CANOE TRIP 1/25 McCRAE LAKE, VICTORIA DAY, SAT. MAY 17- MON. MAY 19

One of our favourite locations for our first trip of 2025, McCrae Lake is in in the south, and will have warmer weather than the more northern lakes.
This is an easy trip, good for novice paddlers, to test your new kit, or get back into shape.

McCrae Lake is a large lake divided into several bays, on crown land, close to Toronto. The water quality is excellent, and there is good fishing. The backcountry campsites are large, quiet, have a steel grill and thunder box, and are free.

More information on McCrae Lake:
https://www.ontario.ca/page/mccrae-lake-conservation-reserve-management-statement

The water may be warm enough to swim, and the bugs will not be out yet

Fun activities include hiking on wilderness trails, paddling up and down rapids, swimming with rattle snakes, diving off of cliffs into the lake, and dragging out the bodies of people who tried to do all of those things.
Watch for the Five-Lined Skink.

Or, you can relax in a hammock.

McCrae Lake is very popular. We may have to wait for room in the parking lot, and empty campsites. If we are unable to find legal parking, and a good campsite , we have alternatives planned. We will decide, when we arrive at the parking lot, what to do.

If anyone in our group can go into McCrae Lake on Thursday or Friday to secure a campsite, it would be appreciated.

We are not required to go home on Sunday night. If you wish you can continue to camp for as long as you wish.

Carpooling is recommended to reduce the number of parking spaces required.

Most areas of the lake have cell service sufficient for text messages and data.

One portage, 150 metres, well used trail, over a high granite ridge.

Paddle distance: 5 km.

Canoe rentals should be available if you reserve one in advance:

Swift Canoe Georgian Bay
https://swiftoutside.com/georgian-bay/

Wawautosa Marina https://www.wawautosa.ca/

Driving Distance:
From Hwy 7 and Hwy 400, Vaughan Metropolitan Center:
142 km., 1 hour 30 mins.

Please fill in the Spread Sheet below:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CzvWkRKV3i5HLHeY5YtU5JehIBokJfHgH_A9HzbEaoo/edit?usp=sharing

Please phone me when you have arranged a paddle partner, a car, and a canoe, and I wll move you to the going list.