Mikisew P.P. is located on 301 Park Road S., in South River, ON. The park is on scenic Eagle Lake (formerly Mikisew Lake) and is one of only a few provincial parks with a disc golf course. Located just south of North Bay, the park is very popular for its interesting wildlife, the aforementioned disc golf course, and the crisp waters of Eagle Lake - perfect for swimming. We visited in August 2023.
Eagle Lake's first real usage was by the Algonquin first nation of the area, who had a canoe route to access Lake Nipissing from the Georgian Bay. One of the pass-through lakes was Eagle Lake. Despite this, the first settlement wasn't by natives, but rather 2 European men - Henry Tough and William Smyth. These two settled the land surrounding Eagle Lake, for the purposes of logging. Sawmills were established on the south end of the lake, and logs can still be seen to this very day. After Henry's death, his son Bill continued the sawmill. But after 2 other failed attempts at sawmilling, the family sold the land to Charlette and Henry Smith. After they had resided there for a few years, they sold the land to the province in 1957. The day use opened the same year, with the campground opening in 1964.
Originally, this park was known as "Eagle Lake Provincial Park". But by 1960, there had been too much confusion with the many other Eagle Lakes in Ontario. And so, they changed the name to the word "Mikisew", which means "eagle" in Algonquin.
Info sourced from the image right.
Interpretive panel found near the park store.
Mikisew has some activities, like:
- birding for eagles; the park's namesake
- boating from the boat launch on scenic Eagle Lake
- disc golf on the 9 and 18 hole courses
- fishing for pickerel, pike, and bass
- unmotorized water sports
- swimming on 3 sandy beaches
- pet friendly areas throughout the park
NOTE: There is a trail guide for the Beaver Meadow and Maple Canyon trails available free of charge from the park store, or see the PDF below.
The 5 trails are:
Maple Canyon Trail - 2.2km, easy
Starting at the Old Dog Trail, the Maple Canyon Trail encircles a valley, which is perfect for showing off interesting flora and fauna. This trail is easy and makes for interesting rock viewing, if you're into that.
Beaver Meadow Trail - 1.9km, easy
This scenic trail loops around a large Beaver Pond. Using the trail guide from the store, you can learn about the unique species, such as club moss, rock tripe, and more. This trail also offers great wildlife viewing, whether it be otters or eagles - they're all here. No bikes.
Old Dog, Lakeview, and Point Trails - 1.4km combined, easy
These three trails are basically one trail, that connect the main beach to the trail system across the road. These three offer good views of the lake, but mainly an easy access to the Beaver Meadow and Maple Canyon trails.
(sorry for the sideways images - it's due to a Google Sites glitch; apologies)
*NOTE THAT THE DISC GOLF AND THE BEAVER MEADOW/MAPLE CANYON TRAILS ARE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD THAN THE SIDE DESCRIBED.
After driving in, you'll see the park office and a three-pronged fork. Left will bring you to the Pines Campground, the larger of the two in the park. Straight will take you to the 2 campground beaches and the Hardwoods Campground. Right will bring you to another branch of Hardwoods and the day-use area, along with trail access, a dog exercise area, group camping, and paddle routes. See map below for details.
Note that the photos in this section are not explicitly from this park, they are good photos of species that live here.
Eagles (duh)
Painted turtles
Wildflowers found all over
Club mosses
Take the outermost trail route - start at the Beaver Meadow trailhead. Continue to Maple Canyon, then Old Dog, then Point, and then Lakeside to return to the Camper's Beach.
Rent discs! They are a $20 deposit, meaning as long as they're returned, they're free!
Walk up "the Narrows" trail (or that's what the sign says). This will take you to Eagle Lake Store, with great ice cream.
There is an awesome group campsite at number 502.
Book in Hardwoods Campground - Pines is beautiful but far from the beach.
Mikisew offers two disc golf courses.
The smaller of the two is known as the Eaglet, and is rather easy. Short holes that are forgiving, due to the fact that this course is basically in a field. Being a 9 hole course, you could get this one done in around 20 minutes.
The big daddy is the Eagle. This course is 18 holes and is pictured right. Very difficult (to me, who's never played disc golf before). The course offers longer holes, narrower fairways, and unforgiving roughs. Not only is the fairway floor basically pine needles and dirt, the rough isn't just longer grass - it's the sappy pine trees of Mikisew Provincial Park.
Together, these two are not only very fun, but a very unique experience.
Beautiful park with lots to do, including a disc golf course (which I'd never seen prior to this [and yes, I have been to Bronte Creek]). Nice trail and the informative pamphlet is always nice to see. Come visit for the weekend, would recommend. 7.5/10.
Scanned Aug 1, 2024 at 10:02:31 PM.pdfBeaver Meadow and Maple Canyon Trail Guide
Mikisew.pdf
