Hi All,

Would like to plan a 3 day trip in Algonquin somewhere off hwy 60 as 2 will be coming from Toronto and 2 from Ottawa.

In July

We are all novice canoers and aren't crazy about crowds.

We would even consider paddling/portaging into a lake and staying at the same site for 2 nights if there were no crowds.

Can anyone make any recommendations, please?

Thanks for your help. There certainly seems to be much expertise on this site!

Toby

Rock Lake is a nice access point, and fewer crowds than the Canoe, Opeongo or Smoke Lake access points. Pen Lake and Louisa are both nice summer lakes, and are only a short days travel from the access. Louisa is one of the nicest lakes in the area. Something near Cache lake might be nice as well, but I haven't been to that area.

A couple thoughts for you:

1) in July Algonquin off Hwy60 will be busy. Its not really wilderness.

2) I don't believe in that area there are any lakes conveniently accessible that are outside the 1 night limits, but I may be wrong.

So I would accept that you're going camping there to enjoy the paddling and the developing of your camping and tripping skills and not worry about the people.

I second the Rock lake option as being the lesser of crowded "evils"...

Or you can choose a less busy park.. Frontenac is smaller, but usually less crowded and very pleasant and can easily accommodate a 3 day trip. Big Clear, Little Clear and Little Salmon are all nice lakes. Big Salmon is nice too, but tends to be busier since its the main access lake into the park. My favourite is Big Clear, but it does have some private cottages. Little Salmon is my second choice and is well isolated in the park, and tends to get less traffic.

2) I don't believe in that area there are any lakes conveniently accessible that are outside the 1 night limits, but I may be wrong.

I don't think there have been one night limits for a little while now.

Jeffrey

Yes hwy 60 and no crowds, is a tough combination, you can be to access # 2 ,Tim lk, or 3 Magnetawan lk. or 1, Rain lake on the west side, almost as quick as anything on hwy 60 from TO, all are popular but nowhere near the hwy 60 circus.

At Tim you could just hang arond that lake for a couple days and do day trips down the river.

At Rain there are many options, Rain itself(can be busy& power boats) or Islet, Jubilee etc.

At Magnetawan, again tons of options, stay on Butt(Ralph Bice), Little Trout, Queer, Daisy, all are a easy day paddle and if you find the right site can seem to be secluded.

Grab a map and have a look.

Cheers, Todd

Sorry I missed the Ottawa couple , barron canyon maybe???

That would make planning a lot easier, if you only have short time slots for trips.

I tend to avoid Algonquin during the summer because its so busy so its been a few years since I camped there....

In my opinion the thought is great but your timing does not leave much that meets your desire to get away from people. Three day's with relative peace and quiet is possible but only in early May or after Thanksgiving. I have done several 3 day loops from Kisok in early spring and late fall - maybe that is an option for July. Does anybody have a sense of Kiosk in July? As for Frontenac, would be a quick hit but I found it does not have that backwoods feel - set tent areas, some with picknick tables, etc. Yikes! May as well do Centre Island.

There are some good trips for you. As mentioned starting at Rock Lake you can get to Clydedale Lake for a two night stay. There are only a few sites on Clydegale . Or since Your one party is coming from Ottawa you could start at access 16 Hay lake and stay on Cauliflower or Little Hay for two nights. Look for a dead end lake eg. Kenneth[below Head] a place where other canoeist don't paddle through. Biggest obstacle right now might be getting reservations on a lake you want to stay on.

you should try crotch lake area. easy tripping and less bus. Farther for Toronto but not that far from Rock. Last August it was not crowded

Ken

Thanks so much for all your suggestions. Haven't been to Algonquin in like 10years. It sure sounds like it has changed a lot (in terms of crowds).

Will have to get out there and see for myself!

Thanks all!

Toby

The term "crowds" is all relative. It all depends on your definition, what you are looking for and how tolerant you are of other people. Coming from the states, I don't consider much of anything in Algonquin to be crowded, except for Canoe Lake. The sites on all of the lakes are relatively limited, and if you can get off a main route, the traffic passing your site can be non-existent. I must admit though, from Canoe Lake, I like to get two days from the road before I begin to feel like I have truly escape. The feeling of escape is almost immediate when launching from Magnetawan.

Tony

The long portage into Pinetree lake at Access 12 off Hwy 60 should keep crowds out... I snowshoed in, it seemed like a nice lake. On my map, campsites on Sylvia and Fraser are black and likely to be less luxurious than the red maintained ones, so that will also tend to reduce visitors... haven't been to those.

SNIP


Closest to the East Side:

Norway Lake - Fork Lake - no portages, probably some liftovers maybe low water by July. Check with the park when booking.
** I have not been, but from research on MYCCR this is one the wife and I have on our 'todo' list.

Closest to the West Side:

Drummer Lake - Three "Low Maintenance" portages 455-110-1850 (Looks like a phone number ). 4 low maintenace sites on this lake, and from personal experience you can barely hear the highway noise. I fell asleep on my arm listening to my pulse. We went in with the express purpose of having an Island to ourselves, we ended up with the whole lake to ourselves.

As for the portage conditions at that time - Thanksgiving weekend (2005):

A few downed limbs, one tree down on the 1850M. We also found that this portage starts a little further south than the map indicates. Most importantly my partner was my 6 year old daughter carrying her own pack and food. We single carried and only stopped twice for short candy breaks.

Both trips lead to other lakes and sites, more portages. You may run into crowds when you head west from Drummer once you get to the Backpacking trail. A good swift paddle splash may keep them away.

Michael