Topographic Map 31 C/8 Reference Map GananoqueROUTE to Marble Rock 1 The southernmost section of the River is below the dam at Marble Rock. The river empties into the St. Lawrence River in the town of Gananoque. The distance from the St. Lawrence to Marble Rock dam is a little more than 11 kilometres, and with the portage, possibly four to five hours on the water. The trip is worth beginning at the St. Lawrence itself, but would involve one neces- sary portage just a short distance above the St. Lawrence, at series of falls and a dam. At present, however, while there is a public walkway over most of the length of the portage around the falls, the actual access point on the lower section of the river has not been finalized. The settlement of Gananoque came with the exodus of United Empire Loyalists from the United DEPARTURE POINT States, in the late 1700s. This loca- tion, where the flowed into the St. Lawrence was A place to begin is at the public dock in front of the town’s Heritage Village. a prime candidate for settle - There are parking lots just across the street. In actual fact, begin the exploration ment. Rivers, in those days, were at the Arthur Child Heritage Centre. The displays and gallery have a great intro- both transportation routes and duction to the history and culture of the region,and the town. Shops around the sources of power. Here was a village include a book store, souvenirs and treats. very unusual opportunity, because of the sets of falls and rapids so close to the major route of the St. Lawrence. The Ganan - oque was a great and reliable TRIP LENGTH AND DISTANCE flow that was quickly harnessed The distance from the St. Lawrence to Marble Rock dam is a little more than for grist mills, and before long to turn water wheels for factories of 11 kilometres, and with the portage, possibly four to five hours on the water. all sorts. The trip is worth beginning at the St. Lawrence itself, but would involve one necessary portage just a short distance above the St. Lawrence, at series of falls and a dam. Notes of History POINTS OF INTEREST Early growth of the town is largely credited to Colonel , a from Single Lane Bridge Connecticut who obtained a grant of land for the The single-lane steel bridge crossing the Gananoque River as it enters the St. east side of the river here. Stone was an entrepre- Lawrence is an unusual design. It is a swing bridge, designed to pivot on the neur, and soon employed timber cutters who central pillar, geared to be turned 90º to open a passage for larger boats floated their logs down the Gananoque to the St. entering and leaving the river. Lawrence. He as well built a first flour mill at the falls, able to handle grain from local farms and, Today, the east bank of this lower section of the river is lined with boathouses, before long, shipping surplus production to other most of which are owned with the houses on the bluff above. One of the first communities. By the 1820s, a large mill at the town houses and boathouses in from the swing bridge was owned by a local boat established Gananoque as a major milling centre, builder, Ray Andress, who built small boats and runabouts, as well as a version with Durham boats—river cargo carriers of the of the unique St. Lawrence skiff. The St. John’s Catholic Church is the largest day—delivering substantial amounts of flour downriver to , and beyond. building on the skyline. Further along, closer to the falls, there are derelict fac- tory buildings. By the 1870s, there were as many as 49 mills and factories along this section of the Gananoque Stone’s Mills River. The town earned the nickname of “Little The west bank still recalls the days when the river was intimately involved with Birmingham”, after the industrial city of England. industry. A 19th century brick factory stands near the entrance to the river, Factories made hardware such as bolts, nails, and further along, past Brennan’s Marina, is a cluster of restored stone and shovels and rakes; iron and wooden fittings for carriages and steamboats; and even renowned brick buildings fishing lures. While none of those earlier factories is still in production, or water-powered, there are a number of the old buildings still standing along the river banks. In fact, very near the portage point below the first falls, the river pours out from under one of the older buildings, where power is gener- ated by the former Gananoque Light and Power Company, now owned by Fortis . Notes of History The Portage It is hard to imagine with the development Nearing the falls, the curre nt becomes quite noticeable. Before reaching the botto m of of the town today, the portage traces the falls, it will be necessary to pull in to the bank and pull your boat, to portage. The almost precisely the same route used by access point here is at the grassy strip on the east bank, beside the fenced area with the peoples. Archaeological finds electric transformers. A laneway leads up and around the old mill buildings, to King Street. show that this path around the sets of rapids and falls was in regular use to at The carry is about 300 metres, crossing King Street, following the wide walkway along the least 3,000 years ago. The course of the west side of the old railway building that today houses the Gananoque Chamber of Com- Gananoque River accesses the interior, merce and Museum, and which comes to another old railway trestle across the river. This along the waterways of numerous rivers, trestle has been converted to a walkway, and crossing that, the launch access point is on lakes and streams. the west side, north of the trestle.

