Septembers are usually perfect months to go camping—no bugs, no screaming kids, not too many people, and the air seems to be much nicer and crispier, making coffee taste better and campfires feel much nicer, as the temperatures are significantly lower. So I was pleasantly surprised when my friends, Guy and Robin, invited me to join them for a four-night camping trip to
. I didn’t hesitate for long—September camping is about as close to perfection as it gets.
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| Eagle Lake |
Although I had visited at least 50 provincial parks in Ontario, this was my first visit to
Mikisew. I had heard of the park, but somehow never made it there, as I usually ended up camping either in
Restoule Provincial Park (just north of Mikisew) or
Arrowhead Provincial Park (south of Mikisew). Mikisew had apparently been hiding in plain sight all these years.
The park is located on Eagle Lake, from which it derives its name. “Mikisiw” (
ᒥᑭᓯᐤ) is a Cree word meaning “eagle.” The word is also connected to similar terms in related Algonquian languages, such as the Ojibwe “migizi” for “bald eagle.” A noble name, and one that already suggested a certain wilderness gravitas.
Since the day of departure,
September 1, 2025, was
Labour Day, the vast majority of cars were heading in the opposite direction—to Toronto. Indeed, some stretches of Highway 400 were jammed solid, whereas I had absolutely no problem driving north. I stopped at Tim Hortons just off Highway 400 in
King City, my
de rigueur stop for decades (43°53'42.1"N 79°33'28.6"W / 43.895030, -79.557930). There were relatively few people inside (sometimes the lineups are so long that I simply give up), and I happily got my extra-large decaf and bagel. Inside the food court I AGAIN noticed a big sign: “Pumpkin is Here” (Starbucks advertising
Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and
Pumpkin Spice Latte). I immediately took a photo and AGAIN sent it to Catherine with the message: “
It once more says that you are here, but I still can’t find you!” Just to clarify: I often call Catherine “Pumpkin!”
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| Park Office |
After I passed
Huntsville, I realized that I had forgotten to bring mustard—an unforgivable camping omission. Just a week earlier, I had watched a vlog by a Polish couple who live in a cabin in the forest in that area,
LuckyLuna Forest. That vlog showed them driving to Tim Hortons and Value Mart near
Burks Falls, just off Highway 11. Inspired (and mustard-deprived), I decided to make a quick detour. Unfortunately, the store was closed because it was Labour Day. I had expected it to be open—after all, the meaning of “Labour Day” could easily be interpreted as “Working Day,” but apparently not by grocery stores,
Just a week before the trip I had purchased a new
Garmin DriveSmart 66 GPS unit, as my old one had become… well, too old. The new unit was very nice—certainly faster, with more options and features. Shortly after getting back on Highway 11 following my unsuccessful grocery mission, my GPS told me to exit the highway. I was surprised, as I thought I should take the next exit, but I obediently followed its instructions. Soon it led me onto unpaved roads, where I did not see a single car, and eventually it let me to my “final destination,” which turned out to be the middle of nowhere. Apparently I had missed the actual park entrance and had to make a U-turn to get there. So much for cutting-edge navigation technology.
The online check-in for my booking was fast and simple (I did it on my home computer just before leaving). As a result, I didn’t even have to go into the office to register upon arrival—a process that in the past had sometimes involved waits of up to one hour. Paper permits, which once had to be displayed on campsite posts and vehicle dashboards, had also been eliminated. My confirmation letter served as my camping permit, and my license plate was used to verify my reservation. Campers were still required to carry proof of purchase while in the park, either digitally or in printed form.
Near the park office I ran into a park warden and ended up chatting with her. She was a super friendly, outgoing, and knowledgeable young woman who readily answered all my questions. She also mentioned that there had been no black bear sightings in the park for several months—a comforting bit of information, especially when sleeping in a tent.
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| View from my campsite towards the lake |
My friends had booked campsite
#158 (45°49'21.5"N 79°30'34.5"W / 45.822630, -79.509580), which was relatively private. I could have stayed there too, but only two cars were allowed per campsite, and I would have had to park my car quite far away. Instead, I booked a separate campsite,
#153 (45°49'20.4"N 79°30'36.9"W / 45.822320, -79.510260), about 15 meters from theirs. Both sites were in the Hardwood Campground. From my campsite I could see the comfort station, which had bathrooms, showers, and laundry facilities and was cleaned daily. Since the adjacent campsite remained vacant throughout my stay, we could cut through it and reach the bathrooms in under a minute. Both campsites faced opposite sides of the road but were otherwise nicely sheltered from neighboring sites by forest and vegetation. My campsite cost $43.76 plus HST, for a total of
$49.44 per night per campsite (not per person).
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| My campsite #153 |
While setting up my tent, disaster struck: one of the tent poles suddenly snapped. I had quite a bit of trouble fixing it temporarily, but eventually I found a nail that somehow managed to keep the broken pole together for the duration of the trip. Once home, I contacted the Eureka company and was told to bring the pole to Burlington, where it could be fixed free of charge.
Our campsites had electrical hookups, so most other campers had RV trailers or motorhomes. We were probably the only ones camping in tents. As I had been interested for some time in a small travel trailer, I spoke with several RV owners. One of them had a Hélio trailer made in Quebec, which was very small and light. They offered plenty of useful advice about their campers, towing, and the right vehicles to pull them. Buying a trailer is a major decision, which is why I try to talk to as many trailer owners as possible.
