5 causes to go to René Brunelle Provincial Park
René Brunelle Provincial Park is a northern gem!
It lies alongside the northeastern shores of Remi Lake, one of many largest within the area of Northern Ontario often called the “Clay Belt”.
The Clay Belt is an historic glacial lakebed with fertile soils and intensive forests dotted with farms. It’s a panorama of forests and rivers, with few lakes, so a extremely huge lake like Remi is uncommon on this space.
The park comprises a swath of the Boreal Forest, a mysterious and primeval trying forest with cool conifers, trembling aspen and birch, and plenty of neat crops on the forest ground.
Try these 5 causes to go to René Brunelle:
1. Get hooked on Remi Lake!
Remi Lake is huge – greater than 8 km lengthy and greater than 5 km vast, and stuffed with fish! And belief us: the fishing is nice.
Anglers fish for Walleye, Northern Pike, and unusually for northeastern Ontario, Smallmouth Bass.
The park has docking area, a fish cleansing station, and rents motorboats in the event you didn’t deliver one with you.
If fishing isn’t your factor, the park rents canoes, kayaks, paddle boats, and stand-up paddleboards. Paddlers love following the undeveloped northeast shore of the lake that lies throughout the park.
2. You’ll be a cheerful camper
This park actually goes all out to offer a wide range of tenting alternatives!
It has a mixture of 59 electrical websites and 42 non-electrical websites, present in two campgrounds: East Bay, and the smaller Owl’s Nest campgrounds. Many of those websites are fairly secluded and tucked into the forest.
East Bay has a consolation station with showers, flush bathrooms and sinks, and a laundromat. Campers from different campgrounds can park at an easy-access parking space simply off the primary park street.
5 walk-in campsites can be found with their very own waterfront views adjoining to the seaside often called the “Campers Seashore”. Campers with out trailers or RVs discover these websites are good for tenting, with paddlers pulling their canoes and kayaks proper as much as their website!
One rustic cabin is situated simply north of the Campers Seashore. It’s very talked-about and is normally reserved fairly steadily via the summer season and into the autumn. The cabin is reservable right through the Thanksgiving weekend, a couple of weeks after the remainder of the campground closes.
Lastly, the park gives bigger teams with a possibility to camp collectively in a big, secluded spot within the north a part of the park close to Phipps Level day use space.
Top-of-the-line group campsites in any park, this website is gorgeous, with its personal seaside that faces the undeveloped and wild north shore of the park and Remi Lake. The positioning is separate from the primary campground, is properly landscaped and slopes down gently to the sand on the water’s edge. It may possibly accommodate 20 trailers or extra and is appropriate for weddings, reunions and work retreats.
The Phipps Level day use space is among the park’s lesser-known gems. It’s a ravishing spot situated on the northern finish of the developed a part of the park with two sand seashores.
Together with the 2 sand seashores simply steps from the big rambling picnic grounds, there’s additionally a big playground, a sand volleyball courtroom, a number of picnic tables, and even a reservable picnic shelter for household gatherings and firm picnics.
3. A fiery historical past
In 1916, a forest fireplace swept throughout a part of the Clay Belt close to Timmins, changing into the deadliest forest fireplace in Canadian historical past to this point.
Referred to as The Matheson Fireplace, this forest fireplace started as a number of small fires that had been set to clear land for farms close to the mining camps round Timmins. It was a dry, sizzling summer season, and smoke from fires had crammed the air for a number of weeks, so individuals had no concept that the fires had joined into one enormous inferno.
The hearth grew and moved east with the prevailing winds, with a entrance greater than 60 kilometres vast. The hearth consumed a number of cities, together with Iroquois Falls and Matheson. Some individuals waded into rivers to flee the hearth, whereas others jumped onto the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway; nonetheless, many others have been unable to flee. The official rely was 233 individuals who died within the fireplace.
This was lengthy earlier than the times of waterbombers, recognizing plane, helicopters, and fireplace crews. In actual fact, the horrible tragedy spurred the creation of the Forest Safety Department of the Division of Lands and Forests, the beginnings of contemporary forest fireplace preventing, and the Forest Fires Prevention Act of 1917 in Ontario.
