Field Guides/North Kawartha
Field Guide / 074 / 134
RegionNorth Kawartha, Ontario
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Verified2026-05-05

North Kawartha.

44.74° N78.06° W24 activities 2 signature4 strong13 named places
North Kawartha landscape
01 — Abstract

North Kawartha is a 685-square-kilometre Peterborough County township on the southern Canadian Shield, formed in 1998 by the amalgamation of Burleigh and Anstruther Township, Chandos Township, and the Village of Apsley. The bulk of Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park — a 37,587-hectare wilderness park designated under the 2003 Kawartha Highlands Signature Site Park Act — sits inside the township, with backcountry-canoe access at Long Lake off Highway 28 north of Apsley, Anstruther Lake off Anstruther Lake Road, and Wolf Lake.

East of Woodview, Petroglyphs Provincial Park protects Kinomagewapkong — the Teaching Rocks — a white crystalline marble outcrop carrying more than 900 Indigenous rock carvings dating from roughly 900 to 1400 CE, co-managed with Curve Lake First Nation and enclosed in a glass-walled building since 1984. Eels Creek paddles south from Kawartha Highlands toward Stoney Lake; Chandos Lake's Sandy Beach is the township's marquee swim; the village of Apsley sits midway up the Highway 28 corridor a few hours north of the Greater Toronto Area.

02 — Conditions

Today's read.

Air Quality
4
aqhi · moderate
UV Index
0.0
scale 0–11
Humidity
73%
relative
Wind
1 km/h
Southeast
Temp
+22°
H 25° · L 18°
Sun
05:32 / 21:01
15h 29m daylight
A+
GOOD DAY TO BE OUTSIDE

Real-time conditions updated; AI field notes unavailable.

9-day high · 18° → 25°
03 — Claims

On the record.

Every claim sourced. Click through to the original.

  1. 01Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park is a 37,587-hectare (375 km²) non-operating wilderness-class provincial park, designated under the Kawartha Highlands Signature Site Park Act in 2003 and the largest provincial park in southern Ontario south of Algonquin Provincial Park.Source ↗
  2. 02Petroglyphs Provincial Park, "Kinomagewapkong" (the Teaching Rocks), protects more than 900 Indigenous rock carvings on a white crystalline marble outcrop, dating from approximately 900 to 1400 CE; the carvings have been enclosed in a glass-walled building since 1984 and the park is co-managed with Curve Lake First Nation.Source ↗
  3. 03The Township of North Kawartha was formed on January 1, 1998 by the amalgamation of Burleigh and Anstruther Township, Chandos Township, and the Village of Apsley; it covers approximately 685 km² in northern Peterborough County, with a 2021 population of 2,477.Source ↗
  4. 04McGinnis Lake within Petroglyphs Provincial Park is one of few meromictic lakes in Canada — a lake whose surface and deep waters do not mix — protected from disturbance and not open to swimming or paddling.Source ↗
  5. 05North Kawartha lies within Fisheries Management Zone 15 (Haliburton Highlands & Kawarthas), part of the Central Bait Management Zone; lake trout are open January 1 to September 30 (S-2 / C-1) and walleye January 1 – March 31 plus the 3rd Saturday of May to December 31 (S-4 / C-2, max 1 over 46 cm).Source ↗
04b — Also available

18. more outings
surveyed.

Activities supported across North Kawartha without a featured write-up.

  • 01

    Trail Running

    Petroglyphs day-trails
  • 02

    Walking & Strolling

    McFadden Park trail (Apsley)
  • 03

    Horseback Riding

    Available
  • 04

    Nature & Discovery

    birding · nature-interpretation
  • 05

    Cycling

    road
  • 06

    Mountain Biking

    Available
  • 07

    Paddling — Whitewater

    Eels Creek (small drops in spring high water)
  • 08

    Sailing & Boating

    motor-boating
  • 09

    Swimming & Beach

    lake-swim · beach-day
  • 10

    Cross-Country & Nordic

    classic-xc
  • 11

    Snow Adventure

    snowmobiling · snowshoeing
  • 12

    Sky Watching

    stargazing
  • 13

    Seasonal Phenomena

    fall-colours
  • 14

    Wildlife Viewing

    Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park (boreal-transition wildlife)
  • 15

    Motorized Touring

    scenic-drive
  • 16

    Food & Drink

    Available
  • 17

    Geology & Discovery

    Petroglyphs Provincial Park (white crystalline marble outcrop — viewing only, no rockhounding)
  • 18

    Outdoor Education

    The Learning Place at Petroglyphs Provincial Park
05 — Curated experiences

Local operators.

Trusted outfitters, guides, and experience providers in North Kawartha.

0137 minPaddling Flatwater

Adventure Outfitters

Canoe, kayak, and SUP rentals from a Lakefield outdoor retailer that builds its own Paluski boats on premises

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0238 minPaddling Flatwater

Algonquin Yeti Paddling

Guided canoe trips and Kevlar canoe rentals out of Kingscote Lake Access Point #15 in the Algonquin Park Panhandle

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0344 minPaddling Flatwater

Anstruther Lake Marina

Full-day canoe, kayak, and paddleboard rentals directly on Anstruther Lake from a family-run marina in Apsley, North Kawartha

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0437 minMotorized Touring

Bancroft Offroad Tours

Guided UTV side-by-side off-road tours on backcountry trails around Bancroft, Ontario.

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0545 minCamping

Buckhorn Narrows Summer Resort

Lakeside housekeeping cottage resort with boat rentals and seasonal trailer sites near Buckhorn, Ontario

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0637 minCycling

Ideal Bike, Inc.

Local Trek dealer with multi-day bike rentals and a four-tier service menu in Prince Edward County and Quinte

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0713 minPaddling Flatwater

Kawartha Adventure Rentals

Canoe, kayak, SUP, pontoon, and Sea-Doo rentals on Stoney Lake with delivery and shuttles into Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park

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0828 minNature Discovery

Lakeside Gems Inc.

Bancroft rock shop running geologist-led mineral collecting field trips and selling specimens, tools and books

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091 minPaddling Flatwater

The Land Canadian Adventures

ORCKA, WFR and NLS-certified backcountry canoe tripping and outdoor education out of Apsley in North Kawartha

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10Horseback Riding

Buckhorn Riding Academy

Horseback trail rides, pony rides, riding lessons, children's camps

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11Water Sports - Boating/Sailing

Comfortech Bike Rentals and Retail Store

Bike rentals (comfort bikes, e-bikes, beach cruisers, mountain bikes, tandems, child bikes/trailers)

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12Fishing

Peterborough Carping Guides

Guided carp fishing tours

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06 — Map

On the map.

North Kawarthaand the local operators we've mapped nearby.

Field Guides (1)Operators (9)