INTRODUCTION
Bon Echo is my favourite provincial park for many reasons. It was also the first provincial park at which I ever camped, in August 1991, with Derek P. on campsite #433 (N44° 54.027' W77° 15.125'). Since then, I have visited this park well over 20 times, with a number of friends. The last time I camped there was in 2021 (twice), both times in the Hardwood Hill Campground. I also booked a campsite in 2022; unfortunately, the violent “derecho” storm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derecho that tore through the park—especially the Hardwood Hills Campground—on May 21, 2022, resulted in that camping area being closed until mid-2024 due to the extensive devastation it caused, and my reservation was cancelled.
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Impressive Mazinaw Rock, with over 200 Indian (Native) pictographs. There are dwarf trees, which are over 1000 (one thousand) years old as well as three lines of Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" from "Leaves of Grass" are chiselled in the rock
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In
1992,
1993, and
1994, my friend Chris and I spent from two to three weeks camping in Bon Echo, on campsites number
462,
461, and
462, respectively. Although Chris and I later camped in many other parks, this was the first time that he returned to Bon Echo after a hiatus of 31 years.
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Inscription "Old Walt" in Bon Echo, 2003
 | Inscription "Old Walt" in Bon Echo, 1919
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It was Flora MacDonald's idea to create this powerful and lasting memorial to Walt Whitman and his ideals which she so much admired. The dedication ceremony took place on August 25, 1919. Even though Walt Whitman never saw Bon Echo, his very dear friend and biographer, Horace Traubel, arrived in Bon Echo. Placing their hands on the Rock, Flora and Horace pronounced the words, "Old Walt". Several days later, Horace Traubel passed away at Bon Echo. Later that year Old Walt Memorial was chiseled on the face of the Mazinaw Rock by two Scottish stone masons brought over from Aberdeen.
Flora MacDonald is sitting under the "P" and Merrill Denison with a small girl on his lap.
(Source: "Bon Echo. The Denison Years" by Mary Savigny").
PICTOGRAMS ON MAZINAW ROCK IN BON ECHO PARK
Mazinaw, named for an Algonquin word meaning “picture” or “writing,” is the largest rock art site on the southern Canadian Shield and the only major pictograph site in southern Ontario. Along the base of this cliff, more than 260 painted images or pictographs attest to the significance of this place and the storytelling techniques of the Algonquin and other Indigenous Peoples who created them. The red ochre images depict human and animal figures, as well as a remarkable number of abstract and geometric symbols. The Algonquin people of today remain proud of their ancestral link to this special place.
 | | Mishipzheu |
This panel has many different images indicating that the various components were most likely painted at different times. Two animal figures can easily be seen with a fainter third under the largest top figure. The lower animal resembles other known depictions of bears, but could represent a number of other animals including a smaller depiction of the top animal. The larger top animal may be a depiction of Mishipizheu, "Great Water Lynx", a powerful leader of water Manitous. he is a dangerous Manitou, able to stir up waves and high winds on lakes using his massive tail. First Nations People pray to Mishipizheu for favourable weather during trips across large bodies of water.
 | Nanabush
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This figure with the large ears may be Nanabush, a demigod of the Ojibwa, known as Rabbit man. After Kitchi Manitou, the Great Spirit, had created the world complete with mountains, valleys, lakes and streams and all living things, he realized that humans required instruction in order to use his creation. His choice of teacher was Nanabush, the son of a human mother and the West Wind Spirit. It was Nanabush who named all the creations of Kitchi Manitou. He was responsible for briging the healing arts and tools, as well as blowflies and mishaps. Best characterized as a trickster, many stories are told of him. Further west he is known as Whisky-jack, the gray jay; on the praries he is Coyote, and in British Columbia, he is known as Raven.
 | | Maymaygwayshi |
It represents small human like spirits that live inside cracks in the Cliff. They stand under a metre hight and their faces are covered with short hair. These spirits are rarely seen, as they are ashamed of their appearances (sometimes so am I, especially after several days of camping and not showering or shaving, so I don't blame them!). If they are seen they will lower their heads, hiding their faces from sight. They normally live inside the Cliff and can gaze out from their hiding places to watch passers-by.
