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Enjoy a night of camping on Ontario Parks. That’s right, stay three nights and get one night free. For lots of family fun, save on admissions to local attractions! At the Polar Bear Habitat and Heritage Village, buy 1 adult admission and get 1 child admission FREE (Value $12). At Hockey Heritage North, you will get one child admission FREE (Value $8) by showing your park permit. Click here for details on these special offers.

Ask an Expert

As motor boats are only permitted on Hughes Lake, Kettle Lakes Provincial Park is an ideal spot for the family to learn the joys of paddling a canoe. And, the key to canoeing is the paddling stroke. Author and accomplished canoeist, Kevin Callan, explains how and why the J-stroke, in particular, is worth developing.

To paddle a canoe in a straight line there are a number of options with the J-stroke being the best of them. The J-stroke, is the ultimate steering stroke. You twist the paddle outwards to form the letter J, which forces the canoe to stay on course while still keeping your forward momentum.

For canoe trippers, however, the definitive stroke of choice is the Canadian Stroke, originally called the Knifing J Stroke. While considered the pinnacle of perfection in motion, it only comes after extensive canoe tripping. It starts off the same as the J stroke, but rather than pull the blade abruptly out of the water after the J is complete, the paddle is “knifed” forward under the surface of the water until about halfway through the recovery. This saves both time and energy since you have to place the paddle forward for the next stroke anyway. The power face of the paddle faces the sky and the main trick is to get the proper angle while the blade is being pulled forward through the water. Too much and the paddle will burst out of the water too little and it will dive deep below the surface like a submarine. The pressure given to the paddle while being pulled up through the water and the length of time it’s kept below the surface is what determines how much the canoe veers back the other way. In simpler terms, the Canadian Stroke is just an extended J stroke, and in fact the original name, the Knifing J, is a better label for it. To master the stroke it takes a lesson or two, or, about a week of canoe tripping.

Those families who prefer terra firma should most definitely bring their bicycles. Kettle Lakes is ideal for any two-wheel adventure.

Did You Know?

Kettle Lakes Provincial Park sits in the centre of Northeastern Ontario’s Great Clay Belt, an island of fertile land surrounded by the rugged Canadian Shield. More than 14,000 years ago, an immense glacier covering most of Canada pressed down on the area which today includes the park, with ice over a kilometre thick. Slowly, the climate changed, and the glaciers began to melt, or “recede”. By 9,000 years ago, this area was mostly ice-free, but lay beneath the waters of a huge freshwater glacial lake. Sediment in this lake accumulated to form thick deposits of clay – now know as the Great Clay Belt, where farms are common, but may seem out of place on the Canadian Shield.

The 22 lakes, which are the most obvious feature of the park, were formed when huge blocks of ice (some of them actual “icebergs”), from the melting glacier were left behind, covered in sand, gravel and clay. The ice blocks melted slowly, keeping the kettle-shaped “holes”, which filled with the melt water forming the many lakes of the park.

The Canadian Shield can still be found deep beneath the clay belt. The rock that makes up the Shield in the Timmins area was formed over 2 billion years ago by dramatic volcanic activity. As the rock cooled, veins of minerals formed, including gold. In 1909, the Porcupine Gold Rush began, one of the most important in Canadian history. Since that time, more than 56 million ounces of gold have been produced, with the three biggest mines producing more than $1 billion worth of gold.

Follow in Famous Footsteps

The nearby city of Timmins is named in honour of the founding father of Canada’s mining industry, Noah Anthony Timmins (1867-1936). After developing the first silver mine in Cobalt, Ontario he then established the central gold mine at Timmins in 1910. In time it became known as the Hollinger Mine, comprising an underground network of more than 560 kilometres of track for ore cars and producing gold for more than 50 years.

Noah Timmins was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 1985 and is an inductee of the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame. Also of interest, three of his great-grandchildren formed the well-known music group the Cowboy Junkies and another, Cali Timmins, is an actress known more for her work in soap operas like Ryan’s Hope and Another World.

Shania Twain

Timmins was also the home of another famous Canadian, singer/songwriter Shania Twain. While she is internationally known today, her career started modestly and at a very young age. At 13, she was appearing on the Tommy Hunter Show, while also a vocalist for her high school band Long Show. She later did some recording work in Nashville. Shania’s parents were killed in a car accident when she was 22 forcing her to put aside her musical career in order to care for her 5 siblings. Eventually they moved to Hunstville, Ontario where Shania performed at the Deerhurst Resort. It was here that an entertainment lawyer from Nashville caught her act and suggested that she record a demo tape.

This recording led to Shania’s self-titled album in 1993, and the beginning of her famed music career. She changed her name, Eilleen, to Shania, an Ojibwa word for “On my way.” It was a fitting change. Four years later her third album, Come on Over, was the biggest-selling album of all time by a female artist, and the best selling album in the history of country music.

You can learn much more about this five-time Grammy award winner by visiting the Shania Twain Centre in Timmins.

Recipes - GORP

The Greek army was the first to use high-energy snacks. In 150 B.C. supply officer, Philon of Byzantium, made pellets mixed with sesame honey (for protein and carbohydrate), opium poppy (to control hunger pains), and a medicinal root called squill (acting as a stimulant). It probably tasted horrible, but did the trick.

GORP is the present day camper’s snack of choice and is commonly known as Good Old Raisins and Peanuts. Everything goes – salty, crunchy, sweet or chewy - for this traditional high energy snack. Try adding Smarties, beer nuts, dried cranberries, dried mangoes, banana chips, mini marshmallows, salted pumpkin seeds, corn nuts, pretzels, chocolate-covered coffee beans, Grape Nut cereal, dried and spiced snow peas, or even dried jalapeno peppers.

How ever you make it though, it’s crucial that the GORP eating etiquette is followed. No “high grading” allowed – that is, choosing only the bits and pieces you like in the GORP bag. Just blindly grab a handful of the entire mixture and munch away.

Nearby and Interesting

The City of Timmins is as rich in natural beauty as it is natural resources. “The City with a Heart of Gold” welcomes visitors with genuine friendliness and Northern hospitality. There’s lots to see and do including the:

Timmins Gold Mine Tour where you are transported 61 metres (18 stories) down into the depths of a mining shift.

Shania Twain Centre, packed with Shania’s personal mementos, awards and stage costumes.

Cedar Meadows Resort and Wildlife Park where you can see up to 15 different species of wildlife such as elk, deer, bison and moose in a 175 acres enclosed forest area.

In nearby Cochrane, you can visit the Polar Bear Habitat, the only polar bear rehabilitation facility in the world, as well as the Hunta Museum of Days Gone By.

In Kirkland Lake, be sure to visit Hockey Heritage North, an 18,000 square foot interactive attraction that tells the many hockey stories of Northeastern Ontario.

For other interesting places and activities, please visit James Bay Frontier Travel Association.

Share a Tale or Say It with Photos

The above photo was submitted by Jennifer of Orleans, Ontario.

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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