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Well, it’s Friday once more – and time for another trail review.. though this is a serious trail.. And one i have to admit i haven’t walked fully, mainly as you will need to dedicate your whole day to this trail – it’s the longest trail Algonquin Provincial Park has on highway 60!

First, I’ll say it again.. this is a beast of a trail. You really have to be serious about this one, it’s going to truly take the majority of your day to walk this one, and with a difficulty rating of “Difficult” you’ll need to make sure you’re properly equipped for the job too!

The Mizzy Lake Trail is an 11-Kilometre loop (not counting a two-kilometre optional side trip) beginning on the Arowhon Road just in from km 15.4 on Highway 60. The trail visits nine small lakes and ponds with a view to maximising your chances of seeing wildlife, particularly moose and beaver. Results obviously cannot be guaranteed but the possibilities are good, especially if you are at the prime areas early in the morning or later in the evening. (Try to avoid the middle part of summer days. That is by far the poorest time to see wildlife.)
You should wear good, solid, water resistant footwear and allow SIX HOURS to do the trail. If by some chance you have misjudged your rate of progress and want to avoid finishing the trail in darkness, you may walk back to the parking lot via the Arowhon or Weldwood roads, both of which connect to the old track part of the trail.

Remember if you’re going to park up anywhere in Algonquin Provincial Park or do any of the trails, you’ll need to pull up at the gates (big buildings just off the side of the road either end of Highway 60) and go in to get a Permit. These are $15.00 currently but the rates do change depending on the time of year.

Make sure you’ve picked up one of the Algonquin park news papers while you’re getting a permit, they’re free and they’re very .. VERY useful to use the map on the back so you know where you are going! Another thing you’ll want to factor in is the bugs! If it’s forecast to be warm, chances are you’ll be up against the Mosquitoes and or Black Fly – so bring your bug repellent!

We had a quick walk a little way into the trail to just get the very first glimpse of it. We simply didn’t have the time needed to go round the whole trail, nor did we have the correct footwear! The first sign you come to – once again reminds you of the undertaking you’re about to embark on

As i said, this trail is pretty rough territory, the fallen leaves and vegetation on the ground makes it a little slippy underfoot but, to be honest this is a true trail! It takes you through almost overgrown areas, you make your way round trees, under branches and along a meandering path which is well trodden but still more difficult to see than the previous trails we’ve featured so far. As i said earlier this trail focus’ on allowing you the opportunity to see wildlife for yourself, in the wild, in their own natural habitats. If you’re up to the walk this is truly a trail to go on if you’re wanting true Canadian wildlife!

One of the first points along the trail you will come to is an especially picturesque beaver dam. Beavers are actually less numerous in Algonquin than they used to be but, even so, the Park probably has a population of well over 10,000 animals.
But, quite apart from their impressive numbers, the beavers of Algonquin Park have other strong claims to be the number one position they have on this particular trail devoted to park wildlife. For one thing, Algonquin Park may never have been established if it hadn’t been for the beaver. In the late 1800s, many people in Ontario had become greatly alarmed by the decline of game and fur-bearing animals (particularly the beaver) and one of the major reasons for the establishment of Algonquin Park in 1893 was to provide a sanctuary where depleted wildlife stocks could recover and survive.

The plan was so successful that a mere 15years after the park was created, beaver numbers were so high that they were being live trapped for shipment to zoos around the world or to re-stock other areas in North America where beaver populations had been extirpated.

Again, the trail guide for this particular trail is fantastic, and certainly worth the 50c that you pay to keep it, it doesn’t simply just talk about beavers – it also talks about the other wildlife that exist on this particularly eclectic adventure through places which hopes to provide you with experiencing the different creatures that live here. The booklet documents some of the creatures that live here as being of coarse Beavers, but also otters, deer, moose, bears, Eastern-Wolves, turtles, martens, fishers, porcupine, great blue herons, broad-winged hawks, white throated sparrows and the scarlet tanger.

One of the species i’m sure a lot of people would have picked up on in that particular list is Wolves. Many people would love to connect with that particular part of Algonquin Park’s wildlife and this trail does in fact allow for that.

Post 6 is at Wolf Howl Pond. This pond was named in the early 1970s when the meadow at the far end of the pond was used by a pack of wolves for several summers as a ‘rendezvous site’. A wolf rendezvous site is a sort of temporary headquarters used by wolves when the pups have become too big for the den but are still too small to travel and hunt with the adults. Because wolves tend to occupy such places for long periods of time, the discovery of a rendezvous means that park staff can take visitors out to hear wild wolves howling with a rather high expectation of success. Back in the 1970s several thousand people participated in ‘Public Wolf Howls’ and heard at that very location the incomparable sound of wolves howling under starry skies, in response to the imitation howls given by park naturalists.
Public wolf howls are still held each August whenever a rendezvous site is found at an accessible location and they continue to have a high rate of success. If you get a chance to go on such an expedition, they highly recommend that you do! there are few ways better of making contact with Algonquin Park’s most famous animal and listening in on its family life, not in a zoo or on television, but in that animal’s true environment.

If you’re interested in going on these Wolf Howls, remember to ring up the park and find out if these are going on to arrange your visit.

So, this article has touched on just a couple of the natural wonders you may see on your trek around this impressive trail – The best way to see this all though, is obviously to head out on it yourself! If you are looking for adventure, and a wildlife enthusiast – this trail is the only one you’ll want to go on!!

For more information about Algonquin park and its Trails and attractions – remember to check out our Algonquin Provincial Park section

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This entry was posted on Friday, July 2nd, 2010 at 9:10 am and is filed under Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.