5 Day Canoe Trip

This exciting canoe trip will give you five days of Wilderness Canoe Camping in the heart of the world famous Algonquin Park. This huge wilderness Park is the oldest, and one of the largest in Ontario. The park was established in 1893 and comprises an astonishing 7,725 square kilometres of forests, lakes, and rivers. It is 1.5 times larger than Prince Edward Island, ¼ the size of Hawaii, the same size as Wales, three times larger than Luxembourg, and seven times larger than Hong Kong! Within its borders can be found moose, deer, beaver, hawks, eagles, bears, and even wolves! For five days we will be living much like the Natives and early explorers did. Travelling by two person canoe, we paddle across many lakes, portage over forest trails, swim in clear clean waters, cook by a fire, and sleep in tents under the stars. We will cover about 10-20 km per day of wilderness canoe routes, with one day out for hiking or relaxing by the water. We can almost guarantee that we will come across a moose or two grazing by the waters edge. If we’re lucky we may even hear wolves howling in the distance at night! We provide all food, permits, a knowledgeable guide, and all equipment (except personal items like sleeping bags and flashlights – a packing check list is provided). We can even provide transportation from Toronto as an option.

Day 1 – Packing Canoes in Algonquin Park

Pickup at Finch Subway Station in Toronto (optional) or meet us in Algonquin Park. After a leisurely drive through the heart of Ontario farm land and cottage country we will meet our group at Permit Office at Rock Lake. After taking care of the necessary paper work our guide will instruct everyone on the necessary skills and techniques for canoeing. You will learn how to properly load a canoe, how to paddle in a straight line, and how to portage your canoes. You start your canoe trip down a slow moving river that spills out into Rock Lake. You will spend the next 1 1/2 hours paddling across Rock Lake to get to the short portage into Pen Lake. This lake is where you will find your first campsite in Algonquin Park. Once you establish camp, with the help of our experienced guide, you are free to explore the lake you are on. Also, in this area it is quite common to see moose grazing by the edge of the lake. Dinner will consist of fresh food, prepared on site, and enjoyed by the side of a blazing campfire! Afterwards, you can sit and watch the Milky Way rise slowly above your heads. The sky is so clear that you can even count satellites passing by! And, if you’re really lucky, a pack of wolves may serenade you with their howls! This is real Canadian camping!

Day 2 – Portaging into the depths of Algonquin Park

Today we will canoe even farther into the interior of Algonquin Park, exploring two more lakes. We will encounter some short portages and one long portage that takes you to a nice beach on Welcome Lake. And, after a welcome break and a swim, you continue canoeing across the lake and into a twisting river that leads into Harry Lake. This is where you will find your campsite for your second night in Algonquin Park.

Day 3 – Canoeing the Heart of Algonquin Park

Today you don’t canoe too many kilometres, but it is a fairly tiring day due to the portages. You will canoe across three small lakes and do two big portages. But you end up at one of the most beautiful lakes in Algonquin Park, Lake Louisa. It is a big lake with many small islands, some of which have campsites you can stay at. You should get to your campsite by mid-afternoon so you will have plenty of time to relax or do a bit more canoeing.

Day 4 – Base Camp in Algonquin Park

As you have already canoed a fair bit of distance, you will take the day off from paddling and remain at the same campsite for one more night. By now everyone is an expert at setting up their tents and collecting firewood, so there will be ample time to relax, swim, read a book, explore the shores of Lake Louisa, or try your hand at fishing for your dinner!

Day 5 – The Never Ending Algonquin Portage

Your final day begins with a hearty breakfast. You pack up camp, load the canoes and start the paddle home. This is a challenging day, but since you are well rested from yesterday, you should easily be able to manage the 2.9 kilometre portage that awaits you. You will arrive at Rock Lake by early afternoon and have a short canoe trip back to the parking lot, arriving back to your vehicles about 2 pm. You then start the drive back to Toronto. For those who requested transportation to/from Toronto, you will be dropped off at Finch subway station at about 7 pm. After this five day canoe adventure, you can definitely say that you have answered the Call Of The Wild!