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Dates: May 31, 2024 to June 2, 2024
Access point: #14B Dagger Lake
Nights 1 & 2: Bonnechere Lake
Total distance: 47.32 km
Total portaging: 13.98 km
Unfortunately, I haven’t done a great job documenting my previous canoe trips, mostly due to concerns about losing or damaging my camera/phone during travel. Until my most recent trip (Rock / Galeairy / Pinetree Loop via Rock Creek), most of my photos were limited to those taken at access points, campsites, or occasionally after reaching the start or end of a portage.
However, I’ve decided to post brief trip reports where I feel I can offer insights regarding routes in Algonquin Provincial Park that are less traveled or where information is harder to find. This trip includes one such area, starting from access point #14B at Dagger Lake, located just west of the Park’s boundary.
Day 1: Dagger Lake to Bonnechere Lake
This was my first canoe trip of the 2024 season – a solo trip starting from access point #14B at Dagger Lake. Following the May long weekend and entering the height of bug season, the reservation system showed that the Park would be virtually empty for the duration of my trip. I passed the entrance to the Hollow River – Dividing Lake access point (#14) and turned onto the logging road leading to the Dagger Lake access point (#14B).
About a kilometer down this rough road, I approached an active logging operation. I rolled down my window and chatted with one of the crew members who warned me to beware of their trucks that were driving the opposite direction hauling full loads. Most of this road is quite narrow, with little room to maneuvre and make way for the large trucks.
I continued carefully for another 7 or 8 km down the road. As I approached the parking area for Dagger Lake, I spotted one of the logging trucks racing towards me. Luckily, there was a turnaround that I was able to pull into, allowing it to pass safely.
I parked my vehicle before the bridge, loaded my gear, and carried it over the 360m portage to Dagger Lake. There were numerous loaders and other trucks and logging machinery staged in this area and I was eager to get on the water. There was also an Ontario Park’s pickup truck parked just off the logging road. The map shows a crown land camping site at the end of the portage at Dagger Lake. However, I do not recall seeing one and if there is, it would not be an area that I would ever desire to camp at. The put-in at Dagger Lake was bushy, soggy, and within clear sight of the road.
I finally hit the water at 10:50 AM. The weather was overcast but the air temperature was pleasant. Dagger is a pretty, narrow lake. It took about 25 minutes to paddle to the end of the lake against a strong headwind. The short (but mucky) 200m portage into Minkey Lake marks the boundary for Dividing Lake Provincial Park, a small section that juts out to the west of Algonquin’s boundary.
Minkey is another small, narrow lake with numerous logs and evidence of high beaver activity. As I paddled closer to the end of the lake, I chatted briefly with two Ontario Park Rangers who were heading back towards the access point in their canoe. The 90m portage leading to Dividing Lake was also very muddy, but easily negotiated.
By the time I arrived at Dividing Lake the clouds had given way to brilliant blue skies and stronger winds. As the name implies, Dividing Lake separates Dividing Lake Provincial Park from Algonquin Provincial Park, with the majority of the lake situated within Algonquin’s borders. It is a gorgeous lake with crystal clear water and two campsites. I didn’t check out the campsites, but would definitely consider this lake as a destination in the future. I assume that this lake doesn’t see very much action based on the relative difficulty of reaching it from the more popular Smoke Lake access point (#6).
I could see a large rock outcropping in the distance where my next portage started and paddled hard against the wind that was coming at me and from my right. The takeout is a little bit tricky, as the shear rock is surrounded by a steep drop-off into the water. I prepared my pack and canoe for the first significant portage of the trip – 2510m into Little Raccoon Lake just after 12:00 noon.
I am not one to complain about portages, and I have a fairly high tolerance for them. However, this portage is the main reason I decided to write this trip report. After a steep climb up the rock, the portage continues steadily uphill along a sloppy path. Even though the previous winter and spring were relatively dry, this whole area was extremely muddy. By the time I hit the fork in the path (left continues to Little Raccoon lake; while right takes you to Whatnot Lake), I had stepped into several puddles that were knee to mid-thigh deep with water and mud, leaving me with no alternative except to drop my canoe to extract myself. There was no easy way around these puddles, as the sides of the trail appeared even worse.
I rarely stop for a break on any portage – even long ones – preferring to get into a groove and get them finished as quickly as possible. However, by the time I reached the approximate halfway point, I needed to stop. My heart rate on my watch was extremely elevated. I put my canoe down and removed my pack to get some water and review the map. The start of the portage was at 439m, and I was now at an elevation of 528m. The temperature was also getting very hot, and this area was quite buggy, making this portage even more challenging.
I will attribute some of my struggle to a lack of fitness – the first real portage of the year always seems more difficult, no matter what workouts I do in the offseason. However, in retrospect, I believe this is the most challenging portage I have done in Algonquin Park to date. For comparison, I found this portage to be much more difficult than Unicorn Hill (2345m along the Petawawa River); the 2190m from Cork to Length; or the 2480m from Lilypond to Cranebill. Thankfully, the map indicated that I was near the high point of the portage and the remaining section was about 40-50m downhill to Little Raccoon Lake. In total, this portage took me nearly an hour to complete.
