Backcountry Hike in Bon Echo Provincial Park

Bon Echo’s 17km Abes and Essens loop, located in the beautiful Canadian Shield, is a popular backpacking hike and has been a regular September KWBT event for several years. The Park describes the hike as being of moderate-level difficulty, but there are no big challenges here - just a weekend getaway with friends, no bugs, swimmable water temps, no bugs, campfires to roast marshmallows, and no bugs. Yes, that’s what I said. We have two campsites booked for each night, so we are allowed a maximum of 12 hikers.

This is a weekend trip. We come up Friday, Sep 24, either during the day or after work, and car camp that night at Hardwood Hills campground. I intend to arrive with my canoe early enough in the afternoon to explore some of Mazinaw Lake. Canoes can be rented at the Park. Saturday morning we pack up everything, leave the cars at the campground, and hike until we reach Abes Lake where we’ll set up camp. Sunday morning we break camp and continue on the loop back to the campground, arriving at our vehicles by mid afternoon. Some of us may stick around to climb Mazinaw Rock (this year we’ll need a canoe to get to it) and some might head over by canoe to check out the cliffs from below. These cliffs rise to over 100m from Mazinaw Lake - our hike back from Abes Lake is just a warm-up for this climb!

Trip details and an organizing spreadsheet will be sent later by email. No pets on this trip, thanks. The total camping fee will be $30 each, plus $11.50 to park each vehicle. Your RSVP puts you on the Waitlist. You can message me through this Meetup app with any questions, and let me know if you haven’t done this trail before so we can introduce some backpackers to Bon Echo PP.

Your RSVP indicates your agreement with the terms of the Co-Participant Understanding at https://www.meetup.com/KW-Backcountry/messages/boards/thread/52807358. You are responsible for your own transportation, food, gear, personal safety and COVID risk.

Mike