O.S.A. Lake is the birthplace of Killarney Provincial park, and arguably one of the nicest lakes in the park. It’s also a very short trip from the George Lake campground and thus is one of the most popular destinations. Because of the incredible scenery and easy access it makes an excellent destination for a novice weekend trip. It’s not a particularly large lake, but because there are only five campsites it never feels crowded. This all comes with a price, however. Since it’s so popular you’ll have to book far in advance in order to secure a place on this lovely little lake.
I’ve visited O.S.A. Lake on several of my longer canoe trips, but I wanted to share its charm with my wife, so we planned an early fall canoe trip. We camped in the car campground before and after the canoe trip, so our planning involved a pile of different permits. We spent a week in the area, but this was by far the highlight of the trip.
Day 1: George Lake — O.S.A. Lake
We had to move our car from our campsite at George Lake campground to the overnight parking, but first we dropped our gear off at the top of the stairs that lead down to the beach. In the summer this area can become pretty crowded so you have to be organized and drop your gear quickly, but it wasn’t any trouble at all for us this late in the season.
The beach at George Lake is situated in a small bay on the southern part of the lake. This side of the lake is formed from pink granite, but the narrows that leads to the rest of the lake frames a view of the white quartzite hills that form the north shore of the lake. Once you paddle through this gap you can see the entirety of the lake, with white quartzite hills on the north shore and pink granite on the south. It’s not a large lake, but it’s very pretty. Paddling can be a bit of a chore if the wind is up, but we had perfect conditions.
At the far end of the lake is the portage to Freeland Lake. The portage is very short, but also very pretty. It skirts around a dam that holds back the waters of Freeland Lake. Originally a beaver dam it has been made more permanent. The park staff have erected a wooden dock at the portage to make the take out easier. I’m not sure how necessary the dock is, but it does make finding the portage easier. After carrying your canoe 45 meters up a small hill you place it off to one side while you return to get your packs. This portage can get very busy in the summer so it’s important to keep your gear together so you don’t lose anything and ensure that it’s out of everyone else’s way.
The only other people on the portage on our trip were a young couple that had set out from George Lake at the same time that we did. They were furiously unpacking their gear because their can of bear spray had gone off inside of their pack. I’ve never bothered with bear spray, so I’m not really sure what kind of mess it makes, but I gather it isn’t pleasant.
Two trees frame the view of Freeland Lake at the far end of the portage, making a perfect picture of this pretty, marshy little lake. Most of the lakes in Killarney are dead with pristine clear water but Freeland is shallow, boggy and choked with life. It feels much more like Algonquin than Killarney. You’ll have to stick to the centre as you paddle down the lake to avoid thick lily pads and bog mats.
The take out for the portage to Killarney Lake is on the north east shore of Freeland. There’s no dock here but it’s well signed and there’s a bit of a sandy beach. The portage is a bit longer and travels through some thicker trees, but it’s still very easy. The whole trip is over smooth rock and well worn firm ground. If it’s early in the season you can explore the rocky swifts to the east of the portage. This creek usually dries up later in the season. It’s nothing spectacular but it is some interesting rocky terrain.
The Killarney end of the portage lies on a rock shelf at the end of small channel. The water is littered with logs, and barren white standing dead trees line the shore. Just visible past the first narrows are the white hills that surround Killarney Lake. This end of the lake is spidery and winds back and forth, each new bend revealing an even more dramatic view of the hills that soon loom over you. It’s a spectacular introduction to the lake, but it can be a bit challenging to navigate. There are plenty of places for a directionally challenged traveller to make a wrong turn and get lost in here, so make sure that you consult your map to prevent having to backtrack.
The goal is to follow the bays and channels into the south end of the lake proper, and then paddle west at the foot of the white hills. When the lake starts to turn to the south you’ve reached the portage to O.S.A. Lake. This corner of Killarney Lake is home to many dead stumps, but it’s still easy to travel. Finding the portage can be a bit tricky as the sign is far back on shore where the tree line begins. There are actually two portages between the lakes. The second one is much shorter, but I’ve never had the good fortune to use it. The water level has to be high enough to paddle the far end of the lake. The first portage is so flat and easy that I usually don’t bother trying to get to the second one any more.
