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Can you name the 6 provincial parks located within Muskoka? Algonquin isn’t one of them, as it is on the north-east border, and not in Muskoka. Georgian Bay Islands is within Muskoka, right on Georgian Bay, but it is a national park.
Muskoka’s 6 Provincial Parks touch all four corners of the district, as well as the interior. Each is quite different from the other, protecting a variety of special habitats, and allowing a variety of limited uses.
Arrowhead Provincial Park is one, located north of Huntsville, just off of highway 11. A well-known park for winter recreation, it also offers camping and hiking, with 2 small lakes for swimming. Upriver from Arrowhead is the Big East River Provincial Park. Formed to protect the Big East River that flows from Algonquin Provincial Park through Arrowhead Provincial Park, it offers some fine canoeing and kayaking, though has no visitor facilities.
Hardy Lake Provincial Park is another. Located along the 169, about half-way between Gravenhurst and Bala, it is for day-use only, with some superb hiking. Botanists can enjoy the unique Atlantic Coastal plains flora found there.
That’s three. Bigwind Provincial Park is still another, located off of highway 118 east, past Vankoughnet, on the way to Haliburton. Located directly south of Algonquin Provincial Park, Bigwind protects some wonderful upland habitats and lakelands. It, too, is for day-use, only, with no camping and no visitor facilities.
Six Mile Lake Provincial Park, located off of the 400 extension, past Port Severn, is for camping, swimming, with 3 sandy beaches, and exploring. It boasts a surprising number of rare species of flora and fauna, including Ontario’s only lizard, the five-lined skink.
The sixth is Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park. Where is that? At the bottom of Muskoka, east of Severn Bridge. It is also the largest Provincial Park in Muskoka, at over 35,000 hectares, though this is shared with Victoria and Haliburton districts. And it is one of the least disturbed, for now, with a variety of habitat, being at the edge of the shield and bordering southern Ontario’s lowlands. It is also designed for limited use, mainly hiking, owning a portion of the Ganaraska hiking trail.
All offer the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate one aspect or another of Muskoka’s natural beauty, something that shouldn’t be taken for granted any longer in this increasingly developed region.
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