Paddles and Packs

Kayak Emmett Lake – Bruce Peninsula National Park

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Looking for a recreational kayaking spot to visit on your trip to Bruce Peninsula National Park?  While Georgian Bay and Lake Huron can be cold, unpredictable, and dangerous for beginner and recreational kayakers, the park’s inland lakes offer opportunities to paddle too!  Read on for what to expect when you kayak Emmett Lake.

​Read on for more about what to expect when you kayak Emmett Lake at Bruce Peninsula National Park, or visit our Where to Paddle page for links to more great kayaking destinations in Southern Ontario and beyond.

Our Recommended Trip

​Put In / Take Out:  
To access Emmett Lake, you’ll need to take Emmett Lake Road off of Highway 6.  You’ll pass the Cape Croker Hunting Ground Indian Reserve Number 60B.  When you come to a fork in the road, go right.  This takes you to the parking lot for Emmett Lake.  If you go left instead, you’ll arrive at the parking lot for the Half Way Log Dump hike.

Trip Length:  ​About 2 hours, approximately 8 km around the perimeter.  You can cover as much or as little of the lake as you wish.
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Cost:  We were already camping in the national park, so didn’t have to pay any additional access fees, but you would have to pay to access to the national park if you were looking at this for a day trip.  Please note that if you also want to hike the Halfway Log Dump Trail, you need to book paid parking in advance for that hike.  You can make the parking reservation on Parks Canada’s booking website.  There is no parking reservation required for Emmett Lake.

Degree of Difficulty:  Beginner friendly.  The only thing to keep in mind is that this is a remote lake with poor cellular access, and you will likely not see any other paddlers nor any Parks staff, so make sure you’re equipped.

The water was so clear that with the sky’s reflection that at times it appeared almost white.

Gear Recommendations

Life jackets and all Transport Canada required safety gear is always a must.  Sunscreen and sun hats are definitely recommended when you’re out on the water.

Given the remote location of this lake, we recommend extra water and snacks, as well as a head lamp.  We always have a first aid kit on board while kayaking, and I think in a more remote location that this would be a good add-on if you aren’t already carrying one.
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Quiet Solitude

Heading out from the launch. Once they went around the corner, it was awhile before I could see them again!

While we saw a lot of hikers on the Half Way Log Dump Trail and beach, we didn’t see anyone else kayak Emmett Lake.  You don’t have to book in advance or register to kayak on Emmett Lake, but there is a gate house that you must go through to get access to the lake.  This gate house was (I presume) set up to manage access to the popular hiking spots.  When we got to the gate house, they waved us through (we did also have a hiking reservation anyway!).  They did warn us that the road leading to Emmett Lake was narrow and bumpy, and that we would need to be careful as it isn’t much wider than a single lane.  They told us that only one other vehicle had headed into the lake that morning (but by the time we completed our hike and headed to the lake, they must have already left).

​There was also a bit of a hiking trail around part of Emmett Lake, but I didn’t go to far along it.

Less than a month post shoulder dislocation, I wasn’t able to kayak. I found a couple of nice trees to hang the hammock and spent the time reading a book and taking photos. It was a beautiful quiet spot with hardly any bugs!
Securing the bow lines on the kayaks before we leave. You can see from this photo that there is a small parking lot and enough room to turn a trailer around.

Half Way Log Dump Hike

We made a full day out of our trip to kayak Emmett Lake, because we started out by hiking the Half Way Log Dump Trail.  Please note:  You MUST book your time slot ahead of time – there is limited parking at the trail head, and Bruce Peninsula National Park has had to implement crowd planning in recent years due to COVID-19.  There are two time slots per day, from 7AM to 1 PM and from 2 PM to 8 PM.  For more information on please visit Parks Canada’s website.

One of the more iconic views of Bruce Peninsula National Park and Tobermory’s famous hiking trails along the Bruce Trail. The Half Way Log Dump offers incredible photo opportunities of Georgian Bay’s crystal clear waters and the Niagara Escarpment.

​This trail is part of the beautiful Bruce Trail, but it is one of the more difficult hikes we’ve done.  It follows along the coast line, and the terrain is steep and rocky.  If you’re up for the challenge, the views of Georgian Bay and the Niagara Escarpment are absolutely stunning.  The trail itself starts near the beach, which is approximately 1 km from the parking lot.  The trail to the beach is fairly easy.  It is worth noting that the beaches in the park are not at all sandy.  We saw people lugging coolers and blankets to go sit at the beach, but I can’t imagine that they could sit on those rocks!

The boys loved scrambling up all of the rocky croppings along the trail. I was always the nervous parent that was convinced they weren’t being careful enough! LOL!

Once we had finished up the hike, we were ready to hit the water.  While Georgian Bay is absolutely stunning, it is still icy cold (averaging 5C) in June, and its unpredictable nature is dangerous for novice and recreational kayakers.  We don’t have the skills or equipment (i.e., sea kayaks, dry suits) to be safe on the big water of Georgian Bay in June, and so we chose to launch on the inland lakes of Bruce Peninsula National Park, including Cyprus and Emmett Lakes.
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Additional Reading

None
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Outfitter Options

There are no rentals at this location, but some do service Cyprus Lake at Bruce Peninsula National Park.

More Kayaking Destinations

For more trip planning inspiration, don’t miss our Where to Paddle page for links to more great kayaking destinations in Southern Ontario and beyond.

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