Hardy Lake Provincial Park

Best trail in Muskoka IMO. Lots of length options (from 3km to 14km) with beautiful views and terrain. This place gets VERY busy in the summer tourist season so we typically plan to go on weekdays.

Highly over rated. I guess if you're from the city and need to find some nature, it's the place to go. Dog feces everywhere, very few people actually have their dogs on leashes.

Best trails in Muskoka south of Algonquin Park. Basic loop from parking lot is a leisurely 45 min walk. Longer walks available. Limited parking. Be careful if you park on side of Hwy 169. Some slippery rock faces - good shoes recommended. Please keep your dog on a leash. Recommended.

This lake i have loved for 30yrs it's beautiful to walk your dogs, back in the beginning it was quieter and the parking was a little easier.

Had a beautiful hike there with our family during Thanksgiving. My MIL has some knee issues so we went 3 km trail. Still a bit tricky, for her. Bring a walking stick if this is an issue. Beautiful lake, saw a baby snapping turtle, the trees were popping and it's was absolutely stunning. Not really much parking (maybe 20) spots and there was at least a kilometer of cars that parked on side Rd. It was a busy, busy day. Will be back to do the 10km trail in summer.

What a wonderful hiking trail! Try to visit here in a sunny morning, which is quite easy to take some extremely beautiful photos. The trail is flat and easy. Not so many rocks or roots.

We did the 9 km trail on a sunny august morning with our 5 year old. Beautiful spots on the way to take a break for swim or snack or just to relax and enjoy the nature. Hard to find parking spot on weekends because of the limited space. There's a portable toilet at the parking lot. And no parking fees or any day permit to visit this park.

Great park with amazing trails! I've done the 8km loop around the lake both in winter and now just recently in summer. In winter best to bring cleats/ice grippers and in summer best to use some bug spray. Bugs were not bad, only started to notice a few towards the end of the trail when further away from the lake. Porta potty at trail entrance and small rock bench in parking lot. Would definitely recommend, lots of frogs and mushrooms to see in summer! Give yourself at least 2-3hrs to complete if you take stops for photos etc. Nice and cool to hike in summer with all the tree coverage, so definitely an option to do on a really hot day.

Une très belle randonnée pédestre en bordure du lac Hardy, dans l'extraordinaires écosystème de la forêt boréale. Shirin-yoku, ressourçant et réénergisant!

Great hiking spot with several places to rest on the rocks by the lake. I recommend good footwear as the terrain is rocky and uneven in some areas. We did the loop trail around the lake, a little over 8 km

If you're in Muskoka, don't miss this gem of a trail. Great for a short (3km) or longer hikes (up to 10km), or to hang out for the day in one of beautiful spots along the lakes. Relatively easy terrain. Small parking lot that fills up quickly.

I love it!
Great place to canoe for sure! I wish I brought a canoe.
Look out is good. Very peaceful!
Not a lot of mosquitoes.
I’d say an easy trail.

Loved hiking alongside the water. Hike has some good elevation changes too so it's perfect for a bit more exercise. I think the smallest full loop is 3km then 4km and then 9km something like that, but it's set up where you can kind of get in-betweens. I saw a fox, some beavers, and plenty of frogs. Bring bug spray!

Stunning park and beautiful trail! Hubby, brother in law and I enjoyed a 2 and a half hour hike around the entire park. It was gorgeous and such a good workout!

Beautiful trail but a lot of mosquitoes in the blue trail. Saw a couple of snakes too near the bridge along the 9km trail - so, watch your steps.

Limited parking however there is plenty of space along the highway. Beautiful hiking trails and boardwalks to journey across. Highly recommend!

Beautiful trails. There are 2 trails that are 3 kilometers, and an 8 kilometer trail. There's overlap between the trails. Definitely not suitable for a stroller but we managed it with a baby carrier. Worth visiting.