Perhaps it was knowledge of this ancient route that lead Colonel John By to con - sider the Gananoque and waterways beyond as an alternative to the route that he eventually chose to bypass the potentially militarily treacher - ous St. Lawrence. The Gananoque was more secure and defensible from warships that could easily assault Kingston and the canal entrance at the Cataraqui River off Lake Ontario. However, the volume of water flow on the Gananoque River was considerable less than on the Cataraqui.

On the Portage

This portage lands you in downtown Gananoque, where it would be well worth while to dally and explore. Conveniently, at the King Street crossing, is the Chamber of Commerce office, an excellent source of information about the town, and activities curre ntly under- way. The museum, next door, and the town hall across the park, are wonderful insights into the history of Gananoque. The town hall was at one time the residence of one of the prin- cipal founding fathers, Colonel Joel Stone.

Along King Street, to the east of the portage, is the main business district with all types of shops where one can find whatever supplies needed for the duration of the paddle. As well, near the downtown are several inns, bed & breakfast accommodations, and motels. www.gananoque.com for more information Notes of History Above the Falls The section of the Gananoque River above the Currently, an access point to the river above the falls in Gananoque is at the foot falls in the town to the dam at Marble Rock is a of Railway Street, on the west and north side of the old railway trestle bridge. This tranquil paddle. There are three more bridges bridge no longer has tracks, and has been converted to part of the system of over the river at the town. The first of these is a walking trails being developed for the town. Follow the path across the bridge, one-way automobile bridge, with a wooden and around the chain link fence. Boats can be launched, or hauled, from the deck, at Machar Street. The second is another railway trestle, from the same rail line as is now grassy bank. part of the Gananoque trail system, just above the town’s upper falls. This railway line, now aban- Should your trip be starting from this point, cars can be parked roadside along doned and with the rails themselves removed, the street at the open parkland. was called the Railway. It was a narrow gauge rail line, built before times when the Words of caution: The current here is strong, and especially so in spring, because of heavier flow in runoff. with of such lines were standardized. The Thou- Control your boat carefully, and stay near the river bank, not venturing out to centre channel where you sand Islands Railway was once very important to may be carried against the low girders supporting the trestle, and your craft overturned. Your safety is your the town of Gananoque, as it carried not only own responsibility. passengers but considerable freight as manufac- tured goods from the town’s factories. The line The third bridge is that of highway 401. It was built before the rail line was discontinued, crossed the river three times in the town, and and so is higher and wider than what normally would have been put in place, to accom- went from the waterfront at the site of a large milk modate the passage of trains. An interesting spin-off of this construction is a passage and cheese plant, the Cow & Gates Company, way used to a degree by wildlife, tracing the thickets and river banks. Wildlife has few long-since torn down, to the village of Cheese- options in crossing this tremendously busy highway in other places, and there is good borough and Gananoque Junction, a few potential here to improve the character and quality of the grounds under this overpass kilometers north. As such, a number of the facto- to allow better and safer passage for wildlife. ries along the way had ready access to a major transportation system. Passengers boarded in the town at what is now the Chamber of Commerce There was at one time a fourth bridge over the river, not far south of the 401 overpass. office. The concrete abutments stand where a local road once traversed the river.

