We camped at Killbear Provincial Park, one of our favourite parks, May 19-21. Awenda, the park we just left is the best in site size and privacy between sites. It is the complete opposite of the near treeless subdivision like parks we have been in. Its trails and sandy beaches are beautiful. Killbear doesn’t have the privacy but the sites are very large and the while the distance between them is not as great as Awenda you are by no means feeling close to crowded. Killbear has less trails but they lead to a fantastic lookout over the islands and bays of Georgian Bay, or out to a modern lighthouse with similar views. The wide sandy beach looks at least a kilometer long and is easily accessible to the camp sites; not so with Awenda.
Kayaking over rocks
We arrived just after lunch on the first day which gave us a chance to walk around and check things out. One look at the beach and the views from it caused us to return to the trailer and grab the kayaks. We kayaked along the shore line of the park and took in the great views of the scenery it offered. The day was warm and the sprouting leaf colours made it seem like it was an Autumn day. There are a few small islands closed enough to canoe or kayak to and are popular for picnics. Being on the water gives you the chance to see the different colours and layers of the rock cliffs as well as the rock formations under the water’s surface. The clear water, rock face, and smells of the forest takes me back many decades to the times spent at my Grandmother’s cottage near Coldwater, Ontario.
We hiked a few of the trails. There is a 6 km long trail that parallels the road winding thru the park. Its far enough away from the roadway so you don’t feel like you’re on a sidewalk. We took that to access the trail to the lighthouse. We stopped there to take in the views, have a snack, and lay in the sun on the warm rocks. The multi-levels of layered rock jutting up from the earth makes for an interesting setting.
We also hiked the shorter 3.5 km trail to the lookout. One thing we noticed here is the trails are not as well marked as some other parks. The distance between marks varies greatly. Many times we would walk quite a distance without seeing markings. May not be an issue later in the year but in the Spring with the leaf cover it’s not easy to discern a trail over barren rock. The lookout is well worth the hike. We stopped here and ate our lunch as did a few others. The weather this Spring has been cool and it has worked in our favour. The black flies and mosquitoes are virtually non-existent.
Day 3 and it rained, which was a good thing as our legs and feet reminded us that taking a 14 km hike this soon in to the trip was not a good thing. We drove into to the town of Parry Sound to fill up the truck’s thirsty gas tank, pick up a couple of items we wanted for the trailer, and to do the laundry. We have a washer in the trailer but our dryer is a clothes rack. While in town we stopped off at the Trappers INN for lunch. The place was quite busy which is usually a good sign the food is good; it was. 
Next morning we were up and ready to go but the camp was still asleep at 7:30 am. There were quite a few kids around the camp, some quite young. I figure the parents gave a good run yesterday to get them to sleep in. I didn’t want to be the first one to fire up a truck engine. So we had a relaxed breakfast , somewhat forced, as we sent telepathetic messages out to any kid to show some spirit. Luckily one started which fired up the others and off we were on what turned out to be a very scenic drive.