Day 2 - Thousand Island National Park

 Visited: 13 August 2023

Thousand Island NP is one of Canada's smallest national parks with a total area of 24.4 square km (9.4 sq mi). It is located in the beautiful 1000 island region along the St Lawrence River. The park consists of 21 islands, many smaller island called islets, several mainland properties, and a visitor center at Mallorytown, Ontario. That is where we start our adventure today.

Why is the park here? The area became extremely popular in the late 19th century, people were buying up property and islands to build their summer homes. It was the local community that saw a need to protect this precious area, so they petitioned the Canadian Government for a national park back in 1904.

Where did Parks Canada red chairs get it's start you ask? In 2011 individuals at Gros Morne NP in Newfoundland(one of my favorite NP) came up with an idea to place red adirondack chairs in lesser known area around the park. Now there are over 200 chairs in unique places across Canada. This is the Thousand Island NP set at Mallorytown Visitors Center.

The Thousand Island NP is known for it's many trials ranging from rugged and difficult to flat and easy. The trails at Jones Creek are all of those. After buying our yearly Discovery Pass at the visitors center, off we go to Jones Creek just 5 kms up the road.

We head out with lots of water, a snack just in case, 3 dogs, and ourselves. The decision was as we get to each cross trail we would judge how we were feeling. At the start the black trail is flat and well groomed.

We got to the first intersection, all was great we headed off to the left on the Bear Trail. A picturesque trail though the forest and  over rocky surfaces . All the trails are extremely well marked with colour and hiking markers.

At the intersection the trail divided again into the easy to moderate 1 km red trail or Heron loop. Everyone was great so away we went. We were rewarded with two more red chairs and a beautiful lookout.

We made are way around Turtle loop an easy trail through oak, beech, and maple forest but not before passing Jones Creek.

The final trail was Eel loop an easy .7 km hike with old pine and red oak trees.

We finish by traversing the black trail again back to the truck and a much needed rest. It was a workout but well worth it. New adventures awaits us tomorrow. 

Day -1 Ivy Lea Campground

Length of Stay: 2 nights
Visited: 12-14 August 2023

The time has arrived we are packed, hooked up, and ready to pull out of the drive...wait Susan forgot to shut the door. Done, done, and done. Away we go. This is the start of our 5 week trip to Gaspesie also known as the Gaspe Peninsula. The area is in Quebec sandwiched between the Gulf of St Lawrence River and Chaleur Bay, but more on this later.

The drive today is 318 miles or 512 km taking us through Toronto  and along the north side of the St Lawrence River. With the normal slowdowns going through Toronto and for construction we made it to Ivy Lea Campground around 4pm.

We set up took the dogs for a walk, had supper, and relaxed after a good days drive.

Ivy Lea Campground is one of many facilities operated by the St Lawrence Parks Commission. The park is situated in the heart of the Thousand Islands along the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve. The park offers 146 campsites most with electricity and water. If you are a boater or scuba diver this is paradise.

Ivy Lea Campground is located at the base of the Ivy Lea Suspension Bridge which spans the St Lawrence between Canada and the United States on one side and the 1000 Island Parkway on the other. It can be a little noisy at times.

Time to relax and get ready for more adventures tomorrow.

Pinery Provincial Park

Length of Stay: 3 nights

Visited: 17 - 20 July 2023

Pinery Provincial Park is located approximately 10km south of Grand Bend, ON on beautiful Lake Huron. The park boosts 10km of sandy beach with breathtaking evening sunsets. The park is 21 square kilometres and is open year round for camping, day-use, and winter activities just to mention a few. There are over 1000 campsites divided into 3 campgrounds, Riverside, Burley, and Dunes. There are a variety of amenities from dry camping to sites with power. Two dump stations and water fill stations are provided, one in Riverside area the other near the entrance of the park. Amenities such as water taps, comfort stations with showers, and laundry facilities throughout the park. Free wifi is provided at the visitors center.

I booked our nicely shaded Riverside campsite #609 a couple weeks before the trip with no issues of getting an electric site. This is a new adventure since purchasing June Bug our A-Frame camper. It doesn't have all the space our 5th wheel has but it is great for a quick getaway.

In addition to 10 nature trails ranging from easy to moderate in difficulty, the Pinery has a 14km bike trail and during the winter months 38kms of groomed ski trails. There was never a question about bringing my bike. It was the decision to either be a walking trail day, biking trail day, or both.  

Day 1

We arrived and all set up by 2pm so I went for a bike ride around the entire park using the roads. This park is by far the largest we have camped in. The hills are crazy, roads full of holes, and the enormity of people is crazier. Anyway 3 hours later I arrive back at the campsite exhausted. No pictures this time around.

Day2

The next morning I departed on my bike to see some sights. First stop the nature centre which opened in 1993 and has several exhibits on the park's natural history. Along with an outdoor theater the nature centre has an indoor theater.

Nature Center

Outdoor Theater

Leaving the nature center I headed to the park store which is where the 14-km Savanna Bike trail started. The trail follows a wooded path along the Old Ausable River Channel to the traffic circle where it then connects with a one-way road. The entire left hand side of the road is for bikes. Eventually the trail turns into the forest again going over the bridge and ending at the park store. A very popular spot to rent a canoe, bike or eat ice cream. 

