Whether the season is spring, summer, or fall, Killarney Lodge never fails to enchant. Drive to the southern end of Ontario's Algonquin Provincial Park on Highway 60 in the spring and you'll no doubt spot moose licking the salt from the leftover snow. Come summer, the wildflowers are in full bloom and the gray jays and chickadees practically eat out of your hand. In autumn, foliage's fiery colors only enhance this ideal setting on a peninsula jutting out into the three-mile-long Lake of Two

Whether the season is spring, summer, or fall, Killarney Lodge never fails to enchant. Drive to the southern end of Ontario's Algonquin Provincial Park on Highway 60 in the spring and you'll no doubt spot moose licking the salt from the leftover snow. Come summer, the wildflowers are in full bloom and the gray jays and chickadees practically eat out of your hand. In autumn, foliage's fiery colors only enhance this ideal setting on a peninsula jutting out into the three-mile-long Lake of Two Rivers.

One look at those 30 log cabins, painted brown with red trim when they were built in the 1930s, and you realize Killarney is a classic Canadian outpost. The one- and two-bedroom abodes, each with a cheerful, bright wooden interior, all have lakefront settings with a requisite 15-foot Kevlar canoe by its side. Sit out on the deck after a paddle and listen to the sounds of a loon echoing across the water while you dig into that hefty novel. This is a vacation, after all.

Don't forget those binoculars back at the cabin when you head out on the water. Besides moose, you might also spot deer, foxes, beavers, and turtles. You can stay in Lake of Two Rivers, fishing for smallmouth bass and lake trout, or head across the waterway and portage to a placid retreat seen by few, Provoking Lake. Hikers can take trails like Booth's Rock that leads to a good vista of the entire park. A six-mile bike trail along an old railroad corridor is perfect for all ages. There's also the Minnesing Mountain Bike Trail that sweeps up and down the hardwood forest.

The lodge is happy to pack you a lunch so you can venture out on an all-day excursion into the forest and truly savor the quietude of Algonquin. Dinners are also included in the price, changing daily from ribs and steak to fresh fish choices like local pickerel. They have no license for liquor so bring your own wine if you want to top off the day. Mind you, it's hard not to be on a natural high under those towering pines.