Frontenac Provincial Park "Arkon Lake Loop HIKE"

2007-09-01T21:28:00.000-04:00

Was up at 5:30 this morning, and headed off to Frontenac Provincial Park. I've been thinking about this hike non-stop all week. It took roughly an hour to get to the park, arriving at 7:30am. Note : Park Staff are only in the Park between the hours of 8am - 8pm. If your only there for day use your in luck because they have a self serve booth which is located at the Trail Center. I decided to wait the 30 mins because i wanted to ask the staff a few questions. After speaking to the staff i took a small drive down to the Arab Lake parking lot.

Geared up and ready to go. The trail leaves the parking lot on what is called the Corridor Trail which heads south from the parking lot. After 500 meters there is a trail junction where i took a right and headed NW on the Arkon Lake Loop Trail. The trail is 13km in length and skirts up and down some beautiful ridges passing by many small lakes and swamps. There is a junction about 37 minutes into the hike called the BuffleHead Trail. Taking this trail will cut the 13km in half roughly, a nice feature for those who are short on time, or in case you develop a lovely blister and have to cut your hike short. I was feeling great and ready to push on so i hike on by the junction. After another 30 minutes i came to the Arkon Lake Loop Lookout. The Trail comes to a 4-way stop, left will take you 398 meters down to the shore of Birch Lake where there is 7 campsites. Turning right will take you down to the Lookout and the shore of Arkon Lake. I decided to take a break up on the rocks to the right of the trail and take in the beauty of the location.

After a quick rest i was off again to see what else the trail had to offer. The temperature was just right this morning and the sun was high in the sky. I was keeping a great pack up and down some of the nicest patches of terrain i'd seen in a few weeks. The trail meets 2 more junctions, the first taking you towards Tetsmine Lake Loop Trail, and the second taking you towards Little Salmon Lake Loop Trail. I passed by both and trekked on. I met up with the other side of Bufflehead Trail after a total of 1 hour and 53 mins. This is where i met the first fellow hiker of the day. He was an older man with a weathered face, but his physique told me that he could easily blow me away on the trails. After a brief conversation we both took off on the rest of our hikes in opposite directions. To my amazement after 2 hours and 15 mins, i had returned to the parking lot wishing i hadn't been travelling so fast. All in all i would rate this trail a great one, stunning views and lots of up and downs to give you a good workout. I cant wait to get back here to check out the rest of the park. Over 160km of trails in total.

Upcoming Hike

2007-08-31T07:59:00.000-04:00

Saturday September 1st / 2007.
Plan to hike Arkon Lake loop - 13 km / moderate
If time permits, will also attempt Cedar Lake loop - 15 km / moderate to strenuous
Frontenac Provincial Park Website

My Hiking Experiences

Frontenac Provincial Park "Arkon Lake Loop HIKE"

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Upcoming Hike