For the next approximately two kilometres, the west bank of the river borders the Ganan- oque Provincial Wildlife Area, publicly owned and accessible land. As the name would imply, this is an important area for wildlife. The area of several square kilometres to the north and west of the Gananoque River is laced with the tributaries of Mud Creek, which flows into the Gananoque at the northeast corner of the wildlife area. Where the creek and river merge, and westward on the creek, there is an extensive low-lying area of marshes, swamps and wetland woods. This complex of habitats hosts numerous mam- mals including white-tail deer, coyote, red fox, muskrat, mink and weasels, which you may likely see passing by. Especially of note is the numbers and variety of reptiles and amphibians here—snakes, frogs, turtles and salamanders—which rely not only on wet- lands themselves, but the quality of bordering lands which serve as integral parts of their feeding and breeding habitat. Those most likely to be seen are painted turtles, sunning on logs and banks; water snakes, swimming in search of fish for prey; bull frogs, perhaps more heard than seen; and snapping turtles, rummaging along the river banks. The Big Picture A History of Rock A special value of the Gananoque waterway is that it is a major corridor for wildlife. Compass and map will show that the ridge, which Because so much of the landscape through which the river passes is lightly devel - defines the course of the river, trends northeast – south- oped, with near continuous woodlands and wetlands along its length, a passageway west. This is the orientation of the majority of ridges and exists. Migrating birds, especially smaller species use such routes, but so do many spe- valleys of the Arch. The granite ridge you see is one of many “roots” of billion year old mountains that once cies of other animals. Mammals, fish, reptiles and amphibians don’t travel long towered loftily here. Ever-shifting, the plates of the distances from season to season, but they do follow suitable habitats throughout their earth’s crust buckled over an immense area, and lives while foraging, breeding or in search of territory. Plants too disperse through pushed a mountain range skyward. Created was the suitable habitats, if available. Therefore, an important role of extensive habitat and youngest section, the Grenville Province, of the massive corridors such as along this river is to provide enough specialized habitats for popula- plate we now call the Canadian Shield. Over hundreds tions to remain large enough to survive, and to allow a mixing of populations for of thousands of years, the mountains were worn down, with the softer sedimentary upper layers eroded by genetic diversity. wind and weather, and the particles carried to the seas. What remained is what you see today—the meta- The corridor along this waterway is a part of a larger corridor for wildlife. The Frontenac morphic rock formed under the mountains by the heat Arch is a ridge of ancient Precambrian granite that connects the Canadian Shield to and enormous pressure of the burden of rock above. the north with the Adirondack Mountains to the southeast. The Arch, the backbone of Now, the pattern and orientation of the mountains is eastern North America, forms a corridor—the Algonquin to Adirondacks Corridor - visible in the mountain roots. between these two landforms. Forests and forest residents of these otherwise distant The Frontenac Arch came to be when, hundreds of landscapes are connected. millions of years ago, the immense dome of Precam - brian rock we know as the Adirondack Mountains rose because of stresses on the earth’s crust. Its rise brought with it a long, broad ridge which ran all the way to the Canadian Shield. This extension of the Shield we call today the Frontenac Arch, aligned northwest – south - east. It so happens that the trending direction of the ancient and long-eroded mountains was perpendicu - lar to the alignment of the Arch, or right angles to the Frontenac Arch’s axis. Therefore, the rivers and streams Above the 401 highway and the town of Gananoque, the corridor is overall quite that flow off the Arch, and the valleys and lakes on the healthy. The Gananoque Provincial Wildlife Area has an important role of extending Arch, lie like ribbons draped across the ridge of the the corridor westward, around the town site, where except for the barriers of 401 and ancient landscape. County Road 2, the corridor can be traced to the St. Lawrence River and across the The ridges as you see along the river are worn and island chains. rounded, and, interestingly, appear now much as they did some 450 million years ago. Certainly the fours periods of glaciation that we know of in the last 100,000 About three kilometres north of the 401, a rail trestle of the main line of the Canadian years have had a shaping and polishing effect. But National Railway crosses over the Gananoque River. A few hundred metres on, the there have been earlier glaciations and weathering river passes under a bridge for County Road 32, at the hamlet of Maple Grove. that rounded this landscape, even before they were covered with a veneer of sedimentary rock such as the In contrast to the landscape to this point, the river above the County Road 32 bridge limestones of Kingston and west, and the sandstones of will border a granite ridge, on the east bank. This is good insight into the geological and Upper New York. story of the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve. Marble Rock

Some five kilometres above the County Road 32 bridge, high ridges considerably confined the river, forming a natural dam. The engineers who worked to harness the river to generate electricity concluded that this was an ideal location for a dam and generators. The name of this location comes from the character of the rock, which has large amounts of quartzite, appearing like marble, or metamorphosed limestone.

