Cottage hikes and McCrae Lake

Last fall I discovered McCrae Lake while searching for an adventure activity near the cottage. The cottage is great, but I can only relax so long before looking for something to do. Fall at McCrae Lake was beautiful and led to my first HIGH cliff jumping experience – like 82 feet high!

Spring at McCrae Lake did not disappoint.  McCrae Lake has a reputation for more rowdy campers because of its accessibility. It is, however, a fabulous location in the spring and fall. It is also free to use, which is an added bonus.

We arrived to sunny skies and a muddy trail. Our plan was to use the McCrae Lake hiking trail and bushwack into the cottage from there. The cottage is boat access only in the summer.

It would be me and the guys for the weekend, as we set out under a crystal clear blue sky.  The trail was still covered by large puddles and rivers from the winter melt, but

otherwise our progress was quick. The trails are well marked, which was appreciated as they meander through the forest.

We estimated the hike to the cottage would be around 7k, which made Crow’s Cliff a halfway point.  We took a break there to admire the beautiful scenery.  The view under the warm sun was well worth the hike. We saw a few tents below with eager campers out for an early April camping trip. Crow’s Cliffs also boasts a climbing area, which might be an adventure for another trip.

We continued on through the twisting forest and around a small lake that had a beautiful camping spot. Our journey continued up hill, as the forest gave way to expanses of rock. There is something

uniquely beautiful about the Canadian Shield in this area.  As there were fewer trees to hang markers, some enterprising hikers built small inuksuks to point us in the right direction.

We watched a stunning sunset that night on the Georgian Bay before returning to the cottage for a bonfire.

This is hopefully a start to some great camping trips this summer!