huckepack

La Cloche Silhouette Trail

Length

This trail
73.7 km
How
Measured on our OpenStreetMap map line (data of 5 Nov 2026): the main route
Official
80 km, stated length (Ontario Parks)

74km

Ascent · descent

This trail
1,690 m up, 1,690 m down, estimated
How
Estimated from the GEDTM30 terrain model along our OpenStreetMap line: the route's climbs and drops along samples 100 m apart, each counted once it reaches 10 m
Keep in mind
A 30 m terrain model: short climbs between the samples are missed

estimated: 1,690m ↑1,690m ↓

Difficulty

What
How hard the trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days
Scale
Easy to Hard, with the same thresholds for every trail; each takes its hardest measure
Keep in mind
It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get
  • Terrain: DemandingPath grade: ≈ T3
  • Climate: Hard in all yearCold: −14 °C at night (January)
  • Effort: EasyAverage day: ≈ 3 h 15 (an average day over 7 days)

All measures

Terrain: Demanding; Climate: Hard in all year; Effort: Easy

Suggested

No stages
No official stages: hikers choose their own camps
Source
Ontario Parks

7–10days

Per day

This trail
7.4–11 km · ≈ 170–240 m ↑
How
The trail's length (our measurement, 74 km) ÷ its days (7–10, from Ontario Parks); ascent likewise

7.4–11km· about 170–240 m ↑
Season

Landscape

Source
ESA WorldCover satellite land cover, along the main route
  • Forest: 96%
  • Grassland and shrubs: 3%
  • Water, snow and ice: 0%
  • Farmland and villages: 0%

Landscape along the route

Mostly Forest

Photos

Photos from Wikimedia Commons by elPadawan, Jason Wong, Mrspaceweb, Mark.guerra10 and Alex Indigo; each photo's licence in the gallery

Location

Country
Canada
Regions
Ontario
Start
George Lake Campground
Finish
George Lake Campground
Route type
Loop
Permit
Required
Travel hubs
  • Sudbury98.9 km by road · 92 min
  • Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)412.4 km by road · 335 min
  • Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ)412.8 km by road · 341 min
Protected areas
Killarney Provincial Park
Managed by
Ontario Parks, Killarney Provincial ParkOfficial website (opens in a new tab)
GPX
GPX trackOur tracing from OpenStreetMap
  • Trail
  • Start and finish
  • Contour lines

Difficulty

Terrain

Rates
How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot?
How
Rated over the whole main route.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Path grade
the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated
  1. EasyT1
  2. ModerateT2
  3. DemandingT3
  4. HardT4 to T6
Climbing
the trail's ascent (the terrain model's estimate) over the length the page shows
  1. Easyunder 15 m per km
  2. Moderate15–30 m
  3. Demanding30–50 m
  4. Hard50 m or more
Steep stretches
share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model)
  1. Easyunder 5 %
  2. Moderate5–15 %
  3. Demanding15–30 %
  4. Hard30 % or more
Natural ground
share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own
  1. Easyunder a third
  2. Moderatea third to two thirds
  3. Demandingtwo thirds or more

Demanding

  • SAC hiking scale

    This trail
    T3 (our estimate)
    Basis
    Ontario Parks rates the loop strenuous: all Killarney's trails cross uneven, rocky ground, the west section is moderate over rolling forested hills and creeks, the east section climbs over rocky quartzite ridges and large boulders to the Crack. Rough mountain paths with some use of the hands on the boulders (T3).
    Scale
    The Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard)
    Why
    Trails rate difficulty in many local scales, or only in words; we translate each into this one so trails compare
    Keep in mind
    An estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather
    T1 · Hiking
    Well-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
    T2 · Mountain hiking
    A continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
    T3 · Demanding mountain hiking
    The path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
    T4 · Alpine hiking
    Often no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
    T5 · Demanding alpine hiking
    Mostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
    T6 · Difficult alpine hiking
    Pathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.

