This past weekend I finally got to visit Algonquin Park for the first time. What an absolutely gorgeous part of Canada. I had anticipated an extraordinary wilderness park based on stories told by people I know who've visited, Group of Seven paintings, and by its reputation but it still outdid my expectations. Gorgeous lakes, great walking trails, and lots of wildlife. In less than twenty-four hours, I saw a sun-bathing turtle, a loon diving for food, and a female moose meandering in the trees. A few quick thoughts:
- Rent a Canoe Next Time
- This was just a quick trip — just a chance to get out of Toronto and to visit the park for the first time. Watching canoes crossing the stunning lakes (there are heaps of them) was wonderful. Next time I book ahead and get one of the camping sites that is only accessible by canoe.
- It's Not That Far From Toronto
- I had mixed reports from people about how long the drive to Algonquin is from Toronto. Granted I was driving on the weekend and didn't experience any bad traffic except for on the 401 on the way back, but it only took about 2.5 hours to get into the park. Not too bad.
- Early June is Perfect for Camping
- I couldn't believe how few people were at Algonquin. It must have been 25oC all weekend and the campground couldn't have been a quarter full. Likewise, the roads and the walking trails in the park were practically empty. Also, the bugs weren't too bad at this time of year. Sure I got a bunch of bites, but I imagine it's worse later in the season. Note to self: take stronger bug spray next time.
- It's a Provincial Park, Who Knew?
- I had assumed that Algonquin Park was part of the national park system. Well, that's incorrect. It's actually an Ontario Provincial Park.
- Echo Hatchbacks are Highway Worthy Cars
- I know this doesn't have a lot to do with the park, but I was driving a rented Echo Hatchback from Hertz and it handled great on the highway. This is the furthest I've driven one of these little things and I was driving consistently around 130km/h in heavy traffic and occassional rain and it performed admirably. I was a little skeptical to begin with and I'd probably prefer a slightly larger car like a Corolla for long trips, but all told it was a great car.
Comments
MonicaBE - June 6, 2005 10:46 pm
The park is quite impressive and the camping sites, even those on the highway 60 corridor manage to be highly private (Didn't really expect it from viewing the online map of the place) taking into consideration that they are not that far away from each other.
If you haven't been in the country for a long period of time or just you're visiting, it is definitively a great way to get a sip of Canada's natural splendor. Really, really worth checking!
Jolo - June 7, 2005 1:39 am
Month of june is actually the rainy season in my country.
Lisa - June 7, 2005 2:16 pm
Glad you had a good time Daniel. When we go we always do the canoe trip schtick and it's so worth it. There's been many a trip when we've been on a beautiful perfect lake all by ourselves. Even when there are other people on the interior lakes, you usually can't see them except at a distance. We have a copy of the canoe routes map if you want to borrow it -- although it might be online too. You have to book your lakes in advance on the canoe trips, I guess it's how they make sure they don't overcrowd lakes. The only catch is that you can't stay in any canoe-in site for more than 2 nights -- so if you have to keep moving. We did a 7 day loop a couple of years ago entering from Rain Lake on the park's west side that was quite nice.
Steven Garrity - June 7, 2005 2:54 pm
I told you the Echo was good on the highway. I took mind to Boston (about an 11hr drive) and was impressed.
Alan - June 19, 2005 10:21 am
My hint for you would be to take the extra time and get nearer the East Gate of the park. You may recall I was in Pembroke before PEI and the sites on that site were a short hop for us. Much quieter and some very impressive river canoeing.