If you’re looking for a quiet afternoon by the lake, off the beaten track, and well away from the motel strip that is Lakeshore Drive, let me recommend an afternoon in Portage Park, just outside of North Bay.
Less than 10km from downtown North Bay, I stumbled on this park by accident. Yes, again. It was a cold, damp, blustery Sunday, and I wasn’t intending on going any further than the mall to pick up a good book. But I got caught in the wrong lane and missed my turn, and, besides, Vinyl Cafe was playing on the radio, so I decided to just drive and listen until it was over. I ended up playing a little game with myself, turning onto any road that had an interesting name. The first candidate was Trout Lake Road. A local friend of mine had told me that Trout Lake was the place to go if you wanted to swim, because Lake Nipissing is the one where all the municipal sewage gets dumped. Plus, there was that whole toxic algae thing I mentioned in a previous post. It was, admittedly, far too cold for swimming, but I thought it would be nice to finally get a glimpse of it, and Trout Lake Road sounded promising for that.
Within a couple of blocks, I was out of town, and there were tall hills rising up on my left. There was a road to the right 
called Mountainview, which sounded like it might be beautiful, but it was disappointingly suburb-y. So. Back to Trout Lake Road. A few more kilometres. The road was two-lane, winding, and dubiously paved. Then the next candiadate appeared: Peninsula Road. It was a windy little road, lined with mailboxes belonging to unseen cottages tucked away behind trees and goldenrod and queen anne’s lace. I imagined the road would eventually end in a muddy cul-de-sac, but I was determined to follow it. It wound through the trees, up and down little hills for two kilometres before the view opened out into a little park with a lake on either side. I pulled into the parking lot and sat, cosy in my car, and listened to the end of Vinyl Cafe, before getting out to wander around and take some photos.
It was late August, but it felt like fall. I had a sweater on for the first time under my windbreaker. There was a brisk wind that was making my eyes water and my nose run, but it was wonderful. I love blustery weather. This place I had found, it turns out, is Portage Park. It’s a beautiful spot, a narrow isthmus between two lakes, and set up with just enough in the way of amenities to make it pleasant. There’s a swingset and a climbing frame for children, and picnic tables, and grassy spots for sprawling out when it’s sunny. There are two beaches for (unsupervised) swimming, and Trout Lake is both deeper and cleaner than its sister Nipissing. There is also an excellent climbing tree, although the damp and the lichen made it slippery. I was the only one there, and it felt secluded and undiscovered on this cool, damp, windy day, and I was glad I found it that way. It must be beautiful when it’s sunny, though.
The wind picked up off the lake, which was choppy with little waves. It felt like rain, but there was a stripe of clear blue sky 
between the kills on the far side of the lake and the cloud cover. My nose was still running, and my hands were cold and papery. Eventually, it drove me back into my car, which was deliciously cosy as I climbed back in. It was a relief to be able to blow my nose.
A perfect end to a day out at the park is a dinner stop at Average Joe’s. It’s on Trout Lake Road, between the park and North Bay, an airy restaurant with wicker chairs and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a little marina and a wide swath of Trout Lake. The marina is for cottage owners, arriving to dine by boat. There’s a bar in the downstairs area, and a patio with a fantastic view for enjoyment in better weather. And, best of all, the locals have been recommending it. I found the prices to be very reasonable, and the fish and chips were good, if very slightly overdone.
So, there you have it. A complete package for a lovely day out near North Bay.
kithika