View Full Version : Killarney solo hike- La Cloche Silhouette Trail
Hey guys, I'm trying to plan my first venture into Killarney on foot for early spring this year and could really use some advice if any of you are familiar with the trail.
My plan is really just for an overnight sometime in May, but since I don't know the trail and am fairly new to backpacking in general (long time paddler), I'm not really sure what would be a good distance to cover in a good day of hiking.
So basically... any ideas on site selection for an overnight, whether I should be starting heading west or east, and how far I can expect to make it in a day.
If it helps, I'm 6'4", 30 years old and fairly fit so no problems with my joints just yet to slow me down.
Thanks!
I know HF members sturgeon, SuperTramp and FrostyDon have done that trail. Try sending them a PM for some info (although it looks like FrostyDon has not posted since last summer)
In terms of a reasonable distance for a day, I'd say 15 km give or take given that I have heard it is quite rocky and it has some challenging terrain. I'm a big guy and walk slow and I can do around 12 km in a day comfortably.
I know HF members sturgeon, SuperTramp and FrostyDon have done that trail. Try sending them a PM for some info (although it looks like FrostyDon has not posted since last summer)
In terms of a reasonable distance for a day, I'd say 15 km give or take given that I have heard it is quite rocky and it has some challenging terrain. I'm a big guy and walk slow and I can do around 12 km in a day comfortably.
Thanks much, dude! I'll try sending some PMs and see what others think. I'm thinking I'll be able to cover a decent distance also because the park is only about an hour from where I live, so picking up a site permit beforehand is possible. Of course it also means I could get a VERY early start if I wanted to.
No problem. A week long Killarney solo trip is on my bucket list. Definitely handy that you live so close. I used to be 3 hours from Algonquin and have done a lot of camping, hiking and backpacking there. Now I am 5 hours from Algonquin which makes it a bit tougher to plan trips.
BTW, the way you titled your thread and having it in this sub forum makes it look like you are trying to plan a group hang. If that's not the case maybe you should ask a moderator to move this thread to the round table off topic sub forum. Just a thought.
Ahh yeah thanks for pointing that out, I've changed it up. Also didn't realize it was specific to group hangs, figured "trip planning" best described what I was after. I'll see if I have more luck with the PMs and go from there.
Being 5 hours away is not fun. I don't know of places to camp in London... unless you want to wake up beside the path at Springbank and wave to the distance runners as you make a morning cup of joe :P
Ahh yeah thanks for pointing that out, I've changed it up.
Being 5 hours away is not fun. I don't know of places to camp in London... unless you want to wake up beside the path at Springbank and wave to the distance runners as you make a morning cup of joe :P
Lol! You know London? There's no backpacking around here and I'm not interested in stealth camping anywhere on the Bruce trail. At least I can day hike and car camp but for canoe and backpack trips, I always have to go to Algonquin. Part of it is I've been going there for 20 years.
Hey Fish,
Sounds like a great trip. I used to paddle through Killarney quite often some twenty years ago and it's absolutely beautiful up there. Unfortunatey I can't be of much help on the trails though.
Had a cousin who lived there for years! I actually considered moving to London about 5 or 6 years ago, I was having a hard time finding work local, ended a messy relationship and well, it just seemed like a nice place to be.
Of course I ended up finding work up north before anyone down there called me in for an interview, but I considered it. And during my time off I spent a few weeks there visiting. 20 years! I guess that's about how long I've been paddling Killarney, granted it was with my old man and uncles for the first 8-10 of those years. Still have never been to Algonquin, surprisingly enough. Someday soon maybe I'll make it out for a group hang and make an appearance :shades:
Hey Fish,
Sounds like a great trip. I used to paddle through Killarney quite often some twenty years ago and it's absolutely beautiful up there. Unfortunatey I can't be of much help on the trails though.
Fingers crossed for a couple of days of sunshine when I manage to get out there. I've done a lot more portaging in that park than hiking the trail as well. Last year was 3 days and 2 nights of solid thunderstorms on Boundary and David and Balsam. Nothing like packing up to move camp in a downpour (but it still beats being at home!)
If it's just a night or two, I'd suggest hiking up 'the crack' IMO the best view in the park. Take the trail counter clockwise from George and it is a challenging climb. As for camping sites past there, I don't have a map handy but they tend to book up fairly quickly. I'm sure the park people can give advice but Bubba's 15km limit is a reasonable one.