 | | Turtle |
Turtles are very important to some vision quests because all of the Manitous speak different languages and turtle is known to be a translator. This pictograph on the Cliff could indicate that turtle translated for a vision or dream illustrated close by.
 | | Panel "Rabbit-Man" (Nanabush) on Mazinaw Rock |
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ARRIVAL AT THE PARK, NEW PERMIT RULES AND THE AFTERMATH OF THE STORM
The distance from my home to the park is about 330 km. We departed on July 27, 2025, took Highway 401 east, then Highway 41 north, and after four hours reached the park. The online check-in process for my booking was fast and simple—in fact, I completed it on my home computer just before leaving for Bon Echo. As a result, I did not even have to go into the office to register upon arrival, which in the past had occasionally required a lengthy wait of up to an hour. Needless to say, paper permits that had to be displayed on campsite posts and on vehicle dashboards have been eliminated as well. My confirmation letter served as my camping permit, and my license plate was used to verify the reservation. Campers were required, however, to have proof of purchase while in the park, either in the form of a digital or printed copy of their confirmation letter or reservation number.
Our campsite number 488 appeared relatively OK after the derecho storm
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| The same campsite, number 488, in the summer of 2009, while I was camping with a group of 30 people |
As our campsite was located in the Hardwood Hills Campground, we had to drive approximately 6 km from the main entrance along the park road. From time to time, the trees close to the road were gone and, instead of a dense canopy, we could see vast clearings. Of course, these were the result of the violent derecho storm. In fact, the Hardwood Hills Campground was so severely damaged that it took almost three years to reopen; during that time, loggers had to remove a significant number of fallen and hazardous trees. There was even an information post along the road describing the storm and displaying a “before” photograph of the area.
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| In 2002, the two trees were still standing |
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In July, 2017 I also camped on this campsite. Unfortunately, one of the trees had been cut down
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During our most recent stay on campsite number 488, in 2055, the other tree had been gone, to, probably due to the derecho storm. So, now was actually standing on the stump of one of the trees.
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Sign along the road: WHAT IS A DERECHO?
It's a long-lived, fast-moving thunderstorm with straight-line winds that causes widespread wind damage.
The storm flattened thousands of trees in the park, including the area you are looking at.
The forest here has changed. Now it's more open, allowing sunlight to reach areas that were heavily shaded. Grasses and other plants will take advantage of the available light followed by shrubs and trees. This forest succession will benefit the wildlife here and the greater ecosystem.
The photos on this panel show how the area looked after the storm. Do you notice anything different compared to the photos? New plants that weren't there before? Has the forest canopy changed?
Time will tell how this storm will shape the future of the park we love.
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I saw this original cracked rock and a tree growing in the gap for the first time in 1991 and I always tried to take a look at it while vising Bon Echo Park. This photo was taken in July, 2017
 | August, 2021
 | | Unfortunately, the tree did not survive the derecho storm in 2022. In 2025 I had plenty of problems finding this rock, as there were plenty of fallen trees, as well as new vegetation was covering everything |
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When I visited the park for the first time in 1991, I noticed along the road leading to the Hardwood Hills Campground a cracked rock with a tree growing out of the crevice. Each time I visited the park thereafter, I would stop to look at the rock and the tree and take photographs. I had hoped to see the tree again—I had even entered its coordinates into my GPS: 44°54'11.3"N 77°13'33.0"W / 44.903139, -77.225833. You can therefore imagine my utter disappointment when I realized that the tree was gone. In fact, there were so many fallen trees and branches scattered around the rock that I could hardly see it.
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On campsite #488 in August, 2002. Believe or not, but this tent was bough in Poland in 1980! Mr. Tadeusz Pasek did not mind sleeping in it. The two trees behind me were gone in 2025
 | Campsite #488, July, 2025. Before derecho, this campsite was densely forested-now we could see the road, but it was still relatively private
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OUR CAMPSITE
I was very familiar with the campsite we booked, as I had first checked it out in 1991 and later camped there in 2022 with Mr. Tadeusz Pasek, a well-known Polish yogi and one of the first propagators and teachers of yoga in post-war Poland. Incidentally, it was his second visit at this park, which he liked very much. It was also there that I celebrated my 40th birthday and several days later had an encounter with a black bear. I have camped at this site at least four additional times. The campsite, number 488, was very private, although not everyone appreciated it, as it was adjacent to swampy areas (44°53'44.0"N 77°15'27.1"W / 44.895567, -77.257517).
