Welcome to a new ‘adventure’ class provincial park, now with ATVs

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The law describes “adventure” class parks as providing “opportunities for outdoor recreational activities that may or may not require alterations to the natural environment,” including rock climbing, treetop trekking and mountain biking.

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Before its re-designation, Charleston Lake, located 60 km east of Kingston, had been classed as a “natural environment” park, the same designation used for parks such as Algonquin.

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The new “adventure” designation has already stirred up even deeper mistrust between two groups — off-roaders on one hand, conservationists on the other — who often find little common ground.

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Now the two groups may be corralled into a single space they must both share.

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Warren Bay, part of Charleston Lake in Athens, Ont., and just outside Charleston Lake Provincial Park, Ontario’s first “adventure” class park, a designation that allows recreational activities such as ATV and snowmobile riding on lands that have generally been protected from motorized access. Photo by NICHOLAS KOHLER /OTTAWA CITIZEN/POSTMEDIA

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The province unveiled its expansion plans for Charleston Lake Provincial Park on March 6. The proposal would see the park grow 920 hectares, increasing its size by a third. It would also allow in-season hunting to continue on the lands.

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Charleston Lake is a popular destination, particularly among Ottawa residents, for whom it is a 90-minute drive. Park Superintendent Tim Truesdell said that last year Charleston Lake Provincial Park saw a record 143,000 visitors, up 14 per cent over 2024, and that the park generated an estimated $13.7 million in tourism dollars last year alone.

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Driving the proposed expansion has been a public-private partnership that’s included Charleston Lake park itself, the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, and such conservation-minded groups as the Thousand Islands Watershed Land Trust and the Schad Foundation, a private environmental-protection group.

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But in addition to those stakeholders, according to Potvin, Clark, the MPP, also arranged for Potvin and Darin Williamson, head of the Athens and District Snowmobile Club, to sit on the already established working group.

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The Crown lands being considered for addition to the park are in the vicinity of Athens, Ont. Williamson, the snowmobile club president, did not reply to requests for comment.

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Conservationists say that Charleston Lake lies within the Frontenac Axis, a continentally important area for biodiversity and part of the UNESCO-designated Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve.

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The area’s wetlands, lakes and forests act as a north-south corridor allowing for the movement of flora and fauna between Ontario and New York state via the Thousand Islands. It remains largely pristine because its rocky Precambrian geology makes for poor farmland and it never became the site of significant human settlement.

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Rare and at-risk creatures abound. The area is considered critical habitat for six species at risk, among them the grey ratsnake, often seen as a local mascot.

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Supporters of the “adventure” class re-designation say that allowing for ATV and snowmobile use helps pave the way for the park’s expansion. They note that Ontario is a busy, densely populated place, especially where it nears the U.S., making the park’s growth an especially unlikely win.

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But conservationists worry the new class dilutes the mandate of the provincial parks system — to protect biodiversity and fragile habitats — and will lead to an uptick in damaging recreational activities like ATVing and snowmobiling.

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“The addition of these lands is a positive step forward,” said Ryan Danby, director of the School of Environmental Studies at Queen’s University. “But does the conversion of it from a ‘natural environment’-class park to an ‘adventure-class’ park — is that the thin edge of the wedge?”

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Conservationists say relaxing the rules in one area of a park could lead to relaxing them everywhere.

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“It is already difficult to keep unauthorized trails from spreading and doing too much damage with passive recreational uses (e.g. hiking),” wrote Tony Morris, conservation policy and campaigns director at Ontario Nature, in a reply to written questions from the Ottawa Citizen.