There is a road bridge where the Marble Rock Road crosses the Gananoque River, about 500 metres below the dam.

This section of the guide ends with the approach to the power dam. Route One ends at the Marble Rock Dam. IMPORTANT: At present, (March 2011) there is no sanctioned portage around the dam between Routes One and Two. The east side of the River at Marble Rock is private property. DO NOT TRESPASS. Portaging around the dam on the west side of the river is at your own risk. 

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Legend    Dock  Marble Rock Marble  Dam  Outhouse Rock  View / Vista PELOW ROAD Canoe / Kayak Hiking Trails Water Dam Wooded Area Emery 

  LEKX ROAD 

 HISCOCKS ROAD MARBLE ROCK ROAD

STATION ROAD

Maple Grove

MAPLE GROVE ROAD   COUNTY ROAD 32   Cheeseborough  

OWENAVENUE

STONE STREET NORTH

 HIGHWAY 401  HIGHWAY 401  1000 ISLANDSCOUNTY PARKWAY ROAD 2   DAYS ROAD  LONEYS LANE

DepatureRIVER STREET at Public Dock 

VICTORIA AVENUE

BROCK STREET GEORGIANA STREET OAK STREET BEAVER ROAD KING STREET EAST

 ROAD CROSBY 3RD STREET BROCK STREET

2ND STREET !  ELIZABETH DRIVE 1ST STREET MAIN STREETGananoque KING STREET WEST JOHN STREET KING STREET WEST

HILLSIDE DRIVE  St Lawrence River COUNTY ROAD 2 /

Produced by the FRONTENAC ARCH 1:35,000 BIOSPHERE RESERVE. Base Data Gananoque River Paddling supplied by Ontario Ministry of Natural 00.25 0.5 1 1.5 2 ResourcesLand Information Ontario 2010. Trail (Route 1) km

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 Topographic Map 31 C9 Reference Map 2 MarbleROUTE Rock to Lyndhurst 2

The Marble Rock to Lyndhurst section of the Gananoque waterway paddle route is the longest. The description of this section of the river runs upstream. The current is not swift, and most often not even noticeable, but the prevailing southwesterly wind would generally be at your back on the upstream journey

DEPARTURE POINT IMPORTANT: At present, there is no sanctioned portage around the dam High ridges considerably con - between Routes One and Two. The east side of the River at Marble Rock is fined the river, forming a natural private property. DO NOT TRESPASS. Portaging around the dam on the west side dam here. The man-made dam of the river is at your own risk. capitalized on this narrows, with It is about 28 to 29 kilometres from the access point at the Marble Rock Road the seasonal flow regulated bridge to the access area at Lyndhurst. It is, potentially, a day’s worth of pleas- and the level of the river and ant paddling. lakes above held relatively steady throughout the year. Electricity is generated on this river, and has been for nearly a century, so that regulation of the flow became a matter of economics. Filter System Wiltse Creek About a kilometre above the dam, and for the following four kilometres to the south end of Gananoque Lake, the river flows through an extensive wetland and marsh complex. About a kilometre from the south end of These marshes perform a vital function on the waterway, in many respects. It is only in Gananoque Lake, Wiltse Creek enters the recent years, though, that we are coming to realize the significance of the role that such river, on the east bank. Wiltse Creek origi- places play as filters which absorb so effectively nutrients that are carried to the river from nates as the outflow from Charleston Lake. activities in communities and from farmland runoff. Excess phosphates and nitrates are a It meanders through the extensive major reason for the premature aging of lakes and rivers, and the decrease in the amount marshes that form a Provincially Signifi- of dissolved oxygen, essential for fish. When the excess of aquatic plants die, they con- cant Wetland—one of the largest and sume oxygen, a critical factor in the survival of aquatic life. most important wetland complexes of the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve. There is Wetlands are also vital reservoirs, and along with the forests that border lakes and rivers, an astounding wealth of aquatic commu- absorb, contain and slow release water from rainfall and snow meltwater. Because of them, a river’s flow is more constant, with less abrupt flooding and erosion. There are nity plants and animals here, of which obvious benefits to our developments along shorelines, but again great benefits to wildlife biologists are just now beginning to populations as well. Sediment and nutrient aid and accelerate the growth of algae and realize the breadth of the diversity. aquatic plants, reducing clarity, abrade the delicate gills of fish, and smother the eggs of fish and small aquatic organisms that are basic to the food chain. It is possible early in the season to journey up Wiltse Creek to Charleston Lake, and another great paddling experience. A future expansion of this guide will focus on that area and routes.

