For perspective, this is from my parents deck near Shall Lake access - top pic is yesterday
(April 24). Bottom is today.

Looking out at Louisa from Florence?

That’s a great answer, thank you!!! See the portage from Big Crow scares me…I found Unicorn Hill long (and may have had a break down around km 1.5) but it wasn’t “that” bad. But good info re: Big Crow to Hogan. I remember La Muir was rough too the day before tackling Hogan which was also rough.. But you’re right, all things to consider. As a personal rule I would never canoe Opeongo- water taxi or pretty please my dad or uncle for a ride up.


Appreciate the insight, thank you!

I love all of these answers - thank you for sharing! I’m really looking forward to the 2025 season and love reading how each of you have experienced Algonquin.

I’ve always loved Opeongo which is nostalgic for me as it’s been “my lake” since I was a child. Same with Galeairy.

Lavielle stole my heart as did Burntroot more recently in adulthood. Looking forward to checking out the northwest part of the park hopefully this year. I’d love to do the Meanest Link….
I’d love to pick a route where I don’t have to worry about work or holidays for 7+ days.
I’d love to do a solo trip. But I’d also love to do an easy, introductory interior trip with my 13-year old niece. Suggestions welcomed!


Happy camping and safe travels!

I’m hoping this question will solicit a lot of opinions and a good conversation… what’s your ultimate Algonquin trip? There’s no criteria - what’s your favourite route; hardest route to tackle; scenic route; easy route; family friendly route… what do you look for when planning a route? (What am I missing?)

After spending most weekends at our trailer on the Madawaska River near Griffith, we did a three-day interior trip out of Shall Lake with my in-laws. But I wanted more of Algonquin, so we went to my favourite lake for Labour Day weekend – Opeongo.


(Shirley Lake, August 2024)

As the largest lake in the park, I know it doesn’t hold much value for a lot of people; but my earliest childhood memories are pulling up to the boat launch with my family and towing grandpa’s 16-foot boat with a 20 HP Johnson and cruising up (usually) to the east arm for a week or weekend of camping. While my grandpa has been gone for several years now, I hold those memories close and have a soft spot for Opie. And the lake’s history is so interesting! I’ve yet to explore the area where the Dennison farm was.

As an adult I now recognize and better appreciate the work it took my mom to prepare and pack everything for my dad, sister and me. From food to clothes and everything in between. And she was good. We never went without and that included amazing meals that did not consist of rehydrating anything. We definitely took advantage of fishing and enjoyed some Opeongo lake trout and bass on many occasions.


(Me as a 5 year old  - summer 1990)



(Fresh fish! Pic from Labour Day on Opeongo 2021)

Fast forward about thirty years. Reservations were booming post-covid still (or Instagram era, whatever you want to link it to) so I had to book a different arm each night in order to get four consecutive nights on the lake (Thursday to Monday). While it wasn’t a big deal to tear down and move each day, we did bring everything and the kitchen sink in the boat, so it would’ve taken some time and effort, which wasn’t high on my priority list for the weekend. Thankfully my constant refreshing of the On

Such wonderful insight to your route - thank you!

I hunt around Madawaska Lake and when I first went through there my initial thoughts were “I’d never spend energy portaging over here.” It depends what you’re after. Peace and quiet - check. Hard going - check. Scenery - meh.