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| Campsite #158 |
We brought portable electric heaters to take advantage of the available power, and it was wonderful to crawl into a warm tent and stay that way all night. Nighttime temperatures dropped below +10°C, and there had even been a frost advisory for the area a week earlier. Thanks to the heater, the tent stayed warm, dry and cozy, and my sleeping bags never became damp—even during rainy weather. This was only the second time in my life that I had used an electric heater while tent-camping, and I have to say it was an excellent idea. Maximum comfort, minimum moisture.
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| Canoes for rent |
I spent most of my time at campsite
#158 with my friends (and Robin’s new dog, a Boston Terrier). We talked a lot, and in the evenings we had very pleasant campfires that often lasted until 1:00 a.m. It was deeply relaxing. Since both Guy and Robin were professional computer experts, many of our conversations revolved around artificial intelligence and other computer-related topics, and I learned quite a few new things.
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| We spent a lot of time around the campfire |
Robin also gave me a copy of
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by
Bill Bryson. I read it in January–February 2026, and it turned out to be an excellent book. It chronicles Bryson’s attempt to thru-hike the
Appalachian Trail during the spring and summer of 1996. Written in his trademark comic style, the book mixes accounts of his walk with broader discussions about the trail’s history, ecology, conservation issues, and the people he encountered along the way. A delightful and highly recommended read.
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| Solomon's Plume (Maianthemum racemosum) |
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| Hobblebush (Viburnum lantanoides) |
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| Common Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) |
The only wild animals I saw during the trip were chipmunks, squirrels, blue jays, and woodpeckers. Fortunately, mosquitoes were almost non-existent, and no other bugs bothered us. I also managed to identify several plants growing around our campsites, including
Solomon's Plume (
Maianthemum racemosum),
Hobblebush (
Viburnum lantanoides) and
Common Jewelweed (
Impatiens capensis).
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| JACK-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum), already named after me! |
One plant species in particular caught our attention. There was only one specimen, bearing a single fruit of a striking bright red color. Since none of us were plant-identification experts, we had no idea what it was. “What if I discovered a new plant?” I thought. “Then it could be named after me!” With the help of plant-identification websites and their knowledgeable members, it turned out that this flowering plant had already been discovered—and indeed, named after me: JACK-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum). I had heard of this botanical namesake for years, but this was the first time I had ever seen it in real life.
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| Park beach |
I drove around the park a few times and generally liked the layout and the campsites. While most electric sites were occupied, quite a few non-electric campsites were vacant. In terms of privacy and overall feel, some of those non-electric sites actually seemed superior. Most campsites were spacious and could easily accommodate larger trailers. There was also a nice group campsite, set apart from the main camping area and close to the lake.
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| Boat launch |
There was cell coverage throughout the park, and we never had any issues making phone calls or browsing the internet. Unfortunately, this is still not the case in some other parts of southern Ontario, where coverage remains spotty or non-existent.
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| The Eagle Lake Narrows Country Store |
I noticed park vehicles driving around from time to time, patrolling the park, but there was no excessive noise and probably park wardens did not have much work. After 10:00 p.m., the park became very quiet, with most campers either asleep or sitting silently around their campfires.
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| Cottage owners' names |
The park had a few hiking trails (which I didn’t do this time) as well as a golf course. Inside the park office there was a small store selling souvenirs, postcards, clothing, stickers, coffee, firewood, and ice, although it closed at 4:00 p.m. on weekdays. Not far from the park—about 3 km by car or roughly 2 km on foot—was the
Eagle Lake Narrows Country Store (45°50'05.0"N 79°29'57.9"W / 45.834722, -79.499417). The store offered friendly service and sold firewood, groceries, coffee, fries, pizza, and “everything you will need to keep you going.” I spent about 10 minutes chatting with the owner, a very nice and outgoing lady who talked about her travels, especially in Central and South America, and showed me photographs of black bears taken at a nearby garbage dump.
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| Little Free Library |
Nearby there was also a
Little Free Library, and I can never resist checking those out. It wasn’t full, but it contained a very interesting book:
Rise to Greatness: The History of Canada From the Vikings to the Present by
Conrad Black, autographed by the author. I decided to take it.
On Wednesday,
September 3, 2025, late in the evening, it started raining. Expecting rain, we had set up a tarp over the table and partially over the fire pit. The rain came and went, and the temperature dropped. Still, we stayed around the fire until 1:00 a.m.
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| We set up a tarp and thus were able to sit around the fire despite the rain |
It rained throughout the night and probably stopped just before noon, when I woke up. It was noticeably colder outside, although I didn’t feel it in my tent thanks to the heater, which kept everything warm and cozy. After a quick breakfast and some stretching, I headed to campsite #158. I knew Guy was planning to leave one day early, but I still expected to see him—yet he was already gone. As he later explained, he woke up to rain, waited until it stopped, packed up, and left. Robin, who had planned to stay until Friday, said that his dog was shivering and decided to cut the trip short by one day as well, especially since the forecast called for more rain. Packing up and heading home seemed like the sensible choice for me too. Before 4:00 p.m. I was ready and soon left the park.
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| When I was leaving the park, there were puddles on my campsite |
Naturally, my GPS once again tried to send me onto unpaved roads. This time I ignored it and drove in the opposite direction, reaching Highway 11 much faster. My only stop was at Tim Hortons in
Burks Falls. There was no traffic, and it took me just over three hours (297 km) to get home.
All in all, it was a very pleasant trip, and I really needed the relaxation. I also “discovered” a new provincial park, which turned out to be quite nice. I certainly wouldn’t mind camping at Mikisew again in the future.
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