Dark Lake and Grace River Paddles

These two paddling routes are great on their own or in combination with each other.

Dark Lake Paddle

Dark Lake, formerly called Pusey Lake is the backbone of the town of Wilberforce.  Access the lake from the boat launch on Dark Lake Road. A pleasant 5 km paddle around the circumference of the lake will take you past several long-standing resorts—the colourful cabins of Park Cottages, the Bostonian Motel next door, the Terrace Inn, once the site of Wilberforce's first school, and The Glens which sits on the IB&O Rail bed.  Be sure to stop at the town dock and stretch your legs with a stroll down Wilberforce's main street past the Red Cross Historic House Museum and on to Agnew's General Store for ice cream or the South Algonquin Diner for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Want another break?  At the opposite end of the lake, beach your canoe, cross the rail bed and hike the trail to Sucker Lake.

Grace River Paddle

The Grace River boat launch is on the Burleigh Road at the mouth of the river just before it flows under the bridge and into Dark Lake. While there is lots of water in the river in the spring, by September motorboats are often unable to navigate the river and the flow under the bridge is reduced to a trickle. Canoes and kayaks are usually able to keep from running aground through all canoeing seasons. The river, from the boat launch to the head of the river at Grace Lake is 1.5 km one way.

Download Dark Lake and Grace River Paddles Map