Crack Hiking Trail in Killarney Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
Crack Hiking Trail in Killarney Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
Crack Hiking Trail in Killarney Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
Stepping On The Crack: Up An Ontario Mountain
By Dominique Millette
The Crack hiking trail in Killarney Provincial Park, Ontario, is one of the most challenging in the province. It was on my bucket list for years and has a legendary status across the country. I finally did it on Canadian Thanksgiving weekend with a cousin who lives in the area. We were blessed with 68° F weather (20° C), an unusual occurrence in early October for Northern Ontario. Fall hikes are especially beautiful in this part of the country.
The steep, level 5 trail rises up to 1,165 feet, or 355 meters, over uneven terrain in a 4.72-mile round trip (7.6-km) up the La Cloche mountains and offers one of the most spectacular views in Killarney. It takes about four hours. The view is worth every grunt.
Located along a section of the La Cloche Silhouette Trail, the path starts as a wide, level old logging road. Don’t be fooled: the terrain changes after you cross Kakakise Creek and follow the western shore of Kakakise lake. Splintered rocks and boulders await to challenge you to a sweaty but rewarding workout.
Crack Hiking Trail in Killarney Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
Bring a lot of water, since you’ll be sweating it out. It’s advisable to wear good hiking boots for ankle support and bring a walking stick or two. This will give you leverage as you climb over the white and grey quartzite rock that rise up past the forest canopy. The hike is very popular and we were surrounded with other tourists. Many of them wore only running shoes or sandals. When I’ve done this, I’ve often ended up with a twisted ankle. This is not something you want when you’re two miles away from help. There were also several pets along for the hike, but dogs can slip and fall as easily as people – perhaps even more so.
A word of caution: if you don’t climb regularly, you’ll want to prepare for the hike or face a lot of aches and pains the next day.
Above all, if you bring nothing else, bring your camera! Once you make it to the top, you’ll be treated to a stunning panorama of Georgian Bay, Killarney and the Southern La Cloche mountain range. You’ll want to stop and rest awhile to drink in the scenery.
Crack Hiking Trail in Killarney Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
HOW TO GET THERE:
From Sudbury, take Highway 69 South towards Toronto. Turn right onto the 637 to Killarney. Follow this road all the way into the Provincial Park. Day passes for all trails are available at the George Lake Park Info Centre. Drive back towards Sudbury on the 637 and park in the lot on the left up above the road.
BIO:
Dominique Millette is a Toronto-based bilingual author and translator, as well as a freelance writer. She has worked in several weekly newspapers and written and published a novel in French (La Delphinée), one theatrical monologue and several short stories. One of these, “Oomblaug Day”, was published in Parsec magazine. Another, “Better than Elvis”, was published in Maisonneuve magazine. She has also studied with Joan Barfoot at the Humber School of Creative Writing.
