Hardy Lake Provincial Park

Known for the natural beauty of its trails and lake, Hardy Lake Provincial Park is a beautiful place to visit. Here’s what you need to know!

During a Thanksgiving stay at Six Mile Lake Provincial Park, we got to knock a couple locations off our “must see” wish list.

The first was Big Chute Marine Railway, which was incredibly cool.

Next up was Hardy Lake Provincial Park, a (somewhat?) non-operating park just east of Torrance- about a 40 minute drive from the campground.

We hadn’t had the best of luck at the first non-operating park we’d ever visited - I’m sure I’ll get around to posting about it sometime - but we had much higher hopes for this one - hence the “somewhat”.

Unlike the other park, the Hardy Lake trails are actually maintained by an outside party - the Township of Muskoka Lakes!

Anyway, I’d read of this park in various GTA lifestyle blogs. It sounded like a great trail system to check out, with various loops to explore.

The geography of the area is interesting, historically. Everything used to be submerged beneath glaciers, then post-glacial lakes, like Lake Algonquin. When those receded, it ended up leaving behind species of plants that you really only see along the Atlantic Ocean.

There’s also an inland section of displaced Georgian Bay shoreline - also the result of those ancient glaciers and lakes.

The big draw, though, seemed to be the sections of boardwalk trail that lead to a small island on the lake. The photos of that part of the park seem to be straight-up iconic!

Unfortunately, the trail that includes that section is much longer than my foot tendons have allowed me to walk in one go. So, Porter hiked that trail himself, while I stayed closer to the parking lot.

I’m still a bit jealous, after seeing his photos!

We had a great afternoon though, even though it was done separately. Let us tell you all about it!

The Basics:

Location Name: Hardy Lake Provincial Park
Address: Highway 169, Torrance, ON P0C 1M0, Canada (Click for Google Maps location)
Website: https://www.ontarioparks.ca/park/hardylake
Price: Free!
Reservations: Not-applicable
ParkClassification: Natural Environment
Season: Unspecified.

Logistics

Hardy Lake Provincial Park is a non-operating park. This means it has no visitor facilities, and a bit of a different situation than we’re used to seeing at Ontario Provincial Parks.

Registration and Check In

As a non operating park, you not only don’t *need* to book ahead, it’s not even an option.

At many non operating parks, this isn’t an issue at all... but when it comes to Hardy Lake, it’s a good idea to get there early in the day. There’s a lot of competition for limited parking!

There is no gatehouse, no staff to check you in... you just show up and do your thing.

Maps and Signage

There’s a large trail map located at the main trail entrance, right on the edge of the parking lot.

Unlike a lot of the non-operating parks we’ve looked into, there’s actually a Hardy Lake Provincial Park Trail Map available on the website.

We found this to come in really handy when planning our visit.

Parking

The parking situation at Hardy Lake Provincial Park - at least at the time of our stay - can be an absolute zoo.

Hardy Lake Park’s parking lot is relatively small, but a decent size for a non-operating park - one would think. In the fall, during peak fall colours season, though?

Expect to be parking on the road... possibly a km or more away!

We were lucky enough to get a spot in the parking lot - there was a constant stream of people in and out, and the timing was right for us.

We did have to drive past at least half a km of cars parked up the road leading up to the park, and there were cars parked as far as the eye could see, in the other direction!

Parking was free either way, though!

Washrooms

The park’s website says that it has no facilities / amenities / etc, and doesn’t have any of the outhouse icons highlighted as being present.

That said, there’s a single Portapotty at the start of the trail, next to the parking lot.

On the day of our visit, there was a constant stream of people, and we overheard some less-than-glowing reviews of that portapotty, so we did not use it.

Day Use Area

While we didn’t notice any picnic tables amid the chaos, there were plenty of spots along the trail to pull off and enjoy a packed lunch on the ground.

So, you’ll want to pack a picnic blanket if that’s what you’re hoping to do!

Pets

Dogs are allowed, but must be leashed at all times and picked up after.

Accessibility

This is not really a destination for those with mobility issues.

The first ~400 meters or so of the trail is wheelchair accessible - asphalt - but then it gets rough from there.

