The Donevan Trail- A 4.7k Hike near Landon Bay, in the 1000 Islands National Park

There are tons of places to hike in 1000 Islands National Park, and we’ve just started to check them out. One of our first trips was to Landon Bay, a really neat area just off the 1000 Islands Parkway Waterfront Trail. We were there to hike the Donevan Trail, and it didn’t disappoint!

We were also able to bring our pup along, which was a bonus.

Landon Bay used to have camp and RV sites available to the public, but these were no longer being rented out when we went during the summer of 2018. In fact, I spoke to a woman working there who said that Parks Canada had considered shutting the area down entirely (what a waste!). But, the township had come to an agreement with Parks Canada that the town would be responsible for maintaining the area, and in return could use the pool and other facilities as they saw fit.

That was one of the most peculiar things about Landon Bay. When you’re exploring the grounds near the parking lot, there’s this big beautiful pool in the middle of a field with nothing else around it. The woman I spoke to said they had swim lessons there, but that the pool would probably be open to the community at other times during the summer.

We weren’t there to swim though (and if I wanted to swim, I’d probably go to Brown’s Bay just off the 1000 Islands Parkway Waterfront Trail), we were there to hike! In the forest at Landon Bay there are quite a few hiking trails, but we had chosen to hike the Donevan Trail because it was the longest and we thought we’d get to see the most along that trail.

Getting There

Landon Bay is inside the 1000 Islands National Park, just off of the Parkway. You can use these coordinates to get there: 44.352335, -76.071236.

The area is gated. We learned that the gates close at 5 p.m from a person that was working there. When I called and spoke to a Park staff, she said the gates open in the morning at 9 a.m. She didn’t sound like she knew for sure, but I couldn’t find any information anywhere else!

Driving in, there were signs that pointed out that the hiking trails started to our right, and that parking was to our left.

Before parking, we drove up a big further to the washrooms, which were on a hill in front of the pool. There was a porta-potty near the trailhead, but I’m choosing a real washroom every time.

Along the way, we saw a couple of cool play structures for kids, and there were picnic tables here and there to eat lunch.

There was a fee for parking ($6.80) and we had the option to pay by cash or credit card. Except paying by credit card didn’t really feel like a great option, because either way we had to use the envelopes Parks Canada provided, and slip them into a little mailbox type container. We chose to slip them some cash instead of writing down our credit card number and leaving it there for anyone to get their hands on.

The parking lot was a good size, and the whole time we were there only one other car was parked there. There were trail maps available, and we grabbed one to take with us.

The Trailhead

When we were driving in, the trailhead was on our right hand side. The trailhead was impossible to miss, and honestly one of the best trailheads I’ve ever seen. To get onto the Donevan Trail, we had to pass through a big stone arch. It was a very cool way to officially enter the forest.

Despite this, if we were to do the trail again, we’d start at the opposite end- read on to find out why!

The Donevan Trail started out nice and easy, and was quite wide. This was obviously a well-travelled trail. There were also trail markers spaced well along the trail. The trail markers at Landon Bay were all color coordinated- whatever color the marker was in the forest, the color of the trail on the map matched it. Trail markers on the Donevan Trail were blue.

The Lookout

In no time at all, we passed a split in the trail for the Riverview Lookout. We had only been hiking for 100 metres, so we figured we wouldn’t get off the trail just yet.

After hiking 300 metres, we came across the split for the Bay Trail. Originally, we were kind of torn about which trail to take- the Bay Trail runs closer to the water, but the Donevan Trail had the lookouts! The day we were there, the Bay Trail was closed, so that made our decision easy.

We climbed up a set of stairs and then continued uphill until we split to our right, after seeing the first sign for the lookout. This was at the .5 kilometre mark, so if you were looking for a VERY short hike with a nice view, you’ve got it! The lookout was only 200 metres past the split in the trail, so it was well worth the detour!

The lookout was the highest point on the whole trail. We found ourselves on an open rock face, enjoying the views. There was a VERY steep drop off of the rock face, so make sure you’re careful up there!

Back on the Donevan Trail, we continued on and came to another split leading to the same lookout not long after. We took this one too, finding ourselves with a slightly different view than the first time.