    The scale at the Swiss Alpine Club (opens in a new tab)

    estimated T3
  • Climbingestimated 23 m per km
  • Steep stretches7 % of the way
  • Natural ground98 %

Climate

Rates
How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get?
How
From 30 years of daily weather (ERA5), rated per month. Without months picked: the trail's best run of at least two season months, each measure at its hardest month. Pick months in the search to rate it for yours.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Heat
mean daily high at the lowest point
  1. Easyunder 22 °C
  2. Moderate22–27 °C
  3. Demanding27–32 °C
  4. Hard32 °C or more
Cold
mean nightly low at the highest point
  1. Easy8 °C or more
  2. Moderate3–8 °C
  3. Demanding−2 to 3 °C
  4. Hardbelow −2 °C
Wet days
days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points
  1. Easyunder 10
  2. Moderate10–14
  3. Demanding14–18
  4. Hard18 or more
Snow
days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point
  1. Easyunder 1 day
  2. Moderate1–3 days
  3. Demanding3–6 days
  4. Hard6 days or more
Wind
mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points; over land: a point whose 25 km weather cell is mostly sea takes the nearest mostly-land cell's
  1. Easyunder 15 km/h
  2. Moderate15–20 km/h
  3. Demanding20–25 km/h
  4. Hard25 km/h or more

Hard in all year

  • Heat · July22 °C by day
  • Cold · January−14 °C at night
  • Wet days · October14 days
  • Snow · December10 days
  • Wind · November33 km/h

Effort

Rates
How long are the days?
How
No official stages: rated by an average day at the fewest suggested days, the hardest plan a source suggests.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Average day
walking time of an average day at the fewest suggested days (length and climbs divided evenly), by DIN 33466
  1. Easyup to 4 h
  2. Moderate4–6 h
  3. Demanding6–8 h
  4. Hardmore than 8 h

Easy

  • Average day · an average day over 7 daysestimated 3 h 15

Climate

Days in season · lowest point
−5 to 22°C
Nights in season · highest point
−14 to 16°C
Wet days a month
9–14
Daylight
8.6–15.7h
SeasonDay high and night low−20 °C−10 °C0 °C10 °C20 °C30 °CWet days, at the highest point51015Daylight9.0 h10.3 h11.8 h13.5 h14.9 h15.7 h15.4 h14.1 h12.5 h10.8 h9.4 h8.6 hJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Climate by month, 1995–2024 average
MonthLowest point, day high / night low (°C)Highest point, day high / night low (°C)Wet daysSnow daysFrost nights at the highest pointDaylight (h)
January-5.4 / -11.6-6.9 / -1410.68.830.79
February-5.3 / -11.2-6.5 / -13.38.6728.110.3
March-1.1 / -6.5-1.7 / -8.38.56.429.411.8
April4 / -0.64.6 / -1.8104.320.213.5
May11.2 / 7.112.2 / 5.69.60.31.914.9
June18.9 / 14.818.6 / 12.59.70015.7
July22.3 / 18.221.5 / 15.810.10015.4
August21.8 / 17.920.9 / 15.410.50014.1
September18.1 / 14.317 / 11.810.80012.5
October11.3 / 7.710 / 5.313.60.6310.8
November4.9 / 13.2 / -1.412.85.417.69.4
December-0.9 / -5.9-2.7 / -8.613.69.728.88.6

Climate by month

Source
ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, averages for 1995–2024
Places
The trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to their height
Bars
From the mean night low to the mean day high
Wet days
At least 1 mm of rain; snow days at least 1 cm of snow
Daylight
Sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month
Shading
The trail's season

Terrain

Highest · lowest point
408m high177m low

Gradient

Steepest climb
22 % (12°), 109 m up over 500 m
Steepest descent
−20 % (11°), 98 m down over 500 m
Gradient
Height per distance: 20 % is 20 m up per 100 m forward; 100 % is 45°, not 90°
Keep in mind
Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: steps and ladders within them are steeper
GradientAngleFeels like
10 %6°Noticeable on a road
20 %11°A steep path, slow going
30 %17°Very steep, often steps
100 %45°Scrambling

22% ↑−20% ↓

Steep stretches

This trail
3.2 km up, 1.6 km down: the darkest parts of the profile
Steep
15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), in 200 m stretches
Why it matters
Slow going uphill, hard on the knees downhill

4.8km

Surfaces

  • Natural ground: 98%, 70.9 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.
  • Gravel: 2%, 1.7 km. Gravel, compacted and stony surfaces: mostly forest roads and farm tracks.

