I feel so lucky to spend my summer holidays making the best memories on our family roadtrip around Lake Ontario.
First stop Letchworth State Park. The long weekend brought us perfect weather to explore the canyon and waterfalls at the park. The camping was not our favourite but the girls found new joy in a hammock we had set up on our campsite and lots of fun exploring the park playground. We also spent a fun afternoon swimming at the park pool.
Our next stop was Walkins Glen State Park. The park has a gorgeous trail that winds along the river, cuts through channels and over waterfalls. The trail is steep with lots of stairs but passes by many unique spots.
Taughannock Falls was next on our route and the short hike back to the spectacular waterfalls was worth it. We visited the falls a second time for a 6 am coffee and were greeted by a few Great Blue Herons along our hike. We hoped to get out boat out on Cayuga Lake, since there was a handy boat launch from within the park but high winds and choppy water was too much for our little aluminum boat.
We took a day trip from Taughannock Falls State Park to Robert H Treman State Park. This park has the coolest spot to swim at the base of a waterfall. Unfortunately swimming was closed so we weren’t able to get in. From the parks upper entrance we hiked down to Lucifer Falls. It was hot and sunny when we set out to hike and just as we got to the falls a dark cloud rolled in and we were caught in the thunder and rain. The thunderstorms made for a memorable hike and the hike was so beautiful.
Last US stop was two nights on Wellsley Island State Park on the St. Lawrence River. This park is in the 1000 Islands area. We got the boat out on the river for some fishing. Spent some time swimming at the beach in the park and explored the nature center in the park. A very relaxing couple of days. We also got up at 2 am one night to watch the perseid meteor shower.
We crossed back into Canada and had our first experience with Bon Echo Provincial Park. A last minute cancellation gave us an opportunity to move to an almost waterfront site. We were able to use our inflatable kayaks and launch the boat on Mazinaw Lake. What a beautiful spot! I was surprised to learn that this lake is along a fault line which created the steep rock face and the like is just over 500 feet deep in its deepest point. We spend many hours during our three days here touring around the lake on the boat. The lake was also surprisingly warm for swimming given the depth of it. This is a park we will definitely return to…our favourite so far on this trip!
Last stop, Sandbanks Provincial Park on Lake Ontario. The weather was hot and the water was clear and warm and a perfect few days for biking and beaching.
The Travelling Herrons 