07:50 - Meet at the Petrocanada by Keele Station
N.B. Van leaves dead on 08:00 - we will leave without you if you're not on time!
08:00 - 09:45 - Drive to Big Apple
09:45 - 10:15 - Spend time at the Big Apple
10:15 - 11:15 - Drive to Picton
11:15 - 12:30 - Explore Picton
12:30 - 12:45 - Drive to Sandbanks
13:00 - 16:00 - Option of Beach/swim/Hike at Sandbanks
19:00 - Estimated return to Toronto
This custom map is georeferenced, meaning it will show you where you are on the map in the right software and lays out the rough path that we’ll be following. It’s opened with the Avenza app which must be downloaded and installed in advance of the adventure.
You should also download the What3words app - this makes it easy to share and find locations in the unlikely event that you get lost.
Pack breathable layered clothing and dress according to the weather.
- Hiking boots/trail shoes/sneakers
- Sun hat/cap
- Sunscreen
Bathing suit
Towel
- Sunglasses
- Any medication
- A bag to pick up trash
Pack snacks and, if you're not getting food in Picton, a packed lunch along with at least 1.5L of water. It's a good idea to also pack electrolytes during hot days.
Self drivers will need to reserve a daily vehicle permit for Sandbanks Provincial Park. You're strongly recommended to do this 5 days in advance - it fills up quickly during the summer
Ticks & Lyme Disease
Blacklegged ticks are common in Ontario and can carry Lyme disease. There's no need to be concerned if you follow some basic precautionary steps.
To protect yourself:
– Wear long sleeves and tuck pants into socks. Lighter colours make it easier to spot any passengers.
– Use bug spray with DEET or Icaridin
– Check your whole body (and your pets) after hiking. Doing this while showering makes it easier.
If you find a tick, remove it right away with fine-tipped tweezers or tick removal tool, being careful not to pull off the head. Pull straight out, clean the area, and monitor for symptoms like a rash or flu-like feelings. If concerned, talk to a healthcare provider—early treatment is highly effective. Hang on to the tick after removal so you can send it in for testing if needed.
It usually takes 24–36 hours of attachment for the bacteria to be transmitted. That means early removal is key and that you don't need to worry if you've found one on you before 24 hours has passed.
Prince Edward County, located on the northeastern shore of Lake Ontario in what is now southern Ontario, has a long and layered Indigenous history that predates European colonization by thousands of years.
Pre-Contact and Early Inhabitants
For millennia, Prince Edward County and the surrounding Bay of Quinte area were part of the traditional territories of various Indigenous nations. Archaeological evidence shows human presence in the region for over 10,000 years, with successive cultures—including Paleo-Indians, Archaic peoples, and Woodland cultures—living off the land and water.
The County’s location on Lake Ontario made it an important part of trade, travel, and seasonal migration routes for Indigenous peoples. The area was known for its abundant fisheries, particularly whitefish, which drew seasonal gatherings and supported complex communities.
Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabeg Presence
By the 17th century, the region was influenced by the movements and conflicts between two of the major confederacies in the area:
The Haudenosaunee Confederacy (Iroquois): Based in what is now New York State, they expanded into southern Ontario during the Beaver Wars in the 1600s. They used the Bay of Quinte area strategically, establishing settlements and controlling trade routes.
The Anishinaabeg peoples, especially the Mississauga (a subgroup of the Ojibwe), began moving into southern Ontario from the north and east in the late 1600s and early 1700s, following the decline of Haudenosaunee control. By the late 1700s, the Mississauga were the primary inhabitants of the Prince Edward County region.
The Crawford Purchase (1783)
A key event in the colonial history of Prince Edward County is the Crawford Purchase of 1783. This agreement, negotiated by British Crown representatives and signed by several Mississauga chiefs, ceded large swaths of land along the north shore of Lake Ontario to the British in exchange for trade goods. This included the land that would become Prince Edward County.
The purchase was part of a broader effort by the British to acquire land for Loyalist settlers after the American Revolution. It significantly reduced Indigenous access to their traditional territories and hunting grounds, setting the stage for dispossession and marginalization.
Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory
Just north of Prince Edward County, along the Bay of Quinte, lies the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, home to the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ). This is one of the earliest and most significant Indigenous communities established in the aftermath of the American Revolution.
In 1784, a group of Mohawks who were loyal to the British—many of whom followed Chief John Deserontyon—were granted land in the Bay of Quinte area after being displaced from their homelands in what is now New York State. This land was not part of the Crawford Purchase but was set aside separately for the Mohawk settlers.
The Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory remains a vital and active Indigenous community today, with deep cultural, political, and historical ties to the region—including Prince Edward County.
Today
While there are no reserves within Prince Edward County itself, the area is surrounded by strong Indigenous presence, especially through the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte and other Anishinaabe communities across southern Ontario.
Contemporary Indigenous leaders, artists, and knowledge keepers continue to contribute to the cultural landscape of the County. Land acknowledgments in the area typically recognize the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, and Wendat peoples, and acknowledge the continued presence of Indigenous nations who were never fully displaced.