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| Campsite number 489 was vis-a-vis our campsite. Now it was quite open and had very few trees. The clearing on the left was created as a result of the 2022 storm--before it was densely forested |
At that time, I drove my new, one-month-old 2003 Pontiac Vibe, which was one of the early crossover vehicles. I was quite surprised that so many people approached me to look at it and ask questions. It has proven to be an excellent car—after 23 years, I still drive it, and the odometer has just reached 245,000 km.
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| Our campsite #488. Before the storm, it was hardly visible from the road |
Fortunately, our campsite had not been severely ravaged by the storm. However, the forested area in front of the site was gone, and a sizable patch of land directly opposite the campsite had lost at least 90% of its trees. Two nearby campsites that in the past had been well forested had lost most of their trees and were now semi-open. Previously, we could not even see those sites from ours due to the numerous trees and dense vegetation. Now they were visible, although still not too close.
CAMPSITE FEES
There are various campsite fee levels, depending on the classification of the sites: AA (most expensive), A, B, and C (least expensive). The classification depends on a park’s overall demand and available amenities. All fees are subject to the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) of 13%.
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| View from our campsite. In the past years we did not see any campsites |
Our campsite was in the “B” fee category and cost $38.75 plus HST, for a total of $40.79 per night per campsite (not per person). We wanted to extend our stay, but it was impossible to find a vacant campsite over the Simcoe Day (Civic Holiday) long weekend, as all sites had been booked well in advance. Consequently, we had to leave on Friday, August 1, 2025, at the beginning of the long weekend.
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| Across from our campsite. New vegetation has taken advantage of the open, unshaded space |
I brought with me several photographs taken at the campsite over the past 23 years. Some trees were gone—quite a few had already been removed before the storm due to insect infestations—but many remained, and it was interesting to compare how the site had changed over time.
We quickly set up our two Eureka El Capitan 3 tents. Since the weather forecast called for no rain, we did not bother setting up a tarp.
REVISITING MY OLD CAMPSITES AFFECTED AND TOTALLY TRANSFORMED BY THE STORM
The next day, we drove around the campground, stopping at many campsites where I had camped numerous times over the past three-plus decades. I was absolutely shocked by what I saw. Instead of the previously spacious, fully shaded sites that had offered excellent privacy and had been filled with mature trees, bushes, and dense vegetation, I was now looking at much smaller campsites located in completely open areas, devoid of almost all trees and offering no shade whatsoever. The difference was dramatic and simply dumbfounding, as the entirely transformed campsites did not resemble the “old ones” in the least.
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| August, 1992, campsite number 462: very private, spacious, forested and shady |
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| August, 1999, camp[site 462 -- Mr. Tadeusz Pasek, who loved spending time in parks and even camping there, as he could meditate and do yoga exercises every day. I remember that he made plenty of notes during our stay on this campsite, as he was planning to write an article to a scientific journal on relaxation and provincial parks in Ontario. He often asked me plenty of questions--and I said that he should add my name to this publication, as a "park and camping advisor". I don't know if it was every published. |
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August, 2002. During camping on campsite number 488, I paid a visit to my old campsite #462--it had not changed much!
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July, 2017 campsite # 462
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July, 2017, my old campsite #462
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CAMPSITE NUMBER 462 AFTER THE DERECHO STORM OF 2022
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Campsite number 462 in July, 2022. Initially I could not believe that it had changed so dramatically after the storm!
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Campsite number 462, July, 2025
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| Campsite number 462, July, 2025. |
Campsites number 462 and 461, where we—or I—had camped so many times, had once been situated in a dense forest, providing ample privacy and almost total shade. What I saw now seemed unreal: they were located in completely open spaces, with 99% of the trees gone, offering no shade and appearing much smaller. It was very difficult to believe that they were the same sites.
