Charleston Lake Provincial Park is located just outside of Kingston. It is pretty far from where I live but so worth the drive! I’ve been to a lot of Ontario Parks and this one is on the top 5 for sure! Camping at Charleston Lake Provincial Park is everything I hoped it would be and more!
I arrived on Friday afternoon and the weather was slightly overcast with all of the forest fires that have been happening all over Ontario right now. This trip I had some company. I went with my 11 year old niece and my stepmom.
It was nice to have someone to talk to even though I do enjoy my time alone. After I got the tent all set up, Kaidy and I went to check out the lake. We took the dogs and found the pet exercise area for them. The lake was beautiful.
There were so many islands that we were excited to paddle to the next day. After we played in the lake for awhile, we went back to the site to have some dinner. For dinner, I made chicken quesadillas in the PC Protein wraps I love. After dinner, we had to go back to the beach. It was just so peaceful to sit there and watch the dogs run in and out of the water. Kaidy brought her sand toys and played in the sand.
This place was perfect. Everything I could ever imagine in a campground. The lake is perfect, the scenery is beautiful, the dog beach perfect for Rosie and Stella. After we watched the sun go down, it was time to head back to the site and make some s’mores. The three of us sat and talked and just enjoyed each others company before it was time for bed.
On Saturday, I got up around 6 am and discovered we had some visitors at our site over night. The lid to my cooler was off and on the ground a few feet away. Some of the leftovers from dinner were scattered around the site. This was the first time I ever left the cooler out overnight. I don’t know what I was thinking not putting it away. Maybe one too many margaritas by the fire. I didn’t use the Yeti cooler this time, just a small Coleman cooler. Now that I am only packing for just me, I don’t need such a big cooler, but I do think it might be time to invest in a smaller version of the Yeti. I will need something that is bear proof to keep out nightly visitors.
Once Kaidy was awake and had breakfast, we went on a hike. I didn’t have breakfast that morning, just a protein coffee to start the day. This was her first time hiking and she HATED IT! She did it, but she did not enjoy it at all. After we finished the 2.6km hike, we headed to the rental office to get a kayak. She hiked with me so I promised her I would paddle with her. We kayaked for about and hour and then went back for some lunch. For lunch, I made protein pancakes. Flourish pancake mix is perfect for camping because you just add water and you’re good to go. After lunch, we went back to the lake. We went for a nice swim, she played with her floaty and sand toys and I sat on the beach just people watching.
While we were at the beach, a water snake showed his little head. I have never in my life seen people run out of the water so fast. It was like someone yelled “SHARK”. I know, had I been in the water, I would have run too, but being on the beach it was quite amusing watching everyone scurry. Not long after that, we decided to pack it in. Kaidy and my stepmom went to the park and I hit another trail. The hiking trails were incredible. I did two trails in one day and loved them both. The second trial was just over 2km as well. This trail took you around the lake. It was so beautiful. Being out there alone gave me so much piece of mind. I found a nice spot over looking the lake and sat and wrote in my journal. Journaling has become such a huge part of my healing journey. I have always journaled most of my life, but recently it has been a literal lifesaver. Before heading back to the campsite, I decided to check out the boat launch area. There was plenty of space at the dock to keep your boat. I also noticed a fish cleaning hut, so I bet the fishing is great in the lake. This was the first time I’ve seen one of these. After I returned from my solo hiking adventure, Kaidy and I decided to take the kayak out again.
The lake was perfect for kayaking and paddle boarding. There is a part of the lake that doesn’t allow motorboats so it was great. I grew up on the lake and with a motorboat, but there is something about paddling that makes me very nervous. So having a place in the lake that didn’t allow motorboats was perfect for me and my uneasiness. Everything around is just so picturesque. It’s like being in a movie. Very Canadiana. We paddled to a bunch of different islands. There were a few people jumping off the rocks into the lake. Not long into out paddling, I received an emergency alert on my phone for a tornado. It was time to paddle as quickly as we could and get back to camp. We made it back to shore without a drop of rain.
We got back to the campsite and I started extra pegging everything into the ground. I have been in a tornado while camping before, so I knew what to expect. After making sure everything was secure, it thundered and rained for about 20 minutes!! All that panic for nothing! There were no heavy winds just a few cracks of thunder and a quick shower. We had some dinner and headed back to the beach. The way the sun hit the lake after the rain was breathtaking. Kaidy played in the sand and we made a few videos for entertainment. This kid is obsessed with TikTok right now so we had to do some of the dances. Spending this quality time with her was so great for me. I don’t know how she felt about it, but for me it was amazing. I don’t have my own kids to share these experiences with so I am grateful to have her to share these things with. I’m not sure if she will continue to enjoy it, but for now I will take her any time she wants to go.
We stayed at the lake again until the sun went down and went back for a campfire. We sat around the fire and made Jiffy Pop, roasted some hotdogs and ate Campfire Nacho Dip. This kid kills me, every time we have a fire, she needs to wear sunglasses to keep the smoke out of her eyes. I also taught her that if you say "White Rabbit" the smoke changes directions. I have no idea where I learned that from, but next time you're at your campfire try it, and see if it works for you.
This night, I made sure to put the cooler into the car so we had no unwanted visitors overnight. Sunday morning, I slept in a little bit longer and got up around 7:30am. Right away made coffee and sat and wrote in my journal. After protein coffee, I leashed up Stella and took her on a hike with me. It was too hot for Rosie to go and Kaidy never wants to
hike again, so it was me and Stella off to hit the trail. We did 2 trails that morning totally just over 6 km. Stella killed it. She is a 6 month old Australian Shepherd and loved being out on the trails. From now on, she's the one I'm taking hiking with me. The trails we all very well marked. I was very impressed with how good the markings were. I have hiked a lot of trails that were not labeled this well. Once again, the trails didn't disappoint. The trails weren't overly challenging, but they did have a few inclines and parts you needed to climb up the rocks. For me, they were fairly easy but they were rated moderate by the park. I could have stayed on the trails all day, but I knew we needed to leave.
Even though I hiked 4 trails, there were still trails I was unable to get to. So I will go back. I need to see them all. If you are a hiker, this is a perfect park for you. There are so many things to see. It is just so peaceful out there. Remember to bring your bug spray because the bugs were relentless.
Packing up from this trip was bittersweet. I really wanted to stay longer and get in more hiking and more kayaking. This park also offers backcountry camping. Some of the sites are only a 20 minute paddle from the main camp so that maybe something I need to look into at a later time when I have a babysitter for Rosie. After visiting many of Ontario Parks, this one was amazing. There are very few parks that I will visit more than once, but this one is on the list to go back to. I may need to spend an entire week here to really take it all in. If you are looking for a park that really has everything, go check out Charleston Lake Provincial Park. You will not be disappointed.
From the hiking, to the paddling, to the beaches, the kids playground, the discovery centre, and the rentals everything that you need is there. Laundry facilities are also available if you needed that. This park reminds me a lot of Bon Echo, Algonquin and Restoule. So if you have been to any of these parks and enjoyed them, you will love Charleston Lake! If you have been here, comment below and let me know your thoughts.
Remember to follow me on Instagram to see where I'm off to next. I have 3 more trips planned with Kaidy this summer and I'm sure there will be a few solo trips thrown in there as well.
Happy Camping!
Love,
Liz
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