In the hamlet of Cloyne, you’ll find a museum dedicated to pioneer history and the Abes and Essens Lake Trail, with three loops in the community; nearby Bon Echo Provincial Park offers hiking trails, pictographs and a canoe route. The Pioneer Museum and Archives is in the centre of the hamlet, across from the post office and next to Barrie Township Hall. For planning purposes, you can consider the local history and the park’s natural attractions as separate highlights.
Pioneer history at the museum
The Pioneer Museum in Cloyne features a diorama of the Gilmour Tramway, a reconstructed early schoolhouse and a household area with an early pioneer kitchen. The diorama depicts the transport of logs from Lake Mazinaw in the Mississippi River watershed to Pringle Lake, and onward to Lake Skootamatta in the Moira River watershed. The route depicted therefore passes through two different watersheds.
The collections include artefacts and documents about the area’s history since settlement began in the 1850s. Topics include settlement and pioneer life, mining, logging, tourism and the construction of Addington Road. The tramway diorama offers a specific focus, while the schoolhouse and pioneer kitchen complement it with early education and household settings.
Cloyne Pioneer Museum is open seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., from the end of June until Labour Day. Plan your visit during this seasonal period and confirm opening hours before travelling.
Hiking trails, pictographs and a canoe trip
The Abes and Essens Lake Trail in Cloyne has three loops of 4, 9 and 17 km. Along the trail are five campsites for overnight hikes. The loops give you a choice of distances, while the campsites are an additional option for hikes with overnight stays.
In nearby Bon Echo Provincial Park, hiking trails range from 1 to 17 km. You can learn more about the park’s history at the Visitor Centre; Discovery programs are also offered. This means a visit to the park can include opportunities to learn about its history as well as enjoy physical activity.
The 100-metre-high Mazinaw Rock in Bon Echo Provincial Park has more than 260 Indigenous pictographs. The pictographs can be reached by canoe, kayak or boat. This offers an option for exploring from the water, in addition to the hiking trails.
The Kishkebus Canoe Route is a 21-km loop for a day trip. It takes about six hours and is rated moderate to difficult. The route passes Indigenous pictographs on the way to the quiet waters of the nature reserve on the east side of the park; one portage is 1.5 km long. Check current conditions before setting out.
The details answer different planning questions: on the Abes and Essens Lake Trail, you can choose between three loop lengths; for the Kishkebus Canoe Route, an approximate duration and difficulty rating are also provided. This lets you consider a hike based on distance or a canoe trip with a stated time frame.
Places to stay in the park
Bon Echo Provincial Park offers camping for RVs, car camping and backcountry camping, as well as roofed accommodations. Some remote campsites can be reached by canoe or on foot. If you’re planning to stay overnight in the park, check availability for the accommodation option you’re considering.
This lets you distinguish Cloyne’s museum and local trails from the natural attractions and overnight options in the nearby park. Whether your trip focuses more on the collections and exhibits or on a longer outing in the park, the specific trail lengths, seasonal dates and approximate duration of the canoe route provide different points of reference for planning.
Discover more destinations: Kingston, Sydenham, Wolfe Island, Battersea, Sharbot Lake, Mountain Grove
Return to the main travel overview: Frontenac County.
