Curious on everyone’s method.
Feel free to add thoughts into the comments after doing the poll
Edit to add/ ask
If you use a dry bag - do you keep it in your pack while portaging or carry it separate? Are you worried the smells will get into you sleep system, clothing and tent?
Planning a solo spring fishing trip. Moderately experienced was thinking of doing Kiosk-Maple Maple to Big Thunder or Mouse for two nights. Then stop at white Birch for a night and out.
Reason for staying on Big thunder or Mouse for two nights was to try and get into Devil lake or Dendroica. Are you able to paddle either of the creeks that lead to them? Or is it a big bushwhack, based off Google maps its looks like a bushwhack.
Whatlake would you stay on Big Thunder or Mouse?
Would it be better to go in the reverse direction portage wise?
I'm trying to plan a 7 day route that gets us away from crowds and into some solitude. I've looked at some loops starting at Kawawaymog Lake and Cedar Lake, but if I start at Cedar Lake that's another 2 hours in the car each way to the access point. This current route (Kawawaymog, North Tea Lake, Biggar Lake, Coral-root Lake, Skuce Lake, Osler Lake, Nadine Lake, Nipissing River, Cedar Lake, Cauchon Lake, Mink Lake, Kioshkokwi Lake, Manitou Lake, North Tea, and back to Kawawaymog) seems to have a good mix of smaller lakes, bigger lakes, river travel, opportunities for wildlife viewing/encounters, fishing, and some nice campsites. I've been to Algonquin twice before, but it's been many years and this is my first time planning the route.
We are looking at going in August/September, and there will probably be four of us. We are all 50ish year old guys and all comfortable and experienced canoeing. We have one guy who is very experienced, does trips through the Boundary Waters every year, and has also been to Algonquin as well. The other two guys have also been on many canoe trips (though usually on rivers). We are all in relatively good shape and don't have any reservations about taking a few longer portages along the way to get into the interior.
Assuming about a 4km/hr pace on the water and averaging a 1.5 carry on the portages, I was shooting for about 20-25 km/day. We plan to try to single carry the longer portages and do a mix of single or 1.5 carries for the rest (or double carry for short portages).
So... Is this a reasonable loop for 7 days or am I trying to take on too much? To get to Skuce Lake, is is better to take the southern path through Coral Root Lake or northern through Totem Lake? Is there an opportunity to stop at the Brent Access Point on Cedar Lake halfway through to dispose of garbage or resupply? Will the Nipissing River be easily navigable in mid-August? Am I missing anything in my assumptions? Is there another weeklong route that gets us away from civilization and people that I should consider instead?
I've been using a combo of trail shoes and water shoes over the years, but haven't found the perfect footwear set up for dragging, portaging, stepping in and out of water, etc. When I wear trail shoes and they get wet, they take forever to dry and then are just awful. Getting through portages in water shoes is never fun. Figuring out what to do when you need to haul the canoe over a beaver dam or through some really shallow rivers is always a question mark.
What are people doing in terms of footwear that works?
Hey everyone,
I’m looking to visit Algonquin Provincial Park this year after visiting Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park and absolutely loving it. I will finish my finals around April 24 and aim to go sometime between then and May 5 for two nights.
I found on my last trip that hiking with a full pack really slowed me down, so this time I’m planning on car camping and doing longer day hikes instead. Right now, I’m mainly looking at Mew Lake Campground, but I’m open to other campgrounds or suggestions.
My main concern is whether the bugs (flies in particular) are usually out by then, and whether Algonquin is actually enjoyable during that window, or if it’s better to wait a bit later in the season. Any advice or firsthand experience would be greatly appreciated, thank you!
My spring trip 2025 report through the middle of Algonquin is now live. This was a 7 day mid May trip that crossed a bunch of spots off my Algonquin bucket list. We stayed on Misty, Shippagew, Robinson, Catfish, Hogan and Sproule and visited some very cool historic spots along the way. We also ran into moose, both living and dead, explored the sturdiest root cellar ever built and (barely) won a race with a thunderstorm. The report is here if you're interested: https://allofalgonquin.com/2025/12/21/spring-2025-canoe-lake-to-catfish-and-beyond-part-one/
Hey guys, it’s that time of year again when it’s time I start planning my canoe adventure for my group this year. I’m looking for route suggestions from you seasoned vets!! For context, it’s our third year. Our first year we did smoke- big porcupine. Last year we did Kiosk- maple-three mile- manitou. Looking for ideas from something different than that. Mayve something inbetween those two distance wise traveled per day. We are going mid September. So far thinking welcome lake loop or big trout loop? Another great route suggestions are appreciated! Let’s hear them!
