When you think of North Eastern Ontario, you may not think of gold mines, but this small town is actually one of Canada’s largest gold producers! Kirkland Lake is a small gem located in the Timiskaming region and here’s what you need to know if you’re ever planning a visit.

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Detour Lake Mine

Gold was first discovered at the Detour Lake property in 1974. From there, it emerged in 2022 as the largest gold-producing mine in Canada at the time with the country’s largest gold reserves at 20.7 million ounces and has a mine life that has extended by ten years to 2052.

Esker Lakes Provincial Park

Kirkland Lake features some beautiful outdoor spots including Esker Lakes Provincial Park. The park is the perfect place to spend a day with lots to see including its dozens of kettle lakes that were formed when glaciers retreated 10,000 years ago.

Esker Lakes has four trails to choose from, three of them are considered easy, with the fourth a little more challenging, estimated to take about four hours to complete.

The park opens May 17th, 2024 and stays open until September 15th.

According to Ontario Parks, the cost of a Day Use permit depends on the time of the year whether it be on or off-season, and by park but as for Esker Lakes Provincial Park, the Daily Vehicle Permit costs $12.25.

Museum of Northern History

Kirkland Lake is also home to the Museum of Northern History. This museum showcases permanent and temporary exhibits, plus hosts between eight and ten art exhibitions each year from local, regional and international artists.

Guests can even check out archives and research materials showcasing local and provincial history!

Free ski & snowshoeing 

Heading to Kirkland Lake in the winter? The Joe Mavrinac Community Complex, volunteers and the Kirkland Lake Cross Country Ski Runners work in partnership to provide groomed trails and free snowshoe and cross country ski use.

This means residents and visitors are allowed to borrow the equipment, and then access the groomed trails at no cost as long as there’s snow on the ground.

Time to start planning your visit to Kirkland Lake!

Taylor Lucas

Regional Editor – Taylor is a Toronto-based journalist with a passion for story-telling. Whether chasing a story, writing, or editing she brings a creative spin to the media world and has a blast doing it. Taylor brings years of journalism experience in sports, local/national news, and entertainment. In her spare time, you can typically find Taylor trying out a new restaurant or cocktail bar, cooking, golfing or binge-watching true crime documentaries.

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