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This is for mid-August, either the weekend of the 12th or 19th, and it would be for 2 nights.
What I'm looking for:
- scenic campsites with views of both sunrise and sunset (islands, peninsulas, or on a point)
- able to rent a solo canoe
- some sense of privacy considering the time of year
- I won't be fishing or swimming so those don't matter
I just did Rock to Clydegale last week, camped on the northwestern site and it was exactly what I was looking for, fit all of those criteria. Looking for something similar to that - main priority is good odds of getting a scenic site and being able to rent a solo canoe. I've been studying the maps looking for a good option, but most routes I've either already done, will be doing this year, or just don't satisfy those criteria.
Any thoughts?
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That's an ambitious list for most of the camping season, let alone mid-August. My only suggestions while on my phone (so haven't checked reservations or the map) would be maybe Red Rock off Opeongo or Lorne off of North Tea.
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Uppa wrote:
That's an ambitious list for most of the camping season, let alone mid-August. My only suggestions while on my phone (so haven't checked reservations or the map) would be maybe Red Rock off Opeongo or Lorne off of North Tea.
I was looking at North Tea and Lorne and that area but I didn't think I'd be able to get a solo canoe from any of the outfitters near there.
And yeah I know it's a bit ambitious; I'd sacrifice the privacy aspect if needed (as long as it's not a jump off lake), and next sacrifice would be the sunrise view if needed. I guess my top priority is a nice scenic site with a sunset, then sunrise and privacy come next.
edit: Red Rock looks like it has 2 sites that would satisfy everything, the island and the site on the north shore. I remember reading that "worst site in algonquin" thread and someone mentioned Red Rock, but I can't remember what site 
... have you camped their before?
Last edited by trippythings (7/27/2017 5:36 pm)
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There's an outfitter right at the North Tea access point IIRC so I assume that should be a non-issue?
I've camped on red rock but only for one night and it was crazy windy so I did no exploring. Can't really testify to the quality of the campsites.
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There's an outfitter right at the North Tea access point IIRC so I assume that should be a non-issue?
I've camped on red rock but only for one night and it was crazy windy so I did no exploring. Can't really testify to the quality of the campsites.
There's 2 of them there, but I don't think either carry solo canoes. I could always get a tandem boat, but I very much enjoy paddling the solo boats, which might actually be my favorite part of tripping solo.
And thanks, I guess I can do a bit more research myself and see what I can find. Maybe one night Red Rock and one night west Opeongo, visiting Hailstorm Bay.
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If you are traveling up Hwy 11 rent a canoe from either Algonquin Outfitters in downtown Hooterville of straight from Swift on the highway.
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Would not let me edit the above post.
With a water taxi both Bug Trout and or hogan are a days travel and you could rent from the outfitters at the put in.
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For what it's worth what I saw of Red Rock I quite liked. Its definitely on my list of lakes to revisit.
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If your #1 priority is a sunset, Mouse off the Kiosk access point can be reached easily in a day and has a couple of gorgeous westward-facing beach sites. And since I'm at a computer I checked the online reservations site. No bookings on Mouse for the 11th or 12th. The 18th has a few and the 19th has one booking. So you'll get a sunset and privacy, but no sunrise. Two out of three ain't bad! No idea about renting a solo canoe, however.
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Would not let me edit the above post.
With a water taxi both Bug Trout and or hogan are a days travel and you could rent from the outfitters at the put in.
I forgot to mention I'll be double carrying. I know, that really doesn't help my case and just adds to the "beggars can't be choosers" appeal of my criteria lol. They're both probably still doable, just really long days. I'm spending 2-3 nights on Big Trout for a separate trip later in the summer though. Thanks for the input
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For what it's worth what I saw of Red Rock I quite liked. Its definitely on my list of lakes to revisit.
If your #1 priority is a sunset, Mouse off the Kiosk access point can be reached easily in a day and has a couple of gorgeous westward-facing beach sites. And since I'm at a computer I checked the online reservations site. No bookings on Mouse for the 11th or 12th. The 18th has a few and the 19th has one booking. So you'll get a sunset and privacy, but no sunrise. Two out of three ain't bad! No idea about renting a solo canoe, however.
Thanks, I'm definitely going to look into Red Rock more. I feel like I'll end up gathering a few options and seeing last minute what has the best availability.
