A short trip to Muskoka

                It’s May and summer had just began in Canada. I had not done a proper trip to any destination after landing in this beautiful country till then. Even though I went for a half-day trip with my roommates to the Blue Mountains in the beginning of the year, we were not properly prepared for the major activities like skiing or ice skating in those snow covered mountains. Most of the other activities there remains closed in winter, which means it calls for a detailed long visit some time later in the future. That Friday evening we decided that we should go for a full-day outing to some destination, although we couldn’t zero down on which place that should be till we went to bed. Interestingly, Muskoka was finalized only the next morning after all of us got dressed up. Without wasting any time we started off, and with me were Abin, Midhun & Johnson.

                

                Muskoka is a town more than a 200 km north of Mississauga(were we live). This region home for some of the amazing wildlife conservation parks is better renowned for the presence of over 1600 lakes with a large number of waterfront cottages making it one of the prime summer vacation spots in Ontario. But this summer things are different - the spread of the global pandemic caused by Covid-19 has affected this town as well like any other in the planet. Almost every attractions here were closed till a week before we visited Muskoka. However, some of them are partially open now for public, with most of the activities still remaining shut.

Barrie Lake

                On the way to Muskoka we stopped at Barrie for a quick coffee break. The lake in the heart of the town itself is a beautiful sight. The nearby parks which once were packed with people had only a few people strolling around here and there. After the wrap and coffee from the Tim Hortons we continued the drive.

                We reached Muskoka town by noon. The first place we stopped at was the Muskoka Steamships at Lake Muskoka. The dock was almost deserted and couple of steamships which were once ferrying thousands of tourists each day, were resting there without knowing when they will back in business again. One of them was RMS Segwun, which is the only steam-powered Royal Mail Ship in the world. Wenonah II was the other steam ship resting beside it. There were a few small private boats roaming on calm waters of the lake. The view of the dark blue lake, lined with resorts and cottages surrounded by tall to-be-green trees in the backdrop itself was a beautiful frame to capture.

Steam ships

                The second spot for the day was the Bracebridge Falls. This waterfall located in the heart of the Downtown is one of the three main waterfalls in Muskoka. A dam is built across this falls in the Muskoka River, but still there is some water spilling over the rocks. The bridge atop the dam, offers the panoramic view of the water body down the falls and the surrounding quiet township surrounding it.

Bracebridge Falls

View from the bridge

View down the Bracebridge Falls

                By then, we were all hungry and already late for lunch. But, most of the eateries in the Downtown were not open. Finally, we found a Chinese restaurant take-out on the way and had the fried rice bought from there at a park besides the highway. The next spot we visited simply took away our post-lunch fatigue - the High Falls.

                High Falls is an impressive waterfall in the northern part of the Muskoka River. Water is diverted from the river to a power station at the top of the fall, but the presence of this dam does not ruins the beauty of it. This fall is almost 50 feet high and is one of the steepest in the region. There is a park too near the falls. But, the real beauty of the falls can be enjoyed by climbing down the rocks on the side of the park. Another small waterfall can be spotted on the way in this woody trail route. The river widens at the base of the main waterfall forming a circular beach, the beautiful view of which can be seen from this smaller waterfall.

A small lake near High Falls

The High Falls

View from the smaller waterfall

                After spending some time relaxing under the shade of the dense foliage of the woods we climbed down the rocks to reach the bottom of the falls. There was no one other than us in beach-like banks of the river, which really helped us in shooting some cool pictures and videos of this marvellous piece of nature. One more place was left to visit before we begin the return journey.

                Arrowhead Provincial Park is the final spot we visited that day. There are a few lakes and waterbodies in this densely wooded park, which were once busy with canoes, fishing and other such activities. But now only trails were opened for public. The park was literally deserted such that, we found only 3 or 4 people other than us there then. We went for hiking in a trail around the Mayflower Lake. This lake in the middle of dense forest looked like a great fishing spot, and as the sun set, the setting looked wild and intimidating. The trail was actually longer than we assumed, and the setting sun too forced us to abandon the trek and leave the place. There is an amphitheater in the middle of the forest which made me imagine what an ambiance it would be watching some performance here in the middle of the night.

Mayflower Lake

                The sun seemed to be in a hurry more than us to travel to the other side of the horizon. It was quite an enjoyable day at Muskoka even though it not being in its full glory. Determined to come back here again for a few days, we started our drive back to home, with the hope that ‘this too shall pass, and everything will be back to normal’...