Kettle Lakes Provincial Park

Kettle Lakes Provincial Park is an activity and campground destination located between the communities of Iroquois Falls and Timmins, Ontario, Canada. The park is one of the many located in the Wilderness Region of northern Ontario.

The 1261 hectare (3115 acre) park is situated in a northern transition zone caught in between the Arctic Tundra and a boreal forest consisting of of jack pine, trembling aspen, balsam fir, white birch, white and black spruce, red and white pine trees.

The Kettle Lakes Provincial Park is best known for its kettle lakes, eskers and erratics. All are a result of the last ice age.

Of the 22 lakes in the park 20 are kettle lakes which are shallow lakes formed by retreating glaciers. An esker is a narrow ridge of gravel or sand left behind by the melting waters of a glacier and an erratic is a rock which is left behind that is different in size and type than the local geology.

Some of the more popular lakes in the park include Green, Leg of Lamb, Hughes, Bull Frog, Green, Mud, Deer, Slab, Lavoilette, Point, Pexton and Island Lake. There are 7 sandy beaches - 3 of which are large and popular and 4 are small and private.

The lakes are a popular destination for adventures like canoeing, kayaking, swimming, birding and fishing for rainbow, brook trout, perch and northern pike.

It is important to know that motorboats are prohibited from operating in the park except on Hughes Lake. Canoeing provides access to many of the kettle lakes, however, because they are kettle lakes they are not connected by waterways.

The other activities and adventures enjoyed in the park include picnicking, camping, mountain biking and hiking. There are 4 hiking trails to explore :

Kettle Trail (2 km loop) : A moderate interpretive walking trail exploring an esker and bog areas. The interpretive signs detail the eco system and the flora and fauna living in the park.

Tamarack Trail (2 km loop) : An easy circle route exploring along the shores of Tamarack Lake. There are viewing areas on the trail providing some good lake and wilderness scenery.

Wintergreen Trail (1.5 km one-way) : A moderately easy sightseeing trail with views of Island Lake.

Oh-Say-Ya-Wah-Kaw Trail (3 km one-way) : A moderate interpretive trail with signs detailing the geology and history of the kettle lakes in the park.

Throughout the park there are over 40+ kilometres of gravel roads, paved roads and dirt trails provided for biking. Included in those kilometres is a popular 14 kilometre long mountain biking trail.

On many of the trails and lakes there are viewing opportunities for birding and wildlife sightings. Some of the wildlife spotted in the park include moose, timber wolf, lynx, bear, fox and plenty of songbirds and waterfowl.

There are day use picnic areas (Slab Lake, Point Lake, Green Lake and Irrigation Lake) and two campgrounds (Island Lake and Pines) in the Kettle Lakes Provincial Park The campgrounds provide, both, serviced and non-serviced campsites as well as access to beaches.

Other services and amenities include a park office, gift store, firewood sales, washrooms, comfort stations, horseshoe pits, volleyball court, baseball diamond, amphitheatre, laundromat and sani station. And the park staff provide educational programs and outdoor activities during the summer season.

Explore Kettle Lakes Provincial Park , Iroquois Falls & Timmins, Ontario, Canada, Wilderness Region