The Geology of Kakakiwaganda Lake (Rock Lake)

Every summer we spend about a week at our favourite Bed and Breakfast Whispering Pines On the Bay which is about half-way between Sudbury and Killarney Provincial Park. Not only does it have gracious friendly hosts and interesting guests from all over the world, it is also located on beautiful Kakakiwaganda Lake, or as the l̶o̶c̶a̶l̶s̶  settlers (edit 2023-09-11) call it, Rock Lake.

We also get out kayaking on the lake at least once every visit and one of the most interesting things about the lake is the geology and rock formations along the shore. The photographs in the slide show below were taken from my kayak as I paddled around the lake.



(select 720p to view in high definition and full screen to view full screen)

Murdock River Paddling Route

Every summer we spend a week at a wonderful Bed and Breakfast in Northern Ontario called Whispering Pines on the Bay. We cannot describe it any better than our wonderful hosts do on their website.

Welcome to a little piece of Heaven on Earth. We invite you to join us to hear the peaceful call of the loon, the relaxing sound of waves lapping against a rocky shore, and the beauty of Northern Ontario. Bob and Peggy Fera invite you to join us for friendly hospitality, bountiful food, and a home away from home.

This is not an arrive late, leave right after breakfast kind of place but a real "home away from home" where you are always assured of meeting interesting people from all over the world.

Whispering Pines on the Bay is surrounded by wilderness, located approximately halfway between the City of Sudbury and Killarney Provincial Park and close to the French River.

It is located on Kakakiwaganda Lake, also known as Rock Lake, with fishing, boating and paddling opportunities. There are also old logging roads and ATV trails in the area suitable for mountain biking.

The Murdock River flows from Kakakiwaganda Lake to the French River and that is what this post is about.

I have been thinking of undertaking that paddling route with my kayak. We have paddled part way a few times but never undertaken the complete 32 km distance (as measured on the map) which includes several portages. I understand the number and difficulty of the portages depends on the water levels which do vary from time to time. But it is a navigable route.

So with that in mind I have put together a collection of maps of the route using the Canadian Topographic Maps, as well as LandSat satellite images. I also created a GPS track of the route from the map, so please note that the GPS route is not a track of an actual paddling excursion.

What follows are the maps I created. If you wish a copy of the GPS track (GPX format) or a PDF version of the maps suitable for printing at 8 1/2 by 14 inches (legal size) please email me at: richardw.woodley@gmail.com.

Click on Map Images to Enlarge Them
Garmin MapSource Map of GPS Track
Canadian Topographic Maps Combined
Canadian Topographic Map 1
Canadian Topographic Map 2
Canadian Topographic Map 3
LandSat Combined Views
LandSat View 1
LandSat View 2
LandSat View 3