Car Camping

When staying in an organized campground or “car camping” you see a whole different side of the park. You hear kids running down the road till all hours of the night. You see smoke and flames from your neighbours camp fire. There are tons of things you can do when staying in a campground but there are a few things you shouldn’t do. The first of which is don’t drive your car everywhere. If you are goin to do something outside of the campground then yes drive however you don’t need to drive to the bathroom/showers especially since its only a five minute walk. Second don’t leave food or garbage out at night. This should be obvious however you won’t believe how many people do it. Finally dont be so loud the neighbours can hear you. This is especially true after a wolf howl on a Thursday night in August. Not everyone wants to hear you practise your wolf howl. So next time you go camping in a campground remember the #1 rule: Have Fun!!!!

Enjoy your trip!

Sights and Sounds of Algonquin Park

As your sitting or canoing in Algonquin Park you see and hear many things. Right now I hear the crackle of the fire and the many song birds that are found in the park. Today I’ve seen tall pine trees that hundreds of years old! I’ve seen chipmunks, squirrels and plenty of scenery. I’ve heard my paddle quietly dip into the water and cause ripples to form on the water. There are many other things to experience in the park you just have to open your eyes and ears!

Enjoy your trip!

Some words of advice

1. If you are new to Algonquin Park dont try to overdo it. Take your time and dont push it. Start off with a couple of days instead of doing a 7 day trip. You’ll enjoy more.

2. Pack only what you need. Dont over pack. You may think you need it but in the long run its one extra thing to carry and that weight can add up.

3. Eat the fresh meat in the first couple of days of your trip and freeze things like burgers, hot dogs. Stuff that freezes well. They will act like ice packs.

4. When going on a backpacking or canoe trip don’t take a cooler with you. Freeze dried foods are great and they dont weigh that much. Also take with you powdered juice mixes instead of premade due to the fact again they are lighter and easier to pack.

5. If you are renting a canoe and you’re going on a trip that has a lot of portages opt for the lightest canoe you can get. It will cost you more but in the long run you will enjoy not having sore muscles after a long day of portages. Featherweight Carbon/Kevlars are some of the lightest canoes you will find.

6. Lastly, enjoy the great outdoors. Take time to look at the scenery. Read a good book, listen to relaxing music on your iPod. Take the time to be alone with nature. If you want go for a quiet paddle at sunrise/sunset. That is the most relaxing time to canoe.

Enjoy your trip!

Equipment Rental

If you are going into the park for the first time or the tenth time and are looking for a place to rent equipment here is a suggestion:

Algonquin Outfitters: Probably one of the best places to rent(ok I’m a little biased). AO has many options for rentals. Not only do they rent canoes and kayaks but they also rent your basic equipment as well. Tents, tarps, packs, even cooking gear. Algonquin Outfitters has locations in Huntsville, Brent, Oxtongue Lake and Lake Opeongo. http://www.algonquinoutfitters.com

There are two options available for renting. Partial Outfitting which is your canoe and any other basic equipment you might need. Complete Outfitting includes everything you need for your trip including food. If you need a lot of equipment then Complete Outfitting would be the cheapest way to go.

Hope this helps you plan your trip!

Fun things to do in the Park

1. Mountain Biking: There are two bike trails in Algonquin. The Minnesing which is a mountain bike trail located beside Canisbay campground and the old railroad bed trail that goes between Rock Lake and Mew Lake campgrounds.
2. Hiking: There are tons of trails to hike while in the park. A trail that I recommend first thing in the morning is the Lookout Trail. The sunsets are beautiful.
3. Canoeing: There are plenty of places that you can go on a day trip. One day trip that is really nice is Lake of Two Rivers to Mew Lake Falls. You can put in at the East Beach Picnic area and canoe Lake of Two Rivers in to the Madawaska river. You will eventually come across a small set of falls. You can swim in the falls if you want.
4. Museums: There are two museums that you can go to. The Visitor Center across from Spruce Bog Boardwalk and The Logging Museum by the East Gate. Both show you the history of Algonquin Park!

Enjoy your time exploring Algonquin!

A trip for the beginners

For those who have never canoed before there are a couple of easy trips that you could do! It depends of course on what type of trip you want to do. Beginners could do a basic loop trip or a base camp trip.

1. Loop trip: Start off at Rock Lake and portage into Pen Lake. You would stay on Pen Lake the first night. The second day you would portage into Galeairy Lake and camp there that night. If you wanted to stay on Galeairy a second night you could do a day trip into Whitney. The third(or fourth) day you would canoe back in to Rock Lake.
2. Base trip: Basically this trip just has you canoeing into a campsite on Canisbay Lake. The campsites are great. There is a day hike you could do into Polly Lake along the portage.
3. Base trip: This trip starts off at Canoe Lake and has you canoeing into your base site on the first day. You start off at Canoe Lake and canoe into Joe Lake, Little Joe Lake, Baby Joe Lake and then camp on Burnt Island. This will typically take you about 5 hours. You can do a day trip into a number of lakes in the area or you could stay on your site and just enjoy the peacefulness of the area.

Hope that these route ideas help you plan your first trip into the beautiful interior of Algonquin Park.

Welcome!

I hope this blog will be very insightful into Algonquin Provincial Park. I grew up camping in Pog Lake and Canisbay Campgrounds. My family and I have ventured on many canoe trips into the interior of Algonquin. The park hasn’t changed much in the last 27 years except for ownership. It used to be owned by the Government of Ontario but now it is contracted out to Ontario Parks. Prices have risen over the years but really it is worth paying them. The chances of seeing wildlife within the park is huge. Your best chance to see moose is in the spring in the bogs along the Hwy 60 corridor and in rivers and streams in the interior. You have a good chance on seeing loons anytime on one of the many lakes. I hope that this blog will help you plan a trip into the park whether it be in one of the campgrounds or into the interior. As well I hope that you learn a thing or too about my favorite place in the world. Enjoy!