I'm also eagerly awaiting this map.  I'm planning a trip and don't HAVE to have a physical map right now but it makes it easier to communicate in-person to my camping buddy.  I don't mind buying a map right now then re-buying one from Jeff, but if his will hit the market soon I'll hold off.

trippythings wrote:

WonderMonkey wrote:

... I know that at Alqonguion you have to reserve almost a "route" meaning you are at a lake on a certain day.  I don't know how many people pay attention to that.  If people don't then I'd like to know.  If they do, I want to be a good tripper and also do so.

You book specific lakes, not campsites, and then campsites are first-come first-serve. So you do have to book your route in advance (the lakes you'll be staying on). Some people will camp off-permit if needed, but you shouldn't plan to do this. Only in an emergency like bad weather, injury, illness, etc. Especially on long weekends where lakes will be fully booked, if you camp off-permit you may be screwing over someone else who actually has a permit on that lake.

You'll always come across people who are uneducated or just don't care about the rules, but the vast majority of people do follow their route and stay on the lakes they're supposed to be at. Occasionally park wardens come around to check permits and will issue a fine if you're off permit.

Good, thanks.  I like to be a good steward of what is provided for us and that means camping on the lakes I said I'd be at, etc.

PaPaddler wrote:

Hi WonderMonkey!  Welcome to the forum - it's a great place to gather tons of information first-hand from folks who have traveled and traipsed across all corners of Algonquin.

I don't agree with terms like "swamped" and "inundated" - that implies that the park would be near or at capacity.  With all of the unknowns heading into this September, I would expect the dates you are looking at to be a bit busier at the front end (Labor Day holiday weekend) but drop off dramatically for the days following. 

There are going to be many individuals/families considering making plans but waiting upon the various school districts and other agencies to make final decisions in the weeks prior.  As such, I don't think many will be making full-week plans too far in advance.  I would recommend, regardless of when you go, if you are seeking fewer crowds that you put a few portages between you and your access point.

A great place to get a sense of what each area has to offer is through the triplogs section of this site.  It can be a bottomless pit of information but you'll get a sense of the area pretty quickly.  I would recommend browsing the reports with photos first as they tend to give the quickest answer to the question 'is this what I'm looking for?'

Take your time to browse through and don't hesitate to ask a boatload of questions.

Thanks for the info.  Trip logs has always been a great resource to me and I'll follow your advice here and do that same.

The same theme of "do a few days of portages" have been coming up and we are willing to do that to then relax and meander about.  Once I get a starting point and route down I can reserve what is needed then go from there.
 

Uppa wrote:

"Inundated" is meant in the relative sense of course - it's still the back country. Popular lakes near access points will likely be booked up or nearly so (Ralph Bice, anything off Canoe Lake, Booth etc), but there will be plenty of options and availability further in. 

I think each park has their own version of "inundated" of of course each person's version.  In Queitico where the number of entries is limited but the lake reservations are not, you get out of reach of people quicker.  I know that at Alqonguion you have to reserve almost a "route" meaning you are at a lake on a certain day.  I don't know how many people pay attention to that.  If people don't then I'd like to know.  If they do, I want to be a good tripper and also do so.

I agree.  I'll answer the previous question and I think that will help with your response.

Uppa wrote:

"Inundated" is meant in the relative sense of course - it's still the back country. Popular lakes near access points will likely be booked up or nearly so (Ralph Bice, anything off Canoe Lake, Booth etc), but there will be plenty of options and availability further in. 

My buddy and I are medium experienced, having done Quetico, BWCAW, etc.  We want to add Algonquin to our list and rotate there every other trip.  I've watched many videos and have begun the planning process for a trip.

My question is since the park is opening back up will early September be full from those with cabin fever?  Will it be difficult to find campsites because I don't know the lakes and routes other than from planning and maps?

Later in another thread, I'll ask some typical rookie questions.  Until then, I'm trying to find where other rookies (Algonquin) have asked the same questions.

Thanks, and Hello.