After a short paddle, I reached the 290m portage leading from Little Raccoon into Big Porcupine Lake. I had visited Big Porcupine before, but never from this direction. There was a bog of about 50m separating the end of the trail from the lake, with no apparent way to reach the water. I stepped into the bog and immediately sank down to my waist in mud. I dropped the canoe and unbuckled my pack to pull myself out. Similar to the portage earlier, there was no way to avoid this mud. The more I disturbed the bog, the worse the stench became. Located in the vicinity of the Devil’s Staircase, the Double Devil’s Staircase, and the Devil’s Razor, I have inelegantly coined this bog “The Devil’s Arsehole”.
I finally managed to drag my canoe and crawl my way to the water. Covered completely in mud, I jumped into the still frigid water to clean off and cool down. By 1:37 PM, I had finally reached the 190m portage from Big Porcupine to Bonnechere Lake, my destination for the trip. This portage was a welcomed change from the previous muddy trails. The takeout has a nice sandy area and magnificent rock formations which continue all the way to Bonnechere. As I had the only permit for Bonnechere that night, I paddled directly towards the gorgeous site on the point in the southeastern section of the lake (Campsite #2). I rounded the point and hit camp around 2:00 PM. This is certainly one of the most stunning campsites I have seen in Algonquin Park, and I was fortunate to have the lake all to myself this time of year.
I was exhausted from both the long drive, and the difficult travel from Dagger Lake. The 11.50 km journey took me over 3 hours. I was going to go for a paddle to explore the northern section of Bonnechere, but I was spent. The wind picked up significantly for the rest of the day, which ensured there were no bugs whatsoever to deal with at camp. I set up my tent, started a fire, and went for a swim before making a late lunch / early dinner of ribeye steak, baked potato, and freshly baked bannock.
I was booked to stay on Bonnechere Lake for both nights of my trip, and I had no definitive plans for my second day. I originally planned to do a day trip of some sort, but after the humbling experience of my first day and wanting to conserve energy for the return trip along the same route on day 3, I left open the possibility of a rest day to relax and catch up on sleep.
Photo 1: Passing the entrance of access point #14, Hollow River - Dividing Lake near the turnoff heading to Dagger Lake (access point #14B).
Photo 2: Entering Dividing Lake Provincial Park at the Dagger to Minkey portage.
Photo 3: Beautiful Dividing Lake, looking south along the demarcation line of Algonquin Provincial Park.
Photo 4: Blue skies and clear water on a windy Dividing Lake.
Photo 5: Afternoon view looking west from the stunning campsite (#2) on Bonnechere Lake.
Photo 6: Ribeye steak seared on the grill and baked potato keeping warm over the fire.
Photo 7: Bannock baking, propped up on the edge of the fire. The large log in front is blocking the strong winds blowing through the campsite which helped keep any mosquitoes away.
Photo 8: Bannock was worth the wait.
Photo 9: Bannock with warm honey-butter for dessert.
Photo 10: Sun setting on a challenging, but rewarding day.
Last edited by Bampot (11/27/2024 2:35 pm)
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great report,, neat area of algonquin to explore ,
why did you start your trip at dagger/sword access ? and not go in from kimble to rockaway to dividing . very scenic kimble creek runs along the portage to rockaway,,
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Thank you for another great trip report! Will you be adding your travel to Louisa? Appreciate the details found in your report. Like how you compared the Dividing Lake to Little Raccoon Lake with other portages.
Does a vehicle require high clearance and/or 4 wheel drive to get to the 14b access point?
Last edited by Dwight (11/27/2024 5:09 pm)
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swedish pimple wrote:
great report,, neat area of algonquin to explore ,
why did you start your trip at dagger/sword access ? and not go in from kimble to rockaway to dividing . very scenic kimble creek runs along the portage to rockaway,,
Thank you. The short answer is ignorance on my part 
. I will address this question and choice of access point in my conclusion.
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Thank you for another great trip report! Will you be adding your travel to Louisa? Appreciate the details found in your report. Like how you compared the Dividing Lake to Little Raccoon Lake with other portages.
Does a vehicle require high clearance and/or 4 wheel drive to get to the 14b access point?
Thank you, Dwight. Yes, I will add some brief details of days 2 and 3 shortly.
My vehicle is 4WD and has about an extra inch of clearance. However, I don't think it would be absolutely necessary for this road - at least not in the condition it was in when I drove it. I would classify it as worse condition than the access roads into Shall Lake or Magnetawan Lake, but better condition than the access road into Brain Lake (I wouldn't go here without 4WD).
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Day 2: Bonnechere Lake Day Trip
When I sat by the fire the first night, and by the time I retired to my tent, I was almost certain that I would opt to rest on day two. The weather was perfectly clear all night, and with no rain in the forecast, I decided to go without the rainfly on my tent. The temperatures were cool overnight, but I was extremely comfortable in my shoulder season sleeping bag. I had a fantastic sleep and slept in until 8:30 AM. I took my time getting out of my sleeping bag and finally rolled out of my tent around 9:00 AM.
