Offline
Hello everyone !
We are 2 French Students who are visiting the area and several canoe trips seemed essential ! Unfortunately we don't really know where to begin.
We were worried that the camping spaces would be booked quickly so we already planned the Rain/Islet/Mccraney loop for Canada Day weekend. Can you confirm that it is a good choice for the scenery ? We can always change sites if needed.
We would also like to go on another 2 day weekend trip (one night) and would welcome some suggestions 
We can go anytime between now and end of August.
Our requirements:
* Distance: no more than 3.5 hour drive from Toronto and launch site near an outfitter (rental car).
* Length of canoe trip: 4 to 6 hours of paddling/portaging each day, (or less, it is not a performance pursuit).
* Portages: we do not mind some portages, we're used to hike.
* Scenery: the best possible (we are a bit spoiled), we want to make this trip unforgettable !
* Privacy: if possible, we don't really know the amount of people that come there.
All suggestions are welcome and very much appreciated ! Thank you for your help.
Offline
With a quick look at the reservation system ..if I were booking a trip right now with the criteria you outlined I would head to Kiosk access point ( it will be a little longer than 3.5 hours from Toronto but if you want any chance at solitude I would drive the extra distance) then stay on Mouse lake on Sat June 30 and Erables lake the next night Sunday July 1. Great sites on both those lakes. if you need to add another night. Mink or Maple lake would be other good choices.
Shockingly no one booked on Mouse or Erables lakes right now for a long weekend.
Offline
I recommend this to a lot of people, but Rock Lake to Clydegale is a great trip. About 4 or 5hrs of travel time (depending how far down Clydegale you paddle before taking a site), with a few waterfalls on route, and a short hike - Booth Rock Trail - on the last day before you head home. The lake itself is pretty and has nice campsites, with a decent chance of seeing moose (I saw 3 in two days when I went last year end of July).
Offline
my friend just came back from clydegale,, he told me that there is a lot of dirty, beaten up campsites,, live trees cut and human waste/ garbage all over. just say`n
Offline
swedish pimple wrote:
my friend just came back from clydegale,, he told me that there is a lot of dirty, beaten up campsites,, live trees cut and human waste/ garbage all over. just say`n
I didn't notice any of that when I was there last year. Not more than usual at least.
But also with only 1 night available for OP's trip, they won't be able to get too far from an access point and these types of issues will be prevalent on a lot of these "1-day-away" lake options. Especially off Hwy 60
Offline
I thought Clydesdale Lake was quite nice with some campsites set up high up from the shore so you get a scenic view of the lake. However, when we went during the 2015 Thanksgiving weekend we found that rather than climb the 50 m to use the thunderbox, some people had multi shats just a little into the trees around the site. That is the type of problem that sometimes happens, especially with easy to reach sites
On the other hand, the Rock Lake access does offer nice scenery I would recommend camping on Rence Lake, on the site with the large rocky point. The site is very private and the lake is nice, if you don't mind the tea color of the water when you go for a swim. Also, Rence Lake can be entered via Pen and Welcome Lakes, and then exited via Lake Louisa.
Last edited by solos (6/09/2018 4:18 pm)
Offline
Thank you for your answers ! We'll think about it
I just have another question, we did the Highland trail this weekend and the mosquitoes/bug situation was crazy, is it still that bad in the beginning of July ?
Thank you for your help
Thread StarterOffline
It's peak bug season right now - it will be better by July. There will still be plenty of mosquitoes, but the black flies should be done.
Offline
Thank you for your answers ! We'll think about it
I just have another question, we did the Highland trail this weekend and the mosquitoes/bug situation was crazy, is it still that bad in the beginning of July ?
Thank you for your help
First week or two in July is usually bad, then they typically start to get better towards mid/late July
First weeks of October are usually beautiful. For other seasons there are picaridin, head nets and original bug shirt.
1 of 1