Gananoque Lake Gananoque Lake is cradled in the valleys of the Precambrian granite landscape of the Frontenac Arch. Just as the ridges are ruggedly irregular, while generally trending south- west – northeast, so too is the form of the lake a complex of lobes and channels. To under- stand more of the physical character of this landscape, refer to the “History of Rock” in the previous section.

A few hundred metres into the south end of the lake, on the west bank, is Tedford’s Lake- side Lodge—catering especially to fishermen booking in for a week or so.

At first glance, the perspective from the bottom end of the lake makes it difficult to know where to paddle next. Since the route leads north, and because shorelines are more interesting to follow, cross the lake from Tedford’s Lodge and trace that shore along the east side of the lake. a route east of Big and Tea Islands has more shelter, if the wind is up. The lake narrows again beyond Sand Bay, and is more heavily developed for the next 1 1/2 km. in this lake arm, along the west shore. The Crank

The Crank gets its name from the shape of the narrows and passage of a section of the lake a little more than four kilometres above Tedford’s Lodge. The passage of the waterway was nearly blocked by a high ridge, except for a narrow gap in the ridge. From the maps, the shape of the lake as it lies on either side of the ridge and passes through appears a little like a bicycle crank. The canyon-like walls of rock are in some places polished smooth by glaciers and in others flat-faced and abrupt, where glacial ice and frost weathering over thousands of years broke rock away.

For another 3 1/2 km., the route follows a scenic and tranquil section of the lake. The diversity of plants and animals is very high here, and a group of area residents has purchased some of the land in Lost Bay to protect in a nature reserve. The paddle trail itself, though, follows the west shore where the channel leads into another constriction, westward, before entering the reach of the lake that 2 1/2 km. further ends at Black Rapids.

