LaCloche Silhouette Trail

Hiking the La Cloche Silhouette Trail in Killarney Provincial Park is an unforgettable experience. The trail is known for its white quartzite ridges that offer picturesque views of the La Cloche mountain range. It is 78 kilometer (48 mil) backpacking loop that passes over ridges and alongside crystal clear lakes.

The trail is situated in Killarney Provincial Park, Ontario. Just south of Sudbury. The trail is named after the painting La Cloche Silhouette by group of Seven painter Franklin Carmichael.

Planning

This is a popular route and each night’s site must be booked in advance. Reservations can and should be booked 5 months in advance.

I studied others recommendations trying to determine how far we could make it each day, which campsites were best and monitored the reservation site at 7 am for weeks. After much effort I had secured what I thought was the best route and sites. A 5 night, 6 day adventure to be done the last week of September. Temperatures wouldn’t be too high during the day, the mosquitos should be less of a nuisance and the overnight temps would be bearable.

Day 1 - H7 Topaz Lake

Day 2 - H20 Three Narrows

Day 3 - H33 Little Mountain

Day 4 - H37 Silver Lake

Day 5 - H48 Prouxl Lake

Day 6 - George Lake and Home

With the perfect reservations in hand I reached out to some friends who seemed gullible enough to join me on this trip. Oh how the excuses rolled in! Too busy, sore knees, tendons acting up….as I get older my friends seem to be aging poorly.

Now Whitey, he signed up without a moments hesitation. Did he read the part in my note about long days? About how out of shape I am? What about the steep terrain, the terrible food and mud! Who cares? I had a hiking partner.

While I have backpacked overnight it had been well over a decade since my last overnight foray into the woods. This time I intended to be better prepared physically and mentally. As our hiking date approached I was frantically figuring out ways to lower my pack weight to make the trip more enjoyable. 

Lightest clothes I could find? Check

Calories carefully weighed out for each day? Check

Toothbrush cut in half? Check

Whitey went another way with his preparation. When we met in Parry Sound the night before our departure he had enough gear for 3 trips. I looked on as he tried to justify why each piece of equipment needed to come with us. As he rationalized each piece of luxury gear, I would tell him why he didn’t need it. Sometimes it worked. In the end both our packs were too heavy. Mine was flirting with 40lbs while his was….heavier. He assured me he would carry all those heavy items he needed. (No Kidding!) In fact his punishment for overpacking would be toting those items for the next 100km.

Day 1 George Lake to Topaz Lake

We picked up our permits and left a vehicle at each end of the trailhead to avoid the long walk through the campsite when we returned

Whitey was alarmed at the trailhead to read the trail was rated as Difficult and suggested length of 7-9 days. (Uh Oh, he clearly hadn’t read any of my emails leading up to this!) He set off at lightning pace, both of us eager to make it to camp and see what was in store. It was a gentle walk until we reached a downhill, the trail was so-so, the terrain pretty steep. Whitey was incredulous “What? Is this is the trail?” (Uh Oh!)

“What is this is the trail? We’re supposed to hike down this?”

To his credit, if he ever regretted signing up for this adventure he never showed it. Parts of the trail caught him by surprise but from that first step we took, finishing the hike was never in doubt.

The final climb to Tapaz required a steep climb up the Pig portage. Thank goodness we were not carrying a canoe. At Topaz we unpacked and setup camp. We had time to cool off in the lake which became our daily tradition. I had not talked Whitey out of bringing a giant rope. This rope would be better suited for an attempt on the Matterhorn that in the backwoods of Killarney Park. While I balked at all the extra ounces he was carrying I had to admit it created a solid bear hang. At 10km distance hiked on the first day we were feeling stiff but satisfied with our preparations.

Day 2 – Topaz to H20

The day started with some elevation to get out of Topaz Lake and back to the Pig, the steepest portage in the park. Then back down the other side. We quickly learned that on trail whatever goes up, comes back down.

With the Pig behind us, we were now in Three Narrows territory. We passed one other group that was giving up having hiked in close to 20 km on their first day only to have to turn around due to an injured member. We felt judged by their comments about our heavy packs. They were not wrong but we also paced ourselves appropriately and weren’t the ones turning around. Day 2 was the flattest day as we skirted along the shores of Three Narrows. We made it to H20 by 3:00, it was another beautiful campsite. 

At 16 km Day 2 was longer but relatively flat. As we sat by the fire that night we felt sore but still in excellent condition and spirits.

