Campground
If you like seclusion, Brent Campground is the spot for you! My family and I reserved a campsite for 11 -12 July 2014 and were pleasantly surprised by the size of the site and the privacy it offered.
That level of privacy in July did come with a cost. The mosquitoes were thick! We were extremely happy we brought our bug tent and recommend one for anyone camping at Brent in July.
The park is located just west of Deux Rivieres on Highway 17. Turning left on Brent road and travelling approximately half of a km takes you to the camp office. The office sells wood and I suggest you stock up as the trip into the developed campground is 40km from there on a dirt road. The trip in felt really long as we were eager to arrive and set up but we took some time to admire the beauty as well. The road was long and windy and we were frequently met by grouse who were content to stand in the middle of the road. The trees and foliage were in full bloom and beautiful.
We spent our first night setting up camp and cooking around the fire. Roasted hot dogs and pork chops were the evening fare. Admittedly, we hid in the bug tent the rest of the night and played board games with a solemn vow that the next night we would not be intimidated by the bugs!
The Brent Crater
Saturday morning, after a big breakfast, we set out to see all that Brent Campground had to offer. The campground is built near a crater that was caused by a meteorite striking the earth approximately 450 million years ago. There is a 2 km hiking trail that loops around the crater and back to an observation stand. Unfortunately we allowed the mosquitos to win that battle and skipped the hike in favour of the observation platform.
The view from the top of the platform was breathtaking. The crater is not quite visible from there however; you can clearly see the two lakes shown on the signs located at the top.
Brent Historic Site
Our next stop was the Brent Historic Site. Currently the home of Algonquin Outfitters, the area was a railway from 1915 to 1995. Railway employees and their families built homes around the railway station, many of which are still standing today. Brent was the divisional point between Capreol and Ottawa where train crews were exchanged.
Be forewarned, the store does not sell wood or any cold foods so if you forgot your ketchup you are out of luck. You can, however, buy ice which comes in huge blocks for $5.00 a bag.
All that touring around in the hot sun called for a swim so we drove back to our campsite, grabbed our towels and headed to the beach. The campground has a good sized public beach and boat launch but we had our family dog with us so picked a smaller out of the way spot closer to our site. The water was cool and refreshing but I think Lola had the most fun.
We wrapped our weekend with supper, a cold beer and a big fire. True to our word we defied the mosquitos and stayed out roasting marshmallows for s’mores and playing charades around the fire pit.
Overall our trip to Brent was a lot of fun, it was a wonderful place to spend time with family, relax and learn a little history about the area.
By Sheri Miller
Hey Paul and et al;Just wanted to let you know that you’re now on the Allnorth copmany intranet. We’ll be following your trip. Good luck and have a great time!