page_title: Bon Echo Provincial Park
section_title: Camping, hiking, boating and swimming
hierarchical_section_title: Bon Echo Provincial Park / Recreation / Camping, hiking, boating and swimming
caption_attribution_description: English: North of Essens Lake on the second loop of the Abes and Essens hiking trail in Bon Echo Provincial Park.
context_page_description: Bon Echo Provincial Park is a provincial park in southeastern Ontario north of Kaladar, approximately 6 kilometres north of Cloyne.
  Bon Echo features several lakes, including part of Mazinaw Lake, the seventh-deepest lake in Ontario. The southeastern shore of Mazinaw Lake features the massive 100 m high Mazinaw Rock, an escarpment rising out of the water, adorned with many native pictographs. The unofficial mascot of Bon Echo Park is the Ojibwe trickster figure and culture hero, Nanabozho, who is among the over 260 pictographs found in the area. Pictographs are often confused with petroglyphs, which are rock carvings rather than the rock paintings found on Mazinaw.
  The site of the Mazinaw pictographs was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1982.
context_section_description: Bon Echo's 500+ campsites in the Mazinaw and Hardwood Hills campgrounds are typical of those in the Ontario Parks system. Grassy or lightly wooded lots are set back from unpaved access roads and are backed by natural, untended land, which is generally conifer-deciduous forest. Both campgrounds host a number of RV-accessible lots. Electricity is also available to 130 campsites. All sites are located close to a source of running water, as well as a latrine or flush toilet. Comfort stations with washrooms, showers, and laundry facilities are available at major campgrounds. There are also radio-free areas, a visitor centre, gift shop, and the Mugwump ferry, which brings visitors to the Clifftop Trail located across Mazinaw Lake.
  In addition, accommodation in heated yurts is available in the Sawmill Bay camping area, as well as a number of cabins, most of which are located on Bon Echo Lake, west of Highway 41. The yurts and cabins are an alternative to tenting or RVs, accommodating up to 5 or 6 and providing a more protected environment for less hardy visitors.
  Cutting and collecting firewood is prohibited on these sites to prevent environmental disturbances or damage. Firewood must be purchased at camp offices. Due to the emerald ash borer, firewood may not be brought to the park.
  Bon Echo is also known for its backcountry camping along the Abes and Essens Trail. This trail in the northern reaches of the park hosts several campsites, each equipped with nothing more than a picnic table, and a roughly delineated campfire area. Unlike other areas of the park, none of these sites have access to running water, electricity, or any other park service. Disturbing these sites is also discouraged, although the collecting of deadwood and digging of pits to properly dispose of waste is recognized as essential in these isolated areas, and is tolerated if done carefully.
  Augmenting the ruggedness of the experience, Abes and Essens is regarded as a strenuous trail. The terrain is, in places, very rough and uneven, often with shield rock jutting up as on the Bruce Trail. Depending on the loops and paths one takes, the hike will take between 2 and 7 hours. The trail features three loops of four km (2.5 mi), nine km (5.6 mi) and 17 km (11 mi), which intersect at various points, allowing navigation of the trail in many ways. The paths are not bold, preserving the ecology of the trail, and can be confusing at times, although the way is marked by flags on particularly difficult sections. Due to the length and difficulty of the trail, it is not recommended for the ill-prepared (or overpacked) camper, nor the unfit or inexperienced day-hiker.
  Other, less strenuous hiking trails include the Shield Trail and the High Pines Trail, as well as the Clifftop Trail that leads up along the top of the Mazinaw Rock, providing a stunning view from its designated viewing areas above the narrows of Mazinaw Lake.
  It is also possible to rent boats and boating paraphernalia to explore the lakes and waterways of the park.
  Bon Echo Provincial Park has beaches along Mazinaw Lake, including North Beach (at the southern end of North Mazinaw Lake), Main Beach and South Beach (both at the northern end of South Mazinaw Lake). The beach waters are generally at their warmest in August, and swimmer's itch is not uncommon.
caption: Stream feeding Essens Lake from the north on the 2nd Loop of the Abes and Essens Trail
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