Those 400 metres are a nice enough straight-shot walk through the woods, but definitely not worth a drive if that’s all you’ll get to see of the park.

In terms of other mobility issues...

The main 9 km trail is not going to work for those relying on any kind of mobility aid. It’s rough, there are at least a half dozen fallen trees you have to get over - some are quite big.

Beyond that, there are steep sections, rocks, roots, etc. If you’re going to do it, be sure to use good shoes!

We didn’t do the B or C trails, but the exits of both looked pretty rough - not sure I would have done either, had I been in a boot or using a cane at the time.

Connectivity

I had fantastic cell phone coverage in the parking lot, where I waited for Porter as he did the 9 km trail.

He wasn’t constantly on his phone on the trail, but whenever he wanted to send me a note about what he was seeing - or a photo - he didn’t have any problems.

Miscellaneous

While it’s a non-operating park, Hardy Lake Provincial Park has a fairly long list of prohibited activities as such.

First off, no camping, no alcohol, and no fires.

In terms of activities, you’re not allowed to use any form of mechanized travel on in the park. Beyond that, there’s no hunting, horseback riding, cycling, drone usage, or littering allowed.

Finally, while I can’t find any information about the overall “operating” season, the hours are sunrise to sunset - and you can receive hefty fines for being in the park after hours.

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Entertainment and Activity

Some basic information on the activities available at Hardy Lake Provincial Park:

Hiking

Porter was the one who went hiking, so let’s have him tell you all about it - he did the long trail:

“The Hardy Lake Provincial Park Trail starts out from the parking lot next to the large trail map as a nice, wide, paved trail. The first section should be wheelchair accessible, but only for about a half kilometer.

Close to that point the asphalt is a bit more rough, then it transitions to a well-packed dirt trail, not as wide, with roots and slight changes in elevation, some rocky sections.

Once you're at the lake portion of the trail, there are lots of outlooks – a slight clearing in a trees that provide lovely vantage points to view the lake.

These are pretty popular hangout spots for people, so if you're looking to get your own little space, I suggest you keep going until you find an empty one. There are lots of water views, and they all offer a similar view.”

“ There are a lot of little side trails – perhaps unofficial paths where people have wandered enough that it looks like trail.

It's tough to know which one the main one is in some places, but they all follow the perimeter of the lake, thus they connect and meander the same direction. The white trail blazers provide periodic confirmation that you're on the right path.

I followed trail A, a 9 km trail around the entire lake. There's a 1 km extension loop on the back side, but I opted to stay near the lake instead.”

“ People are very loud, the people in the early sections are there more for sightseeing than hiking. After about 1.5km, the crowds were pretty thinned out and the trail was more enjoyable.

Something to note: at the place where the A and B hiking trails split there are actually two points where you can turn right onto trail B. I almost accidentally went onto trail B at the second one, I only looked around for confirmation because it didn't make sense that the trail would turn that way.

Trail B is a good choice for novice users, which is a 3 km loop trail.

I walked past a couple talking about a small waterfall, but I didn't see it anywhere on the trail. Either I missed it, or it is located on a part of the trail I didn't hike.”

“ Around 4.5km into trail A, you get to the cool boardwalk and little island. Lots of people hanging out, taking photos. Since this is the halfway point, it's a great place to have a break for a snack, water, and take some great pictures.

Around kilometer 6 the trail veers away from the lake, then comes back after a couple of kilometers. This part feels unnecessary because it's the same kind of forest the entire time, but it doesn't offer the lake views anymore. There's no real advantage to this part, I wish the trail had simply stayed closer to the water.

Kilometer 7 and 8 are rougher, a lot more up-and-down areas with tall trees. I was moving pretty fast on the trail, and this area became a workout. Nice views in this area though, so there is a payoff for the extra work!”

“ Overall this is a beautiful trail system. It has lots of options for users with both shorter and longer loops available, beautiful views of the lake's natural shoreline and surrounding forest, and is well maintained.

I can definitely understand why this is such a popular destination for outdoor activities. The boardwalk trails section is stunning, worth the hike to get there!

