Balsam Lake Provincial Park

Last updated
Balsam Lake Provincial Park
Balsam Lake Provincial Park at sunrise.jpg
Sunrise at Balsam Lake Provincial Park Beach
Canada Southern Ontario location map 2.png
Red pog.svg
LocationOntario, Canada
Nearest city Coboconk
Coordinates 44°37′32″N78°51′27″W / 44.62555°N 78.85738°W / 44.62555; -78.85738 [1]
Area946 ha (2,340 acres) [3]
Established1968 [4]
Governing body Ontario Parks
www.ontarioparks.com/park/balsamlake
Balsam Lake Provincial Park

Balsam Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park located in south-central Ontario, Canada, on Balsam Lake. The park is situated along the Trent-Severn Waterway, a few kilometres southwest of Coboconk. It is an all-seasons recreation area offering camping, boating and fishing, and while closed in winter it is also used for skiing and snowshoeing.

Contents

Environment

Balsam Lake is part of a waterway that extends 389 kilometres across Ontario. [5] The waterway, entitled Trent-Severn Waterway, allows lakes and rivers throughout Ontario to be connected through canals. These canals allow individuals to travel by boat from one lake to another. For example, one can travel from Georgian Bay to Lake Ontario in addition to other regions. In the vicinity of the park are the Haliburton Highlands, the Muskoka Lakes, and the Precambrian wilderness. The wildlife consists of animals such as deer, fox, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, chipmunks, beavers, coyotes, a wide variety of birds and definitely North American black bears. [6]

Facilities and Services

Camping: Balsam Lake Provincial Park has 506 campsites distributed throughout the region. Of these campsites, 206 have electricity. The park also contains 3 group camping sites accompanied by vault privies and drinking water. [7] These sites must be reserved in advance through an application form and are only offered to non-profit youth groups. Alcohol and trailers are prohibited, while tents are permitted in any of the camping sites. Some of the other services in the campsites include: showers, toilets, Laundromats as well as a playgrounds for children.

Shopping: The Park Store (formerly known as the Gift Shop) is located at the entrance of the park and carries park souvenirs. [5] Firewood is made available at the Park Store and can also be found at the main office. In addition, there is a snack bar located on the beach. More stores are accessible in the local town of Coboconk.

Rentals: Balsam Lake Provincial Park offers kayaks, canoes, and paddle boats for rent. These rentals can be obtained from the Water Craft Rental Centre on the south side of the beach. Campers can rent equipment in 2 hour increments or overnight. [7]

Activities

Hiking: There are two trails that are situated in the Balsam Lake Provincial Park. They are the Lookout trail which is 2.6 km and the Plantation trail which is 4.2 km. [5] The Lookout trail begins on an esker and goes through different landscapes such as a cedar swamp, a deciduous forest, and a meadow. The Plantation trail identifies the impact man has made on the land over the past 150 years. The trail travels through logging sites, farm fields, as well as reforestation plantations. [8]

Park Activities: Balsam Lake Provincial Park has a beach close to most campsites where campers can perform water-based activities during spring and summer. Several fish including Bass, walleye, muskie, and panfish are found in the lake for when campers go fishing. [6] Other beach activities include canoeing, boating, and swimming. Aside from water-based activities, cycling is also an option as there are paved roads distributed amongst the park. In the autumn season, visitors tend to observe the trees as the leaves are changing colours. During the winter campers come to snowboard, ski, or hike.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Algonquin Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in Ontario, Canada

Algonquin Provincial Park is an Ontario provincial park located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River, mostly within the Unorganized South Part of Nipissing District. Established in 1893, it is the oldest provincial park in Canada. Additions since its creation have increased the park to its current size of about 7,653 km2 (2,955 sq mi). The park is contiguous with several smaller, administratively separate provincial parks that protect important rivers in the area, resulting in a larger total protected area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coboconk</span> Village in Ontario, Canada

Coboconk, often shortened to Coby, is a community in the city of Kawartha Lakes, in the south-central portion of the Canadian province of Ontario. The village lies at the junction of Highway 35 and former Highway 48, on the northern tip of Balsam Lake, the highest point on the Trent–Severn Waterway. Coboconk has a prominent role in the logging, limestone, and tourism industries of the Kawartha Lakes region over the past 150 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kawartha Lakes</span> City in Ontario, Canada

The City of Kawartha Lakes is a unitary municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. It is a municipality legally structured as a single-tier city; however, Kawartha Lakes is the size of a typical Ontario county and is mostly rural. It is the second largest single-tier municipality in Ontario by land area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Superior Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in Ontario, Canada

Lake Superior Provincial Park is one of the largest provincial parks in Ontario, covering about 1,550 square kilometres (600 sq mi) along the northeastern shores of Lake Superior between Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa in Algoma District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. Ontario Highway 17 now runs through the park. When the park was established by Ontario in 1944, there was no road access.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pancake Bay Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in Ontario, Canada

Pancake Bay Provincial Park was established in 1968 by Ontario Parks. It is a recreation-class provincial park created to help preserve the fragile beach dune ecology. There are 325 campsites, including 160 with electricity. There are three comfort stations. Yurt camping is available in the park. Group camping sites are also available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balsam Lake (Ontario)</span> Lake in southern Ontario, Canada

Balsam Lake is a lake in the City of Kawartha Lakes in Central Ontario, Canada. It is in the Great Lakes Basin, is one of the lakes of the Kawartha Lakes, and is at the summit of the Trent–Severn Waterway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bon Echo Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in Ontario, Canada

Bon Echo Provincial Park is a provincial park in southeastern Ontario, Canada, approximately 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north of Cloyne. The park is within township boundaries of both North Frontenac and Addington Highlands, roughly separated by Highway 41.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crimson Lake Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in Alberta, Canada

