Algonquin Park, Ontario

[Fitz]

A bunch of wooden canoe nuts from the Norumbega and Northeast Chapters of the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association took a 5-day trip to Algonquin near the end of May. We had absolutely stunning weather the whole time. Some skeeters in camp and under the canoes on the portages but otherwise a great trip. I do think Canadians like to carry their canoes more than paddling them....(17 portages on this trip).

We made a loop from Grand Lake, through Stratton, St. Andrews, Ooze, Opalescent, into the Barron Canyon and then back upstream through the Cascades and back.

Here are some photos:

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/572410044rOFanN

Cheers,

Fitz

 

[IndianChris]

Wow...looks like a fantastic trip.
Thanks for making us jealous. About how many miles do you think you covered?

So what did you eat along the way? What did you use to cook? Over fire? Stoves? Always interested in new ideas for the menu.

 

[Fitz]

Trip

Hi IndianChris:

Sorry to leave you hanging. Just haven't had time to write a trip report.

Algonquin is about an 11 hour drive from eastern Massachusetts. We took the ferry across Lake Champlain and crossed the border at Cornwall, NY.

No one measured the canoe trip distance yet, but I'm guessing about 35 miles total. The longest portage was about 0.5 miles, but there were many carrys (17 or so). The portage trails are all well maintained in the park. Campsites are reserved (not specific sites, but reservation is made for a site on a lake for example).

Due to the number of portages, we tried to go light. No dutch ovens or griddles on this trip. There is a "no bottle or can" rule in the park as well, which limits the menu some and also requires some repackaging.

We used mostly backpacking stoves for cooking, however, we did have a reflector oven for baking desserts. My companions brought commercial dehydrated meals (Mountain House for example). I brought lots of pasta, rice, and dehydrated grocery items. I added packaged tuna, salmon, and chicken available in grocery stores. Pita bread and wraps work well. Crackers and cheese, GORP. Peanut butter and jelly. Oatmeal. I also dehydrated lots of fruit and jerky for snacks.

We did not see any moose or wolves. I was actually surprised at the lack of moose sign. It seemed like prime territory for the critters. We did see a bear on the road into the park, and a fox roaming a campsite, osprey, gorbies, herons, woodpeckers, mergansers, and about a dozen snakes but otherwise not much for exotic wildlife.

The Barron Canyon is a spectacular gorge cutting rocks of the Canadian Shield.

http://www.algonquinpark.on.ca/

 

[WBB]

Fitz

I’m not surprise that you did not see moose in that area. I have done a number of extended trips in the park and that route is the only one that we did not see moose. My avatar is bull that we encountered on the Otterslide back in 2005.
I see from scanning your picture it does not look like you made it to High Falls. That in it self is a reason to go back in warmer weather. A natural water park.

 

[WinterWarlock]

Fitz

When I was in high school (more than a few years ago) my Boy Scout troop would take a four week trip to Algonquin every summer...saw all kinds of wildlife (fox, bear, raccoons, alligator snappers, even wolves) but never saw a moose.

Looks like a great trip - it's always good to see the kids getting out and enjoying themselves.

I'm curious - what do your canoes weigh?

Thanks for the pictures...makes me realize how lucky I was as a kid, and how much I need to take my kids up there.

Scott
WW

 

[Paradox]

Great TR and pictures. I have a soft spot in my heart for that area of North America. Spent many weeks during the summers of my youth on the shores of Gloucester Pool, Ontario. And a week of camping and canoeing in Algonquin while in college.

 

[Fitz]

Myths

Weight: One of the long held myths of wood and canvas canoes is that they are heavy. There are very comparable or probably even lighter than Royalex canoes of the same size. I think the 16 ft. Prospector weighs in at 60 or 65 lbs, the 18 ft, probably 85 lbs. The bigger canoe has heavy weight canvas and these Prospectors are large, high volume canoes on top of that.

We did see a portion of High Falls. There is a steep carry there, but not the water park side of the falls.

High Falls:

 

[adkayaker]

on the moose - unfortunately, it's a lot easier to see moose in the muck along the road than in more pristine places while paddling. Last June, I spent 4 days in the Lake Umbagog and Rangeley area of NH-Maine. Kayak camping and paddling at dawn and dusk, I saw zero moose from the water. But saw 32 moose along the roads in Errol and Grafton Notch. Dreamed of paddling up to one but had to view them like the tourists do, pulled alongside a wet muddy whallow.

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

I hoped to see a moose when I did the Lows-Oswegatchie traverse this weekend (just got back), but no luck. I have seen a few moose on Algonquin paddle trips, including a female (moose) swimming across the lake near our campsite. Of course, you see more moose roadside because you can cover many more miles and see much more habitat in your car than on foot or in a canoe.