Avalanche Pass and the Wishing Tree

The Donevan Trail was a really easy hike for the whole length of it, especially because it was mostly dirt. Avalanche Pass was the exception to this rule though. It was a really neat stretch of the trail that was rockier than the rest, likely because rocks had rolled down the gentle slope to our right.

While Avalanche Pass was still very easy, it was a cool change from the rest of the trail, and had a really great vibe. We reached the end of Avalanche Pass after hiking 1.3 kilometres (including the distance we took to detour to the lookouts).

Soon after, the Bay Trail rejoined the Donevan Trail.

300 metres past the end of Avalanche Pass, we came across a stunning old tree. I think it’s officially my favorite tree in all of 1000 Islands (so far). A plaque attached to it noted that the tree had been there since (at least) 1850. We couldn’t help but stop and take some pictures. We spent a lot of time looking up into the canopy too, to try and figure out if this old tree was still alive and putting out leaves, but it was so tall that we couldn’t figure it out.

The Halfway Point

Just before the halfway point, having hiked about 2 kilometres, we came to a split in the trail for the Halstead Trail. The Halstead Trail was to our left, and would have brought us back to the beginning of the trail via a shorter route. We headed to our right to stick with the Donevan Trail.

The Halfway Point was- you guessed it- halfway along the Donevan Trail. It was well marked, so we knew we had arrived. There was an outhouse nearby, but we didn’t stop to check out the inside.

For the most part, up until the halfway point we had been walking in the forest. Which was perfect because it was actually a really warm day. Beyond the halfway point though, the trail opened up and became much sunnier and much grassier for a while.

As we started to loop back, we could hear some rumblings from Highway 401. This didn’t last for too long though, as we veered away from the traffic quickly. We came to Cross Cemetery Road at the 3 kilometre mark, and an Osprey viewing station at the 3.5 kilometre mark. There was an Osprey and everything!

100 metres beyond the viewing station, we reached another split in the trail. We could have turned to our left to head back to “camp,” which I’m assuming is a short cut back to where they used to let RVs set up. There was a map at this split. Once again, we turned to our right to finish the Donevan Trail.

Kay’s Bridge

We had the privilege of crossing Kay’s Bridge after hiking for 3.8 kilometres. Kay’s Bridge was a small stone bridge, built by hand, and help up entirely by the positioning of the stones. There was no cement or other masonry tricks keeping the stone in place. Just math!

There was also a plaque that broke down just HOW the bridge stayed together and was able to support weight, which was pretty cool.

Getting Back

Beyond Kay’s Bridge, we walked downhill beside a huge swampy area full of tall grass. Eventually, this area brought us back uphill for a short way, and spit us out next to the 1000 Islands Parkway Waterfront Trail. We walked the rest of the way along this trail, beside the road, and re-entered Landon Bay where we had originally driven in.

Because the trail marking was so good, there was a marker right where the trail entered the swamp from the Waterfront Trail. Although you might need to keep a sharp eye out for it, I think it would be nicer to end the hike in the forest and with the lookouts. If we were going to do this trail again, we would definitely do it in reverse!

The Donevan Trail ended up being 4.7 kilometres long. It had a few little hills along the way, but nothing that was too strenuous or challenging. We were able to complete the trail in about an hour and fifty minutes. And it was a HOT day so we were moving slowly.

The Donevan Trail was really nice, and would be perfect for anyone looking for a half day hike. There were a lot of cool things to check out. And even though the roads in view at the lookouts were kind of lame, it’s still a unique view. The Donevan Trail was so well marked and well-travelled that I think it would be totally appropriate for families and small kids (and dogs!).

I hope this trip report has enough info to get you there too. Let me know in the comments, or share and tag a friend to start planning your next adventure!

Map and Elevation Gain

Whenever I’m hiking somewhere new, I tend to wonder about who was on, and who took care of that land before me. I’ve enjoyed using this website as a place to start learning more about the indigenous people whose land I’m on: Native-land.ca.

Gear We Brought

• Wool Socks
• Hiking Boots
• Hiking Capris/Shorts
• Light Shirts
• Hats
• Hydration Pack (with 2 litre bladder)
• Nalgene 32 Ounce Bottle
• Bug Lotion
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Cell Phones
• Olympus TG-4 Waterproof Digital Camera
• Dog’s Leash and Harness
• Collapsible Dog Bowl (for water)
• Dog Waste Bags