The best news: We're open!
… and enjoying some lovely weather - welcoming guests from near and not so far! The cabins are "socially distanced" and we are following all the guidelines though none of this takes away from the intimate feeling guests have of the Algonquin Park wilderness and the comfort of Killarney Lodge.
Read all the 2020 Lodge updates on our 2020 Newsletter here
Captain Killarney back at the helm
One might think running one of the best resorts in Algonquin Park would be one of the best of jobs in Algonquin Park, perhaps, but it's an all-in task. Eric and his brother were running the Portage Store when one day, a chance meeting with then Killarney Lodge owner over a coffee led to taking over the resort property those 37 years ago.
In 2019, Eric thought to ease into the background of managing the Algonquin resort though soon discovered it was not yet time. In a letter to staff at the end of the '19 season, he announced he'd be back at the helm for guests and staff alike for the foreseeable future.
Was it the peaceful atmosphere of the Lodge, the magic of wilderness in Algonquin Park, the personal interaction with the many interesting guests - all these along with the question of what he would do with his time? Whatever the reason, guests can look for the steady hand at the Killarney Lodge helm in 2020 and beyond. Welcome back "Captain".
Killarney Lodge joins the native species!
When the Lodge opened in 1935, founder Burt Weldon Moore's dream was to plant "lots of flowers and 400-500 trees". Since that time the tradition of colourful flowerbeds blossomed around the property becoming something of a signature of a stay at our lodge. However the recent Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act requires that only native plants were to be inside Algonquin Park.
Since the Spring of 2019, Killarney Lodge and the Office of Applied Research and Innovation at Algonquin College Pembroke campus have been working together to replace the ornamental non-native gardens with plants native to the Algonquin Park landscape.
Over the next few seasons, Killarney Lodge will be blending still more into the surrounding wilderness. We will not be short of colour though, the hardy native species bring their own colour palette attracting equally interesting and colourful insects, birds and animals.
We are delighted with early results and look forward to the lodge becoming even more our home within the wilderness home.
Before Algonquin Park…
The Omaamiwininii Anishnaabe (“original people”) were here long before the first Europeans. In Ontario, the Madaoueskarini band lived along the Madawaska watershed, including most of today’s Algonquin Park. Earliest evidence of their culture includes flint and quartz tools, pottery and sacred petroglyphs. Birch trees still show the marks where bark was removed to make canoes. Explore Algonquin Park to soak up the mystery and history.
Newsletter 2020 • Newsletter 2017 • Newsletter 2016 • Newsletter 2015 • Newsletter 2014 • Newsletter 2013 •