CAMPSITE NUMBER 461 IN 1993, 2002 AND 2027
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| Campsite number 461, August, 1993. Behind my new Toyota Corolla 1993, which I had bought just one month before (and sold it after over 30 years, at the end of 2024, for $2,000)! |
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August, 2002 roku, campsite 461
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Campsite 461, July, 2017
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Campsite number 461, July 2017
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CAMPSITE NUMBER 461 AFTER THE DERECHO STORM
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Campsite number 461, July, 2025, after the derecho storm. What a huge difference! It used to be one of the best campsites in the park--since the storm, it has become one of the worst! If you're camping in a tent or a camper/RV trailer, in the full sun, in temperatures over +30 C, good luck!
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| Campsite number 461 w July, 2025, after the storm |
In 2021, I camped on campsite number #
436 (N44° 54.043' W77° 15.070') (first with Guy and later with Patrizia), see my
BLOG . It had been a spacious, shaded, and well-forested site. After the storm, it became a completely open campsite, much smaller, with only two or three trees remaining.
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August, 2021, campsite number 436. It was a regular, forested, full of shade and quite private campsite
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July, 2021, campsite #436
 | | Campsite #436 in July, 2025. I could not believe it was the same location--I had to re-check if I was really at the right spot. Unfortunately, I was... |
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| Campsite #436 in July, 2025. No shade, no privacy, no trees..., |
At that time, I also met Ravi, who was camping with his wife and son on the adjacent campsite number
437. He had been slightly surprised by that site because he could park his car close to the road but then had to walk 30 to 50 meters to reach the campsite itself. Of course, it had been very forested and extremely private. Nowadays, “his” campsite does not resemble the old one at all.
- First of all, almost all the trees are gone.
- Secondly, the campsite is now located close to the road.
- Thirdly, when I attempted to walk to the location of the original campsite, it was impossible due to fallen branches and very lush vegetation that had begun to take over.
- And finally, according to the park’s website, it is designed for just one tent now. It has certainly shrunk!
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| Campsite number 437 in July, 2025. Huge difference! Looks like a totally different campsite from that before the storm. Besides, its size if a fraction of that before the storm |
Campsite #
433, on which I had camped for the first time in
1991, had not been totally devastated by the storm, but still, plenty of trees were gone. The adjacent campsite, #
435, used to be quite private—in fact, I even wanted to book it once or twice. It had a big rock there, which I remember was concealed by vegetation. Now it was quite exposed.
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Campsite number 495 in July, 2021. Although it was in the middle of a dense forest (incidentally, one of the TripAdvisor reviews, written by a couple who had camped on it, complained about mosquitoes--and it turned out that I knew the couple very well, as we had often camped and canoed together), it did not bother me at all. In fact, I booked it again in 2022--for obvious reasons, my reservation was cancelled.
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In
2021, I camped twice in Bon Echo—the second time on campsite number #
495 (N44° 53.672' W77° 15.251'), which had been very secluded, required walking about 10 meters from my parked car, and had been very shady (again, see my
BLOG ). When I visited it in
2025, the campsite was still there—but it had been, in a sense, “relocated,” now very close to the road, small, and open. However, I walked to the area where I had originally set up my tent and built campfires. It must have been damaged to some extent by the storm, yet I believe it could still have been usable. In fact, as I was leaving the park, I noticed someone camping on that site, and they had set up their tent at the original camping spot.
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Campsite number 495 in July, 2025. After the derecho storm, it was moved very close to the road--not much privacy was expected!
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Campsite number 495 in July, 2025. I think that the location of the former campsite was still usable and I do not understand why the park decided to close it.
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I also remembered that there had once been a water tap just across from campsite number 495. Now it was gone, and there were no water taps along that stretch of road. In fact, all the water taps along the road had been removed; only one water tap remained at the beginning of each loop. The underground water pipes had been severely damaged when the extensive root systems of the trees were uprooted and torn from the ground as the trees fell during the disastrous storm.
However, there was already a great deal of low-lying vegetation growing densely across the ground. With the tree canopy gone, no shade, and significantly more sunlight reaching the forest floor, various types of vegetation—grasses, shrubs, and other plants—were thriving and rapidly colonizing the open spaces.
