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Well, this last trip i went with the intention of heading up to Algonquin Provincial Park, and since we worked out a route past Muskoka Wildlife Centre, we thought we’d tag it onto that, and then make it back to eat at Wild Wing that night… wow did we underestimate Algonquin Park..

In the UK, lets face it – Although we created the idea of National Parks, we figured the best thing is to designate an area and let it sit there.. So in the UK our national parks, although a place of great beauty very rarely have huge potential for long stays – unless you plan on going hiking across the wilderness. A few scenic lookout points along the road and a tea shop or two in a quiet village is the most many who travel through the peak district for example get to see.. We went to Algonquin, naively expecting the same.. And we were so very wrong! This place is so packed that not only could we not get everything we needed in the short time we had there – but i’m wondering if in the whole day we’re planning next trip to go there – will be enough time to get a good snapshot of everything this beautiful Canadian national treasure has to offer.. So, here’s the information i wished i had had before we headed there!

First, Algonquin Provincial Park is far far from the idea of a road with a few lookout points to see wildlife. . . it’s a superbly managed park designed to allow visitors to get the absolute maximum they wish to get out of the area, be it spotting for wildlife, canoeing, hiking, biking, camping or a scenic drive. If you’re planning on going here for a visit – give it a good full day.. But as you’re about to find out – many spend much longer in the park!

Algonquin Provincial Park is a provincial park located between Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River in Central Ontario, Canada. It is the first provincial park in Canada having been established in 1893. It covers about 7,653 square kilometres. Its size, combined with its proximity to the major urban centres of Toronto and Ottawa make it one of the most popular Provincial parks in the province and the entire country. Highway 60 runs through the south of the park, while the Trans-Canada Highway bypasses it to the north. Over 2,400 lakes and 1,200 kilometres of streams and rivers are located within the park, including Canoe Lake and the Petawawa, Nipissing, Amable du Fond, Madawaska, and Tim rivers. These were formed by the retreat of the glaciers during the last ice age. The park is considered part of the “border” between Northern Ontario and Southern Ontario.

The park is home to a huge variety of wildlife – Water Shrew, Star-nosed Mole, Little Brown Bat, Northern Long-eared Bat, Silver-haired Bat, Eastern Chipmunk, Woodchuck, Grey Squirrel, American Red Squirrel, Northern Flying Squirrel, American Beaver, Deer Mouse, White-footed Mouse, Porcupine, Red Fox, American Black Bear, Raccoon, American Marten, Fisher, Striped Skunk, Northern River Otter, Lynx, White-tailed Deer, Moose and Eastern Wolf .. And these are just SOME of the mammals that you, like many may see while on the trails or out in the inner park.. but don’t forget the birds – you’ll have the opportunity to see (among many others) Woodpeckers, Humming Birds (especially in august) and one of the most spectacular birds the Blue Jay.

If you’re driving up the direction we did – from the direction of Orillia, south west of the park, you will enter the park a kilometer or so before getting to the West Gate of the park. In this first unofficial Kilometer you’ll see a sign on your right saying Information on an FM radio station – tune in and listen to the short peice of information to update you on a few opening hours and places you may want to stop by – then pull into the West Gate which will be on your right.
To park up and walk on any of the trails, or stop at any of the restaurants or go to any of the places in the park you will need a Permit. Permits are $15.00, so head into the building and approach the desk enquiring about getting one. Also while in here pick yourself up the Alqonquin Newspaper, also available free which will provide you with a whole heap of information, as well as a big map on the back page showing where all the trails, campsites and amenities within the park, as well as valuable information about the rules and regs which you’re required to abide to – for the protection and conservation of the Provincial Park.

Now, seeing as I’m not likely to be going camping – even though i would love to do so, it’s a big part of Algonquin Park – Back country camping.. This is where you enter the park, park up and set off – with your equipment by foot or canoe and literally go exploring. A true hiker / camper’s dream. If you go to Canada, Algonquin park, whether you’re going backcountry camping – or simply going on the route we’re covering in brief here – is the real Canada, and an absolute must if you’re anywhere near.. Canada is seen in many films, TV shows, books, stories and legend as a vast country of trees, lakes, wildlife and snow – and no matter what time of the year you go, you’re always guaranteed to see at least three out of those four! Again – at the Gates, whether you enter West, East or the other gates north, you’ll find all the information you’ll need to go camping.

The newspaper you have picked up will have a map on the back displaying all the “Interpretive Walking Trails”. These are trails which are marked from Easy to Moderate to Difficult to walk, and a huge variety of durations from approximately 45 minutes to around 6 whole hours, all going through the beautiful woodland its self. Driving up the main road which goes through the south of the park, you’ll see Kilometer Markers. You can use these along with your newspaper that you picked up to judge how far or close you are from your next stop. For example the Hardwood Lookout trail, of moderate difficulty which takes around 45minutes to complete is located around 13Km from West Gate. When you park up at the car park which is just off the road of each trail, you’ll find an information board – as seen in the picture above which gives you a brief summary of the trail, and also as you can see – is a vendor of small booklets which will be your guide (and even a souvenir) of the trail you’re about to embark on (if you want to keep it – just put $0.50 into the designated pipe below each trail sign). Each trail has sets of posts as you’re walking round with numbers which match up to numbers in your trail guide – this will give you information about the flora, fauna and help you get the most out of your walks, so remember to pick one up!

Along with Trails, your map will show you where you can buy gifts, eat, use the telephone, hire canoes and get any Petrol/Gas for your vehicle. One such place, located just 14km up the road from West Gate is the Portage Store. Why not call in and get yourself a drink while looking out at the view which i took for the photo at the top of this article. As you can see from this picture you can hire canoes here, as well as stopping for a bathroom break, buying gifts and getting a drink or bite to eat.

Heading on into the park, always be cautious of Moose and Deer, and if you’re walking through the trails, make sure you’ve read the section in your newspaper which tells you what to do should you see a bear. Although many want to see bears, as you can imagine, they command respect. These aren’t tamed or captured bears, they’re here living in their home, and you’re visiting – so make sure you pay attention to the information. But on a side note, i did find the Caution Moose sign fairly funny, simply as its a sign i had never thought i would have ever seen.. so for your enjoyment here’s the sign, though remember – Moose are HUGE heavy things, and real caution must be taken when driving through the park, not just for the protection of the animals who make Algonquin their home, but also for your safety too.

Algonquin allows you to go camping in the inner park, away from roads, surrounded by pure uncensored nature – almost as close to wilderness as you’d get without travelling much further north.. though there are set camp sites which provide all the amenities you’d want, so if you are planning on staying for a longer visit, you can make one of these camp sites your base of operations. The camp sites set just off but away from the road through the park are Tea Lake, Canisbay Lake, Lake of Two Rivers, Mew Lake, Pog Lake, Whitefish Lake, Kearney Lake, Rock Lake, and Coon Lake. I’ll go into detail about these sites in future articles.

All this, and I’ve still only really scratched the surface of what this place has to offer. You can get to the park using the map below, and remember to check out the website dedicated to this gem of nature for more detailed information about various services i have touched on here, as well as the many things i haven’t yet had chance to yet. http://www.algonquinpark.on.ca/

View Larger Map

So that’s the very brief summary of Algonquin Park, if you’ve got any questions, I’ll be happy to help – i have my trusty newspaper still, along with the trail guide for the Hardwood Lookout Trail – so I’ll do my best to answer anything if you want to leave comments! Look out for more articles on Algonquin Provincial Park in the future!

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 at 10:48 pm and is filed under Algonquin Provincial Park. 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.