Algonquin Provincial Park (July 2024)

I started out my journey at the Tea Lake Campground on Highway 60, approximately 15km from the western edge of the park. Car camping is largely unremarkable, so here are photos from a hike I took at Peck Lake.

Before meeting the rest of my group at the Algonquin Outfitters at Sproule Bay, I managed to squeeze in a short canoe ride into Costello Creek.

This is the Opeongo water taxi which will take you and your canoes and all your gear anywhere you want in your requested arm of the lake in just under 20 minutes.

Our campsite on the East Arm of Lake Opeongo.

Colloquially called ‘The Hook’, this campsite sits on a 200 metre long peninsula connected to the mainland by a metre long pathway, and is located in the northern most portion of Lake Opeongo’s East Arm.

Lake Opeongo is the largest lake in Algonquin Park, with a total area of 58 km2, divided up into three arms - South, North, and East.

In S. Bernard Shaw’s book, Lake Opeongo: Untold Stories of Algonquin Park’s Largest Lake, he writes ‘On the first inspection tour of Algonquin Park after it was established in 1893, James Wilson, Superintendent of Queen Victoria Niagara Falls Park, described Lake Opeongo as, “a truly noble expanse…when seen in the hazy dawn of an Indian summer morning its beauties make a lasting impression on the mind.” It has not changed.

He further writes, ‘Few signs are readily visible today of the momentous events that have taken place on and around Lake Opeongo. For centuries, native people gathered, hunted and fished here, followed by trappers and loggers. Thousands of beaver pelts sent to satisfy European fashions. Rafts of squared pine logs were assembled on Lake Opeongo, flushed down the Opeongo, Madawaska, Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers to Quebec City and loaded into sailing vessels bound for Britain. Relative peace reigns today as scientists, fishermen, canoeists and campers enjoy the lake.’

Common Merganser

Red Squirrel

Sludge Bay (above and below).

The night sky looking south from the shores of our campsite.

Deadman's Bay.

Two C-130 Hercules conducting low-level flying exercises over Algonquin Park.

The Red Pine forests that dot the shorelines of the North and East Arms of Lake Opeongo.

Often when you arrive at a backcountry campsite, you are quickly introduced to the site’s more long-term residents. Chipmunks mostly. Red squirrels at times. And while we had plenty of those, we also met Steven, who would come and go, presumably checking in on other sites while not at ours. He would keep his distance at the edge of camp waiting for the right moment to hop up on the logs surrounding the fire before leaping into the pit itself looking for scraps. While he was a friendly addition to camp, he was a sad reminder of campers not keeping their site clean - apparently a growing problem as more and more people visit the backcountry. But he also served as a fearful reminder of what other forest dwellers might be habituated to our site.

Food is a big component of planning a successful backcountry trip and keeping the boys happy.  And because we’re not doing any heavy portages we’re afforded to bring in some good grub.

Pictured below was the third night’s meal of homemade tomato sauce - mirepoix with pork sausage from LaStella market on Erie Street (a favourite of mine) - and rigatoni.  For desert I made a blueberry compote over warmed granola with whipped cream.

Previous nights included marinaded flank steak tacos with onion, cilantro, and cheese with rice and beans as sides (not pictured), sausages in a bun with packaged risotto and freshly made chickpea salad. Our breakfasts consisted of eggs, bacon, and english muffins and of course, coffee.

A suggested grub list for Algonquin Park from 1944.

Our fifth camper. Always.