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| You can see this at the parking of the Park Main Office |
I briefly spoke with the Park Superintendent, Mr. Clark Richards, a very friendly gentleman. He told me more about the storm and the massive tree removal operation that followed. Fortunately, at the time of that calamitous event, the Hardwood Hills Campground had not yet opened for the season, and no one was camping there. Otherwise, there would almost certainly have been numerous injuries and possibly even fatalities.
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| Hardwood Hills Campground, with 4 loop roads and one comfort station |
Map of the park--not to scale |
Even more shocking was the Google satellite image of Bon Echo Park—or, more precisely, the Hardwood Hills campground. Before the storm, it was nearly impossible to distinguish the loop roads or individual campsites, as everything lay hidden beneath a dense tree canopy. Now, vast sections are completely exposed. The roads are clearly visible, as are individual campsites, parked cars, trailers, tents, and even the washrooms. The shade—and much of the former privacy—is simply gone.
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Satellite photo from 2016 of Hardwood Hills Campground. Part of Bon Echo Lake is visible on the rights. Very dense canopy covers almost all campground roads and campsites
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This satellite photo, from 2025, show the same location. The difference between the two photos is immense! At least 90% of the trees are gone, and the tree canopy has practically disappeared. Not only it is possible to see loop roads, but entrances to and individual campsites
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Satellite photo from 2016, showing the entrance to Hills Campground. Because of the dense tree canopy, it was almost impossible to see anything
 | Satellite photo from 2025 shows the same entrance to Hardwood Hills Campground. What a difference! Now you can clearly see loop roads, individual campsites and even tents, cars and RV trailers
 | | Satellite photo of Hardwood Hills Campground from 2025, with the numbers of several campsites |
 | Campsites 435, 436 i 437 in 2025. Almost no tree canopy!
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Campsites 461 i 461 in 2025. They are totally exposed, as are some adjacent campsites
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This satellite photo from 2016 shows the same area are above--i.e., campsites number 461 and 462. It is basically impossible to even compare the two photos because the dense canopy used to cover everything and it was impossible to even see outlines of the loop roads.
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Naturally, the forested “green” areas on the map were also affected by the storm, though to varying degrees. However, since there are no campsites, roads, or major trails in many of those sections, I assume the park authorities largely left fallen and damaged trees in place, removing only those that posed a safety risk. In fact, last year part of the Abes and Essens Lake Trail remained closed. Considering how difficult it must have been to access remote trails with heavy equipment, it is quite an achievement that all hiking trails have now been reopened.
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| This drone photo was taken after the derecho storm in Bon Echo, very close to the road leading to the Hardwood Hills Campground. We can imagine that it was like the Hardwood Hills Campground looked liked after the storm. No wonder that it took so much time to remove all the fallen and broken trees before this section of the park could be reopened |
I was even able to identify several of the campsites where I had once bivouacked and marked their numbers on the satellite images. No wonder I felt such a jolt when I saw them again—they are now completely devoid of tree canopy.
ENJOYING OUR CAMPSITE...
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| Katydids |
Of course, we enjoyed our stay in Bon Echo very much. Although most campsites were occupied, the campground was generally quiet. Amazingly, mosquitoes were not very active, and we were able to read, eat our meals, and sit around the campfire without being bothered by pesky flying insects.
At night, I noticed a number of green grasshoppers attracted to the lantern light; at one point, there were five of them clustered around it. They looked like walking leaves, and I would most likely never have spotted them during the day, especially if they had been hiding—quite literally—in plain sight among green foliage. As I later learned, they were katydids, and indeed they are difficult to detect because they camouflage themselves so well among greenery. Supposedly, they can be quite loud, yet I do not recall hearing any particularly disturbing or unusual sounds. It was simply fascinating to observe them—and occasionally they would hop onto my clothes or even onto my hat.
Otherwise, we did not notice any other animals, apart from a few chipmunks and squirrels. Almost daily, I heard woodpeckers and barred owls, although I never actually saw them.
… AND READING BOOKS
I brought several books with me and managed to read two of them.
Under the Red Flag: Stories by Ha Jin. This book contains 12 short stories set in communist China. They are quite shocking, portraying ordinary people whose lives are controlled in almost every aspect by the government. At times, the stories seem surreal and, for some readers, perhaps even unbelievable. However, having read many books about communist China and the communist system in general, I did not doubt that such events could and did occur. Amazingly, although Ha Jin was born and educated in China, he writes his works in English.