Black Rapids

The north end of this section of the Gananoque Waterway ends where the river is confined in a narrow and more shallow channel. Though the current in summer is not strong, the spring flow during runoff is brisk, especially on the south side of the bridge. Expect to spend a little more energy here, for the next 200 metres. The waterway passes under the bridge at County Road 3, and the banks are too steep here, as well as there are no side trails, to portage. Red Horse Lake A critical factor for lake trout populations is A very short distance above the narrows of Black Rapids, the waterway enters the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. Red Horse Lake. the lake gets its name from the dark red colour of natural if the amount of dissolved oxygen drops staining on a rock face, three km. north up the lake. the stain, on a massive below a critical minimum, trout cannot cliff on the east side of the lake, looks—with a little imagination—like a rearing survive. Because this critical level is being horse. reached at Red Horse Lake, and at neighbour- ing Charleston Lake, these lakes have been Red Horse is classed as a Highly Sensitive Trout Lake by the Ministry of Natural given the unfortunate classification of Highly Resources. This lake, despite being fairly narrow, is very deep and cold in Sensitive, where the lake trout population is sections; a character that can provide habitat for lake trout. These fish need seriously threatened. This is of course a com- colder water temperatures, and a range of depth that provides separation of ment on the health of the lakes’ ecosystems, young fish from adults. The adults spawn on shoals in mid-fall, and the young and related closely to the character and hatch in early spring. As the water warms, adults retreat to deeper water and perhaps quantity of development in the lake below the thermocline—a layer of distinct temperature difference. The young drainage basins. Phosphates are a primary stay in the shallower water for a time, and go deeper as the season passes. factor. Excess nutrients are a major reason for The range of depth in lakes such as this becomes important, as adults are the premature aging of lakes and rivers, predators, and would eat their young. causing increased growth of aquatic plants and algae. When the excess of aquatic plants Red Horse Lake trends first northeast, and then abruptly the route switches die, bacteria which decay the growth back southwest, upon rounding Long Point – a ridge which nearly separates consumes oxygen, a critical factor in this the lake in two. At the southwest end of the Long Reach section of Red Horse sensitive deep water trout lake. Lake, the waterway zig zags northeast again on a channel into Singleton Lake. A better understanding of ecosystems leads to better provisions in planning and develop- There is a lodge, Shawmere, on Red Horse Lake. Shawmere caters to fisher- ment. Healthy septic systems, leaving a broad men, and during bass season, from in the third week of June until early fall, strip of forest and ground cover between reservations are accepted for a minimum of a week. However, before and buildings and the shore and prevention of after that time, two day stays may be arranged. nutrients from reaching the water are vital to waterway health. If put into practice early enough, and understood and embraced by waterfront planners and residents alike, lakes and rivers can remain healthy and even restored to health. Singleton Lake Lyndhurst Singleton Lake is considerably shallower than was Red Horse. The water has a different character and is greener in colour. The shallow water warms quicker The round Lyndhurst Lake is about 700 and more thoroughly here, with more algae growth. The contrast with Red metres across, from the top of the creek to the Horse is dramatic, with Singleton aging more, and more quickly. Greater devel- access point at the foot of Ford Street. Paddle opment of residences, cottages and farmland at this lake, along the Lyndhurst directly across towards the town, and watch Creek and around Lyndhurst Lake to the north contribute nutrient, the effects for a red-stained dock and stairway. The dock of which are magnified by the warmer water. the condition is not confined to has been placed by the Cataraqui Region this body of water, though, and the nutrient enriched water flows southward to Conservation Authority, and the end of Ford the sensitive Red Horse Lake. Street to the water is public access. Following the north and then, around a point, the east shores of Singleton Lake, passage is through a deep water marsh of water lily and spadderdock. It’s a It is necessary to portage through the village lively marsh, teeming with large mouth bass, sunfish, painted turtles, ducks and of Lyndhurst, as the creek entering the west songbirds. There’s always a great blue heron or two, wading in shallow water, end of the lake here is rocky and shallow, and stalking fish and frogs. there is a high dam at the town, with no way to bypass it at this point. At the north end of Singleton Lake, the waterway abruptly narrows into the southern section of Lyndhurst Creek. A half kilometre on, a long, low ridge of While cars can stop for a short time for pick glacially-polished granite—looking like the back of an enormous whale—forms up or launch at the foot of Ford Street, longer the east creek bank. A half kilometre further, an old, iron one-lane bridge of term parking should be on the next cross the township Red Horse Road crosses over the creek. It’s another 1.3 km. from street up, Oakel Street, opposite the park, the little bridge to Lyndhurst Lake, past a row of stream bank cottages and a towards the east end. marsh near the south end of the lake.

Map from Rideau Info.com 

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 TURK ROCK ROAD Legend  Cronin Bay Lyndhurst Mud Lake  Canoe / Kayak Lake Charleston Lake  BRIAR HILL ROAD Morton Creek RED HORSE LAKE ROAD    Portage Red Horse  Lake ! Hiking Trails     Water Dam Lyndhurst    COUNTY ROAD 3   RODDICK LANE  Lyndhurst Creek   Portage Take Out WATER STREET   FORD STREET   LYNDHURST ROAD   Outhouse  SWEETS CORNERS ROAD JONAS STREET   View / Vista Sweets Corners Singleton 

BRYAN ROAD  Lake   Wooded Area OAKELCAMP STREET LANE LAROSE BAY ROAD  NORTH SHORE ROAD

Lyndhurst Bridge LODGE LANE    HIGHWAY 15 Grippen Lake Black Rapids   WILDLIFE LANE   Long Point   LYNDHURST ROAD   HALL ROAD          Long Lake    LONG POINT ROAD 

BEAVEROCK LANE

 BLACK RAPIDS ROAD  PINE TREE ROAD Gananoque River Lost Bay The Crank  ELLISVILLE ROAD       Lime Lake   SAND BAY ROAD Sand Bay Corner      HERON LANE  DULCEMAINE ROAD GAN LAKE LANE Sand Gananoque Lake Bay DORMER ROAD DERYAW ROAD Pine Island Big Island  Black Creek Birch Island Wiltse Creek 

