Climbing Guidebooks

Introduction

This page provides links to guidebooks to rock and ice climbing sites in Southern Ontario and Central
Ontario that have not been published elsewhere.

Copyright

The guidebooks are provided here with the kind permission of the various authors. Feel free download
and to to make use of the guidebooks for your own climbing, but please do not copy the information
from them to Mountain Project, the Crag or similar websites (or any other publications). The
descriptions, photos, maps, drawings in the guidebooks are the results of many hours of work on the
part of the authors and copying the information to other websites without their permission is stealing
the fruits of their labour. It is plagiarism. Moreover, it is also illegal – the work is protected by Canadian
copyright law.

Disclaimer

Please be aware that you use these guidebooks at your own risk. The rocks, cliffs, the land on which
they are found and the approaches to them are not immutable and are subject to change. Roads and
trails erode or become overgrown, property boundaries change, bridges get removed, rock breaks off,
solid rock becomes loose, routes get rerouted, bolts get added or removed, pitch lengths get changed,
difficulty may increase etc. There are no warranties, whether expressed or implied, that these
guidebooks are accurate or that the information contained in them is reliable. Your use of these
guidebooks indicates your assumption of risk, that they may contain errors, and is an acknowledgement
of your own sole responsibility for your climbing safety. By use of these guidebooks, you release the
author and any contributors to these guidebooks from liability for any injury, including death, that
might result. The user assumes all risks arising from the use of these guidebooks.

Rock climbing is, by its very nature, a potentially hazardous activity. Climbing can result in severe
injury or death. You do so at your own risk.

Prior and competent knowledge in the use of various rock climbing safety devices is assumed. It is
absolutely essential that individuals participating in such activities make themselves aware of the risks
and accept these and their responsibility for their own actions and involvement.

The information contained within these guidebooks is NOT climbing instruction. The authors of theses
guidebooks and any contributors to these guidebooks accept no liability whatsoever for actions taken
by individuals based upon information presented in this guidebook. Users of this guide must be
responsible for learning all the appropriate techniques required to climb the particular route they have
chosen to attempt.

(The wording of this disclaimer is borrowed in large part from the disclaimer on the guidebooks page
of the ACC Winnipeg Section).

Printing Instructions

The guidebooks for Kynoch Rock, North of Huron Ice, Blind River Rock and Mississagi River
Valley Rock are found in two pdf versions: one single page, one booklet. The single-page
version is better for downloading and viewing on electronic devices. If you choose to print the
booklet version, make sure you set both the pdf print settings and the printer option settings to
print double-sided, flip on short edge (but instructions vary with different printers).

Guidebooks

Guidebooks are listed alphabetically.
Please note: the bigger guidebooks are updated periodically, once or twice a year. Check back for the
latest versions before you head out climbing.

Southern Ontario:

Baldcoot Lake Ice (2023) by Danylo Darewych.
Describes ice climbing routes at Baldcoot Lake near Combermere, Ontario.

Baptiste Lake Dog Bay Ice Climbs (v2, 2021) by Danylo Darewych
Describes ice climbs at Dog Bay of Baptiste Lake, north of Bancroft, Ontario

Bark Lake Ice (v2, 2021) by Danylo Darewych.
Describes ice climbing routes at Bark Lake, north-east of Maynooth, Ontario.

Bon Echo (2009) by Stephen W. Adcock & David R. Brown
A guide to rock climbs at Bon Echo north of Cloyne in the Madawaska Highlands, Ontario.

Climber’s Guide to South Tasso Lake (2011) by Don Collier
Describes ice and rock climbs at South Tasso Lake, north-east of Huntsville, Ontario.

Madawaska Rock (v2, 2017) by Danylo Darewych.
Describes exploratory rock climbing done at Bark Lake, Kluke Lookout and Aylen Lake in the
Madawaska Valley, near Bancroft/Barry’s Bay, Ontario.
Booklet

Madawaska Ice (v9, 2017) by Danylo Darewych and Don Collier.
Describes ice climbing at McCauley Lake, Kluke Lookout and Blackcat Hill near the towns of
Madawaska and Barry’s Bay, Ontario.
Booklet

Martencamp Lake Ice (2023) by Danylo Darewych
Describes ice climbs at Martencamp Lake, noth-east of Huntsville Ontario. The crag lies between
South Tasso Lake and Timber Trail.

Timber Trail Ice (2015) by Matt Ferguson and Andriy Kolos.
Describes ice climbing at Timber Trail crag, north-east of Huntsville, Ontario.

Central Ontario:

Abitibi – Temiskaming Ice Climbing Guide (v1.9, 2013) by John Cotgrave.
Describes ice climbing at Raven Mountain, Mt. Chaudron, Butler Lake, Lac Wasa, Kekeko Hills,
Triangle Hill and Devil’s Rock near the towns of New Liskeard, Larder Lake and Rouyn-Noranda in
the Abitibi-Temiskaming region of Ontario and Quebec.

Algoma DWS Vol 2 (2026) by Mike Park.
Describes Deep Water Soloing climbs near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

Blind River Rock (v1.2) by Danylo Darewych.
Describes rock climbing at Lake Lauzon, Granary Lake and Lake Duborne near Blind River in the
Algoma region of Ontario.
Booklet

Elliot Lake Rock (v4.9) by Danylo Darewych.
Describes rock climbs at Stone Ridge, Horne Lake, Quirke Lake, Boland River Road and cliffs along
the Little White River in and near the town of Elliot Lake in the Algoma region of Ontario.
Booklet

Kynoch Rock (v 5.2) by Danylo Darewych.
Describes rock climbs at the Fortress, Ramparts, Shotgun and Eyeball, north of Kynoch/Iron Bridge in
the Algoma region of Ontario.
Booklet

Mississagi River Valley Rock (v 1.5) by Danylo Darewych.
Describes rock climbs at Cumming’s Lake and along Highway 129, north of Iron Bridge, Ontario 
Booklet

North of Huron Ice (v 1.2) by Danylo Darewych.
Describes ice climbs in south-east Algoma, i.e. the area north of Lake Huron, north of the towns of
Elliot Lake, Blind River, Iron Bridge and Thessalon.
Booklet