Bon Echo Provincial ParkAbout Bon Echo Provincial Park
Bon Echo Provincial Park is a provincial park in eastern Ontario best known for Mazinaw Rock, a large cliff on Mazinaw Lake with a major collection of Indigenous pictographs. The rock is a landmark in the park and a focal point for recreation and interpretation.
The park’s main attraction is Mazinaw Rock, a cliff rising about 100 metres above the lake that bears more than 260 rock paintings. Visitors use boat and canoe access to view the pictographs, and the park also provides trails, cliff-top viewpoints, swimming, and camping facilities.
The site has long been significant to local Indigenous peoples because of the pictographs on Mazinaw Rock. In the 20th century the area was set aside and developed for public recreation and cultural interpretation under provincial park management.
The park sits on Mazinaw Lake in eastern Ontario within Hastings County/Addington Highlands countryside. It is accessed by local roads from nearby small towns and is managed as a provincial recreation and conservation area.
- Mazinaw Rock pictographs: The cliff contains over 260 Indigenous pictographs and rises roughly 100 metres above the lake, making boat views the primary viewpoint for the paintings.
- Camping and boat access: The park offers staffed campgrounds and backcountry sites; many visitors combine camping with canoeing or boat trips to the cliff base.
What to See#
- Mazinaw Rock and pictographs: Mazinaw Rock, a prominent granite/cliff face rising about 100 metres above Mazinaw Lake and painted with more than 260 Indigenous pictographs.
- Mazinaw Lake and boat access: Mazinaw Lake shoreline and boat-access points used for canoeing, boat tours and to view the cliff paintings from the water.
- Campgrounds and trail network: Campgrounds, backcountry campsites and a network of day hikes and cliff-top viewpoints including short interpretive trails.
Best Time to Visit Bon Echo Provincial Park
Best visited in summer (June-August) when boating, hiking and camping opportunities are at their best and park services are fully available.
Weather & Climate near Bon Echo Provincial Park
Bon Echo Provincial Park's climate is classified as Warm-Summer Continental - Warm-Summer Continental climate with mild summers (peaking in July) and freezing winters (coldest in January). Temperatures range from -17°C to 25°C. Moderate rainfall (949 mm/year).
| Month | Comfort | Temp | Feels | Rain | Sky | Humidity | Wind | UV | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | - | -17° - -6° | -18° | 79 mm | - | - | 3.7 m/s | - | - |
| February | - | -16° - -4° | -16° | 52 mm | - | - | 3.6 m/s | - | - |
| March | - | -10° - 1° | -9° | 66 mm | - | - | 3.7 m/s | - | - |
| April | - | -2° - 9° | 0° | 71 mm | - | - | 3.8 m/s | - | - |
| May | - | 4° - 17° | 11° | 83 mm | - | - | 3.4 m/s | - | - |
| June | - | 10° - 22° | 16° | 94 mm | - | - | 3.1 m/s | - | - |
| July | - | 12° - 25° | 19° | 75 mm | - | - | 2.9 m/s | - | - |
| August | - | 12° - 24° | 18° | 76 mm | - | - | 2.9 m/s | - | - |
| September | - | 8° - 19° | 14° | 99 mm | - | - | 3.1 m/s | - | - |
| October | - | 2° - 12° | 5° | 84 mm | - | - | 3.5 m/s | - | - |
| November | - | -3° - 5° | -3° | 97 mm | - | - | 3.8 m/s | - | - |
| December | - | -11° - -2° | -12° | 73 mm | - | - | 3.7 m/s | - | - |
How to Get to Bon Echo Provincial Park
Bon Echo Provincial Park sits on Mazinaw Lake near the community of Cloyne in eastern Ontario. The park is primarily reached by car; visitors typically drive from Kingston, Ottawa or Belleville via provincial highways and local county roads to the Cloyne area and follow park signage to the main entrance and parking areas.
There is limited or no regular public transit directly to the park, so plan to arrive by private vehicle; walking distances within the park vary depending on which parking lot or trailhead you use.
Tips for Visiting Bon Echo Provincial Park
- Head to Mazinaw Lake early in the day and plan a paddle or boat trip to Mazinaw Rock to see the large collection of Indigenous pictographs before motorboat traffic increases.
- Enter via the park's main entrance off Highway 41 (near Cloyne) and pick up the latest cliffs-and-pictographs trail map at the visitor centre so you can combine the rock viewpoints with shorter hikes.
- If you want the iconic views with fewer people, hike the trails north of the lake (less-used routes that climb above Mazinaw Rock) late in the afternoon when day visitors have left.