Last summer, I set myself the goal of visiting more provincial parks in my home province. My summer eventually turned out to be quite busy, and I ended up visiting only Sharbot Lake. But I picked up that goal again this year, as my partner and I recently spent a week on the road camping in different parks, starting with Driftwood Provincial Park in the Ottawa Valley.
I like to think I know Ontario well, but I have to admit I had never heard of Driftwood Provincial Park until a bit of research made me realize it was right along our route. Since we were looking for a place to spend the night on our way to other provincial parks farther north, we decided to stop there.
Driftwood Provincial Park is located on the shores of the Ottawa River, about 30 kilometres west of Deep River. It is easily accessible from the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 17), making it the perfect place for us to stop on our way to North Bay.
A bit of history
The provincial park protects an area along the shores of Driftwood Bay, which was created when a hydroelectric dam was built downstream at Rapides-des-Joachims in the 1950s. Because large amounts of driftwood accumulated in the bay, they gave the provincial park its name.
Less well known than its impressive neighbor, Algonquin Provincial Park, Driftwood Provincial Park is best known for its many campsites along the Ottawa River, as well as its beautiful sunsets over the water.
Despite the gloomy weather when we arrived, we still managed to catch a glimpse of one of those sunsets. The Ottawa River is truly impressive at this location!
Driftwood Provincial Park has a few hiking trails divided into two areas: the Oak Highland trails and the Chevier Creek trails. Since we only spent one night at the park, I only had time to explore the Oak Highland trails, so here’s a quick look at them.
Riverview Trail
A 1-kilometer loop. The trail begins near the beach and follows a rocky escarpment along the river before returning through the forest.
It was very early in the morning when I went for a walk there with my dog, Suki. The Ottawa River was a little calmer than it had been the day before, and I was able to enjoy the view of the bay and the Laurentian hills that surround it. Since I’m much more used to seeing the Ottawa River in an urban setting, it almost felt strange to rediscover it from a different perspective!
The trail is a bit steep and rocky, but nothing too difficult. After following the shoreline, the trail winds through the forest, circles a beaver pond, and then brought Suki and me back to the campground.
Beaver Pond Trail
A 2.3-kilometer loop. This trail begins where the Riverview Trail ends. In fact, the two trails share the same path for a short distance. But as its name suggests, the Beaver Pond Trail loops around the beaver pond I had spotted earlier.
There were a few interpretive signs along the trail, but they seemed old and, in some places, difficult to read. The Beaver Pond Trail doesn’t offer views as beautiful as those on the Riverview Trail, but it still makes for a lovely walk through the forest, with some good climbs and descents. In fact, it was the perfect trail to introduce Suki to hiking!
The loop eventually brought us back to our starting point.
As I mentioned earlier, there are other trails in Driftwood Provincial Park: the Chevier Creek trails. These consist of four interconnected loops of varying lengths, offering the opportunity for a long hike through the park’s forest.
But these trails will have to wait for another time. We had to get back on the road, on our way to more adventures!
