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9/18/2015 7:44 am  #1


Lake Popularity

So I'm curious about something.

I'm going in later today for a quick solo 2 nighter.

Looking at booking around Hwy 60.

Things have certainly died down as you would expect in Sept . Just to pick a few lakes on Head, Kenneth, Hilliard,Delano, Hareness, Owl, Linda, Raven, Polly, Little Island, Tanamakoon there are a total of 2 bookings..Many of these lakes are very nice, offering fishing, good campsites and obviously solitude with only 2 bookings on Fri. Many aren't that hard to get to either.

Tom Thomson is fully booked however. All 15 sites.. Who looks at the available of lakes and chooses to go to TT when say 14 of 15 sites are taken. ?? Who would do that? Seems crazy to me...   

Lets go up to TT and get stuck with the worst site on the lake when it is fully booked and busy when I could choose any of a dozen other lakes in that area and get my choice of sites and solitude??

Why? 


We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it, we go to smooth it.
 - George Washington Sears
 

9/18/2015 8:35 am  #2


Re: Lake Popularity

My guess...people stick to what they know.

I had a group of friends who always went into Butt (now Ralph Bice) lake.  I convinced them to go to a different lake and they were apprehensive but they agreed and had a fantastic trip.

There is something to be said for familiarity I suppose.

 

9/18/2015 8:49 am  #3


Re: Lake Popularity

...and now TT is fully booked for the next two nights. As is Joe for tonight and Little Joe for tomorrow.

I can't fully explain it. But TT is about the best paddling : portaging ratio you can get starting from Highway 60, for people who want a long paddle in but are intimidated by portages. That area of the park is also on the way to popular loops up Big Trout way (as is Burnt Island Lake, which is about half full for this weekend). And never underestimate the number of people who think Canoe Lake is their only access point option if they don't own a canoe. I also wonder if Arowhon Pines puts some traffic into the Joe/TT area with people combining lodging with camping. In any case none of these fully explain the dramatic discrepancy.

Now that CAMIS is online maybe you can check again at the same time next year to see if this is a pattern or just a coincidence.

Last edited by DanPM (9/18/2015 10:48 am)

 

9/18/2015 8:51 am  #4


Re: Lake Popularity

Agree with Jdbonney. Venturing outside of a comfort zone is too much for some.

I have a friend who insists on Cedar every time he goes, despite having never been anywhere else, it being a extra 4 hours of driving and complaining about motor boats. It's baffling.

 

9/18/2015 8:58 am  #5


Re: Lake Popularity

Ya all good possibilities..Just so opposite to how I book. I try to stay on a new lake every time and get as much solitude as possible.. Never been to Linda so I think i might head in there today. See what time I get to the park.

 


We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it, we go to smooth it.
 - George Washington Sears
     Thread Starter
 

9/18/2015 9:14 am  #6


Re: Lake Popularity

I will say TT is beautiful. It is easy to get rentals sorted there. I will also agree that if I am the one in charge of a group, doing a route I have done before is less stressful. We went to Booth last weekend - we could have gone to Shirley since we've been on Booth but not Shirley - we stuck with what we knew because it had been a stressful week and we knew Booth wod be a chill weekend - we also didn't get on the water until about 7 pm - so knowing the sites on Farm and where we wanted to end up helped a lot. Sometimes going to the same lake can feel like returning to a cottage rather than exploring a new place.

Also last booked doesn't mean worst site if you are there first.

 

9/18/2015 10:31 am  #7


Re: Lake Popularity

I can certainly appreciate that CC. I also agree the whole rental of canoes in that area has something to do with it. Like you and Dan stated.

And yes last booked doesnt mean worst site but for the last few people who booked on TT there would have already been more than half the sites taken and those people were already there.

So no way they are getting a good site.Unless they got real lucky.

I guess for me the quality of the site is one of the bigger factors on my enjoyment of a trip so I would never do that. Maybe I'm just overly sensitive to it.  I'm also a bit of an organization freak so I do my homework.  Lots of people just show up and whatever they get they get. Which is likely the better way to be anyway. Less stress.. they'll live longer...

