My husband and I stayed twice at this park. The first time, our equipment was a tent and we were situated in the Ash Hill portion of the park. We had such a wonderful time 5 years ago that we reserved a place this year. However, since we now had a new camper, we needed full services and found ourselves on the Hogg Bay portion of the park. I was a little disappointed with the site since it was mostly gravel but liked the fact that my husband did not have to back-in the camper and just drove through. Hogg Bay did not have the charm of the Ash Hill portion of the Park that is for certain. The site at Ash Hill was so much more private and spacious! The site at Hogg Bat had little to offer ( gravel drive through surrounded by small trenches on both sides) but who spends a lot of time at the site when there is so much to do around you?Since we own two kayaks, my husband and I took advantage of the "no motor boats" portion on the lake. I strongly recommend this area if you enjoy paddling in peace without being bothered by the noise of the power boats. This portion of the lake can be accessed by keeping to your right as you leave the boat launch. It is clearly marked as are all of the hiking trails.Without exaggerating, I can say that during our 1 week stay at the park, we saw white-tailed deer everyday and fell asleep to the sounds of the loons every night. The washroom facilities were very clean and the staff very helpful. Fishing is best done near the beach where a small dock is found. Keep your eyes out for turtles that "pop" their little noses over the water's edge when you are there!My husband and I loved the park's close proximity to Perth which offered great shopping and restaurants when needed. The small beach and playground found at the park was great for our friends that joined us for a couple of days with their two small children. At night, they marvelled at the sight of the fireflies that lit the forest floor.Please take caution however when taking the hiking trails and be careful not to stray from the path without long pants since the poison ivy is voracious! My husband and one of the children were badly affected by the poison ivy sores before our stay was over. Keep your eyes opened for "leaves of three"! Our friends were also visited by raccoons so make sure the site is clear of food before heading to bed! However, one can't complain because of the natural world that surrounds us. Nature is what it is... Murphy's Point is truly for the traveler that keeps nature close to heart and will remain one of my favourite parks!
We spent 2 nights in the only wood cabin from Oct.2-4. It has a propane fireplace and a front screened porch. Very cosy. The ground slopes down to Hogg Bay.Do not follow Google driving directions from Toronto, (Google gives you the shortest route),since there is no sign of the park from that direction, you will miss the park entrance guaranteed.You would think it would not be a big trouble to have signs from both direction of the road.The outdoor toilets had motion sensor lights-1st time we saw this-and we visited many Prov.'lparks before. There is an old unused mica mine there, and there are guided tours there on certain days. There's a park store, nice size lakes to canoe. Do not go there for the day use beaches, both are tiny. Overall we had a great time.
We've been going to Murphy's Point for several summers now and it never disappoints. We've been to many provincial parks through the years, and Murphy's is our favourite. Great sites, clean facilities, good staff, good convenience store and wonderful access to a day beach all adds up to a great experience. We enjoy the visitor's building too and the various programs offered throughout the summer. Love this park!
canoe/kayak $12 2 hours $36 a day. mica mine is small. park officers are super nice. site has electricity.
The only thing that we weren't happy about was the fact that our campsite was very uneven. The worst part about setting up was try to get the trailer level. Everything else was awesome. The kids loved the beach, the showers were very clean, the staff was very courteous and the peace and quiet was wonderful. It is a bit out of the way, but well worth the drive. We were in the Hogg Bay part of the park. It truly is a beautiful place.
Located on Big Rideau Lake in Tay Valley Township; this park offers so much, great swimming, fishing, hiking, interpretive trails, skiing and snowshoeing in winter. An annual summer festival featuring the 1800's mica mine is fun and offers concerts, cook-outs etc.
We come to Murphy's Point every summer. It's our place of choice, not too far from Ottawa (home). The campsites are very nice, the park staff very friendly, the bathrooms clean, the scenery fantastic and the boating on Big Rideau is great! The boat launch has more than one dock where you can tie up your boat for the night. We booked our site since January for 3 weeks in June/July 2014. We'll also return later in September when the fall colors are beautiful and the park is nice and quiet.The only drawback is that our dog isn't allowed on the grass near the beach so we can't go swimming. I understand about dogs being forbidden from going on the sand but the grassy area is so large, they could easily designate part of it for dogs. It would be great to be able to tie the dog to a picnic table and go swimming like we do when we visit Rideau River Provincial Park closer to Ottawa.
Large Provincial Park on Big Rideau Lake. Good camping, beaches not that great.All Ontario Provincial Parks are fully booked most of the summer so reservations are essential.We have since purchased a cottage on a nearby lake so we love the region, but don't frequent the parks any longer..
We loved our stay at this park. We rented a tandem kayak for 2hrs-$14, and paddled around Hogg Bay. Our site #67 was easy to level the trailer on, but there were some that looked awful. There is a reason for all the pull through sites. The Hogg Bay beach was small but nice and all the families there were enjoying it. The vault toilets weren't awful like Awenda. The main showers were fine. The staff very friendly. Unfortunately the Silver Queen Mica Mine is only open a couple hrs on Sunday and Wednesday so we didn't get the tour, but there is lots of mica to be found laying around. We didn't stay there long enough to really explore. I would like to come back. The loon calls at night and the Milky Way over the beach at night definitely made it a memorable experience.
We camp here every year and it's become a home away from home in the summer. The campsites at Hogg Bay are beautiful (we prefer the ones on or close to Ash Hill just a short walk to the beach). We enjoy the hiking trails, heading out on our canoe to explore the Bay and out to Big Rideau Lake (this is a must to see the gorgeous shoreline and deep clean water for swimming), walking to the camp store for ice cream, enjoying all the nature sounds each night as we're in our tent, and just hanging out on the beach swimming and making sand castles. It's an ideal place for kids with a safe and shallow main beach (with the option to swim out into the deeper part of the bay of course). There's a great park with swings, a large grassy area for frisbee and lots of shoreline for the kids to explore and see frogs, turtles, snails, crayfish, snakes and insects. We love the history - be sure to hike or canoe out to the old homestead and waterfall, or take the guided Mica Mine hike! So much to do, but so peaceful at the same time!