The Three Day Promise: A Korean Soldier’s Memoir by Donald K. Chung, M.D. I purchased this book primarily to learn more about the Korean War, as I previously knew very little about this bloody conflict, which technically has never officially ended. The author was born in 1932 near the northeastern coast of what is now North Korea, during the period of Japanese occupation. He later experienced communist rule and, during the Korean War, ended up in South Korea, where he attended medical school in Seoul. Two years later, he moved to the United States, where he lived for the rest of his life. He died in 2014. It is an excellent, very personal, and deeply poignant memoir.
BON ECHO PARK, ITS AMAZING SCENERY AND RICH HISTORY
We also visited the Greystones Gift Shoppe and Café, operated by the Friends of Bon Echo Park, where in the past I had purchased shirts and numerous excellent books about the origins of the area, Merrill Denison, Mazinaw Rock, and Walt Whitman. This time, I bought Lennox & Addington by Orland French and a cup of coffee. The coffee was very good, albeit somewhat pricey—but to be honest, I have always considered my purchases there to be small donations to this outstanding non-profit organization.
Later, we visited the Visitor Centre, where one can learn about the park’s history and about Flora MacDonald (1867–1921) and her son, Merrill Denison (1893–1975). Denison was a writer who lived on what would later become Bon Echo Park. His interest in conservation ultimately led him to donate the land to the Province of Ontario in 1959 for the creation of a provincial park. Bon Echo Park officially opened in 1965. We should all be grateful for his generous gesture, which has allowed millions of people to enjoy the park and its breathtaking scenery. Otherwise, I fear that a large, expensive, and exclusive lodge or resort might have been built there, severely restricting public access to this exceptional piece of Ontario’s natural heritage.
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| Merrill Denison used to live in this building |
Incidentally, around 2010, I met an older gentleman in one of my clubs in Mississauga. When I mentioned my recent trip to Bon Echo Park, he told me that in the 1960s, while in his thirties, he and his wife had visited the newly opened park and had swum in the Narrows
au naturel. They had also met “a writer who lived there at the time.”
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With a view of Mazinaw Rock through the window this could be the most recognizable photograph of Merrill Denison. Although the Bon Echo Archives does not mention the photographer it could be the world famous Yousuf Karsh, then living in Ottawa, who was a friend of Merrill and who visited and stayed at the Greystones cottage. This appears to be where this photo was taken. Unknown date but based on other photos, likely around 1945. This photo is from the Queen's Archives, Box 95, Collection 2056, Newton Associates, Ottawa #36618.
Source: Wikimedia Commons |
I would like to share one more story connected with Bon Echo Park.
For many years Merrill Denison spent his summers at Bon Echo. While living there during the warm months, he rented out cottages to visiting tourists and also invited many friends and acquaintances to stay. Among them were often well-known personalities from the worlds of culture, journalism, and public life.
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| Source: Bon Echo: The Denison Years by Mary Savigny |
One of Denison’s frequent guests was
Wally Floody, a mining engineer by profession. During the Second World War Floody became a prisoner of war in the German POW camp Stalag Luft III, located in Żagań in present-day Poland. There he played a key role as one of the principal designers and organizers of the famous tunnel built by Allied prisoners in preparation for what later became known as the “
Great Escape.”
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| Steve McQueen and Wally Floody, while Floody was a technical advisor during the production of The Great Escape. Charles Bronson starred in the movie as well |
These dramatic events were later immortalized in the well-known film
The Great Escape. In the movie, the character Danny Velinski — nicknamed “The Tunnel King” — was a fictional figure loosely based on the real-life
Wally Floody. The role was played by
Charles Bronson.
Ironically, Floody himself did not take part in the escape. His fellow prisoners considered him far too valuable as a tunneling expert to risk losing him. They insisted that he remain behind so he could continue assisting with future escape attempts. In hindsight, this decision almost certainly saved his life, since many of the escapees were later recaptured and executed by the Germans.
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| Grant Stuart McRae |
Once again I was reminded how small the world can be.