Should you hike the La Vigilance Path close to Phipps Level, you’ll discover a good scenic path and likewise study a bit about Remi Lake’s position within the forest fire-fighting story. Interpretive indicators alongside the path inform the story of floatplanes and their use within the early days of fireside recognizing and forest fireplace preventing.
Airplane Island, which you’ll be able to see from the path out in the course of Remi Lake, was a floatplane base. One of many floatplanes stationed on Remi Lake within the Twenties was referred to as “La Vigilance” and was supposed to maintain watch, recognizing smoke and potential forest fires.
La Vigilance was a “flying boat”, or amphibious aircraft that would take off and land on water, good for a northern panorama dotted with lakes like Northern Ontario. In 1922, the pilot and engineer had dropped off some aviation gasoline on a distant lake for future use and have been returning to Remi Lake once they encountered unhealthy climate.
They set down on a tiny lake north of Remi. Upon taking off and maneuvering on the floor of the small lake, the wingtip caught the water, inflicting it to crash. The pilot and engineer walked out to security, however the aircraft remained within the lake for an additional 40 years.
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4. Discover the mysterious Boreal Forest
The Boreal Forest is huge, lovely, and fully northern.
This distinctive ecosystem, in contrast to something you’ll discover in southern Ontario, covers half the province’s land space and stretches across the globe. It’s one of many largest ecosystems on the earth and covers greater than half of Ontario!
The phrase “boreal” means northern, so local weather is a giant think about how this ecosystem capabilities and what species of crops and animals reside in it. Lengthy and chilly winters imply that to outlive year-round, you must be powerful.
For crops, it implies that there are fewer species within the forest – solely these tailored to dwelling in chilly climates could make it: Jack Pine, Trembling Aspen, White Birch, Black Spruce, and White Spruce are the primary species.
The identical goes for a lot of animals – they’ve to have the ability to stand the chilly winters, in order that they both hibernate (like frogs and bears), develop thick fur (like lynx, fox, and wolves), or develop different survival methods.
Birds select each methods. Woodpeckers, grouse, owls and the artful Canada Jay are hardy and keep all through the winter.
Songbirds like warblers and flycatchers focusing on consuming bugs should migrate to hotter climes. Visiting in spring and summer season? You’ll be handled to the songs of migratory songbirds! Meals is so plentiful that they will increase two and typically three broods of chicks. Issues are so good right here for migratory birds that the Boreal Forest is commonly referred to as the Songbird Nursery!
Hike the Spruce Lowland Path for a way of the Boreal Forest throughout the park, which passes via bushes typical of this forest. This path additionally wanders via a Black Ash stand, which is on the northern fringe of its vary. Preserve a watch open for northern crops and vibrant songbirds too!
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5. Uncover the Discovery program!
René Brunelle affords Exploration Stations through the months of July and August.
Led by the park’s Discovery information, these drop-in applications are sometimes paired with a Discovery Exercise E book exercise (obtainable without cost) and different props and instruments to assist spark curiosity and exploration.
Exploration Stations are designed to get park guests exploring nature and discovering the park.
These applications are nice for households trying to discover the park and discover out extra about it! However they aren’t simply youngsters’s applications – they’re designed for all ages, and anybody can take part!
Whether or not you favor a spontaneous drop-in expertise or a structured guided session, there’s one thing for everybody.
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Bonus: take a selfie with a UFO!
As you drive in the direction of René Brunelle Provincial Park, you’ll flip off the Trans-Canada Freeway to the little city of Moonbeam.
Except for the city being talked about in a Tragically Hip tune (or maybe due to it?!), it’s additionally notable for its Flying Saucer.
That’s proper, on the vacationer info centre on the nook is a UFO, full with little inexperienced males searching the portholes — an apparent selfie spot.
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Planning a go to?
René Brunelle Provincial Park lies simply north of Freeway 11 close to Moonbeam and Kapuskasing.
The park is a part of the Ontario Parks Boreal Driving Route, connecting quite a lot of northern parks collectively for the last word northern street journey.
Rene Brunelle’s campgrounds provide electrical and non-electrical campsites. A consolation station with flush bathrooms and sizzling showers is situated centrally within the park.
Numerous forms of watercraft and bikes can be found to hire.
René Brunelle is open till October 14, 2025.
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