Absolutely stunning with the fall colours and likewise, for the drive to the park. Be prepared to park along the highway & walk in a moderate distance to the entrance. Surreal beauty and lush greenery that provide optional trails (3,8k or 10k) with varied terrain and difficulty. Would be a runner’s delight to run the trails but due to heavy volume of visitors it was not feasible. Perhaps off season, week days & less gorgeous weather! Though heavy traffic on trails & required additional distance to walk in, it’s still worth the view & drive. Happy Hiking!

Beautiful hiking trail! The full trail was slightly difficult in terms of length but the terrain was overall fairly easy - no major hills. Next time we will be doing the 3km loop and bringing our swimming gear, now that we know this is a great place to come for a swim and a picnic lunch!

There are two trails you can take, one is 8km the other is 3km. We took the 3km with two toddlers, it was great! Beautiful scenery, thick forest also at times you get look out spots on rocks looking over the lake.

Beautiful park, well maintained. Very scenic trails around the lake. Tons of frogs, even saw beavers working on his hut. Next time will go earlier and try the 8km trail.

A cushy trail around a peaceful lake providing a taste of Ontario wilderness. Make sure to stop by Gravenhurst on the way there!

Beautiful hiking trail and lake, worth checking out. The parking lot is small but people also park along the side of the street. There is a 3km and an 8km trail. Great lookouts and hike but would not recommend for young children due to some steeper hills and challenging terrain.

It was an amazing experience to be here in the winter. The surroundings were all white and the lakes were frozen that you can walk to the island in the middle.

No fee was charged although we had to park along the side of the highway because so many people come to visit. Stunning beauty of the lake and ponds. Many family swimming there.

I took the 10KM hiking loop in the summer 2021 and it was a pretty good workout.

Do make sure to wear long sleeves and bug repellants as there are LOTS of mosquitos and bugs.

Half way through the loop you will encounter a couple of bridges which is a nice milestone.

Great park to explore this summer. Loved the trails as well as the lake. Short drive from Gravenhurst.

Really loved the board walks. Be watchful to spot wide variety of wildlife! Word of caution! - beware of mosquitoes they are capable of scaring you away from the trail as we just jumped on to the road as we couldn’t take them anymore loll!

Excellent park with three different options for trails. I did the green colour 3km hiking trail since it gives you a lot time to walk along the water. The trail is very well marked and combines a good sense of adventure with a simple trail. Make sure you have mosquito.

Beautiful place for a hike. Different length loops. Rocky outcrops to sit and have a rest and swim. You can also carry canoe or kayak into the lake, flat, but a good distance.

Took the 3km blue trail which connects to the main 9km trail.

The area was covered with gypsy moths and mosquitoes, so make sure you're generous with the amount of bug spray you use. There are also swampy areas between the 3km to 6km marks. Some areas are extremely difficult to pass through due to the water build up, so be sure to bring boots if you plan on hiking through this area.

Lots of beautiful sights, nice and peaceful. Not too difficult to hike (aside from the swampy areas).

The park has a rich community of Atlantic coastal plain species. These species are here because at one time, much of present day Ontario was submerged beneath numerous glacial and post-glacial lakes. When the ancient Lake Algonquin receded, it left a remnant community of Atlantic Ocean shoreline plants behind. The park also contains an inland section of displaced Georgian Bay shoreline.

Great trails, mosquitoes are heavy in some areas this time of year. Has some great hidden paths as well.

Great hiking trail. It gets lots of foot traffic so it's friendly for all experience levels and very easy to follow. There is a shorter 3k loop and a longer 8km loop both along the water

Enjoyed the walk today. Trails were groomed which was nice to find after heavy snowfall yesterday. Took the blue trail and went from the end and reach a bridge which was slippery and snow covered. That was dangerous and we almost fell off. Not so pleasant. So we turned around and went back the way we came. Otherwise a beautiful hike.

Amazing place to go for a hike but you do the 8 km hike ‍️ to see the real beauty of this park