Crimson Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park located in Alberta, Canada, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) west of Rocky Mountain House, off the David Thompson Highway along secondary highway 756.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miquelon Lake Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in Alberta, Canada

Miquelon Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park in Alberta, Canada, about 65 kilometres southeast of the city of Edmonton. The park features several lakes, the largest of them being Miquelon Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governor Dodge State Park</span> State park in Iowa County, Wisconsin

Governor Dodge State Park is a 5,270-acre (2,133 ha) Wisconsin state park outside Dodgeville in Iowa County, Wisconsin. Named after Henry Dodge, the first governor of the Wisconsin Territory, the park contains geologic features indicative of the Driftless Area. It is located 4.1 miles north of the Central business district of the City of Dodgeville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Ears Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in British Columbia, Canada

Golden Ears Provincial Park is a 555.9 square kilometres (214.6 sq mi) provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is named after the prominent twin peaks, which are commonly referred to as Golden Ears. The park was originally part of Garibaldi Provincial Park but was split off as a separate park in 1967. The area was logged extensively in the 1920s by the Lougheed and Abernathy Logging Company. Many recreational attractions are found within the park. Golden Ears Provincial Park is a protected area that contains many endangered species of flora and fauna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Current River Greenway</span> Public greenspace in Thunder Bay, Ontario

The Current River Greenway is a 263 hectare greenway located in Current River neighbourhood in the north end of Thunder Bay, Ontario along the Current River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meadow Lake Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in Saskatchewan, Canada

Meadow Lake Provincial Park is a northern boreal forest provincial recreational park along the Waterhen and Cold Rivers in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The park was founded on 10 March 1959, is the largest provincial park in Saskatchewan, and encompasses over 25 lakes in an area of 1,600 km2 (620 sq mi). The park was named "Meadow Lake" after the city of Meadow Lake and Meadow Lake. The city and the lake are not in the park and are located about 40 kilometres (25 mi) south-east of the nearest park entrance, which is about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of Dorintosh. The length of the park stretches about 113 kilometres (70 mi) from Cold Lake on the Saskatchewan / Alberta border in the west to the eastern shore of Waterhen Lake in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gull River (Balsam Lake)</span> River in Haliburton County, Ontario, Canada

The Gull River is a river in Algonquin Highlands and Dysart et al, Haliburton County and the single-tier municipality of Kawartha Lakes in south-central Ontario, Canada. It is in the Trent River and Lake Ontario drainage basins, and flows from southern Algonquin Provincial Park to Balsam Lake on the Trent–Severn Waterway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Fausse Pointe State Park</span> State park in Louisiana, United States

Lake Fausse Pointe State Park is located in Iberia Parish, Louisiana and St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, USA. It is located about 18 miles (29 km) east of St. Martinville adjacent to the Atchafalaya Basin. The park is 6,000 acres (2,400 ha) in size and was once the home of the Chitimacha Indians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Driftwood Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in Ontario, Canada

Driftwood Provincial Park is a provincial park on the south shore of the Ottawa River, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) west of Deep River, in Ontario, Canada. It is administered by Ontario Parks which classifies it as a "recreation park".

Caliper Lake Provincial Park is a small provincial park in northwestern Ontario, near the township of Nestor Falls. The park occupies 147 hectares alongside Caliper Lake. The facility is open for day use and overnight camping from mid-May to mid-September. The park features 83 campsites, many with electrical hookups, and some which may be rented for the entire season. The park offers many amenities, including a sandy beach, hiking trails, playground equipment, fish cleaning facilities, boat launches, bathrooms, and showers. Canoes, kayaks, and bicycles are available for rental.

Greenwater Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is located on the eastern side of the province in the Porcupine Hills on Highway 38. The closest town, Porcupine Plain, is about 28 kilometres (17 mi) to the north-east of the park visitor centre. Founded on 19 February 1932, Greenwater is one of the oldest provincial parks in Saskatchewan. The original six parks were established in 1931 and Greenwater Provincial Park was added one year later. In 1964, the park was expanded to its current size.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Good Spirit Lake Provincial Park</span> Provincial park in Saskatchewan, Canada

Good Spirit Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park on the eastern side of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Founded in 1931, the park surrounds the western and southern shores of Good Spirit Lake and is one of Saskatchewan's six founding provincial parks. The park is in the RM of Good Lake No. 274, about 48 kilometres (30 mi) north of the city of Yorkton. Highway 47 runs along the western boundary and Highway 229 provides access to the park's amenities.

Great Blue Heron Provincial Park is a recreational park in the central region of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan in the boreal forest ecozone of Canada. It is adjacent to the eastern boundary of Prince Albert National Park, about 50 kilometres (31 mi) north of the city of Prince Albert. The provincial park was established in 2013 from two pre-existing provincial recreation sites – Emma Lake and Anglin Lake Recreation Sites – and the addition of a large tract of Crown land.

References

  1. "Welcome to Balsam Lake Provincial Park". Ontario Parks. Retrieved 2018-07-06.
  2. "Welcome to Balsam Lake Provincial Park". Ontario Parks. Retrieved 2018-07-06.
  3. "Balsam Lake Provincial Park Trail". Ontario Trails. Ontario Trails Council. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014.
  4. "Balsam Lake Provincial Park - Recreation". ProtectedPlanet. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Dzieciol, Patrick. "Balsam Lake Provincial Park - Beaches and Boating in Kawathra Lakes". iUniverse. Retrieved 14 August 2013
  6. 1 2 "Balsam Lake - Parks & Activities". Queen's Printer for Ontario. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  7. 1 2 "Balsam Lake - Facilities & Services". Queen's Printer for Ontario. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  8. "Balsam Lake - Hiking". Queen's Printer for Ontario. Retrieved 14 August 2013.