Bass Lake

Bass Lake Provincial Park is located at 2540 Bass Lake Sideroad East in Orillia, ON. It is located on the shore of the actual Bass Lake, and it is known for its scenic beach, sunsets, and massive hill that rifts through the middle of the park. Despite being located minutes from Orillia and only an hour and a half from Toronto, it is known for its incredibly dense forests and clear waters. I visited in June 2025.

History (next 2 sections)

The story of Bass Lake starts 11,000 years ago when proglacial Lake Algonquin covered much of east-central North America, including Lake Huron, Superior, Michigan, Nipigon, Nipissing, Simcoe, and, most importantly for this section, Bass Lake. This lake was created by the Laurentian Ice Sheet moving northwards, creating the modern terrain of the area. A cool anecdote is that when Lake Algonquin's size was at its peak, the hill at Bass Lake was an island in the middle of it. Now, let's fast forward a few thousand years. There were 3 main tribes that lived around Bass Lake - the Chippewa (or Ojibwe), the Mississaugas, and the Anishinaabe. But despite their historical connection to the land, there was no true settlement of the modern-day park until the 1830s. Because this was when the Rowe family built a homestead on the west side of the park. They owned the whole property, yet only farmed the western side.

The grain silo that the Rowe family built circa 1832.

As you can see from this 1987 map, the tree nursery was still present and the Lakeview & Eastside Campgrounds were still being created. Sourced here.

Uncoincedentally, this is where you'll see remnants of their silo (see above) and workhouse today. As well as, most notably, their milk house (see bottom). By the 1940s, the Rowe family had growing interest in selling their land. And so, the unfarmed east side of the park was sold to the Simcoe County Federation of Agriculture, who created the so-called "Bass Lake Co-Operative". This company was an effort to give rural families a place to enjoy recreational activities in the Orillia area. And, around the same time, the western side of the park was sold and turned into a tree nursery. The Ontario government purchased the east side in 1956, and opened the park with 154 campsites in 1957 (the modern day Hilltop Campground). The nursery portion (see right) was bought by the province in 1985, as was the "sewage lagoon". Since the 80s, the park has added the Lakeview and Eastside Campgrounds, the Waterview and Edgar Walker Trails, enlarged the beach, and more.

Bass Lake was named after the name it sits upon, known for its large quantity of small and largemouth bass. Funnily enough, there are over 32 Bass Lakes in Ontario.

The history information was sourced from park staff, the management plan, and this website.

What the Park Offers

Bass Lake offers:
- three docks, a motorboat launch, and kayak launches
- great bass fishing starting the last Saturday of June
- a wide beach known for shallow, clear waters
- a park store offering kayak and canoe rentals
- large wheelchair accessible portion of the Waterview Trail
- 5 roofed accommodations on the west side
- a long boardwalk beside the boat launch
- very nice playground near the beach
- small dog beach

The two trails are: (both bike accessible)

Waterview Trail - 2.8km, moderate

Bass Lake's go-to. The Waterview Trail circumnavigates the park and shows you all you might want to see. From the boardwalk to the milkhouse to the 3 campgrounds to the beach to the store and much more. However, I must warn you that biking this trail is not for the faint of heart. It's quite the uphill.

Edgar Walker Trail - ~0.2km, easy

The Edgar Walker Trail serves as a shortcut if you don't want to do the whole Waterview Trail. Its other purpose is to show off the wildflowers of the area, which are in particular abundance on this side of the park.

This map just has a few notes to take when exploring Bass Lake. Waterview Trail is red, the dotted section is trail, the line section is paved. Edgar Walker Trail is in orange, and it's all dirt. The yellow section symbolizes the section of the Waterview trail that is closed annually. Blue means any other path or trail.

Visiting the Park

Turn in. On your left is the dump station and then the cabins. Once you pass both of these, you'll arrive at the gatehouse, where you can turn around if needed. The next intersection is either left (to the day use section, which includes: Cedar Campground, picnic shelter 1, 2, and 3, the park store, boat rentals, Waterview Trail, and the beach) or right (to Lakeview and Hilltop Campground). If you go straight instead, you'll see a bullnose triangle, where left takes you to the day use section mentioned previously, and right takes you to Eastside Campground. See the park map below for more.

The boardwalk, part of the Waterview Trail.

Interesting Species

Note that the photos in this section are not explicitly from this park, they are good photos of species that live here.

Black walnut trees. The oldest ones in the park are over 250 years old, right beside the milkhouse.

Wildflowers

White and red baneberry

Butternut trees - an endangered species

Tips and Advice

Brutal for biking. The hill ruins biking this place - it even sucks to walk around.
Hike the entirety of the Waterview Trail if you want to see all the park has to offer.
Go to the playground by the beach, not the one in Eastside Campground.
Day trip to or from McRae Point or Mara.
Book one of the 6 Cedar sites. By far the nicest and by far the hardest to book. Do your best.
Book one of the 5 cabins. (pictured bottom middle)
Try out the cool kayak launchers found on both the fishing docks. (pictured bottom left)

SPOTLIGHT: The Milkhouse

Feels like an enchanted forest when walking through here - that is, if you're lucky enough to be able to. And of course, I wasn't. The milk house is the abandoned building pictured right that was built in 1832 by the Rowe family. Just as the name suggests, it's where the family stored their milk, cream, and butter products. What's interesting is that the park staff have rehabilitated the house into a shelter for a turkey vulture to lay its eggs - and this is why the trail is closed annually (see above right). What isn't closed is the former grain silo still accessbile across the road. These two structures are the main remnants of the mid-1800s farm - ones that are kept in very good condition by park staff. If you're at the park, come by to see a bit of local history.

Opinions

Nash

The hill ruins this park for me. It's just because I'm a biker who hates going downhill just as much as going back up. But still, the park is pretty nice. It's got some scenery, some wildlife, some waterfront, and it's just alright. Maybe 5-6/10.

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