In 2007, while exercising at the Etobicoke Olympium gym in Toronto, I noticed an elderly gentleman wearing a shirt with the letters R.A.F. and P.O.W. printed on it. Curious, I struck up a conversation with him. His name was Grant Stuart McRae (1922–2013). During the Second World War he had been an RAF pilot. His aircraft was shot down over Germany; after hiding for about a week he was captured and eventually transported to a POW camp — the very same camp where he met Wally Floody.
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| Grant Stuart McRae |
Mr. McRae spoke about those wartime experiences with remarkable calm and dignity. During our conversation he also expressed great admiration for the Polish pilots who fought in the Royal Air Force during the war. In his words, when it came to courage, determination, and fighting spirit, “they had no equal.”
During that same conversation I also learned another interesting fact: his son, Dr. Robert (Rob) McRae, served as Canada’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to NATO from 2007 to 2011.
Encounters like this remind us how unexpectedly human stories can intersect, and how surprisingly small the world sometimes turns out to be.
Although we did not take Bon Echo’s interpretive boat tour, known as “The Wanderer Tour,” during this visit—as we had done for the first time more than 30 years ago and at least twice since then—we spent time observing Mazinaw Rock, watching passing boats, paddleboards, kayaks, and canoes, and enjoying the sunset. We did not hike to the top of the Rock via the Cliff Top Trail either. Both of us had done it several times before and were somewhat reluctant—or perhaps simply a little lazy—to do it again. However, for anyone who has never experienced either activity, I would strongly recommend taking the boat tour and/or hiking to the top of the rock. It will undoubtedly be worth the effort. After all, the Indigenous pictographs and Mazinaw Rock are the principal attractions of this remarkable park.
RUSTIC CABINS AND THE SHIELD TRAIL
One day, we drove to take a look at the relatively new Rustic Cabins in the park. Not surprisingly, all of them were occupied. In 2007, 30–40 members of the Toronto Urban Exploration and Adventure Meetup (TUEAM), including me, spent several nights camping on a group campsite #7 that has since been replaced by Rustic Cabin number 622.
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Camping on group campsite number 7 in Bon Echo in September, 2007, with Toronto Urban Exploration and Adventure Meetup (TUEAM)
 | | Unfortunately, around 2017 all group campsites at Bon Echo were eliminated and rustic cabins were built there. I was able to identify the location of our campsite in 2007 |
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We considered hiking the Shield Trail, which begins very close to the park office near Highway 41. The trail is 5 km long, takes just over two hours to complete, and meanders along the shores of Bon Echo Lake and a beaver pond. Many years ago, that pond vanished when the beaver dam gave way. However, several years later the industrious beavers carried out the necessary repairs, and soon the pond was filling with water again and was, so to speak, back in business. Chris and I hiked this trail many times between
1991 and
1994. I still remember Chris’s expression when I shouted, “The pond is gone!”
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The Narrows, between two parts of Mazinaw Lake, It was possible to walk over the Narrows on this bridge and hike to the top of Mazinaw Rock. Even though the bridge has been gone for a long time, it is still possible to hike to the top of the Rock and use the park boat to get to the other side of the lake
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Although all campsites in the Hardwood Hills Campground are non-electrical, there is a comfort station with hot showers, which we of course took advantage of. Once again, I hardly recognized the area around that building, as so many trees were gone. The lack of electric campsites has never bothered me; however, this time I brought my new Bluetti Power Station along with a solar panel, so we had enough power to charge our phones, flashlights, lantern, cameras, and headlamps.
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This
photo is part of the Bon Echo archives. It features a man atop
Mazinaw Rock (likely Merrill Denison) looking down at the Narrows
Bridge. The bridge enabled visitors of the Bon Echo Inn to reach the
staircase (steel) that led to the top of Mazinaw Rock. The lagoon can
be seen at the top right and a dock which has remains that can be
seen today.
