Offline
Hi everyone!
I'm planning a canoe trip to Algonquin for 6 of us and already have routes confirmed and booked. The trip is already short enough due to time constraints so we're trying to make use of all the time that we have. Our trip is planned for a Saturday-Monday weekend, 3 days, 2 nights. We're coming in from the Toronto area.
We're hoping to drive in on Friday night, pitch a tent, stay the night, and obtain our permits first thing Saturday morning and head out freshly rested. Does anyone know of any places to camp out on crown land surrounding Algonquin? Maybe something along Highway 60, 35 or 127? We'll have 2 vehicles with us so it'll need to have space for at least 2 vehicles. I took a look at Jeff's map of Algonquin and he has listed a couple crown land campsites near oxtongue provincial park but I'm not sure if any of those are accessible by car. Not sure if anything like this exists but I can only hope!
If none exists, are there any other suggestions? I've read on these forums that depending on who you talk to, you can get permits the day before. But since we're coming from Toronto its not very feasible. (We'll be driving in Friday at around midnight so I would assume the access points will be closed).
Thanks for your help!
Offline
No reason you can't book a car camping site along highway 60 for the first night. It's been a while, but I believe when you show up to a car camping site 'after hours' you just drive in and set up, and check in the next morning. In this case you'd be checking in and out simultaneously enroute to an access point but I doubt that matters.
Offline
Thanks for the suggestion Uppa!
This would certainly work, but if possible, we were hoping for something a little more "free". 
I know, we are being picky... Just looking for options.
Thank!
Thread StarterOffline
What's your access point? If Canoe or Smoke this won't be helpful, but if your access point is on a lake with campsites, a normal thing to do is to drive straight to the access point, paddle to the nearest available site and set up. Then paddle back to the access point in the morning to get your permit (and pay for the extra night you just spent!).
Last edited by Uppa (4/19/2018 12:43 pm)
Offline
Although come to think of it, with 6 of you that's just as expensive as a car camping site so that doesn't meet your 'free' criteria either. I was thinking about it as a solo camper, where it would have been $11 for me to do that.
Offline
West side of Bark lake on Madawaska Rd (comes out at Major lake road leading to Shall L) has crown camping. See
Lots of logging roads on west side of 127. I know of some camping spots deeper in the bush, but i'm sure you could pull off into an old slash pile from logging days gone by. On GMaps, you can see some of these logging roads heading north off of Mink Lake road particularly on the way up to Meach lake. Travel is seasonal so proceed with caution.
Closer to Kingscote access point (about 20-30min west of Maynooth) on Peterson Rd are a slew of crown camping sites on lakes, but they're getting you further from HWY 60 (about an hour). If these are of interest I'd rather direct you via private message as they have received abuse in years past.
Bark Lake is probably your best bet based on what I know of the area.
Offline
Algonquin Outiffters have huts that they rent for something like $10/night. It’s not exactly “camping”, but if you’re doing a trip off Hwy 60 and using them as an outfitter then it could be a very convenient option.
Offline
What's your intended access point?
Offline
I second Algonquin Outfitters. AO tent cabins at Oxtongue lake are cheap. Washrooms and showers available on site as well as access to any gear you may have forgotten. Fire pits, picnic tables. Most sleep 5 in a bunk and 1 on the floor I think. Very worth looking into. Great spot to spend a night either before or after a trip. No sense unpacking and setting up a tent after midnight when you can just crack some beverages and crash in a ready set prospector tent after a long drive.
Last edited by Shayne74 (4/19/2018 3:48 pm)
Offline
Car camp it's less than $10 each, picnic table, fire pit, showers, guaranteed spot. Can't see why you wouldn't do this with 6 guys.
If you want to roll the dice this one can park 2 cars and has lots of space.
Offline
MKCF... since you're driving in a midnight, you probably won't want to spend time banging around on some unfamiliar crown land backroad searching for a spot in the dark. Instead of arriving at that area at midnight, why not hit the sack early to get some sleep the night before and then leave early in the morning so that you arrive at the put-in or the permit office at the right hour.... maybe there are grumpy late risers in your group but I really like an early start and seeing dawn on the drive in.
Finding a good crown land campsite esp in Southern Ontario can take time, the Bark lake and Opeongo river places can be good and might be suitable although my guess is they're too far off your route and maybe too much extra messing around with the midnight arrival.
Offline
frozentripper wrote:
Instead of arriving at that area at midnight, why not hit the sack early to get some sleep the night before and then leave early in the morning so that you arrive at the put-in or the permit office at the right hour.... maybe there are grumpy late risers in your group but I really like an early start and seeing dawn on the drive in
This is what we always do. It allows you to avoid any inclement weather that night (should there happen to be some).
If you do some research and make some calls, sometimes you can even get staff to issue your permit the night before and they stash it somewhere for you to pickup the morning of your arrival so you can be on the water well before the permit office opens... this however, is NOT guaranteed.
Offline
If i'm starting a trip off of HWY 60 I usually drive up the night before and sleep at the Park Lake access. Open area with lots of parking and room for tents. Finding it in the dark can be tricky though. There's a bit of paved area beside the hwy and then a gravel road goes down to where you can camp.
1 of 1