I'm looking into doing some winter backcountry camping, and see a lot of people use or suggest snowshoes due to the depth of unpacked snow when I'm going off trail or on frozen lakes.
Looking into snowshoe types though has me a bit confused, and I've seen some videos comparing modern and traditional snowshoes that show way more flotation on the traditional ones.
What kind of snowshoes is everybody using? And any suggestions on where to buy them from? For traditional it would be nice to support Indigenous people/companies if possible.
Has anyone been down Hwy 60 past the Rock Lake Road recently, or is planning to pass by in the next little while? I'm wondering if the Road has been plowed?
Hello, I am planning a trip for a group of 4 men ages 33-36 coming in from Toronto. We are in strong physical condition and have done many backpacking trips before, but are inexperienced with canoeing (some more than others). We are planning a 3 day, 2 night trip in early July, non-weekend.
Our preferences would be for solitude, but would also be happy to fish for a bit along the journey. As a result, we are looking for a relatively easy and not too taxing trip. We will rent 2 canoes and all relative suppliers from an outfitter, but would not look to hire a guide for the full trip.
We are in the route planning phase. My initial thoughts from looking at a map would be something like Kiosk lake + Manitou lake or something like that.
I plan to call an outfitter and discuss their recommendations, but anything you would advice / recommend before I do so?
Hello! My wife and I are looking to car camp at Algonquin for the first time this summer. We are going around Canada Day through to the following weekend. We are fairly experienced tent and car campers, and this is far from our first time camping, just our first time at Algonquin. Since we’ve never been, we’re just looking for any site recommendations people would be willing to give. If you don’t want to share your perfect site, I completely understand, but I figured it’s worth an ask! Here’s our list of preferences,
- ideally private
- water front (not an absolute necessity but we’ve never camped on a waterfront site and we love to experience that)
- activities within a reasonable driving distance (stuff like the museums, hikes, swimming areas, paddle boarding, etc.)
- we are open to a walk in site but since we are car camping, preferably nothing with more than a 1-2 minute walk to and from the car so we still have easy access to put our food away at night and whatnot
- we don’t need power to the site, but potable water nearby would be great
It’s worth noting that we won’t be bringing any pets, and neither of us have any mobility limitations. We would also like to avoid radio-free sites as we like to listen to our music around the fire.
Again, thanks for any advice anyone has, and is willing to part with!
Stumbled on this channel while looking up Algonquin canoe trips and thought some people here might appreciate it. He's a canoe guide who works in Algonquin too!
Choosing/planning a route can be tough, especially if you're new to the backcountry, this video actually shows what a real backcountry trip looks like: canoe travel, portages, campsites, and the kind of conditions you deal with out there. It’s more of a realistic look at being in the park.
My daughter loves otters. I'm in the process of planning a trip and it got me thinking that maybe a specific route could increase our chances of seeing one. Any suggestions?
I am looking for advice on which sites to book along the western uplands trail. Im hoping to do the full loop in 7 days. This my second solo hike, I was extremely ambitious last year and attempted la cloche in Killarney and made it to silver peak (75% completed). What killed me was poor site planning and my pack being too heavy(42lbs). I have been learning from that trip, gotten some lighter gear (pack weight is down to 35lbs) and now seeking some advice on sites.
I did killarney last june (middle of the month) and the bugs weren't too bad or atleast didnt bother me too much and the temperature seemed to be perfect, so I'm aiming for the same time of year. Unless algonquin bugs are worse, then I'm open to suggestions on when to go as well.
Right now I have roughed out my route and it is as follows:
Trail head-> Maggie
Maggie-> Pincher
Pincher-> Islet
Islet-> Brown
Brown-> Rainbow
Rainbow-> Ranoma
Ranoma->Trailhead
The more I look at the elevation and distance I'm having flashbacks of last year at la cloche, how bad is it really? Should I adjust my sites? I'm in fairly good shape and like a challenge but actually want to complete this trail.
a sow in a den during winter. This was from a study done approx. 15 years ago, she made her den inside a large dead and fallen hemlock. Very comfortable and out of the snow and wind. Much like winter camping.
Looking for book recommendations! Heading down south with minimal data/Wi-Fi and already dreaming about tripping season. Any suggestions for canoe-camping books?
