This Adventure was one of my favorites to plan. This trip had everything, camping, boating, swimming, and cheesy Ontario roadside attractions! All my favorite things to do. When planning a trip to a National Park you need to know when is the earliest you can book. If you are not online booking your campsite that morning you will not get a site. There is a reason these places are part of our National Park system they are gorgeous and everyone wants to see them.
From Kitchener, this is over a three-hour drive so I would recommend staying at least a night. We had made a reservation for two nights inside Bruce Peninsula National Park. The whole area is beautiful but if you want the easiest way to walk to the Grotto this is where you should stay. The actual campground is Cyprus Lake Campground. This campground has no electricity and at the time no showers. The showers were being built as we were there so future campers should have a less smelly time with it.
You can't pass by Wiarton without stopping by to see Wiarton Willie. A large park is dedicated to the furry rodent that predicts our winters and it's a great spot to get out and rest. When you get to the campground you could be in a bit of a line to check-in it's a good idea to use the facilities here to make sure everyone is comfortable for the possible wait. Plus now with our Pup in the car we wanted to give her a chance to stretch out.
Since we got to Tobermory before check-in for our site we headed to the Marina for lunch and a look around. I will say this is a busy tourist area, during the July August months I don't know if there is ever a less busy time. I bet the offseason is just as beautiful here but we wanted to spend a lot of time in the water so for a person that has been around Ontario lakes all her life August is your best chance to not freeze while swimming.
We headed into Tobermory and traffic is slow. Parking is hard to come by so don't be choosey. We had lunch at this great Pizza place. I had ordered ahead while we were still making our way into town so it was ready for when we got there. Della Rocca Pizzeria has a great thin crust and a fantastic sauce https://www.facebook.com/DellaRoccaPizzeria/ I have heard great things about the fish places but I have that picky eater so it wouldn't be such a hit for us.
The campground is under 15 minutes from Tobermory and we knew we would be back the next day to catch the boat to Flower Pot Island. When we got to the campground and got ourselves all set up we were ready for a swim. First, we hit the beach and loved the lake. This is a great shallow lake that you can walk out in for a long time. The dog loved it! This was her first time wearing her life vest and she thought she was there to save all the swimmers. It was so much fun.
After some food and relaxing we took the path to the Grotto to see if the hype is worth it. Well, it is, it's beautiful....But it is very rocky to get to and way too busy for our liking. It was great to look at but to have actually tried to find a spot and stayed for a long time I don't think that would have been possible. It is everything you think it will be, clear water, turquoise beauty. We knew Flower Pot Island had a lot of the same hype so we had high hopes for the next day.
The next day we had an early reservation for the boat ride to Flower Pot Island. Flower Pot Island is part of Fathom Five National Marine Park www.pc.gc.ca/en/amnc-nmca/on/fathomfive/activ/flowerpot This area should not be missed. First, the boat ride is great. You get to pass lighthouses, shipwrecks and the rock formation the Island is named after.
It was the first time Bo had been on a boat and she did great. If you are travelling with a dog you need to make sure you book the right boat. You can't book a glass-bottom boat we chose https://www.cruisetobermory.com/ Blue Heron Cruises.
On a clear day, you get to pass two nineteenth-century shipwrecks. The water is so crystal clear it's amazing. Unfortunately a little harder to see in pictures.
This Island was the highlight of the trip. We did the trail that goes around the island that heads up to a lighthouse. Not the best lighthouse more of a look out point really. But the swimming there was wonderful. Crystal clear just like by the grotto but so much more flat rock surface to enjoy. Bring a snack to enjoy your time here.
This Adventure was at the top of my Ontario bucket list and it should be on yours!
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