Video I made of this trip: When I started backpacking and researching trails, THIS trail became my long term goal. Just be ready for the trail to get difficult on day 1 ! – The reservation fee plus a deposit of $50.00 is required. (Part 1 of 3 – Days 1 and 2) Jack pine trees coloured the site, it was straight out of postcard and perfect so I started cooking dinner as the guys got firewood. This is the portage known as “The Pig”. And there were lots of good trees available for hanging my food …. The closest one to my right (east) was Gulch Hill, where a plane crash took place in 1994, killing six people. Doing climbs with music is infinitely more enjoyable than without so this is a worthy tradeoff to not see some bambis. Ian brought his wireless speaker and when the climbs got tough we were able to obnoxiously blare hood beats and Dave Wilcox. We had hoped to set out on the trail by 2 pm on Monday and get 12-14 km in but in reality we didn’t make it to the park until five. Insofar as epic hiking goes, the Lacloche Mountains were once taller than than the Rockies and it didn’t seem all that relevant to me that this hasn’t been true for the last hundred million years. This means you can call on February 1, to make a reservation for July 1. There are 33 backcountry hike-in sites. People day hike into this area to jump into the lake from these cliffs … there were about ten people there having a great time when I arrived. This means you can call on February 1, to make a reservation for July 1. 960 Highway #637 I explained to Ian that the only way to sleep outdoors was cowboy camping – without a tent. I've been checking out the route on the map (linked below) however I'm having trouble deciding on how to break up the trip. Change ), 78-100 km long depending on who is asking, More of a suggested rock climbing route than a hiking trail w/ Approxiametely 2 switchbacks, Hazards: Severe weather, Black Bear, Mosquitos, Biting flies, Steep grades, Diarrhea from water. I also got to see my first beaver dam (it wouldn’t be the last !) The reward at the top was my first elevated look at the landscape – including a view of the northern ridge of the La Cloche Mountains, a spot I would be traversing tomorrow. You are in bear country, so you’ll need a bear bag and rope to hang it. People day hike into this area to jump into the lake from these cliffs … there were about ten people there having a great time when I arrived. Again, there is no defined tent pad at this site, so you find a level, worn area. LA CLOCHE SILHOUETTE TRAIL – 7 DAYS, 6 NIGHTS – AUGUST 7, 2014 I was packed, up and ready to go by 9:30am the next morning after a delicious bowl of oatmeal ! I reached the turn off down to site H19 at 4:15pm. The trail that day had become familiar to us: spend some time. The LaCloche Silhouette trail in Killarney Provincial Park is one of the most rugged trails in Ontario. It is highly sought after. Then it was some campfire time, and I was in bed and asleep before it was dark … this would be true most nights ! In this guest post, my backcountry camping partner Cheryl explains her mental battles. Today would be one of the longest hiking days I would have at seven hours. Generally speaking, people do this hike in a clockwise direction. The water itself is … well, topaz !  Words and pictures don’t do it justice. This lake was the site of Arthur Lismer’s (Group of Seven) work ‘Bright Lands’. I passed campsite H3 on my left, (which you can actually see from the path, so not terribly private) and the trail to campsite H4 on my right.  This is also the location of my first tricky water crossing, with a log I needed walk on and keep my balance on the way over.