BrianWillan
03-21-2013, 17:17
So basically... any ideas on site selection for an overnight, whether I should be starting heading west or east, and how far I can expect to make it in a day.
I can't help you with specifics on the trail in Kilarney. That being said, I've read a number of backpack trip planning articles and they said to plan on 3km per hour of travel over varied terrain. Obviously this averages out over a long distance. So expect to go slower on more challenging sections with lots of hill climbing, and faster on flatter easier sections of the trail.
Have fun on your trip.
Cheers
Brian
Fingers crossed for a couple of days of sunshine when I manage to get out there. I've done a lot more portaging in that park than hiking the trail as well. Last year was 3 days and 2 nights of solid thunderstorms on Boundary and David and Balsam. Nothing like packing up to move camp in a downpour (but it still beats being at home!)
Craziest storm I ever went through was on Johnnie Lake (I think) just east of Silver Peak in Killarney. My buddy and I had paddled in from the north and were camped on a site in the shadow of the hill; a really cool site with a long, submerged rock pier that I had walked out onto to avoid the bugs in the rising breeze.
I looked up to Silver Peak and there were a few scattered clouds blowing over on a western wind. Quite pretty. I became absorbed chatting with my pal as the wind began to gust a bit. I turned to face the wind in time to see a huge black stormcloud come tearing over top of Silver Peak like a massive wave. It wasn't more than a couple of minutes before we were hit with a deluge of rain, lightening and what must have been a microburst. It all but flattened our tent. It was amazing!!! The weather coming off of the Georgian Bay can get pretty extreme!
My wife has family out in The Sault. I would love to get dropped off on her way to visit and do a weekend sometime. Never been in Killarney before.
sturgeon
03-21-2013, 20:39
I hiked the Silhouette Trail in 2011. It's about as good as hiking gets in Ontario, and I recommend it to anyone who loves beauty.
My advice for an overnight would be to follow the good advice already given. Go counterclockwise, enter the trail from the highway, not from George Lake, ( this will save a lot of level hiking on old forest roads) hike up to the unfortunately named "The Crack" and then continue northeast toward Little Superior Lake and Proulx Lake.
The view from the Crack, and The Crack itself are simply awesome, and a real highlight of the hike. And the beautiful blue lakes along the trail, surrounded with quartzite rock, are a treat.
I travelled clockwise so I came down the Crack, but I could look at my maps and figure out approximate travel times ( for a 47 year-old male in okay shape, not out to set any speed records, but trying to stay safe and injury free when hiking solo).
PM me and I'll take a look. In a day you could climb the crack and get to some of those awesome lakes, certainly to Little Superior or Proulx, and depending how keen you are, to Heaven or even Bunnyrabbit. But it's diminishing returns, as the first two lakes give you that lake experience, and you will want to dawdle on top of the Crack and take pictures. And Bunnyrabbit, which would be an awesome lake anywhere else, is merely ordinary after seeing Little Superior and Proulx.
Some pics
http://neelands.smugmug.com/Nature/La-Cloche-Silhouette-Trail/25167240_cVsb7Z
Thanks for the tips guys! I'll plan to take it counter-clockwise and head up the crack. Sturgeon that sounds great, I will definitely take you up on the offer and will benefit from your experience.
Chard you're absolutely right about the weather in Georgian Bay... We've got a cottage in MacGregor Bay, and when the wind picks up we've had our 18 foot aluminum sunk more than once from white caps pounding the shore!
Hey not sure if you've seen this yet -
http://www.thekillarneymap.com
I'm in the process of planning 5 days in September and this is going to help lots.
Thanks! This is definitely going to help. Looks like since it's just a one night stay for me, I'll hike in from the highway trailhead instead of the park office, take the hike up "The Crack" and see if I can't book the site on Little Superior for the night.
No online reservations for hiking sites, I wonder if I can still reserve over the phone.
sturgeon
04-12-2013, 09:48
No online reservations for hiking sites, I wonder if I can still reserve over the phone.
Even in the fall in prime hiking season i was able to phone 4 days beforehand and, while i didn't get my first picks of sites for every night, i was satisfied. In spring I doubt you will have any trouble.
Have a great time and be sure to check out Jeff's new map.
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No online reservations for hiking sites, I wonder if I can still reserve over the phone.
In my experience most backcountry reservations require a phone call.
In my experience most backcountry reservations require a phone call.
Thanks! I called a couple of days ago and made my reservation, definitely looking forward to it.