I looked into Mouse last year but never ended up going. Definitely a good option as well, about 7hrs travel time with double carries. I'll have to see if I can get a solo canoe up there - I've only launched from Kiosk once before but that was with a group.
Thanks for all your input by the way. Also that's a great picture from Mouse!
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Has anyone camped on Lawrence? Looking at Jeffs Maps, I see two small islands in front of the western site, and 1 small island in front of the eastern site. Does anyone know if these islands are big enough to pull up and get out of the boat? It would be perfect for both sunrise and sunset if I could just do a quick 2min paddle and hang out on the island to watch.
Asides from the island question, are the sites on Lawrence good?
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The most eastern site on Lawrence is pretty good. other 2 didn't look like much (but didn't get out to check.)
+1 on Mouse.. you could pick up a solo from Swift in South River (if you go by that way heading north) they have lots for rent.
Also I had a very nice short solo into Pinetree a few years ago. the southern site is quite nice.
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That was me that posted about a "bad" site on Red Rock Lake but it was with a caveat that it was mostly due to bad weather conditions. The two sites we looked at were the one at the portage to Opeongo (didn't choose it because the wind and snow were blowing in quite fierce from the lake) and the one due north of there in the little bay. Both were ravaged by wind and snow, neither would be anything close to what you're looking for in your descriptions above regardless of the weather conditions though.
But that little island site on Red Rock might fit the bill for you; Red Rock is a beautiful lake that doesn't get a ton of traffic even though it is close to a heavily traveled lake. The portage is long-ish and has a fair amount of up and down along its route. Folks that are heading to Big Trout or Big Crow from Opeongo won't bother with the extra portages to go through Red Rock and there aren't many people who travel from Big Crow to Happy Isle so it sort of ends up being more of a "dead end" lake with the amount of tripper traffic.
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The most eastern site on Lawrence is pretty good. other 2 didn't look like much (but didn't get out to check.)
+1 on Mouse.. you could pick up a solo from Swift in South River (if you go by that way heading north) they have lots for rent.
Also I had a very nice short solo into Pinetree a few years ago. the southern site is quite nice.
Thanks, those all sound like good options. I'm looking into Pardee as well, seems like that north site might give the views I'm looking for and I'd be the only reservation on the lake. Maybe a trip combining pardee and Lawrence.
Mouse definitely seems good, might just be a lot of far driving/coordinating logistics for a 2 nighter. Not crossing it off the list yet though.
Pine tree looks interesting as well. I might send you a PM at some point asking about that lake, how to access, where to park etc.
Thanks for all of the advice, I really appreciate it
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That was me that posted about a "bad" site on Red Rock Lake but it was with a caveat that it was mostly due to bad weather conditions. The two sites we looked at were the one at the portage to Opeongo (didn't choose it because the wind and snow were blowing in quite fierce from the lake) and the one due north of there in the little bay. Both were ravaged by wind and snow, neither would be anything close to what you're looking for in your descriptions above regardless of the weather conditions though.
But that little island site on Red Rock might fit the bill for you; Red Rock is a beautiful lake that doesn't get a ton of traffic even though it is close to a heavily traveled lake. The portage is long-ish and has a fair amount of up and down along its route. Folks that are heading to Big Trout or Big Crow from Opeongo won't bother with the extra portages to go through Red Rock and there aren't many people who travel from Big Crow to Happy Isle so it sort of ends up being more of a "dead end" lake with the amount of tripper traffic.
That makes a lot of sense, thanks. I've learnt never to book a trip in hopes of getting one specific site, so I'm thinking Red Rock would be a great spontaneous trip on a day there happens to be no reservations (or maybe just 1 or 2 others). Thanks again.
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Just booked! I ended up going with Pardee for 2 nights. Looking at trip reports and videos, it seems like Pardee will get sunset and sunrise, and being that they only reserve 1 campsite on the lake, I'm guaranteed privacy and guaranteed to get that site.
Kirkwood and Phipps seem like viable options as well, but I'll be on Kirkwood later this summer for the first time, and Phipps is a bit farther, so I decided to go with Pardee instead (I'll probably day trip into those lakes).
Thanks to everyone for all of the advice, I'll definitely be going to some of the lakes mentioned in this thread on future spontaneous trips.
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