Day 3 – H20 to H33 Little Mountain Lake

This was expected to be our toughest day. Only 13.8 km but with a lot of ups and down. A LOT. We passed one other group coming counter clockwise through the trail that downplayed the difficulty of Moose Pass. We soon reached the treacherous waterfall I had read about but it was a non-event, a mere trickle.

Moose pass was another matter, the elevation charts tell the tale. Up/Down/Up/Down then repeat. Once or twice a rope would have come in handy while negotiating a some steep sections. There is not a lot of water on this section and it was tough going at time so watch your hydration. The terrain is difficult and you are at the most remote location on the loop.

We were grateful to see signs for our site. It was quite a climb down from the main trail to Little Mountain. We got into camp exhausted around 4. I collapsed on the ground for 10 minutes and ate a Snickers bar to celebrate what I thought would be our toughest day. Once I had collected myself, we enjoyed our daily swim and took in our surroundings. We both felt every step we traveled today. We feasted at dinner and finished off the night with some Freeze Dried Ice Cream bars!

Day 4 – H33 to H37 Silver Lake

Our longest day (16km) including the side trip to Silver Peak. Looking at the map it was a climb back to the trail followed by more ups and downs. The first hour was tough with our aching bodies still recovering from Moose Pass.

As we neared David/Boundary lake area of the trail we exited the tree cover and experienced more exposed ridges. This stretch leading up to Silver peak was my favorite section of the trail.

We dropped our packs at the base of Silver Peak and felt light as birds. Thinking we would fly up the trail without the extra weight. After days it was amazing to hike without our packs but Silver Peak is no joke. It was higher than expected and was a tough climb. We saw at least 20 people on the trials which felt crowded after seeing 4-5 groups during the first 3 days. We had a beautiful sky at the peak and took some time to enjoy. There was clear cell reception so we checked in with families and called my Dad who was planning to hike in and join us on our last night.

Silver Peak is not required but it is well worth the visit. The trail after Silver Peak was fantastic due to all the day trippers. There were bridges over the mud, no logs or obstacles to climb over. All too soon we turned back on the rugged trail we were growing accustomed to. We rolled into camp at 4 in time for a swim at Silver lake. We could see H38 next door and the water access looked dangerously steep. I highly recommend site H37.

Overall, this was my favorite day on the trail. The ridge walking, Silver Peak and topped off with a beautiful site at Silver Lake. It was exhausting day with the distance adding up but after our swim and some hydration we enjoyed the late afternoon sun and had another epic campfire as the harvest moon came up.

Day 5 – H37 to H48 Prouxl Lake

I felt like with Day 3 and 4 behind us the rest of the trail would be relatively simple to complete. The trail disagreed and with each turn we would find a new uphill that looked better suited to mountain goats than 2 tired hikers.

Mid morning we ran into a couple who were planning on doing the trail all at once. Like in one day. Without stopping. The same trail that we had been hiking for the last 5 days. They were doing it in one day. They would be hiking at night by headlamp. Yikes! We left that encounter feeling sufficiently humbled. 

Prouxl Lake was beautiful, our best site yet. Crystal clear waters and more of Killarney’s scenic white rocks. Dad eventually rolled in to camp tired, smelly and disheveled. He fit right in with us. He wasted no time in examining the excess equipment Whitey had carried and asking about his extensive wardrobe. He did bring us the gift of chocolate so we put up with all of his criticisms.

Day 6 – Prouxl to George Lake

I felt like it would be a leisurely walk to the Crack, soak in some views and then a hop and a skip back to civilization. As usual the trail had other plans. I should have known there was nothing flat about it and we would be working for every view.

The crack was magnificent although downright crowded. We felt like real tough backpackers when some of the day hikers asked about our massive packs and we proudly explained we had taken the long way around to reach the Crack. With our Instagram photos and selfies secured we continued, determined to finish the trail and enjoy a hot shower at George Lake.

The trail after the crack was moderately better due to the popularity however it still had plenty of curveballs in the forms of cliffs, hills, rocky scrambles. We finally arrived at the campground and quickly found the truck with it’s trove of post hike snacks. After some juice boxes, Rice Krispy squares and the much needed hot shower we ended with a trip into Killarney for Fish and Chips on the pier.

Afterthoughts – I had 6 months to prepare for this trip and I am so excited to have finished the trail. What a challenge. When Whitey looked at me and asked, “So Counter Clockwise next year?” I nearly slapped him, although by then I may be ready for another challenge. For now some rest sounds pretty good.