Calabogie has some amazing, well known hiking trails that you’ve probably heard of. But have you heard of the Calabogie Otter Pond Bouldering Trail?
Likely not, because I just made up that name now. Maybe it’s not the best name- but I had to call it something, so that I could tell you about it!
This super short trail just west of Eagles Nest is definitely worth checking out. The terrain is a bit technical in spots but wait until you see the boulders! Totally worth it, and a great little hike to add on to Eagles Nest, or by itself.
It’s cool to see where the rock climbers have been.
Quick Facts
Length: 3 km
Difficulty: Easy, with a few short moderate sections. (On a scale of easy-moderate-hard)
Trailhead Coordinates: 45.273098, -76.812526
Washroom at Trailhead: Yes (porta-potties at the parking lot)
Dogs Allowed: Yes
Cell Reception: Good
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Parking: $5.50
Looking at things we could never climb on the Calabogie Bouldering Trail.
Getting There
The Calabogie Bouldering Trail is incredibly close to Eagles Nest. In fact, you have to park at the exact same parking lot! You can use these coordinates to get there: 45.273098, -76.812526.
A new parking lot has been built in recent years and it’s huge, with space for at least a hundred cars. That being said, it IS the Eagles Nest parking lot so it will fill up on nice weekends.
There are porta-potties at the back of the parking lot. Conveniently, they’re right near the sign that tells you how to pay for parking. We scanned the QR code and paid online, which is the only option as there isn’t a machine at the lot.
The Trailhead
To access the Calabogie Bouldering Trail, you need to turn to your right when you leave the parking lot. Walk carefully alongside the road. It’s best to cross early as the trailhead is on the opposite side of the road from the parking lot and you don’t want to miss it!
The trail leads into the forest a mere 100 metres west of the parking lot.
Since the trail is unmarked and unmaintained, there’s also no sign announcing that you’ve arrived. You must look for the little footbridge that brings you over the ditch and into the woods.
This little bridge is your only sign that you’ve reached the trailhead!
(While we’re talking about the trail being unmarked and unmaintained, I want to point out that this makes it EXTRA important to clean up after yourself while you’re there! No one will be along to pick up any garbage that’s left behind, so it would definitely have a negative impact on the environment out there. The trail is also really close to a water source that a ton of animals use so… Please pack out what you pack in!).
The Trail
Okay so now you’re in the woods. Right away, the trail heads up a steep little hill. That’s really the most ascent you’ll see for the length of the trail. The elevation remains fairly unchanged for the most part.
Despite the trail not being marked, it’s easy to follow (at least when there’s no snow) because it’s so well worn into the dirt. There also aren’t any little offshoots or herd paths to confuse you. For the most part this trail is used by rock climbers heading out to the big boulders, and they know exactly where they’re going.
And it really just goes straight out and back. There are definitely a few rocks and roots along the way to trip you up, but there are also a lot of flat, hard-packed sections too.
You can see how it’s easy to pick out the trail, despite there being no official markers.
Boulders… Like A Lot of Them!
After hiking just 450 metres, you’ll see Otter Pond for the first time on your right-hand side. I suspect having the pond this close to the trail means a lot of mosquitoes in the spring!
Not long after you’ll also spot the first of the big rocks that tumbled down from the cliff above.
At 800 metres you’ll have to make your way across a skinny, single log footbridge.
This was really the only part of the trail that required fancy footwork.
Past that the boulders begin to show up in earnest. They are MASSIVE, and incredibly cool to look at.
By the time you start you feel like you can’t go any further (around the 1.4 km mark), there will be massive boulders anywhere you look. So fun!
Boulders everywhere! I love it!
Trail Thoughts
I’ve visited this trail a handful of times and I’ve always seen evidence of rock climbers, but never anyone in action! I think it would be fun to share the trail with them and see them solving some of the 150 “problems” (bouldering routes) that have been identified along this trail.
It would also be fun- again from the perspective of someone who doesn’t climb- to bring this incredibly well written guide along and try to spot what the climbers are seeing when they visit.
Our kids love a hike that lets them climb and jump!
After letting our kids “climb” some of the rocks for a while, we headed back to the parking lot. Despite the entire hike only being 3 km, we were easily able to spend an hour and a half on the trail, meandering around and checking out everything there was to see.
This really is a perfect hike for anyone in the Calabogie area who wants something a little different than Eagles Nest, or maybe wants to add a few more km onto their day. Hopefully one day I can get out there and actually see someone climbing!
One final picture of rocks, just to demonstrate how many rocks there are.
Map and Elevation Gain
Our GPS tracked route along the Calabogie Bouldering Trail.
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.
Elevation gain along the trail. Barely any!
Tuckered out from too much climbing.
Please don’t climb the boulders without the proper equipment. Many of the boulder climbs are very hard even for experienced climbers. It is very easy to sprain or break an ankle.or wrist falling into uneven ground for even a short distance. If you do bring dogs do not allow them under climbers or on their pads.
Also do not run with scissors, put hands on hot stove, or drink the bath water!