Canoeing and Kayaking Near Hartley Bay Cottages

Every cottage at Hartley Bay comes with canoes and kayaks included, so paddling doesn't require any extra planning — just walk down to the dock. Badger Lake itself is calm, quiet and a great place to start, whether you're teaching a kid to paddle or just want an easy sunrise loop before breakfast.

For a longer day out, the French River has been a paddling route for centuries, from Indigenous canoe routes to the voyageurs of the fur trade — it's a genuinely different experience from a lake paddle, with more current, more rock, and more sense of history in the water itself.

Killarney Provincial Park is famous among paddlers for its interconnected canoe routes through the La Cloche Mountains, with clear water over pink granite and white quartzite. A day trip in is easy; a multi-day route through the park requires its own permit and planning through Ontario Parks.

A few practical notes: life jackets are essential on all watercraft, cold water can cause hypothermia even in summer, and it's best not to paddle alone or after dark. Check conditions before heading out on any bigger water like the French River or Georgian Bay.

If you'd rather stay close, our own stretch of Badger Lake is quiet enough that you may not want to leave it at all.