Calabogie

Calabogie is a tiny ski village on Calabogie Lake in Greater Madawaska Township, Renfrew County. Perched at the edge of eastern Ontario's Ottawa Valley, it primarily attracts visitors from the Ottawa-Hull capital region.

Understand
Eagle's Nest Trail near Calabogie Peaks

Calabogie was originally named Madawaska for the Madawaska River system, on which Calabogie Lake is one of four reservoir lakes. The river runs from Algonquin Provincial Park down to the Ottawa River at Arnprior.

When the Kingston & Pembroke Railway reached Calabogie Lake from Kingston in 1883, the local station was named for the lake as a "Madawaska" station existed on the Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway Company line through Barry's Bay. The K&P was completed to the Canada Central Railway junction in Renfrew in 1884.

The village was founded a lumber camp; a dam on the Madawaska River had created the lake and the river was used to transport logs to Quebec City. Water power was used to power a sawmill and later the river was dammed at various points to generate hydroelectric power. The railway brought visitors and industry; by the end of 1912, the K&P became part of the Canadian Pacific Railway. As these were steam trains and stopped in every village on the 180-km (110-mile) journey from Kingston to Renfrew (they never did reach Pembroke), the "Kick and Push" was a slow means of travel which began to be dismantled in the 1950s as travellers increasingly took to the highways in motorcars.

While lumber and mining declined, the village kept its tourism role, with Calabogie Peaks ski resort opened on Dickson Mountain in 1970 and Calabogie Motorsports Park constructed in 2006.

Get in

The train no longer runs and the tracks have been removed. Access is by motor car, usually from Trans-Canada Highway 17 (east of Renfrew) by heading southwest on Calabogie Road (old Hwy 508).

The closest Greyhound bus stop is in Renfrew.

Get around

See

Do

Events
  • Calabogie Blues and Ribfest, Calabogie Peaks Resort. Mid-August, three days (weekend). 
  • Calabogie Country Music Festival, Calabogie Peaks Resort. Late June, three days. 
  • Canadian Wake Surf Nationals, Calabogie Peaks Resort. Late July, three days. 
  • Calabogie Classic. Mid-April, weekend cycle race held at Calabogie Motorsport track by CycleLogik. 
  • Calabogie and District Snowmobile Club, Calabogie Highlands Resort. Typically holds one event, mid-Feb, weather and trail conditions permitting. In 2015, there was a poker run. In prior years, this was one of the three province-wide Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs "Go Snowmobiling! Give-It-A-Try Tour" sites. Portions of the former K&P rail line are trails. 
  • Ice Fishing Derby. Jamie Wright Memorial Ice Fishing Derby (Calabogie Fish & Game Club) annually, last Saturday in February, in Calabogie followed by an Ice Fishing Derby (Griffith & Matawatchan Fish & Game Club) on the first Saturday in March in Griffith/Matawatchan. A few huts are for rent from Calabogie Marine & Sports (12612 Lanark Road, +1 613-752-2010) or Joeballa's Bait, Tackle and Service (11602 Lanark Road, +1 613-752-1282). 

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Greater Madawaska
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