City of Orillia
Waterway: Lake Couchiching
Distance: 10km Loop
Time: 3 – 4 Hours
Difficulty: Easy
Type of Route: Loop & Linear
Launch Points:
(1) Couchiching Beach Park – 140 Canince St., Orillia, ON
(2) Portage Bay – 388 Couchiching Point Rd., Orillia, ON
Parking: Couchiching Park, or Tudhope Park (Free – See full details on the City of Orillia website)
NOTE: Lake Couchiching can experience heavy boat traffic, especially by the Port of Orillia. The wind can pick up quickly on the lake so please stay within your ability and know your limit. Use caution and respect and obey the rules of the waterway.
Orillia’s history is tied to the water and this route features cultural landmarks found along Lake Couchiching’s shore and feature famous monuments and historical buildings like the Orillia Bandstand. The vibrant Couchiching Beach Park, connected to Downtown Orillia is on the grounds of the original village plot and industrial waterfront where steamboats carried lumber and passengers throughout the watershed along the Trent-Severn Waterway. Paddlers enter the water at the second beach in the park, travel between the breakwall and the Port of Orillia and then follow the shoreline. From the water you will see the historic Champlain Sailing Club and enter tranquil Old Brewery Bay. You will arrive at the Stephen Leacock Museum, the summer home where the famous author was inspired to write Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town. Then continue along to Tudhope Memorial Park, a bronze statue of singer and poet Gordon Lightfoot, and a memorial to the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald can be found along the point, enter through Portage Bay. This route can be done in either direction and has the opportunity to connect with great walking and cycling trails.
Boat Launch
Outfitter
Provincial Parks
Shore Launch
Launch Locations
Points of Interest
How to Use Map
Zoom in and out of the map by using the +/-. Click on the icons for more information (including launch points, outfitters, points of interest). To view the map in a larger format, click the square “view larger map” icon on the right hand side. When in this view, you can print and share the map.