Source: Wikimedia Commons |
CLOYNE, NORTHBROOK, FLINTON, DEEROCK LAKE CONSERVATION AREA, SHABOMEKA LAKE AND ADDINGTON COLONIZATION ROAD
One day, we drove south on Highway 41 and visited two communities, Cloyne and Northbrook. I mailed a bundle of letters at the Cloyne post office, where I chatted with an exceptionally helpful, outgoing, and knowledgeable employee. Not only did she help me seal the letters, but she also shared many interesting facts about the area. When I mentioned that I was surprised my cell phone did not work in the park or in the village of Cloyne, she explained that Bell Mobility, my service provider, has very poor or non-existent coverage in that region. Fortunately, the local library offered free WiFi, which was accessible even though the building itself was closed.
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Ruins of an old Mill in Flinton
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In
Northbrook, we did some shopping at the Foodland grocery store and then drove to the small village of
Flinton. We spent some time exploring the
Flinton Conservation Area, the ruins of an old mill, and Flinton Falls, as well as a Catholic church where I had attended Mass in 2021. After that, we simply drove for the sheer pleasure of it along a narrow, unpaved road, with no particular destination in mind. Suddenly, we came upon a lake and a large sign informing us that we had reached the
Deerock Lake Conservation Area. It was even possible to camp along the lake’s shore free of charge—campsites were marked and accessible only by water—although a parking fee was required.
A gentleman was reading the information board, and of course I immediately struck up a conversation with him. He was a logger, although he had also worked in a mine and as a longshoreman. He shared many fascinating insights about logging and openly admitted that it is one of the most dangerous professions. I only wish I could have spoken with him longer, written down his stories, and shared them in this blog. Perhaps one day we will return to that area with a canoe and spend a week or so camping there.
We also drove along Shabomeka Road, which led us to the Shabomeka Lake boat launch. It was a very pleasant area, and there was even a Little Free Library from which I took a couple of interesting books. I had visited that area in 2021 and at that time had left several of my own books in that library (44°53'02.2"N 77°08'48.6"W / 44.883950, -77.146833).
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| Part of the Shield Trail runs across the old colonization road, Addington Road. This road was used by pioneers, who moved up North in search of a better life--which they often did not find |
On our way back to the park, we drove along Addington Road 4, part of the original
Addington Colonization Road. At one point, the road became passable only by off-road vehicles or ATVs. It would eventually connect to the park and to a section of the original colonization road that has been incorporated into the
Shield Trail. One can only imagine the sweat, blood, and unfulfilled dreams of the early pioneers who built and travelled that road. There was also a side road leading to
Camp Gesher, but we decided to make a U-turn and return to our campsite.
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| Camp Gesher |
On
August 1, 2025, the 81 anniversary of
the Warsaw Uprising, we packed up our campsite and set off for home. Little did we know that this ordinary drive would turn into yet another lesson in Canadian history. I describe it in the second blog entry —
A SIMPLE DRIVE HOME THAT TURNED INTO A CANADIAN HISTORY ADVENTURE — and it’s definitely worth reading!
ADDENDUM: SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN PROVINCIAL PARK AND THE STORM
In August 2014, Catherine and I spent one night camping in Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park in northeastern Ontario at the very end of our trip.
On June 21, 2025, a powerful downburst annihilated two campgrounds in this park. A downburst is a strong downdraft that descends from a thunderstorm and spreads out violently upon reaching the ground.
“The closest thing that I could correlate this to, that some folks might have a mental image of, would be like a clear-cut forestry operation,” said Cameron Hockey, manager of the Algonquin Zone of Ontario Parks.
I could hardly believe the aerial photographs of the park taken after the downburst. Almost all the trees in the Jingwakoki Campground were flattened, destroying at least 100 vehicles and trailers. Some campers suffered very serious injuries, yet it is nothing short of a miracle that there were no fatalities. Some have even questioned whether the park will reopen at all.
Drone images taken by researchers from the Northern Tornadoes Project at Western University in London show hundreds of trees lying flattened across the campground.
Before the events at Bon Echo Park in 2022 and at Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park in 2025, I had never truly considered that camping might, under certain circumstances, be a dangerous activity.
This 25 minute YouTube video also shows photos and videos of some campsites what they looked liked BEFORE and AFTER the derecho storm of 2022:
SOON PART II OF THIS BLOG WILL BE POSTED, A SIMPLE DRIVE HOME THAT TURNED INTO A CANADIAN HISTORY ADVENTURE
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