I’ve driven past Bon Echo Provincial Park hundreds of times. And every time I have, I’ve reminded myself that I need to get out there and explore the area by kayak. It took about 20 years of reminders, but I finally did it – I paddled in Bon Echo, and it was awesome.The easiest thing to do is to launch in Bon Echo Provincial Park itself. This puts you right in front of Mazinaw Rock, which is the highlight of the park. But I’m not one for taking the path of least resistance…
I wanted to do some real paddling, and see more than just the highlight section. So, I launched my kayak at Smart’s Marina on the southern end of Mazinaw Lake, and explored the lower lake. I wasn’t disappointed.
The lower lake is beautiful, and it was cool to see the great Mazinaw Rock loom larger as I moved northward. To make a long story short, Mazinaw Rock really was amazing to see up close and I can understand why people flock here throughout the summer.
My bigger revelation was about the park itself. I had always mistakenly believed that the Bon Echo was a small park on the banks of Mazinaw Lake. I didn’t realize how far the park extended to the west of Hwy 41. Once again, I found myself stroking one destination of the bucket list, while I added another. The countryside is beautiful in this area, and so next time I drive through the park, I’ll be reminding myself that I need to get deeper into the western side of the park.
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