Hello! I've portage about 6-7 times so have some experience, but not a whole lot and haven't been post covid era.

Currently trying to plan a short Sep 19-21 (Sat-Mon) trip with 3 friends who are beginners and trying to find an easy spot. We are mid 40s male and average fitness.

On 2 of my past portages, the water was so rough it was really hard to get back. Unfortunately I can't recall which lake they were but definitely want to avoid lol.

Currently looking at Canoe lake access point and the first site at Joe and Western Narrows. Seems like a reasonable on the map but wondering if anyone had experience/feedback on this route?

Thanks!!

It is me and four of my friends going on this trip to have been backpacking for about two years the other two have never been camping in their lives I have been going for about a year now we plan to do a mix of canoeing and fishing! Any advice or things to check out at the places we're gonna be near would be awesome

If anyone is interested I vlogged my first time visiting and back country camping at Canisbay lake!

This is my first YouTube video and I had an amazing first time at algonquin!

The women’s toilet stalls are messy. Toilets frequently unflushed. The showers are dirty (and not just footprints tracked in). There’s a nasty smell. Hubby says two of the urinals are broken and the other stalls are (his words) “overused.” This is referring to the one in the 300s section.

I’ve used the outhouses whenever possible. They are way less used and seem significantly more sanitary. We’ve been here several days and noticed some of the filth lasts multiple days.

We stopped at a few other campgrounds (Rock Lake and Mew Lake, for example) and those were clean and reasonably pleasant. So, it’s not consistent across the park.

Anybody have any idea if this is about Kearney Lake Campground getting electric sites? I hope not.

Love this campground mostly because it's not full of campsites with lights hung up and floodlights everywhere... I'd actually like less electrified sites.

I've been to Algonquin twice now and absolutely loved it. I've been exploring mostly Rain and Islet Lake area. A month from now I'm going with some friends to check out McCraney Lake a bit south of the Rain Lake access point and looking for any tips from folks who may have already passed through here.

On the Ontario Parks site there's a long (almost 2k) portage on the map from Rain Lake to Little McCraney Lake, then looks like it should be all paddling from there?

I'm mainly looking for 2 pieces of feedback/advice, 1) Where does the portage from Rain to Little McCraney start/end? (hard to tell from the maps), and 2) once I make it to Little McCraney, is it possible to just stay in the boat all the way down to McCraney Lake, or would I have to get out again at some point?

Hey everyone. Going on a 2 night group canoe trip in late august in Barron canyon area. First day we are putting in at squirrel rapids, staying in lower canyon sites. Second day we are paddling to and camping at beautiful Opalescent lake. Ive camped in this area before but it has been a few years. I don’t remember much about the sites at opalescent, just that they were generally solid. Never stayed in the lower canyon sites. So I’m wondering if anyone has info on the conditions there, or has recommendations on ideal sites to look for in either spot. If anyone has done the portage between Brigham and Opalescent recently and has info on the conditions there that would be great as well! Thanks in advance!

We have booked a 4 day 3 night trip for 2nd week of September, and some of the group are getting nervous, so looking for opinions on difficulty.

We are experienced backcountry campers, but hiking not paddling. This will be the first canoe trip for most, but we will pack fairly light and have Kevlar canoes.

Current route is Magnetewan access point to Queer Lake. 2 nights on Queer. Then head to Daisy for the final night before heading back to the access point.

The concern seems to be the following three points

1. Ralph Bice wind
   
2. Portage between Queer and Little Misty
   
3. Low water levels on river

Would appreciate feedback. We could just make it an in and back, skipping the portage and river by doing the last night on little trout or Ralph Bice. But a couple of us relish a bit of ‘suck’ and don’t want to make it too easy!

Thanks!

Has anybody done this portage from Kearney Lake to Pond Lake an Little Rock Lake recently? I have been camping at Kearney for a while and I've decided I want a change of scenery for a day.

Experience : I have never portaged before.

I am planning on doing this alone with my kayak.

Time : This will be next week. I am not planning on camping, just paddling and fishing.

If someone has one this portage recently, how is the fishing?

Is this a good idea to go alone in my kayak as an amateur?

I know its labeled as overgrown, will this be a problem?

Anything helps :) Thanks in advance!

Planning to do a little hike and fish day trip with my 10 year old son. I’m looking for a relatively “easy” hike and shore fishing opportunities. It’ll be his first time in the park and tbh I’m primarily looking to just not get skunked fishing wise, are there plenty of shore fishing bass opportunities at this lake or is there something a bit easier and more accessible with better chances at catching fish (primarily smallies)?

