Have any of you been to Algonquin Provincial Park? It's about 200 mile north of Toronto. It's also 200 miles closer to home than Ely is.

It looks like it has some good tripping opportunities. I'd like to check it out.

I've read a little about it and I've sent for the back country canoe map, but would like to hear any first person information, such as trail heads, routes, portages, permits etc.

If search worked you could check here - there was at least one other thread about that park - not sure if someone was going or had been...? Looks like a great place to explore!

Yes, I really miss the search function.

Hello,

I generally visit Algonquin about four times a season. To get you started, I recommend that you refer to this map, which details the park's portages, etc...

http://www.algonquinmap.com/

I went to Algonquin for a quick three day trip this past Labo(u)r Day. It’s a beautiful park. The very small portion that we saw seemed more dramatic than the BW – steeper hills, taller cliffs, longer portages, bigger trees. It also seemed less like a wilderness with houses and motor boats on the entry lake and with all the portages and campsites marked with bright yellow and orange signs. It took away a tiny bit from the sense of adventure, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the trip.

One negative we found was the reservation system -- when you reserve your entry point, you also reserve which lake you’ll be camping on each night. The process is a bit circular: before you call to reserve a permit you’re supposed to know what entry point you want to use and where you want to camp each night, but you have to call to find out what’s available. Anyhow, we made our reservations, but when we showed up, all the campsites on the lake we were supposed to camp on were taken. I don’t know if that’s a problem normally, or if it was because we were close to the entry point and it was the holiday weekend.

I found a bunch of helpful websites when planning our trip – here are the best of them:

Algonquin Forum The BWCA.com of Algonquin
Algonquin Outfitters A bunch of good, basic info here
Free maps These maps include everything and the kitchen sink
Algonquin Adventures Lots of links here
Ministry of Natural Resources Has maps of scheduled logging in the park
Route Finder Nifty link for route suggestions

Houses and motor boats appear at only a certain percentage of the entry points. While one portage after these main entry points will result in zero boats/houses, there are far more areas where you see neither when you put-in.

The reservation system was problematic, something the Park recognizes now and is therefore switching their reservation system provider. This transition will extend to April 30, 2011, I believe, so you won't be able to make reservations until that time.

Like many parks, it's best to go in the spring, early summer, or the autumn to avoid the crowds; however, you can easily avoid contact if you decide to opt for one of the more ... ummm ... adventuresome portages. I've done two week trips during peak season where I've only encountered two parties the entire time.

Thanks a lot to PP (portagepaul) and PP (PrettyPaddle) for the info and the links. That will get me through the winter and a good start on planning.

You're welcome.

Btw, if you want seclusion, even in peak season (in most areas), then I recommend Teamgami. It's only about 2-3 hours north of Algonquin. Pretty much pure wilderness, no yellow portage signs, and more rugged that Algonquin. For info, you can start here. The forums there are a great resource. Have fun.

http://www.ottertooth.com/

Thanks! I'll look into that one too.