Charleston Lake P.P. is located on 148 Woodvale Rd. in Lansdowne, ON. Charleston Lake is known for clear, high-quality paddling waters and beautiful rock formations along with crisp sandy beaches. We visited in July 2024.
The first true settlement in the town of Charleston Lake occured in the 1880s, and by 1889 there were 15 separate families inhabiting the shore. The original park was regulated in 1975 but, interestingly, the park's area has more than doubled via the inclusion of the Blue Mountain area and numerous Crown Land islands.
"Charleston" traditionally meant "town of King Charles".
Charleston Lake offers:
- swimming on 2 sand beaches
- fishing for smallmouth, largemouth, trout, crappie, pike, perch, pickerel, and other panfish
- motor boating everywhere but Running's and Slim Bay
- birding for eagles, hawks, warblers, and cuckoos
- discovery programs at the amphitheatre and the centre
NOTE: Hemlock Ridge and Sandstone Island have trail guides available at their trailheads.
The best hiking trails are:
10km of rugged hiking through rocky outcrops and clearwater bays and inlets. The trail crosses Slim Bay Bridge (right) and offers great views of the surrounding areas. (no bikes)
Start at a scenic boardwalk overlooking a marsh and climb to the view presented on the left. Look out for birds and the kayakers passing by below. Bring a zoom camera for the ultimate lookout. (no bikes)
Start off encircling dense woodland before arriving at a marsh formed by the beaver damming of a nearby creek, forming a meter-deep swamp. After this, you'll hike through a crevice between two mossy rocks. (no bikes)
This trail highlights the unique geological formations known as "sandstone islands". It is formed by having three rock layers of different materials eroding at different stages. There's also a lookout. (no bikes)
NOTE: THE GROUP CAMPING IS SEPARATE
After driving in, you'll pass the gatehouse and the dump. The Quiddity and Tallow Rock Bay Trails are on the left, Meadowlands Campground on the right. Continue past the discovery centre to see Bayside Campground. Continue straight again to pass the day use on the left, Hemlock Ridge/Beech Woods Trails on the right, Shady Ridge Campground on the left, canoe launch on the left, Sandstone Island Trail on the right, Shoreline Trail on the left, and boat launch at the end of the road. The bulk of the backcountry sites are on Shoreline and Tallow Rock Bay Trails.
Note that the photos in this section are not explicitly from this park, they are good photos of species that live here.
Smallmouth Bass
Interesting Insects (I don't know what this is)
Shagbark Hickory, Hop-hornbeam, sugar maple
Rat Snakes
NO BIKES ON ANY TRAIL.
Bring your camera - lots of cool stuff to see.
Book in Bayside Campground OR backcountry site #506.
Site #506
The Sandstone Island is one of the coolest rock formations I've ever witnessed. The unique shape (and the fact that you can walk directly under them) is awesome to me. It's made because the top rock layer is sandstone, the underground is granite, and the mid-section is conglomerate (a mix of the two), which erodes fastest. Another cool anecdote on this trail is the glacial erratic (a white granite rock) that created striations (markings and scratches) on the rock layer beneath. The reason being that when glaciers melted, the rock atop the glaciers would scrape the rock below whilst the water was melting/rushing. The final interesting thing is the homestead, formerly owned by the Running's family, who formerly owned and maintained the land. This is where the name "Running's Bay" comes from.
The trails are easily the best part of this park. If I had to choose one, it'd be Tallow Rock Bay - great landscape variation. I'd recommend upto 5 days here - maybe part of a longer trip. I liked it and I wouldn't mind revisiting as, even though we saw a lot, there's still more to see. I'd say a flat 8/10.
Scanned Aug 1, 2024 at 9:51:31 PM.pdfSandstone Island Trail Guide
Scanned Aug 1, 2024 at 9:52:24 PM.pdfHemlock Ridge Trail Guide
Scanned Aug 1, 2024 at 10:15:38 PM.pdfFriends