The Old Ausable River Channel

After a quick lunch I headed back to the Visitors Centre to check out the Cedar Trail, a 2.3km loop rated easy and wheelchair accessible. This trail weaves itself through one of North America's rarest habitats, the Oak Savanna. This term describes a plant community of widely spaced trees where sunlight is allowed to reach the ground. Hence, the light supports a ground cover of grasses, shrubs, and flowers. Therefore, Oak Savanna is neither a forest or prairie, but a combination of both.

Walking the trail was very easy, however one concern was the amount of pine trees that were uprooted. Not understanding then but after exploring the nature centre I understand now. During the 1960's the native Oak Savanna was not fully recognized. It was believed the result of logging and wildfires had degraded the Pinery. To rehabilitate the park 3 million pine trees were planted and all controlled fires were extinguished. The planted pines soon became overgrown and eventually shaded the sunloving oak trees and savanna plants. The hardy prairie grasses disappeared. Today, as part of the restoration program park staff with volunteers are hand removing stands of pine trees in an effort to restore the Oak Savanna.

Young pines removed

Day 3

To change things up for the dogs and us we decided an early morning hike on the Nipissing Trail. This 2km loop trail winds through mature Oak Savanna covered sand dunes before returning to the start. I should have read the sign as this is one of the more challenging trails with hills and stairs to climb. Oh well we came, we conquered, and we returned back to camp with way too many mosquito bites.

To finish off a wonderful day of hiking and biking we sat down to home made chicken wings and a campfire.

All in all it was a great 3 day getaway. We had never been to the Pinery even though it's a hour away from home. We are learning more about our new A-frame which we plan on taking to Florida this winter. The big question would we return to the Pinery PP, probably not in the summer months. We found it was way to big for us and way tooooo many people.

Florida Caverns State Park

 Length of Stay: 2 nights

Our next stop on the way home is Florida Caverns State Park, another park we have not been to. This park is located in the panhandle near the small town of Marianne on the Chipola River. People have been exploring this wonderful park since the 1930's. But, on October 18, 2018 this all came to a screeching halt. Hurricane Michael a category 5 hurricane ripped through the park destroying 90% of the tree canopy and much of the infrastructure. The campground closed, river access suspended, the cavern was filled with silt and debris making it impassable.

With hard work and determination the campground and caverns reopened on 1 October 2021. With my tour of the cave set for Sunday I went exploring today. The campground itself contains 32 sites with full service meaning 30/50 amp hydro, water, sewer, picnic table, grill, fire pit, and cloths line. 

The park indicates that sites can only handle RVs up to 32 ft however, I saw 40 fters and they had no issue in/out.  Equestrian camping is located away from the main campground and have both water/power. The Blue Hole swimming area has very dark water and is approximately 35 feet deep. No lifeguards are on duty. Yes, alligators are here.

The visitors center was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1942 as part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal project. This limestone structure houses not only a gift shop but a self-guided museum with plenty of exhibits and is the staging area for cave tours.

I booked my cave tour online about 2 months prior to our arrival and was glad as the tour was totally booked. Our guided tour began with a walk to the cave entrance which was not strenuous, then down 35-50 steps. Prior to this the guide spelled out all the do's and don'ts while in the cave.

I have to admit this is the first cave I've been in where my glasses steamed up. The cave is a humid 65 degrees year round. The tour is not long and takes 35-40 minutes. The rooms contain formations such as stalactites, stalagmites, columns, soda straws, ribbons, and draperies. These formations were created over tens of thousands of years when surface water seeped through the limestone rock dissolving the calcium. As the water which contains dissolved calcium drips from cracks in the ceiling, stalactites are formed. Water laden with calcium dripping from stalactites form stalagmites.

Anyone that is claustrophobic would have a problem in this cave. The ceiling is 4' high in areas and the walls only 2' wide. This is a very wet cave and can be quite slippery in places. The exit is pretty much the same as the entrance. All in all great experience.

Many wildflowers appear at different times of the year. Southern magnolias, a native evergreen tree grow in abundance in this area and can reach 60 to 80 feet.

This is where the Chipola River flows underground through a cavern and resurfaces 1/4 mile downstream. During high water the river continues to flow above ground. In the early 1900s, loggers cut a ditch across this natural bridge to float logs downstream. Note the brown sign upper right..."1975 high water marker".

With the exception of the road being washed out in a couple places, this is a fantastic park. Alot of thought and planning went into the rebuilding of this wonderful state park. We will revisit it again.

Ruth B Kirby Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park

Length of Stay: 1 night

Gilchrist Blue Springs State Park is about 5 miles west of High Springs located along the Santa Fe River. For many years it operated as a private park with canoeing, snorkeling, and swimming being the main draw. In 2017 the state of Florida purchased the land and opened it as Florida's 175th state park.

The park has a collection of natural springs which includes a second magnitude spring which produces on average 44 million gallons of water daily.

This stopover was for one night as we make our way home. The road getting to the campground is sand making it very tough to drive through. Thank goodness for 4 wheel drive.

The park features 23 campsites with 16 sites for RV/tent and 7 for tent only. Each RV site has 30 amp power and water. Power is really, really bad but we were able to use our AC because it was sooooo stinking hot.

The big draw is of course the springs. On a hot day locals flood here to cool off and picnic in the park. This was quite evident by the line up at 9 in the morning to get a prime location for the family picnic.

Before leaving I talked to one of the rangers who happened to be very informative and extremely nice. The park is slated for a complete makeover by Florida Parks. When that happens I can see it being quite the destination park. But for now it's a one and done.