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Allan I. Carswell Observatory (AICO) at York University Faculty of Science
Home » Astronomer In Residence Program » Trip Information

Trip Information

ARRIVAL/ DEPARTURE

DRIVING DIRECTIONS

MAPS AND LODGING

Arrival/ Departure Instructions

Prior to arrival contact your chief park naturalist. You will get their contact information in your acceptance email and they will be your primary site contact while you run tours and activities in the park.

Standard arrival – Mondays 9am-5pm*

Shifts start on the Monday and end on the Sunday. Upon arrival you will need to:

  1. Check in with park staff
  2. Get lodging sorted, for a campsite you will need to set up and for a lodge room you will need to get your bedding etc. arranged
  3. Courtesy pass for car to park in the parks while in the program
  4. Get telescope training certificate with someone with discovery program or park duty officer asap
  5. Get keys – key deposit
  6. Check from Friends at start of observing for amount – key deposit
  7. Coordinate with someone from discovery program to coordinate shows and schedule programming and get forms in place

*After hours arrival – Coordinate with chief park naturalist.

Standard departure – Sundays

  1. Clean up campsite or lodge room before leaving
  2. Check out with someone from discovery program for your packed away certification before checkout
  3. Check out at the front desk
  4. Return keys, get the rest of your payment as key deposit

Driving Directions

To get to the Park, take HWY 400 until it becomes HWY 69. Then take HWY 69 to HWY 537. Then its about 53km to the Park entrance.

Here is an image of the campground (see maps section for campground info). If you are not staying in the camping area but in the lodge or one of the buildings marked within the staff only Maintenance Area you will park off the other road. When you get up, please turn in at the sign (shown above) and the office is right there on your left. Your Parks Contact (likely Kathleen) will most likely be there but it will be the best place to meet.

There are food stops almost every one hour:

Barrie

Parry Sound (Twigs is just off route 224 – you cannot miss it as its only a few km west of the cut-off)

French river Trading Post (makers of the best fudge on the planet)

Gas can be obtained for good prices in Parry Sound and at a gas station 30 km south of the French River Trading Post. I prefer the latter as its an ESSO that Anishinabek run.

Parry Sound is about 2 hours away, French River trading post is about 3 hours away and Killarney is about 4 hours away of pure driving time.

There are many things to do in Killarney Park. To get yourself familiar with the beautiful scenery, you can:

Drive to sunset rock (site 77) whereby there is a little path between site 77 and site 78 that you can walk through to the rock – incredible view.

Hike the granite ridge trail. Its only 1 to 1.5 hours long and my kids did it when they were 3 or 4 but it offers one of the best views for the effort anywhere in Canada – beautiful vistas of Georgian Bay on the one side and a few of the Lacloche mountain range on the other side.

Hike the Crack Trail (if you are more ambitious). This is a challenge 4 hour round trip trail about 8 km back out on Hwy 637 (you should talk to someone about the trail to get a map / guide or something else.

Map of the Killarney Park Main Entrance, Office, and The Apartment

Maps and Lodging

This site plus the driving directions will give you everything you need to get to Killarney Parks site as an astronomer in residence.

Housing Options:

  • Free park camping spot (you will need your own equipment)
  • Free lodge room (shared kitchen and bathroom facilities)
  • Apartment location (private, furnished) only available for select shifts.
A map of Killarney Parks Camping Spots.
A map of Killarney Parks camping spots
The Killarney Provincial Park entrance and signage.
The Killarney Provincial Park entrance and signage
A map of office location
A map view of office location