The Kawartha Lakes look natural and are, in outline, exactly what the last ice sheet left behind: a chain of lakes in a shallow basin of drumlins and limestone. What makes the region unusual is that a second, human layer sits directly on top of the first, and both are easy to see.
The oldest layer of meaning
Petroglyphs Provincial Park, northeast of Peterborough, protects the largest known concentration of Indigenous rock carvings in Canada, cut into white marble centuries ago. Anishinaabe people know the site as Kinomagewapkong, the Teaching Rocks. Curve Lake First Nation are its keepers and run the Learning Place visitor centre, which explains the site's spiritual meaning. The carvings are enclosed to protect them, photography of them is not permitted, and visitors are asked to be quiet and respectful.
That restraint is the point. Go expecting to learn, not to photograph.
The canal that re-plumbed the region
The Trent-Severn Waterway runs through the Kawarthas as a chain of locks connecting lakes that once drained separately. Built over decades in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it turned a set of lakes into a navigable corridor from Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay.
Lock 1 at Trenton and the lift lock in Peterborough are the obvious set pieces, but the smaller lock stations are better places to spend an afternoon. Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls and Buckhorn all sit at lock stations where you can watch boats rise and fall, walk the canal bank, and eat within sight of the water.
The waterway is a 386-kilometre working canal. Locks operate on a seasonal schedule, so check dates before planning a paddle or a cruise around them.
Where the ice is still visible
Warsaw Caves Conservation Area, northeast of Peterborough, exposes what the glaciers left: limestone pavements, potholes scoured by meltwater, and caves carved by water. The trails are short and the terrain is unusual enough to keep children interested. Ranney Gorge, near Campbellford, adds a suspension bridge over a gorge cut by the Trent, with a walk that links to Ferris Provincial Park.
Putting it together
Two days covers it comfortably. Base in Peterborough or Lakefield. Day one: the Teaching Rocks in the morning, a lock station in the afternoon, and the Whetung Ojibwa Centre at Curve Lake for Indigenous art and crafts. Day two: Warsaw or Ranney Gorge on foot, then the drive home along the canal rather than the highway.
Note that Petroglyphs Provincial Park has a limited operating season and a gate, so confirm opening dates before you drive out.