RUSSELL ROAD  

BULLFROG BAY ROAD FAIRFAX ROAD

 Howard Lake KYES ROAD TAYLOR ROAD EAST 

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Gananoque River Marble Rock EDEN GROVE ROAD Dam   /     Produced by the FRONTENAC ARCH 1:70,000 BIOSPHERE RESERVE. Base Data Gananoque River Paddling supplied by Ontario Ministry of Natural Emery 00.5 1 2 3 4  ResourcesLand Information Ontario 2010. Trail (Route 2) km       

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 Topographic Map 31 C/9 Reference Map 3 LyndhurstROUTE to Delta 3 The village of Lyndhurst is a good place to find provisions, lunch, treats or perhaps accommodation. Blair Cottage B&B on Jonas Street, parallel to Ford Street, would cater to paddlers.

DEPARTURE POINT If carrying on by boat from Lyndhurst Lake to the upper Lyndhurst Creek, and beyond, the portage is a 500 metre portage across town. The route is marked on the map inset. Lyndhurst is an older village in the The access point on the north side region. Capitalizing on the water of the village is at a public park on power of the falls on Lyndhurst the north side of the bridge and Creek, it had before the mid main road, on the east side of the 1800s a carding mill, grist mill and creek. The dock is down a grassy sawmill. It was called Furnace slope at a picnic area. Falls for a time, because of an iron foundry—the first in Upper Canada. The iron works was short-lived, though, because of the poor grade of ore available. The three-arched, single-lane bridge across the creek was first built in 1857, and was rebuilt with TRIP LENGTH AND DISTANCE hidden support structures in the The Lyndhurst to Delta section of this guide covers a distance of about eight mid 1980s. The rebuilding was a kilometres. The first half of this section is up the sheltered and tranquil Lyndhurst local initiative, as plans were to Creek, and the second half is on the open waters of Lower Beverley Lake. There tear the historic structure down are, though, options if the lake is too windy, as will be explained further below. and replace it with something modern. Lyndhurst Creek Lower Beverley Access to the water at Lyndhurst’s park above the dam is very easy, and there is parking at hand, and washrooms open in summer months. This first area of the creek above the Lower Beverley is connected to Upper dam was called the Upper Mill Pond, from days when the water-powered mill was in Beverley Lake by a narrow waterway at existence. the village of Delta. When the village was first established in 1793, there was The upper section of Lyndhurst Creek is quiet in terms of both current flow and surrounding no upper lake. a steam, now called sound. Because the shores along most of the creek are low-lying, the banks are lined with Plum Hollow Creek, flowed into the marshes and swamp woods. While human noise is minimal, there is a riot of bird calls and lower lake with enough of a fall that racket from frogs. Fish are darting away from the boats constantly. These wetlands, like one of the early mills of the region those described in the previous section around Wiltse Creek, perform very important could be built there. To supply a more functions for habitat and filtering. Four kilometres above Lyndhurst, the creek opens into constant flow for the mills, a dam was Lower Beverley Lake built at the village in 1856, flooding nearly 1,000 hectares up the creek, Lower Beverley Lake creating Upper Beverley Lake. Paddlers Lower Beverley Lake is fairly large, and its open space can kick up in a strong breeze. could explore that broad flooded There are options to passage on the lake. If the weather suits your abilities, a destination in valley with a short portage across the this guide is the village of Delta, four kilometres up the lake, on the east—or generally village, accessing the upper lake at a windward—shore. Follow the curves of the shore northward, and note that there are three public park on the north side of the islands/island groups along the way. The third island, called Whiskey Island, is the largest of dam. the three, and the entrance channel into the creek to Delta is opposite/east of Whiskey Island.

An alternative access point, which involves less exposure on the open lake, is at Kendrick Park; a municipal park of the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands. Kendrick Park is two kilometres from the entrance to Lyndhurst Creek. The park lies westward, along the shore and around the point from the entrance to Lyndhurst Creek. There is a sand beach for beaching. The park is a fine place for picnics, and there is parking. There is an entrance fee for cars.

