(ON) Intro to Backcountry Camping: Killarney (Aug 2025)

Event Details

This event will be held on the traditional territory of the Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ (specifically, the Ojibwe (also called Chippewa), the Odawa (also called Ottawa), and the Pottawatomi, Huron-Wendat, and Mississauga territories.

We love our allies, but due to very limited space, this event will prioritize BIPoC registration. 

We are excited to invite you to our first backcountry camping event in Ontario, held in partnership with Arc’teryx and Killarney Provincial Park.

This event is designed to be inclusive, welcoming, and accessible to participants of all fitness levels while encouraging folks to learn more about camping and canoeing in Ontario provincial parks. We will be camping as a group of 6-8. There will be 5-7 community members and our Ontario lead facilitating the weekend. 

**Note: This event is not guided and everyone is expected to attend at their own risk.  Our leads are experienced campers that will provide as much information as required to have a safe trip, but are not professional guides. Killarney parks staff will be on hand to help folks with learning to set up tents, fire safety, and setting up the backcountry campsite.

We ask that you make sure that you are able to join before applying or email us if you are no longer available as the space is very limited. At the same time, we encourage you to try something new. Here’s what the weekend looks like:

Schedule:

Date TBD: Pre-trip planning session to answer questions, sort out gear, carpools, departure times, discuss what to pack (gear, food and clothing).

Friday August 8th:

• Departure from Toronto by 2pm (earlier the better) and arrival at George Lake in Killarney Provincial Park
• Set up campsite (tents etc).
• Campfire
• Dinner

Saturday August 9th:

• Pack camping gear into backcountry bags
• A 3 hour introduction to canoeing led by ORCKA certified instructors. 
• Set up campsite at George Lake
• Campfire and Dinner

Sunday August 10th:

• Tear down backcountry site
• Paddle back
• optional hike before returning to Toronto

Details:

Cost: $75 tax inclusive. This includes campsite fee, tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, camp stoves, pots and pans, fuel, firewood, canoe rental, paddle, life jacket, and boat safety kit.  

Location: George Lake Campground, Killarney Provincial Park

What to Bring:

All camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, camp stoves, fuel) will be provided by Killarney Provincial Park.  Killarney Outfitters will provide paddles, life jackets, and safety kits with the canoe rentals. 

You will need to bring:

• Your food for the weekend 
• Sunglasses/sunscreen
• Water bottle (we will discuss how to purify water for the backcountry portion of the trip)
• Dress for the weather and activities – comfortable clothes to move around in and have sun protection
• Swim gear + towel  if you want to swim 
• More detailed packing list to be provided later.

Transportation: Please note: We aim to self-organize carpooling amongst participants, so please indicate in your application if you can drive others or if you will need a ride. If you are getting a ride, please make sure to chip in for gas/parking.

Application Details:

The program will be run on an application basis. We are prioritising individuals who are interested in and committed to building community with BIPoC to go camping with, and would like to prioritise Black and Indigenous registration especially. We encourage you to reflect on your personal experiences and use that to guide open and honest responses. Please do not treat our events as a discount service. Please reach out at priya@colourthetrails.com to let us know if you apply and later find that you can no longer make the dates.

Application deadline: July 28 at 11:59pm (EST).

Selection Process: We respectfully ask that you do not contact us to inquire about a spot in the program; once applications close, we will be in-touch via email between July 29th to August 3rd with the participants who have been selected. To ensure that our email finds its way into your inbox rather than your spam folder, please add priya@colourthetrails.com to your safe sender list. After that timeframe, the next folks on the waitlist will be contacted.

Policy and Community Guidelines 

Inclusion:

At Colour the Trails, we are dedicated to fostering an environment that champions inclusivity, respect, and equality. We want to make it clear that we will not tolerate any form of anti-Blackness, anti-Indigenous attitudes, racism, homophobia, ableism or transphobia within our organization or community. 

Photo & Video Release Consent: 

By purchasing a ticket you grant permission for Colour the Trails and sponsors to use any of the photos or videos from this event that have been taken by Colour the Trails videographers and photographers. They will be used for the purpose of sharing experiences with the community and encouraging future participation in events, which can include but is not limited to, print or digital versions, social media and websites without compensation or recognition given. Colour the Trails will not use the photographs in a manner that would exploit or cause malicious representation toward you. Please contact info@colourthetrails.com BEFORE the event if you do not want to be photographed or on video during an event.

Cancellation Policy: 

Cancellation Policy for Multi-day Adventure, Summits, Retreats, or Partnered Events

This policy applies to larger events, including summits, partnered events, and multi-day overnight events, where attendance planning and logistics are especially crucial. These events take us months to plan and execute. We understand that unexpected situations may arise that require event cancellations, but we want to ensure smooth and fair execution. 

1. Cancellation Timeframe: For cancellations made at least 20 days in advance of the scheduled event, participants will not incur any penalties. You can request a full refund or choose to transfer your payment to a future event.
2. Cancellation Within 20 Days or Specified Period: In the unfortunate event that a cancellation is requested during specified time frame, or no show happens, the following policy will apply:
   1. Refund: Cancellations made less than 20 days of the event will not be eligible for a refund unless we manage to fill in the spot.
   2. Penalty: A six months ineligibility to attend future events. We leave a right to cancel any registration of the person under penalty in this time frame. After the six month ineligibility period has elapsed, participants can once again sign up for future events without any restrictions.

Content Creation Statement

We ask to respect our work and not create content to promote any brands or organizations during our events. Our team is putting a lot of energy and time into creating community spaces with little support and unrelated organizations should not benefit from our hard labour. You are encouraged to share about Colour the Trails work as it shows the welcoming and safe space we are creating and word of mouth helps our community to grow!

Please view the full list of community guidelines here.