The far end is a rocky beach where the waves have ground the stone into gravel. The one challenge on O.S.A. Lake is that the winds can be funnelled down the length of the lake making paddling difficult as you search for a campsite. The sites at the north west end of the lake offer the best views. Our only challenge with the crowding on O.S.A Lake was finding a campsite. I was hoping to get one of the island campsites, but they were already taken.
We chose the site at the base of a tall cliff at the north west end of the lake. As we reached the shore we spotted another canoe heading in the same direction. They continued on for a few minutes, but when it became clear that we were moving in they turned away. We’d beat them to the site by only fifteen minutes! The campsite is a bit secluded in the trees, but if you venture out to the rocky beach it has a spectacular view of the hills to the south. Even if it wasn’t the site that we wanted we felt pretty lucky to have nabbed such a nice spot.
Day 2: O.S.A. Lake Ridge Running
The white quartzite hills of Killarney are rather sparsely treed. Not only has the area has been logged in the past, larger trees have a hard time growing in the thin soil on top of the quartzite. This means that the woods aren’t particularly thick and it’s very easy to bushwhack along the white ridges where clear views of the lakes are plentiful. My first experience with Killarney ridge running was when I found the geocache perched high up above the north shore of O.S.A. Lake. I persuaded Sherri to return to this spectacular spot with me.
One of the fun parts about Killarney ridge running is the navigation. The geocache is situated at the top of a tall shear cliff, but by examining the map an obvious path up to the cache can be found in the form of a swale cut by a stream as it tumbles down the hill. It’s a relatively easy hike, but once you get clear of the trees it offers spectacular views of the lake below, and the tall hill behind as well.
The cache is hidden near the site of a photo that was used in park literature, and is still posted on a sign on the beach at George Lake. The cache owner playfully requests that finders try to recreate the photo. I had done so the last time I found the cache with Xander, but it was a bit more difficult with Sherri. We had great weather for the three days of our trip, but it was a bit windy at the top, and my wife is leery of, if not afraid of, heights. I did manage to persuade her to crawl out to the edge to pose for the famous picture, even if the sun wouldn’t come out.
After finding the cache we returned to our canoe at the base of the cliff and paddled back to our campsite. We enjoyed another spectacular sunset. One of the reasons that O.S.A. is such a pretty lake, is that it’s orientation is aligned with the track of the sun in the summer, so the sun is visible until moments before it sets at certain times of the year.
Day 3: O.S.A. Lake — George Lake
We were emjoying such nice weather that it was hard to leave, but not only did we not have a reservation, we had some appointments booked and had to get back. On the way out we visited an old trapper’s cabin on one of the islands. The cabin collapsed long ago, but the ruins still make for an interesting place to explore. After visiting the cabin we retraced our route to return to our car.
Tips
Difficulty
- All of the portages are flat, relatively level and mercifully short.
- The trip can be easily completed in two days, or even done as a day trip with an early start. But if you have time it’s worth it to book an extra day or two to enjoy the area.
- Paddling on O.S.A., Killarney and George Lakes can be difficult if the wind picks up. All three lakes funnel the wind. Normally it’s pretty easy going, but if the wind picks up you will need to work to stay on course.
- The hardest thing about this trip may be booking it. You can book trips in Killarney starting five months to the day before the start of your trip. If you want to get a site on O.S.A. Lake you’ll almost certainly have to book as early as possible.
- If you can’t book a site on O.S.A. Lake you can try to shorten the trip and stop on Killarney Lake.
Comfort
Apparently Killarney can get pretty buggy in the spring, but I’ve still never experienced it. In late summer or fall there are almost never any bugs. The only significant wetland on this route is through Freeland Lake, so there are very few areas for bugs to breed.
Remoteness
- This is a very easy trip with incredible rewards. As such it’s very popular. Not only is it hard to book the trip you may have to race to get a campsite on O.S.A. Lake.
- O.S.A. Lake is also a major corridor for several of the longer trips in the park. It is quite likely that you will see several flotillas of canoes passing through each day.
- Once you actually have a site they’re well spaced so there’s a lot of privacy . There are only five campsites on the whole lake. I’ve often been able to hear some of my neighbours here, but I’ve rarely seen them (I believe that two of the sites are quire close to one another, but I’ve stayed at one of them and never saw my neighbours).