Arrowhead Provincial Park

Our week long camping trip to Arrowhead Provincial Park was everything you could ask for in a family vacation: great weather, campfires, sitting on a beautiful beach and connecting with family.
It was our first time at Arrowhead, we had only heard good things about the park and we were not disappointed.
Arrowhead is a large park with 3 beaches to choose from. We spent most of our time at the small beach because it was less crowded and it was within a 5 minute walk from our campsite. The sand was soft and powdery - the kids and I loved how it felt on our feet. The water was cool and clear. The kids geared up with their goggles, and spent most of their time under water looking for minnows and muscle shells.
One afternoon as I was watching my family swim, the sun warming my shoulders, and my tunes playing ( thanks hun, for the new ipod ), I welled up with emotion. It was one of those moments in life where what matters most is crystal clear and you are filled with gratitude for all you've been blessed with.

The site itself was large and private. Usually The Kid will take her younger brothers out on adventures, but, with an active bear in the park, she did not venture far on her own.

We try to choose sites that have morning sun so that the site does not overheat during the hottest part of the day. Pictures above is a little morning sun flare.

With an active bear in the park, whenever we were outside of our campsite, we were on the lookout for the bear. As we drove away from our site one evening, The Kid spotted this dear on the NEXT site. So cool!

Because of the heat and distance, we decided not to do any of the bike trails, but Hubby, The Little Man and I went for a short 45 minute bike ride to the Big Bend Lookout. The Boy and his dad had gone the previous day and reported that it was worth the trip - and it was! It took my breath away. The Big Bend lookout is an oxbow formation from the Big East river. It is an 80 foot drop from the lookout point, with steep, sandy banks. Each year 1 foot is lost from the lookout as it erodes away. I don't think that the pictures do it justice.

We went out for dinner on our last night. It rained pretty hard while we were in the restaurant, but it had cleared up by the time we finished. After the rain there was a beautiful mist, so we headed down to the beach so I could get a few shots. Stunning.

Before heading back to the site, we stopped by Stubbs Falls. I wish we had more time to explore this place. Stubbs Falls reminded me of "the falls" that was at the end of our cottage road. It was sweet to see this new found treasure with my family.