07:50 - Meet at the Petrocanada by Keele Station
N.B. Van leaves dead on 08:00 - we will leave without you if you're not on time!
08:00 - 09:45 - Drive to Big Apple
09:45 - 10:15 - Spend time at the Big Apple
10:15 - 11:15 - Drive to Picton
11:15 - 12:30 - Explore Picton
12:30 - 12:45 - Drive to Sandbanks
13:00 - 16:00 - Option of Beach/swim/Hike at Sandbanks
19:00 - Estimated return to Toronto
This custom map is georeferenced, meaning it will show you where you are on the map in the right software and lays out the rough path that we’ll be following. It’s opened with the Avenza app which must be downloaded and installed in advance of the adventure.
You should also download the What3words app - this makes it easy to share and find locations in the unlikely event that you get lost.
Pack breathable layered clothing and dress according to the weather.
- Hiking boots/trail shoes/sneakers
- Sun hat/cap
- Sunscreen
Bathing suit
Towel
- Sunglasses
- Any medication
- A bag to pick up trash
Pack snacks and, if you're not getting food in Picton, a packed lunch along with at least 1.5L of water. It's a good idea to also pack electrolytes during hot days.
Self drivers will need to reserve a daily vehicle permit for Sandbanks Provincial Park. You're strongly recommended to do this 5 days in advance - it fills up quickly during the summer
Ticks & Lyme Disease
Blacklegged ticks are common in Ontario and can carry Lyme disease. There's no need to be concerned if you follow some basic precautionary steps.
To protect yourself:
– Wear long sleeves and tuck pants into socks. Lighter colours make it easier to spot any passengers.
– Use bug spray with DEET or Icaridin
– Check your whole body (and your pets) after hiking. Doing this while showering makes it easier.
If you find a tick, remove it right away with fine-tipped tweezers or tick removal tool, being careful not to pull off the head. Pull straight out, clean the area, and monitor for symptoms like a rash or flu-like feelings. If concerned, talk to a healthcare provider—early treatment is highly effective. Hang on to the tick after removal so you can send it in for testing if needed.
It usually takes 24–36 hours of attachment for the bacteria to be transmitted. That means early removal is key and that you don't need to worry if you've found one on you before 24 hours has passed.
Prince Edward County, located on the northeastern shore of Lake Ontario in what is now southern Ontario, has a long and layered Indigenous history that predates European colonization by thousands of years.
Pre-Contact and Early Inhabitants
For millennia, Prince Edward County and the surrounding Bay of Quinte area were part of the traditional territories of various Indigenous nations. Archaeological evidence shows human presence in the region for over 10,000 years, with successive cultures—including Paleo-Indians, Archaic peoples, and Woodland cultures—living off the land and water.
The County’s location on Lake Ontario made it an important part of trade, travel, and seasonal migration routes for Indigenous peoples. The area was known for its abundant fisheries, particularly whitefish, which drew seasonal gatherings and supported complex communities.
Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabeg Presence
By the 17th century, the region was influenced by the movements and conflicts between two of the major confederacies in the area:
The Haudenosaunee Confederacy (Iroquois): Based in what is now New York State, they expanded into southern Ontario during the Beaver Wars in the 1600s. They used the Bay of Quinte area strategically, establishing settlements and controlling trade routes.
The Anishinaabeg peoples, especially the Mississauga (a subgroup of the Ojibwe), began moving into southern Ontario from the north and east in the late 1600s and early 1700s, following the decline of Haudenosaunee control. By the late 1700s, the Mississauga were the primary inhabitants of the Prince Edward County region.
The Crawford Purchase (1783)
A key event in the colonial history of Prince Edward County is the Crawford Purchase of 1783. This agreement, negotiated by British Crown representatives and signed by several Mississauga chiefs, ceded large swaths of land along the north shore of Lake Ontario to the British in exchange for trade goods. This included the land that would become Prince Edward County.
The purchase was part of a broader effort by the British to acquire land for Loyalist settlers after the American Revolution. It significantly reduced Indigenous access to their traditional territories and hunting grounds, setting the stage for dispossession and marginalization.
Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory
Just north of Prince Edward County, along the Bay of Quinte, lies the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, home to the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ). This is one of the earliest and most significant Indigenous communities established in the aftermath of the American Revolution.
In 1784, a group of Mohawks who were loyal to the British—many of whom followed Chief John Deserontyon—were granted land in the Bay of Quinte area after being displaced from their homelands in what is now New York State. This land was not part of the Crawford Purchase but was set aside separately for the Mohawk settlers.
The Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory remains a vital and active Indigenous community today, with deep cultural, political, and historical ties to the region—including Prince Edward County.
Today
While there are no reserves within Prince Edward County itself, the area is surrounded by strong Indigenous presence, especially through the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte and other Anishinaabe communities across southern Ontario.
Contemporary Indigenous leaders, artists, and knowledge keepers continue to contribute to the cultural landscape of the County. Land acknowledgments in the area typically recognize the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, and Wendat peoples, and acknowledge the continued presence of Indigenous nations who were never fully displaced.
