La Cloche Silhouette Trail

October 15, 2014

La Cloche Silhouette Trail is a 78 km loop trail located in Killarney Provincial Park, ON. I hiked it during Canada Thanksgiving weekend from Oct. 10th to Oct. 13th in 2014.

Logistics

Killarney Provincial Park is about 500 km from Toronto. Parkbus runs a routine bus service between downtown Toronto and the park. My experience with them was great! It was a very smooth and comfortable ride and the volunteers on board were very helpful.

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Route

There’s not much difference whether you hike clockwise or counterclockwise. I prefer clockwise only because west part of the trail is quite muddy, and wet feet at the end of the hike is slightly more annoying to me. Depend on the availability of campsites, you probably don’t have a choice about the route anyways.

There’s a nice map online here. I find the quoted time between campsites to be fairly accurate. Use this map to figure out where you want to camp each night. Theoretically all backcountry campsites accommodate one group only per night. They offer great privacy but it also means the spots are limited. Make sure you reserve them in advance at ON park service by phone. There are a few places where you can probably “sneak camp”, but don’t count on that. The only place I know of is H16. The official campsite is set on a beach next to the lake, and there’s a nice open area outside before you turn into the site.

Difficulty

Ontario Park’s website rates the trail as “strenuous” and recommends 7-10 days to finish. In fact, if you plan to do it within 5 days, you will be flagged as “high risk” on your permit, meaning you will be responsible for any evacuation fees incurred. I don't agree with this. True that this trail is not suitable for a first-time backcountry hiking trip, but an average hiker can complete it in 5 days quite comfortably. The trail has a few muddy sections, but overall is easy to follow. Only thing worth mentioning is the slippery rocks. Take extra care when climbing bare rocks.