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Does anyone know how it works with the winter back country camping, in terms of what the dates are? I know in the past there has been a lot of confusion and some mixed messages form the Park Staff as to when you can actually venture into the back country and when the winter rules kick in. In the past I've been told it's when there is snow on the ground. I'm looking at the updated Algonquin Park site and winter publication and I interpret it as though the rules kick in after Thanksgiving. I've been trying to call the park but nobody seems to be picking up.
Im looking to head up over the next few weeks and would like to hit the back country (i.e. not camp on a designated summer site) but I'm wondering if I can do that if there is no snow?
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Ok so I managed to get a hold of someone and she sounded like she knew wha tshe was talking about. So here's the official rules:
Although the winter season starts after the Canadian Thanksgiving, the back country rules for winter camping do not necessarily kick in at the same time. She said they make the decision based on a few factors (such as snow on the ground, lakes frozen, etc). So it's not just a matter of there being a bit of snow on the ground. So it sounds as though it is unlikely one would be able to back country camp as per the Winter protocol until there is a decent amount of snow on the ground at the very least.
Looks like I'm paying $44 to stay at Mew 
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The rationale behind disallowing use of marked campsites in the winter is that these sites generally are very poor locations for winter camping. They do not provide good shelter from the wind and as a result of heavy usage are poorly supplied with firewood. Additionally, winter camping can make a mess of a campsite if deep snow prevents campers from locating the fire pit and the thunderbox. Now I realize that the advice you got is that winter rules don't apply until there is a good amount of snow on the ground. However, I expect some judgement could be applied here. If you are encountering unusually cold, windy weather in the late fall prior to any significant accumulation of snow, I really cannot see any ranger faulting you for choosing to camp back in the bush. Actually, the chances of actually encountering a ranger at this time of the year should be pretty small as the interior ranger jobs are seasonal and I would expect they are finished for the year, or if not very soon!
I don't really understand why you would choose to go to the Mew lake campground if winter style backcountry camping isn't available when you could instead hike into one of the backpacking trails. Once you get into late October or early November I don't think you would see very many people on those trails. It's been a while but I have done an overnight hike into Provoking lake in November.
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I want to have easy access to my vehicle as I plan on doing a lot of photography (i.e. travelling around to different spots). I also don't camp without a lot of luxuries (i.e. lots of gear 
so hiking in with minimal gear just isn't something I'd want to do. My cold weather set up is super bulky (my pad and sleeping bag would take up an entire backpack) so I just don't see hiking in as something that would be doable. Oh well I'm certainly not going to complain...time in the park is time in the park
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For what it's worth, by the letter of the law, winter backcountry camping rules start December 1: But it sounds like the park assumes some flexibility to implement the rules based on weather conditions.
What might change on Thanksgiving is that reservations are no longer taken, so summer backcountry camping rules are still in place but permits are walk-in only.
If you want access to your vehicle and Highway 60 for touring, note that there is crown land along Highway 60 right outside both park boundaries. There was some discussion on another thread about where the nearest crown land campsites are, but if you were hoping for winter-style camping then you aren't really looking for an established campsite at all.
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Hmmmm maybe I'll look at the Crown Land idea. I think I'll wait a little closer to the date and see if there is actually any snow up there, and then make a decision from there.
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I just received an email reply from someone from the Park in regards to the winter protocol dates.
"Winter protocol takes effect on December 1st. This will mean no camping of designated backcountry sites or within 30 m of water, trail or portage."
I then asked the question, "If there is minimal/no snow on the ground after Dec 1, could one still camp in the back country after that date ?". The reply was, "Yes, as long as you can find a spot to setup camp with cutting any live growth or clearing an area."
This was from the Park Group Leader - Operations South - Algonquin Park
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