When I was in my 20’s I took a trip to Manitoulin Island which is located in the Canadian Province of Ontario. It is the largest freshwater island in the world and is in one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world, Lake Huron. During that trip I was examining some other areas that I could explore. One that jumped out at me from the topographical map I was scanning was a Canadian fjord called Baie Fine. Of course being called a fjord doesn’t make it in the same class as the fjords in Norway. However, the topography of this fjord is nonetheless impressive for eastern Canada. The fact that it is located in a freshwater lake makes it all the more impressive. I decided at that point that I would check it out if I had an opportunity in the future.
A few years later I did have that opportunity. I went with some friends to the area with canoes. We put in and tried to make it to the fjord leaving close to the town of Killarney. There is a portage called Portage Cove that is imperative to take, otherwise, we would have had to paddle around the peninsula which would have required a substantial amount of time and effort. When we put in on the other side we ran into some difficulties. Lake Huron when stirred up behaves more like an inland sea. To make matters worse because it is fresh water and not saltwater there is less buoyancy, meaning if your canoes are loaded down with gear they will typically ride slightly lower in the water. We decided that we would not make it to Baie Fine and pitched on a small patch of rock.
While looking for another way to Baie Fine, I noticed there was a clearing where telephone poles were installed. This clearing ran to Bay Fine. We decided that we would try to hike up to the top so we could take a good look at the bay. During our hike, we saw evidence of bear activity. There were droppings everywhere and the wood hydro poles were scarred up from their claws. So we kept talking to each other for the entire hike so as not to surprise one. When we reached the summit we could see up Baie Fine. I remember today that it was late afternoon and the sun was reflecting off of the white cliffs of the Fjord. At that point I wanted to come back and try to actually enter the bay and successfully paddle it.
Several years later I got that opportunity. I planned a trip with a friend to paddle up Baie Finn and also enter Killarney Provincial park from the back end. Entering Killarney involved several portages until we reached the Park Services office. This time it was a trade-off. I rented a tandem kayak for the trip across Lake Huron. I am glad I did because the day we were set to depart there was a small craft warning on the lake. A canoe would not have had a chance in the wind and waves. However, with the spray skirt the kayak cut through the waves like butter. We decided to hug the outer shore of Baie Fine until we reached our first campsite which was just past the point as I can recall. I remember the campsite was fairly nice although there wasn’t much to see since we arrived when the sun had already set.
The next day we were following our map and expected to clearly see the entranceway into the bay. What we didn’t realize was how small and inconspicuous the entranceway was. We actually passed it without realizing it was the entrance. Only a while later after checking our maps did we realize we had passed it. This made us a little frustrated because we now had to backtrack.
After entering Baie Fine we began paddling up it. We were glad that we had the tandem because we were having to cover a lot of distance. We broke camp about halfway up the bay. You can only camp on the one side of the bay because the other side is steep cliffs going up from the water. It was a rocky campsite however there was animal life even here. We saw a porcupine up in a tree.
Eventually we reached the door of Killarney Provincial Park and began entering its lakes. All the lakes we took followed the large mountain ridge that begins at Baie Fine and cuts right through the park. All the lakes we portaged to had beautiful views of this ridge with its white quartzite rocks. The lake’s water is a turquoise color and we hardly saw anyone on the portage routes at this end of the park.
To add to the beauty of the route it was fall so the leaves were all changing color. During one of our portages we had brought our camping equipment to our campsite and were going back to portage the sea kayak (which is not ideal to portage I might add). On the way back we startled a black bear that took off up a sloping hill. As it went behind some trees it immediately stopped and stared at us. We continued on our way in the opposite direction. Some of the lakes we crossed on our route back were Artist Lake, Muriel Lake, O.S.A, and George. It was a great trip to do in the fall. Killarney Provincial Park is one of the best provincial parks in Ontario. It may not be as famous as Algonquin but it is arguably more beautiful. If I were going to do the same route I would probably try to take a canoe. I would either use a canoe cover or check weather forecasts before departure. Once you enter the park a Canoe is unbeatable for wilderness tripping. My trip to Baie Fine was a work in progress and it ended up being a world-class trip. I would recommend it to anyone who has the technical skill and desire to do it.