Lower Beverley Lake is unusual in that it empties into two different rivers—the Gananoque and the Cataraqui Rivers. And so, while this route has explored up the Gananoque system, it is possible to reach the Cataraqui by water as well. Morton Creek flows from the end of the southwest arm of the lake, and meanders in a narrow stream to the Whitefish Lake section of the Cataraqui on the Rideau Canal system, at the village of Morton. A future expansion of this guide will explore paddling possibilities through Morton Creek and Rideau Canal.

This lake originates in a broad area of wetlands and swamp woods called the Cooligan Marshes, to the north. Cooligan Creek, on its winding path through forest and farmland, had enough of a fall at one ravine to power grist, carding and sawmills at the hamlet of Harlem. The creek arrives at Lower Beverley Lake rich in both history, and nutrient. Delta Delta didn’t get its present name until after the dam created the upper lake. it was first called Stevensville, after its Loyalist founder; renamed Stone Mills, because of the prominent mill; and became Beverley, in honouring Chief Justice Sire John Beverley Robinson. Finding that there was another community named Beverley, when application was made for a post office, the village was named finally as Delta, for its position between the two lakes.

The Delta Mill was long a central feature of the village. It operated for a remarkable number years, from a first construction at the site in 1798 or perhaps earlier, until closing in 1949. Various owners, including a prominent of several regional mills, William Jones, altered construction to keep up with times and technology. For a period, a turbine in the mill generated electricity for Delta and Lyndhurst. The Delta mill Society purchased the mill in 1963, and it has been considerably and very well restored. The mill is now operating as an excellent interpretation of the history of milling, and of the community

Access to and from Lower Beverley Lake is at the village park, about half way between the two lakes, on the channelized stream’s north bank, east of the mill site. There is a public launch and dock in the park.

Approaching the stream channel from Lower Beverley, the entrance is not immediately apparent. Follow the shore into the back of the bay opposite Whiskey Island, and trace the channel about 600 metres inland to the access point. Because the straight-line distance from Lyndhurst to Delta has been a relatively short distance of eight kilometres, paddlers may want to deviate and detour to explore more of Lower Beverley Lake and its scenic islands. For instance, pad- dlers could go ‘round the point to Kendrick Park for a picnic, and then follow the west shore of the lake and perhaps into the southwest or north arms. While there are no other public parks and the lakeshore is privately owned, several parts of the lake are very picturesque. And, as mentionned above, an excur- sion into and around Upper Beverley Lake would be enjoyable, rewarded with good wildlife viewing 

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Mud Lake

   Legend Upper Beverley Lake LB5  UB6A  ! Portage Take Out KING STREET LB2 Delta Creek Delta  Dock LB 6 ROAD Aird Island  OuthouseBirch Island Canoe / Kayak WILLIAM STREET COUNTY ROAD 42 Portage RAILROAD STREET Delta Whiskey Island Partridge Island  Water Dam WATER STREET Marble Island COURT STREET   Hiking Trails  KING STREET

Wooded Area HICOCK ROAD  UB6A  Three Sisters Islands

MILL CREEK DRIVE WILLIAM STREET English Island Horse Island JOHN STREET  LB9 Lower Beverley Lake LB7A

Little LB 12 ROAD SHORT POINT ROAD  Halladay Bay  LB 13 ROAD Short Point

Kendricks Bay      WHITE BIRCH LANE FORTUNE LINE ROAD   KENDRICKS LANE LOWER OAK LEAF ROAD 

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KELSEY LANE

WEEKS ROAD Lyndhurst Creek  

 Lyndhurst COLD SPRING LANE

 LYNDHURST ROADWEBSTER ROAD WATER STREET  FORD STREET LYNDHURST ROAD

 JONAS STREET

  OAKEL STREET  Lyndhurst Bridge / Lyndhurst Lyndhurst Lake Mud Lake

  Produced by the FRONTENAC ARCH 1:28,000 BIOSPHERE RESERVE. Base Data Gananoque River Paddling   supplied by Ontario Ministry of Natural 00.25 0.5 1 1.5 2  ResourcesLand Information Ontario 2010. Trail (Route 3) km          

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