FUSHIMI LAKE PROVINCIAL PARK – AUGUST 2014

Our holidays in July took us to one of the most beautiful parks we’ve been to so far – Fushimi Lake Provincial Park. It was the second park we visited on our way almost two week trip north. Fushimi Lake is located about 30km west of the town of Hearst on Hwy.11 and about another 13 km down a gravel logging road. I would have to say, this park is now our favourite provincial park of the more than 50 we’ve visited so far! It was raining the day we arrived at our beautiful site #25 which was located right on the lake. In fact, we had our own private little beach which we launched our kayaks from! Here are some photos of the road in to the park and our awesome campsite!

Fushimi Lake Provincial Park is small with a total of 46 campsites of which 39 are electric. Most are private and some, like ours back onto the lake. Our site was particularly private with privies to the right and a rather large amount of wooded area between us and the site to the left. We didn’t have as many days here as I would have liked, and we lost some time due to the weather but we still enjoyed fishing, kayaking and hiking. Fushimi Lake is known for it’s fishing and we did catch fish!

We managed to get out kayaking a few times when the weather permitted. Fushimi Lake is a very large lake and there was so much of it that we didn’t get to explore. The islands we did tour around, along with the shoreline was very pretty. There are no cottages on this lake as it’s entirely encompassed by the provincial park. Motor boats are permitted and there were plenty of them fishing at any time of the day. Here are photos of our time kayaking:

Fushimi Lake offers two hiking trails – The Fire Tower Trail and the smaller Achilles Lake Trail which is really a small trail that connects to Achilles Lake. It was my goal to hike the 7 km linear Fire Tower Trail while camped here. So, one particularly overcast day, I decided to do just that. Armed with my cameras and bug spray, I headed out. The trail head was within walking distance of our campsite, which was an added bonus! The trail is rated as strenuous, although there really wasn’t any serious elevation involved. Well, I learned why the “strenuous” rating after finishing, although I’d say “tactical” in some places would be more like it. The trail was very nicely maintained and well marked. One downside to the trail was how damp it was. There had been so much rain over the previous days/weeks that I don’t think it had dried up in awhile. The other downside would be also due to the constant damp weather – mosquitoes! Many, many mosquitoes! Clouds of mosquitos!!! Despite those two things the trail was very wild and very pretty. There were some sections of boardwalk and log bridges to cross. Just before the turn to go up to the fire tower were the remains of an old wood cabin with the wood stove still inside! It was an awesome hike!

Despite hiking, kayaking and fishing, we still had plenty of time for relaxing. We enjoyed campfires and tried a new campfire recipe: campfire donuts. They were so yummy! The park warden stopped in and we shared them. Our second last night at Fushimi was one that will stay in my memory forever and not only due to the campfire donuts! It was the only night that the sky was clear and the stars were visible during our stay here. Anyone that has camped up north knows how extraordinarily beautiful the northern night sky is! There were a few shooting stars but no northern lights, but the sky was incredible. To add to the surreal night, we were serenaded not only by the many loons but by wolves! It was magical. I think I stayed up until 1:00 am. I didn’t want the night to end! Here are some additional photos of our “relaxing time” at Fushimi:

Fushimi Lake Provincial Park was very clean with what looked like a fairly new comfort station. The laundry had one washer and two dryers. The front office sold some park souvenirs and a few food items. The patrols were regular and all the people we met at the park were so friendly. The park superintendent stopped by our campsite to meet us as did the park warden to say goodbye before we left and wish us safe journeys home. Despite being full on the weekend it was quiet, as it also was during the week while we were visiting. We were so impressed with the beauty of the park. Here are a few more photos of the park:

We enjoyed our stay at this park very much and are looking forward to a return trip in the future! I cannot say enough good about this park. It exceeded our expectations. One word of advice if you are thinking of visiting here – make sure you have your supplies with you as it’s a bit of a drive into the nearest town, which is Hearst. The park has a little store at the front gate, but it doesn’t stock much in the line of groceries. There are all kinds of stores on Hwy.11 on the way to the park, so we made sure we made the supply stop ahead of time. It is definitely a “remote” park but in my opinion that’s what adds to the beauty. Fishing was great, but we didn’t have enough time to find the hot spots for pickerel. The Fire Tower Trail is absolutely worth the hike! There are quite a few electrical sites on the lake, but as is the case for most other Ontario Provincial Parks, no water on site. The water taps on the campground roads are located centrally and there are quite a few. There was a boil water advisory at this park, but I bring large bottles of water from home for cooking and drinking anyway. When I’m done with them, I bring them home and refill them again! If you have the opportunity to visit this beautiful park, you really should. You will not regret it! Fushimi Lake was on the list of parks that were to be closed in 2012, but with some changes, it managed to remain open and thrive.  Honestly, that’s a good thing as this park is an incredibly beautiful northern gem. Here are some links to the park:

http://www.ontarioparks.com/park/fushimilake

http://www.pinterest.com/ontarioparks/fushimi-lake/

I hope you can visit Fushimi Lake as it is well worth the trip!

HAPPY CAMPING!