Bobcaygeon Paddling Routes

Routes designed by: The Land Canadian Adventures

Of the many communities in my neighbourwoods that do justice to the Canuck stereotype of commuting around town by canoe, Bobcaygeon is probably the best example. Sure, Lindsay and Coboconk are trail-towns built up around the Trent Severn Waterway, but Bobcaygeon spans three islands right at the meeting point of two massive Kawartha Lakes, Sturgeon and Pigeon, creating a wending and winding network of canals that make for a unique paddling experience. Gliding by waterfront bistros and shops and riverside condos is like window shopping, only slightly wetter, and I’d never parallel parked a canoe before our first family paddling trip in Bobcaygeon town!

There’s so many places to put in and explore depending on your goals for the day, and your family’s appetite! Over the years, our family has relied on Kawartha Coffee Company and the Grilled Cheese Hideaway, so for our most recent Bob-town paddle, we moored at the wharf alongside Bobcaygeon Inn’s Waterfront Patio. We weren’t the only folks on the water on a downright hot autumn afternoon, so the place was buzzing with that summer’s-last-hurrah vibe, accentuated by cold drinks and tasty pub snacks. As we were loading the boats to leave, our waiter popped down with some nachos to go, creating our first ever experience of the canoe drive-thru.

If you’re looking to balance the amenities and summer festivities of Bobcaygeon with some paddling, there are plenty of options to choose from. This town really is a limitless “choose your own adventure” kind of place for paddling, but here are some options to get you started.

For a so close, yet so far away paddling experience, we’re so fortunate to have Nogies Creek less than 15 minutes from Bobcaygeon. Our family has been fortunate enough to explore this section of the waterway for special day trips, wild edible excursions and even just a casual dip of the paddle after a hard day’s work on our family’s nearby woodland property. We put in just upstream of where the creek opens up into a little pine-fringed lake that is a true hidden gem. You can access the put-in at the Nogies Creek Canoe and Kayak Access point about 5 kms north of the highway along Bass Lake Road. There is a convenient place to park and launch your boats from a shallow gravel beach.

The wetland area immediately to the north of the put-in is rich with bird and beaver activity, but downed trees choke the channels. We always head south downstream, where the creek wends and winds away from Bass Lake Road before it opens up into a small lake a couple hundred meters on.

A small cluster of islands due south from the mouth, keeping our eyes peeled for the eagle aerie atop an older white pine. We’ve been lucky to spot its inhabitants both in their nest, and hunting above Nogies and its environs. In the past, the tallest pines on the mainland of this area were home to a blue heron rookery, but the birds seem to have moved their nests since the arrival of the large raptors; adult herons are still a common site fishing along the shoreline. Adding to the richness of birdlife are loons, mergansers and other ducks in their season, as well as plenty of songbirds, including the white-throated sparrow whose “oh sweet Canada, Canada, Canada” sings the praises of Nogies’ classic Canadian Shield setting.

After exploring the central islands, we head due east, past the orange buoys marking the dam, and after one kilometer, reach the rocky cliffs marking the eastern limit of the little lake. Here you’ll find numerous places to park your boat, and have a dip, and play at rock-climbing on the granite face of the steep shoreline. There are a few excellent jumping rocks here: please be sure to scout your landing!

On our way back, we stop at the largest island in the little lake, where there are handy canoe pullouts on both the northeast and southwest sides. We always forage for shoreline sweetgale and trailside wintergreen to make some wild edible tea, remembering not to take too much from any individual plant or area. There is much to explore on this island, including an ancient white pine whose final resting place forms a bridge over a small cove, and a traditional camp respectfully maintained with firewood and some bushcrafted furniture. The canoe becomes our picnic table when we prop the gunwales up on some of the handy logs and unpack our shorelunch while one of the group gets a fire going for tea and coffee. Please remember the woodpile.

This paddling route is part of a larger area that several local organizations are working together to protect, called Nogies Creek Waterway, an area of special conservation concern owing to its unique natural features and geology along with a host of fisheries and wildlife. That said, there is no fishing along the route detailed above, since it is a muskie breeding sanctuary. Despite the fact that their common name comes from the Oji-Cree word maashkinoozhe meaning the “monstrous” or “hideous pike”, they are an impressive fish and can put on quite a show if you happen to sneak up on them as they hunt quietly just below the surface. One time on Nogies, my partner Briagh surprised a hunting muskie with her paddle and it shot out abruptly, perpendicular to the boat, before it rounded our canoe, throwing off a wake of blue and green!

The little lake on Nogies is a perfect spot for dropping your boat in the water for an afternoon’s paddle and the four km round trip route easily makes for a 3-4 hour excursion with time for island hopping, a cool water dip and a bite to eat. Just don’t disturb the stealthily hunting muskie!

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