Kinark Outdoor Centre – Creating a Climate for Change

The Kinark Outdoor Centre (KOC) brings together quality facilities, leading programmers and a diverse range of activity opportunities to provide people-focused outdoor experiences throughout the calendar year.
The KOC has a rich history in residential camping and therapeutic programming and has grown to become the site of choice for more than 150 groups annually.
The KOC is situated on a scenic 250-hectare site in the Canadian Shield just 2 and a half hours north of Toronto.
The KOC features a secluded lake with a sand beach, hiking and ski trails, sports fields, a full service dining lodge, recreation/conference hall, four-season sleeping cabins for 100 and an array of natural features are to be found on the property.

Accommodation Options

The KOC features four different accommodation options each with unique features:

Lakeview Cabins - Nestled on a hill overlooking Grey Lake, is a cluster of nine cabins composing the Lakeview Area. Each cabin can accommodate up to 12 people. The cabins are conveniently divided into two separate rooms, each with its own washroom attached, to allow for groups of up to five or two families to share while still maintaining privacy. All cabins are winterized. The area has a modern central washroom facility complete with showers and toilets. Teachers and Group Leaders stay in Heartwood Hall, a new facility with separate bedrooms and washrooms.

Summer Circle – is an area designed to be self sufficient with its own washroom, shower, cooking, accommodation for 24 and recreation building facilities. It is located in a wilderness setting a short distance from the main site. Summer Circle features a circular pavilion with a woodstove.

Hillcrest Area – The Hillcrest cabin area is also self sufficient, with its own washroom, shower, cooking, accommodation and recreation building facilities. It is geographically separated from the main camp for groups seeking a degree of privacy.

The Pines - Two fully accessible lodges include a bathroom, kitchenette, lounge, and four or six bedrooms.

Food Service

As part of our all-inclusive package, our food service team provides tasty, nutritional meals three times a day in our dining hall facility. Coffee, tea and hot chocolate are available throughout the day and a light snack is provided in the evening.

During the pre-planning phase of your visit, our program coordinators will go over our menu options with you as well as the timing of your meals to ensure they fit with your activity schedule. Special dietary requests can be accommodated with sufficient notice. Vegetarian alternatives are available at each meal.

Meals are provided to guests by our friendly food service team. The dining hall accommodates up to 80 people per sitting and features a cozy atmosphere complete with a fireplace. The facilities are wheelchair accessible.

Staff

The KOC provides friendly staff to support you in your planning phase as well as once you are on site. Our Program Coordinators have many years of experience in designing and facilitating outdoor programs for a wide variety of groups. They are sensitive to the nuances that make your group special. They will work with you to put together all the details of your visit to the KOC.

Once on site, your group will be met by our team of outdoor educators. These energetic individuals have special training in the facilitation of each of the activities offered at the outdoor centre. They have extensive experience working with people in the outdoors. Safety is a priority at the KOC. The number of outdoor educators working with your group will depend on the type of program and the needs of your group. In general, one outdoor educator is provided for every 15 participants.