I do recommend good footwear, as I mentioned this moderate difficulty trail is a bit rough after the first ½ km, and there were several downed trees that you have to step over.

Plan accordingly for snacks and water, this 9km trail took me just under 2 hours to complete, and I was moving pretty quickly.”

Biking

Cycling is prohibited in Hardy Lake Provincial Park.

Swimming

We visited in mid October, so swimming was definitely not on anyone’s mind at the time!

That said, a LOT of the reviews we saw mentioned that everyone should bring a swimsuit, as the swimming there is apparently fantastic.

There are many, many access points to the water along the main trail.

Birding, Wildlife, and Nature

The park is known for having a rich community of Atlantic coastal plain species - basically, a remnant community of Atlantic Ocean shoreline plants that were left behind after glaciers receded.

We wouldn’t know the difference between coastal plain plants and... well, whatever the local flora would be - if we tripped and landed face first into them, though, so we were both looking upward, instead. Porter on the trail, and me along the parking lot and road.

Despite the long walk, Porter didn’t see much in the way of birds on his hike, which surprised the both of us. (My lack of success could easily be attributed to the constant stream of people there!)

I saw nothing, and heard nothing but people.

Porter saw Black-Capped Chickadee, Canada Goose, and some Woodpeckers - but wasn’t able to get close enough to see the actual species. Beyond that, he heard: American Tree Sparrow, Blue Jay, Red-Breasted Nuthatch.

Boating

We didn’t see anyone boating during our trip - nor any boat launches - but the website mentions boating being available at the park - “with motorboat restrictions”. (I guess they fall under “mechanized travel”.)

So... no idea what the deal is there. Frankly, there are SO many places to go boating in the Muskoka region, that it seems a bit silly to bother with trying to do so at Hardy Lake, given the lack of information.

That said, one official park document specifically mentioned canoeists and kayakers being welcome to portage along the park trails, to access Hardy Lake and Lake Muskoka.

Fishing

As with boating, Hardy Lake Provincial Park’s website has the “fishing” activity icon highlighted, but no further information on it.

After doing some digging, I wasn’t really able to find any information on people actually doing so, though it is mentioned in official park reports that it’s permissible.

So I guess.. It’s legal (subject to zoning, license, and season), probably NOT overfished... I’m just not sure what you’re going to find!

Niantic Games

There’s a Pokemon Gym and two Pokestops / Ingress Portals in the parking lot, then the odd one along the trails as well.

There was decent enough connectivity to be able to access the games, as well.

Discovery Program

As a non-operating park, Hardy Lake Provincial Park doesn’t offer any kind of programming.

Final Thoughts

Let’s have Porter address this, as he saw much more of the park:

“This is a great place to check out!

If you're not up for a long hike, you can still check out the lake and turn back, there were a lot of people that seemed to be doing this.

With the multiple loop system, I feel like I could go back and get another new experience. It's a great place to view fall leaves, with the rocky outcrops dotting the lake.

I feel like I want to go back to check out that small cascading waterfall, as this is something I love to see.

I would definitely go back when we're in the area, I'll just make sure to go nice and early so we can be more likely to get parking.”

More Places to See

Looking for some nice sights to see and great places to visit while you're out on your camping adventures? Here are a few of our favourite day use parks, attractions, etc.

Aguasabon Falls & Gorge
Amethyst Mine Panorama
Batchawana Bay
Big Bay, Ontario
Big Chute Marine Railway
Bruce Peninsula National Park
Canada's Dinosaur Park
Cheltenham Badlands
Chippewa Falls
Devil's Monument, Bruce Peninsula
Falls Reserve Conservation Area
Fielding Bird Sanctuary
Flowerpot Island
French River Provincial Park
Gariepy Creek Falls
Healey Falls
Inglis Falls Conservation Area
Keith McLean Conservation Lands
Menesetung Bridge
Mink Creek Falls
Old Woman Bay
Onaping Falls
Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park
Petroglyphs Provincial Park
Point Pelee National Park
Provoking Falls
Sand River Falls
Scenic Caves Nature Adventures
Scenic High Falls
Screaming Heads
Spirit Rock Conservation Area
Temagami Fire Tower
Terrace Bay Beach

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