98% natural2% gravel
200 m400 m408 m1020304050600 km72.6 km

Terrain along the route

Heights
GEDTM30 terrain model (OpenGeoHub, from Copernicus and other elevation data), 30 m grid, the bare ground under the trees, every 100 m along the main route
Colours
Each 200 m by its gradient in walking direction: climbs warm, descents violet, darker when steeper (to ±30 %)
Ground
The strip below, from OpenStreetMap; the 1% without a surface tag is read from the way type (footpaths natural, tracks gravel)

Landscape

Forest96%Grassland and shrubs3%Water, snow and ice0%Farmland and villages0%1020304050600 km72.6 km

Landscape along the route

Source
ESA WorldCover 2021, a 10 m satellite map
Points
Every 100 m along the main route; each takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground
Groups
Its eleven classes, folded into the six shown
Keep in mind
What the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there

Sleeping

Wild camping is prohibited. Backcountry camping only at the trail's campsites, with an interior camping permit; campsites can be reserved for the La Cloche Silhouette Trail up to five months ahead.

14.8 km without a bedCamping35Huts0Hostels0Rooms01020304050600 km72.6 km

Places to sleep along the route

Ticks
One per place to sleep: 35 campsites, 0 huts, 0 hostels, 0 guest houses
Counted
Within 1 km of the trail; no hotels or day shelters
Shaded
The longest stretch without any, km 49.6–64.4
Source
OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list closed ones, so book or check locally

Water & Supply

Clean water

This trail
14.8 km without clean water, km 49.6–64.4
Rating
  1. Frequentup to 10 km
  2. Regularup to 20 km
  3. Scarcebeyond
Counted
Within 500 m: 17 taps, fountains and drinking springs, 1 places to sleep with drinking water, 23 refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites
Refills
Guests come first and many close out of season: ask, and carry a little extra. Places marked without drinking water are left out
Source
OpenStreetMap; the counts include the approach and variant, the chart shows the main route

14.8kmRegular

Any water

This trail
14.8 km without any water, km 49.6–64.4
Rating
  1. Frequentup to 10 km
  2. Regularup to 20 km
  3. Scarcebeyond
Counted
Clean water, plus the 0 springs within 500 m
Keep in mind
Spring water's quality is unknown: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer

14.8kmRegular

Shops

This trail
72.6 km without a shop, km 0–72.6
Counted
0 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol station shops, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of the start and finish
Keep in mind
Small village shops are often missing in OpenStreetMap, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one

72.6km
Water · 14.8 km withoutPublic drinking water · 63.3 km withoutSprings (treat before drinking) · 72.6 km withoutRefills at places to sleep · 15.4 km withoutShops · 72.6 km without1020304050600 km72.6 km

Water and shops along the route

Ticks
One per place along the main route
Counted
Drinking water and springs within 500 m; refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m; shops within 1 km, or 3 km of the start and finish
Shaded
Each lane's longest stretch without. "Water" counts every kind and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own
Source
OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally

Wildlife

Wildlife

Shows
Animals that can be dangerous to hikers on this trail: large animals, venomous snakes, scorpions and spiders, ticks, and plants that harm on touch
Level
Ours, read from the official source
High
A bite of a species it calls common can be life-threatening within hours
Moderate
It warns of attacks or serious harm, or places the trail in a risk area for tick-borne encephalitis
Low
The harm is mostly minor or treatable, or avoidable by how you behave
What to do
From the official source: Government of Ontario
Pictures
Silhouettes from PhyloPic, not to scale, each maker named with its advice; the landscape is the trail's own, drawn by us

Black bear Low

Black bear

Low danger

Black bears live in Killarney's forests; most avoid people, and the province's advice is to stay calm and let them leave.

If you meet one

  • Stop, stay calm and slowly back away, keeping the bear in sight
  • If it doesn't leave, throw objects, wave your arms and make noise
  • Prepare to use bear spray; drop any food you carry and move away slowly
  • If it attacks, use bear spray and fight back with everything you have

Don't

  • Run, climb a tree or swim
  • Kneel down, make direct eye contact or approach it
  • Play dead, unless attacked by a mother bear defending her cubs

Advice: Government of Ontario. Level: ours. Silhouette: Abby Weber (Ursus americanus), PhyloPic, public domain.