Tuesday, 23 December 2008

Fishing Tuesday - Rushing River Provincial Park

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Rushing River Provincial Park is 340 hectares in size, near Kenora, Ontario.

The forest is dominated by jack pines of a uniform height, due to a forest fire in 1910 which opened all the pinecones at once. Balsam, spruce, aspen, alder, and maple have intermingled with the pines. This dense forest canopy shades a community of other plant life, including many edibles such as blueberries, cherries, hazelnuts, raspberries, and strawberries.

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Rushing River cascades over rock gouged by glaciers in a series of rapids but elsewhere is passable by canoe. Canoe routes ranging in lengths from 32 to 103 km are easily accessible from the park.

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During early spring and late fall is when the visitor is most likely to see black bears, moose and deer and the smaller red foxes, weasels, mink and otters. Sixty species of birds also live here, including great blue herons, loons, night hawks, belted kingfishers, Canada jays and various waterfowl.

For the fishing enthusiast there are walleye, pike, smallmouth bass and lake trout.

For hikers:

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Beaver Pond Trail 1.5 km loop (45 minutes) easy
Follow this trail to a quiet beaver pond full of fragrant water lilies. Listen for songbirds in the forest and watch for mallard ducks. If you look carefully, you might see orchids or other unusual plants.

[5- Dogtooth Lake]


Granite Knoll Trail 5 km (1.5 hours) moderate
This trail meanders along the shoreline of Dogtooth Lake and then swings back through open jack pine forest and over gnarly granite hummocks.


[6- Morning on Dogtooth Lake]





Lower Rapids Trail 2 km (1 hour) easy
This trail follows what may be a native portage around the rapids and waterfalls on Rushing River.

[7-Sunset over Andy Lake]


Rushing River has 217 campsites, 75 of which have electrical service. Washroom and shower facilities are conveniently located in the campgrounds and there is a park store for supplies.





Sources:
http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/rush.html
http://www.ontariocampgrounds.net/regional.cfm/code/229/tbid/7

Photo Credits: [1][2][3][4][7]-Jezz CC=nd-flickr, [5][6]-Marg S CC=flickr.

10 comments:

Rune Eide said...

You do have a seemingly endless choice of routes and trails in your area. One get healthy just looking at it.

Maria said...

With great pleasure and some envy I watched your videos showing your delightful winter walk in the sncovered landscape and the horses getting the car back on the road!
I am envious because we have no snow in the Northeast of Austria (but lots of snow, one meter at least, in the South of Austria), and I love snow so very much.
Uhhh, -18°C is VERY cold, and -40°C is a temperature I have never experienced in my life!
Nevertheless, dear Barbara, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and I look forward to your beautiful tours next year!

BernardL said...

Looks like a rough canoe ride. The sunset is breathtaking.

Reader Wil said...

What a fantastic series of photos! Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
Have a great Christmas and a beautiful New Year.

Travis Erwin said...

Love the oranges in that last shot.

Charles Gramlich said...

It would be beautiful just to sit and fish along those streams. Lovely.

Barbara Martin said...

RuneE, the province of Ontario is very large. The park posted today is located close to Manitoba.

Maria, thank you for your kind comments.

The coldest weather I have endured was living in a small cedar bungalow heated only by a woodstove and an electric space heater in rural Alberta, with an overnight low of -60F with the windchill.

Barbara Martin said...

Bernard, the rapids are portaged.

Reader Wil, you're very welcome.

Cloudia said...

Many MANY Summers ago a bunch of friends and I drove over the border (from the states)into Ontario and on to a sweet little town called Renfrew. We stayed at someone's family cabin which was far out of town, buried in thick pines and overlooked a pristine lake. Neal Young cassettes, Export-A's and vineagar-chips became talismans. Ouzo would come later - that is associated with Montreal . . . It is decades since I've been in the great white north. . . but part of me, part of my wandering dreams still resides beneath the red maple leaf. Next time: hitching a maritime ride on the Rideau Canal from Ottowa to Montreal (the last lock is a sci-fi ride!) Thanks Barbara for listening; I needed that! Aloha-

Barbara Martin said...

Cloudia, it is good for the soul to reminisce.