KILLARNEY LODGE: A QUIET REFUGE
Memories built and memories still to be shaped and remembered. That’s at the heart of Killarney Lodge, an historic family-run resort in Ontario’s Algonquin Park.
The lodge is a quiet refuge of 27 private lakeside log cabins dotting the shoreline, tucked into the woods and craggy rocks of the Canadian Shield landscape.
Visitors to the lodge will discover a comfortable spot with the lovely, familiar feel of somewhere they may have experienced in the past—a cottage, cabin, resort or inn from travels gone by. Killarney Lodge is always improving but is modest about creating that special place, attracting repeat guests, over and over again. Being so close to everything Algonquin Park has to o er, the lodge makes a great base from which to experience the best of the parkland.
Now into its eighth decade, this historic property was started in 1935 as a shing lodge with a few cabins. At the time, there was just one gravel road from Huntsville, bringing visitors to Algonquin Park, Ontario’s oldest provincial park. Algonquin and Killarney Lodge have become muchloved destinations for those who crave the outdoors, as a wilderness getaway, a place to reconnect with nature and, for some, a personal spiritual retreat.
Killarney Lodge is “a little oasis” on a peninsula jutting out into Lake of Two Rivers, so every cabin has its own private stretch of waterfront. One of few resort properties located inside the park boundaries, it is the perfect base camp for exploring the surrounding lakes, trails and primeval forests. Close to the roadway corridor that passes through the park, there is easy access to the best the area has to o er—including hiking trails that criss-cross the parkland, the visitor centre, bike rentals and nature centre programs on everything from the park’s human history to the magical sound of the howling wolf.
Killarney Lodge is a true “getaway” where guests are persuaded to unplug and disconnect, leaving the fast pace of everyday life behind. Cabins are light on high tech—you won’t nd television, radio or a telephone. Step outside on a crisp, clear night for some natural entertainment as the magic of star- lled skies grabs hold. Push a canoe o from shore (each cabin comes with its own canoe) and head out for a slow morning paddle, drinking in the sights and sounds on the quiet waters of the lake. Indulge in a little wildlife watching—moose, deer, beavers, loons and, if luck is on your side, perhaps a bear or the elusive wolf.
A stay at the lodge includes three meals each day and nighttime snacks 24/7. Guests heading o to explore the park can pack a hearty picnic lunch lled with enough food to keep energy levels up along the trail. The lodge’s kitchen is known for ne countrystyle dining, making full use of herbs fresh from the garden and home-baked desserts served in a casual log dining room that has been described as “both rustic and elegant.”
Killarney Lodge is a three-season resort, open from early May until mid-October.