Massasauga Provincial Park
Encyclopedia
Massasauga Provincial Park is a provincial park
in Parry Sound District, Ontario
, Canada
, stretching from the town of Parry Sound
south to the Moon River
. The park has an area of 131.05 km².
The park encompasses hundreds of islands on the coast of Georgian Bay
and many inland lakes including Clear Lake and Spider Lake. Classified as a "Natural Environment" park, it contains no roads, so camping
is limited to interior sites. The sites on the bay can be reached by motor boat whereas those on the lakes are typically reached by non-motorized craft such as canoe
s or kayak
s. The park also has mooring anchors for boats to overnight in some inlets on Georgian Bay.
An interpretive
trail is located on Wreck Island. A multi-day backpacking trail in the northern part of the park, the Nipissing-North Arm Orienteering Trail
, is used for orienteering
. This wilderness trail is uncleared and only minimally marked.
The park contains a striking landscape of windswept pines clinging to smooth granite-striped rocks, towering cliffs, narrow bays and inlets. On a typical visit to the park one might see wildlife common to the Near-North area of Ontario such as snapping turtle
s, loon
s, bear
s, great blue heron
s and otter
s but also wildlife typical of the great lakes
such as cormorant
s, eagle
s, and duck
s.
"Massasauga" means "mouth of the river" in Ojibway.
The park is home to the following notable animals:
Provincial park
A provincial park is a park under the management of a provincial or territorial government in Canada.While provincial parks are not the same as national parks, their workings are very similar...
in Parry Sound District, Ontario
Parry Sound District, Ontario
Parry Sound District is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its seat is Parry Sound. Its boundaries are Muskoka to the south, the Sudbury District, the French River and Lake Nipissing in the north, Nipissing District, Ontario and North Bay in the north and east and parts of...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, stretching from the town of Parry Sound
Parry Sound, Ontario
Parry Sound is a town in Central Ontario, Canada, located on Parry Sound on the eastern shore of Georgian Bay. Parry Sound is located south of Sudbury and north of Toronto. It is the seat of Parry Sound District, a popular cottage country region for Southern Ontario residents. It is also the...
south to the Moon River
Moon River (Ontario)
The Moon River is a river in west central Ontario, Canada, which flows from Bala Bay on Lake Muskoka and empties into Georgian Bay south of Parry Sound....
. The park has an area of 131.05 km².
The park encompasses hundreds of islands on the coast of Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...
and many inland lakes including Clear Lake and Spider Lake. Classified as a "Natural Environment" park, it contains no roads, so camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
is limited to interior sites. The sites on the bay can be reached by motor boat whereas those on the lakes are typically reached by non-motorized craft such as canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
s or kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
s. The park also has mooring anchors for boats to overnight in some inlets on Georgian Bay.
An interpretive
Heritage interpretation
Heritage interpretation is the communication of information about, or the explanation of, the nature, origin, and purpose of historical, natural, or cultural resources, objects, sites and phenomena using personal or non-personal methods....
trail is located on Wreck Island. A multi-day backpacking trail in the northern part of the park, the Nipissing-North Arm Orienteering Trail
Nipissing-North Arm Orienteering Trail
The Nipissing-North Arm Orienteering Trail is a backpacking route across rugged wilderness in Massasauga Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. The park is situated along Georgian Bay on Lake Huron and its trails are accessible only by water...
, is used for orienteering
Orienteering
Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...
. This wilderness trail is uncleared and only minimally marked.
The park contains a striking landscape of windswept pines clinging to smooth granite-striped rocks, towering cliffs, narrow bays and inlets. On a typical visit to the park one might see wildlife common to the Near-North area of Ontario such as snapping turtle
Chelydridae
Chelydridae is a family of turtles which has seven extinct and two extant genera. The extant genera are Chelydra the snapping turtles, and its larger relative Macrochelys, of which the Alligator Snapping Turtle is the only species. Both are endemic to the Western Hemisphere...
s, loon
Loon
The loons or divers are a group of aquatic birds found in many parts of North America and northern Eurasia...
s, bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
s, great blue heron
Great Blue Heron
The Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to Europe, with records from Spain, the Azores and England...
s and otter
Northern River Otter
The North American river otter , also known as the northern river otter or the common otter, is a semiaquatic mammal endemic to the North American continent, found in and along its waterways and coasts. An adult river otter can weigh between 5 and 14 kg...
s but also wildlife typical of the great lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
such as cormorant
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
s, eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
s, and duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s.
"Massasauga" means "mouth of the river" in Ojibway.
The park is home to the following notable animals:
- Massasauga rattlesnake (Ontario’s only venomous snake)
- Prairie warblerPrairie WarblerThe Prairie Warbler, Dendroica discolor, is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.These birds have yellow underparts with dark streaks on the flanks, and olive upperparts with rusty streaks on the back; they have a yellow line above the eye, a dark line through it, and a yellow spot...
s - Five-lined skinkFive-lined SkinkThe Five-lined Skink is one of the most common lizards in the eastern U.S. and one of the five species of lizards in Canada...
(Ontario’s only lizard) - Hybrid toads
- Map turtles