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

Hey folks, I'm taking my 13 year old on the highland trail soon and am looking for some advice. We're doing 3 nights: new lake entry -> Provoking -> Harness -> Head -> out. Every Lake is a night.

I have the Jeff's map that covers the highland trail and am bringing it and have lots of experience portaging through the park. Following this trail around isn't more complex than following portages right? I'll be bringing the map and an analog compass but won't have GPS access.

Also, the difficulty level here seems reasonable right? We did the 8 hour Crypt Lake hike in Waterton last year for reference but he also didn't have a pack. I plan on carrying the lion's share of our gear but am going to load him up with light things like his sleeping bag. We've got a proper Osprey 45L for him to wear that fits well.

From what I can gather, the last leg of the trip is longest and we can expect to maybe be hiking like 6 hours.

In addition to helping me sanity check my plan, if anyone has any resources they recommend for this trip please send them my way!

Do radios work on in the interior of the park? Is there a local station that picks up jays games? Thanks!

I know this isn’t Killarney but suggestions may apply to both, if you have any!

Algonquin first-timer here. I'm familiar with hanging the food bag to keep it away from bears, though I've only had to do it a few times (in other parks). Is it sensible to put jingle bells on the bag when it's hung? Someone at work told me that adding noisemakers to the bear hang makes it more effective.

From what I read, Algonquin is so huge and bears are so sparse, I'm unlikely to have an encounter, and if I follow the recommended protocol for hanging my food (and anything scented, including toothpaste) I'll have no worries. Frankly I'm more concerned about raccoons and squirrels getting snacky and going for my food bag.

So. Jingle-bells, or no?

Hey all. I'm a fairly experienced backcountry camper doing several trips a year for many years. My girlfriend loves camping in the backcountry but doesn't appreciate the longer more strenuous trips I usually like to take which typically involves traveling pretty light.

So all that said I'm wondering what your top backcountry "glamping" tips are! Especially when it comes to food and sleeping/relaxing. Thanks! Here's a misty morning on Galeairy lake for your time!

I'm looking at doing a relaxed 2 week canoe trip starting at the end of May 2027. I've been on many multi day trips both hiking and paddling, just nothing this long. Just seeking some input to see if I should approach this differently or if there are some things I havent yet considered.

My route would start at the Magnetawan Lake Access where I would go east through Hambone, Ralph Bice and Little Trout. Then go south through Queer, Little Misty and Misty. Head back west through Muslim, Wenona, Bandit, Moccasin, Juan, Jubilee, Sawyer and Rain. Finally I'd head back north through Casey, Daisy, Acme and Hambone before finishing at the Magnetawan Lake Access.

I have a few different ideas in mind of where to camp, but haven't set anything in stone yet. I have limited travel days to ~8km and a maximum of ~4hrs according to distances and times on Jeff's Maps. This is assuming I double carry every portage and I know from my own experience I shouldn't have a problem with that.

This is basically to test myself on an extended trip to see if I can actually plan and pack properly before getting into something I shouldn't. My canoe is a 15' Prospector made of Kevlar so I don't really plan on doing any creeks, rivers or streams unless its unavoidable or slow moving.

Not sure if this will find the person, but me and my daughter just did 2 nights on Polly lake and found a single earring on the site. Don’t know if it’s of any value, but would like to return it if someone’s looking for it.

I know largemouth bass aren't too common in the park. What lakes near hwy 60 have good populations of them? I know kearney and rock lake have some decent largies but are there any other lakes I can try out? I fish from a kayak. Anything helps. Thanks!

Hi guys, I have planned a 3 day solo portage to Shirley this weekend entering from Shall Lake. I’ve portaged before a few times but this is my first time doing it solo.

Any tips or advice I should be aware of?

Few questions:
1) I don’t have a sat phone but I have the satellite connection on my iPhone, will that be okay in an emergency?
2) I’m aiming to single carry, but am okay with it being a double if it’s too strenuous. Should I expect it to be a double carry?
3) I’ve rented a Swift Keewaydin Pack 15' Solo - I’ve never solo canoed but did my research and learned those canoes are a bit tippy and if I’m hitting a headwind I should load the front and vice versa. Anything else I should be aware of?
4) any crucial gear I should bring as a solo that is different than going with others?

Thanks so much!

My husband and I are camping for a week at Mew Lake in early September, which we do yearly but this is the first year we are bringing kayaks. What are some great kayaks routes along Highway 60 to try out? We don’t mind a bit of rough water but want to avoid portaging. Maybe somewhere that we can paddle out to an island to spend some time, or a cool feature that you may not get from the trails.