Special Insider Offers - Wilderness and Luxury!!

Use your FREE Adventure Map by Chrismar (Value $12.95) to explore the scenic hiking trails and canoe routes in unspoiled wilderness of Mississagi Provincial Park.  Then treat yourself to stay at the beautiful Laurentian Lodge where you can enjoy a fine meal in a high class dining room, relax in a hot tub or sauna, then retire to a comfortable bed.  When you awake, you will receive a FREE breakfast for 2 (approximate value $20). Click here to find out more details on these Special Insider offers.

Ask an Expert

Christine Kennedy and Mark Smith from Chrismar Adventure Maps have spent a lifetime exploring and mapping Ontario’s provincial parks, including Mississagi (see Special Insider Offer for a free map) and have finely tuned the art of reading a map and compass. But what about finding your way without the aid of technology? When asked what would be the best direction indicator found in nature, they both firmly stated that it’s the sun. Forget what you’ve heard - moss does not always grow only on the north side of the tree. It’s true that mosses like shade and that the sun rarely shines on a north facing slope, but there are too many variables to bet your life on this.

According to Christine and Mark the sun is just as accurate as using the stars. Morning and evening are the easiest times to get a fix on direction since the sun always rises in the east and sets in the west. At high noon the sun is due south. To make more sense of this, put a stick into the ground, away from any obstacles. Then, trace the point of the stick’s shadow. Wait ten minutes and the record the point again. Remembering that the sun travels from east to west, and taking note that Mississagi is in the northern hemisphere, you know that north has to be between the two shadows, south is completely opposite, east has to be to the right of the original shadow and west is to the left.

Did You Know?

It has long been believed that Algonquin Provincial Park was the most influential on the art of Tom Thomson. But was it? It’s true that he visited Tea Lake Dam in Algonquin for his first real canoe and painting trip. But the short time he spent at Tea Lake was just a warm-up for his two-month expedition down the Mississagi River later that season. Thomson soon returned to Algonquin, but it was the memory of paddling a canoe down the Mississagi that drew him back to the north.

So, why don’t you see paintings of Mississagi in his collection?  Well, he flipped his canoe while crossing a large lake en route and nearly drowned. His sketches were lost.  Had they been saved, it is more than likely that Mississagi would be as crowded as Algonquin!

Follow in Famous Footsteps

In 1946, RCAF pilot Bill McKenzie was flying a Gloster Meteor – the first Allied jet fighter – from Kapuskasing to Toronto for an air show. En route, he had a bit of bad luck with navigation equipment, made worse by an approaching thunderstorm, which then resulted in a low oxygen supply. McKenzie had to ditch the plane in Mississagi Provincial Park’s Helenbar Lake. He survived by eating berries for 26 days until a fisherman from Laurentian Lodge found him. The salvaged plane was retuned to England, but its rusting fuel tank can still be seen next to the lake.

More to do at Mississagi

How’s this for convenience – the best introduction to lake paddling in Mississagi begins just up the road from the main campground, or across the lake from Laurentian Lodge. From the Flack Lake day use area, this 4 day circuit allows you to link to 10 other lakes, each one more stunning than the last. The trip offers classic Canadian Shield scenery – turquoise lakes, shorelines and islands made up of geological masterpieces, old-growth pine, spruce, balsam and trembling aspen.

If you’re not into paddling, then hike for two days on the McKenzie backcountry loop – a trail that gives you the unmatched satisfaction – and solitude – of earning a stunning view. The 75 metre eastern ridge of Bear Mountain looks out over Brush Lake and Stag Creek Peatland, home to over 200 species of birds.

Recipe - Baked Trout Amandine

Catching a brook trout and having it for a shore lunch is common place in Mississagi. Here's a recipe that will impress everyone in your group.

Ingredients:
4 small brook trout
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped almonds
1 lemon
½ tsp. pepper
1 Tbs dried lemon thyme
1 Tbs dried sage

Directions:
In a small pot combine bread crumbs, almonds, lemon thyme, sage and pepper. Mix well. Sprinkle contents of pot over skin side of gutted trout. Roll trout in tin-foil with slices of lemon and bake in embers of a campfire for 15 minutes.

Nearby and Interesting

The City of Elliot Lake delights visitors with its many attractions such as:

The Deer Trail - a driving tour through some of the most unspoiled landscapes in the North. A great way to see the beautiful fall colours.

The Fire Tower Lookout - a replica of a fire ranger's lookout that provides a stunning view of the scenic area.

Sheriff Creek Wildlife Sanctuary - a perfect spot for birding and wildlife viewing.

The Nuclear and Mining Museum - a tribute and celebration of the City's proud mining heritage.

For more information on local attractions, please call the Welcome Centre at 1-800-661-6192.

Share a Tale or Say It with Photos

Sure, we'll give you a glimpse of what you can expect on your northern adventure, but the best stories and photos are always first hand.

It might be a story of the lake trout which got away, a picture of the incredible Northern Lights, or even a poem about that first time you heard the call of a loon!

For a chance to have your story or photo featured in an upcoming issue of the Insider, email us your story or photos today! Everyone who makes a submission will also be entered into a monthly draw for great parks gear!

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