 


We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it, we go to smooth it.
 - George Washington Sears
     Thread Starter
 

9/18/2015 10:31 am  #8


Re: Lake Popularity

ChristineCanoes wrote:

Also last booked doesn't mean worst site if you are there first.

I hate the afternoon scramble for a site, can't always be the first to arive. Which is why I tend to paddle a little further and carry a few extra portages. Having said that, I have camped on all the lakes mentioned in high and low(er) season and have nothing but great memories. A night on Tom Thomson on a mediocre site is better than not getting out there at all.
 

 

9/18/2015 11:37 am  #9


Re: Lake Popularity

I guess because when I solo I tend to run a long day I don't worry about a 'bad' site. I'm often happy with what others consider a bad site. This summer my OH and I did a 23 day trip - only place I really saw bad sites was on Opeongo. I will be honest I was getting pretty grumpy after looking at a series of absolutely horrific sites - I think since we do not tend to go to the same spots I do not get disappointed if we do not get what is considered the 'primo' site on the lake

 

9/18/2015 2:44 pm  #10


Re: Lake Popularity

A good spot is usually the one you're on.

 

9/19/2015 1:12 pm  #11


Re: Lake Popularity

@ CC
We're you exiting Farm Lk last Sun through the rain. I may have passed you on my way in?

And I don't stress about campsites. I'm not there for a 4 star experience after all. Just as long as the site is clean ie toilet paper in the TB not all over the site. Although........ a nice swimming spot on great days is a bonus 😀


"Anyone can make love in a canoe, it's a Canadian who knows enough to take out the centre thwart!        Bahahaha!
                                                                      - Philip Chester
 

9/19/2015 8:24 pm  #12


Re: Lake Popularity

Hi Kelly,

Yes I was leaving with my OH and my dog.

CC

 

9/19/2015 8:54 pm  #13


Re: Lake Popularity

Did you pass me in the rain. I was solo in my sage blue and champagne pack canoe. I passed a lot of people leaving.

K


"Anyone can make love in a canoe, it's a Canadian who knows enough to take out the centre thwart!        Bahahaha!
                                                                      - Philip Chester
 

9/20/2015 3:14 pm  #14


Re: Lake Popularity

We passed you at the top of Farm - you had paddled the narrows already. You were out of your boat looking at the site just before the cabin. You said you were cold but had heard the weather was going to be good for the week. We were in a green Scott Adventurer. Our dog was a chocolate lab lying between the 2 of us.

 

9/20/2015 7:40 pm  #15


Re: Lake Popularity

What a small world. What are the odds? Hope you had a great trip - I know I did.  Hope to see you around the park again soon. 😀

K


"Anyone can make love in a canoe, it's a Canadian who knows enough to take out the centre thwart!        Bahahaha!
                                                                      - Philip Chester
 

9/21/2015 7:43 am  #16


Re: Lake Popularity

We pass each other all the time and don't know it.

Funny story from this year.

I started a post a few months back asking for info on Pack Boats as I was considering buying one. Peek responded right away with some great info as he had owned one. He rented one first before he bought and I decided to do the same thing.

Showed up at Canoe lake access  with my rental for a quick overnighter to try it out.

Only one other guy there putting his Kipawa in and guess who it was ? The kicker is the pack boat I had was the same one he had rented about 5-6 years earlier.

Very weird.

Also very strange my wife and I are planned a trip in Oct for the colours and completely unrelated to this post guess which lake she told me she wants to go to? I told her TT is already over 1/2 booked for the first weekend in Oct but she still wants to go. I guess I should have just asked her my question instead of posting on here

Sunbeam, Little Doe and Barlett all only have 1 booking between them right now so I might be able to convince her to choose one of those instead.


We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it, we go to smooth it.
 - George Washington Sears
     Thread Starter
 

9/21/2015 8:48 am  #17


Re: Lake Popularity

Happy wife, happy life.

Go where she wants and just be glad she wants to go.


Dave
 

Board footera

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