It was looking like another fine day weather-wise, and I sat by the fire and enjoyed my breakfast and coffee. By the time I cleaned up after breakfast, it was after 10:00 AM. I had a very relaxing morning and had all but ruled out a day trip of any significance. In fact, I had not put any thought into it all morning until this point. After a great sleep and three strong cups of coffee, I was totally reenergized. I felt surprisingly good. Also, there would be daylight stretching well past 9:00 PM. I sat down and took a closer look at the map to see what might be possible for a day trip.
I decided that given the favourable forecast, and the fact that I could leave my tent and the majority of my gear at camp, that I could tackle a longer, more ambitious day trip. I gathered my tarp, emergency blanket, sweater, extra socks, water bottle, water filter, and stove along with a couple of dehydrated meals and snacks and put them in my pack. I also had my Garmin inReach Mini, cellphone, first aid kit, and headlamp with me. My pack felt extremely light compared to when it was full the previous day.
I settled on a loop heading south out of Bonnechere to Lost Shoe Lake and McGarvey Lake, and then east towards Lake Louisa. Then, I would head north to Lawrence, and then turn west to finish a loop back to my campsite on Bonnechere. The light pack would allow me to paddle and portage much more efficiently, and I was confident that I had the necessary gear to make it through the night if I became waylaid along the route for any reason.
This loop would take me through areas of Algonquin that I had been to before, while also exposing me to several new lakes, which appealed to me. I departed my campsite at 10:48 AM and was soon at the 1250m portage into Lost Shoe Lake. I decided that I would pace myself as much as possible and soon found a nice rhythm. After about an hour, I had reached McGarvey Lake. I took a detour to explore the campsites to the southwest on the lake. They did not look particularly great from what I could see, and the lake overall was fairly generic. I turned around and headed towards the Lemon Lake portage, which was clear and mostly downhill after an initial climb near the start.
The route became much more scenic between Lemon and Louisa. However, the detour on McGarvey Lake had taken more time than I had anticipated, and I did not reach North Grace Lake until around 1:30 PM. I decided to pick up the pace through North Grace, which was possible due to the light wind and reduced weight in the canoe. I enjoyed the 50-minute paddle through North Grace and would definitely return here to camp in the future. By 2:20 PM, I had reached the 1490m portage into Lake Louisa and was feeling great. With the lack of other people in the Park, I became totally immersed in my surroundings.
This portage was also in excellent condition and after about 35 minutes, I had launched onto Lake Louisa. I had visited Louisa previously in October 2022 and became windbound when 50 km/h sustained winds and below freezing temperatures made it too dangerous to paddle. As I continued north and reached the main section of Louisa on this day, the westerly wind intensified, and the waves began crashing against the left side of my canoe. I veered as close to the western shore as possible and paddled hard to reach 500m portage leading to Rod & Gun Lake. It was now almost 4:00 PM and for the first time all day, I was beginning to tire.
I decided to take a late lunch break at the portage. I filtered water to drink, and boiled some more for my favourite freeze-dried meal – Backpacker’s Pantry Pad Thai. I sat on a rock, looking south onto Lake Louisa, and took a much-needed break for about forty minutes. When I stood back up, I felt pretty stiff. I was beginning to question my decision to do such a long day trip. I was only just past halfway and had about 12 km to go to get back to my campsite, including roughly 2 km of portaging.
I packed up and started on the 500m portage into Rod & Gun Lake. It was a steady, uphill climb but with easy terrain. Rod & Gun Lake is very scenic but does not contain any campsites. I decided after my lunch break that I would not stop to take any photographs and would focus only on getting back to camp safely before dark. As I approached the takeout to the 450m portage to Lawrence Lake, I was surprised to see a group of three canoes heading the other direction – a group of high school students who were on their way to Louisa for a couple of nights. I wished them well and continued heading north. It was nice to see a group of younger paddlers enjoying themselves.
Once I made it to Lawrence, I turned east and slowly made my way back towards Bonnechere. Kirkwood and Phipps Lakes did not leave a particularly strong impression on me, but the portages were pretty flat and manageable. By 7:00 PM, I had reached the northern section of Bonnechere, and enjoyed a slow paddle south to my campsite. The sun was lower in the sky by now, and I touched shore on my campsite at 7:46 PM. I was tired, but glad to have completed the loop (24 km direct, which was closer to 30 km with my detour on McGarvey). I started a small fire, filtered water, and went for a quick swim as the sun started to set. I was the only person camped on Bonnechere again on my second night, and enjoyed a peaceful fire before heading to bed around 10:00 PM.
Photo 11: Portage lunch on Louisa.
Photo 12: Looking south on Louisa from the start of the portage to Rod & Gun Lake.
Photo 13: Jenga tower fire.
Last edited by Bampot (11/27/2024 8:56 pm)
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Day 3: Bonnechere Lake to Dagger Lake
I slept in until around 8:00 AM and was very stiff and sore from the previous two days' exertion. The weather was mostly cloudy and breezy. I had breakfast and packed up, departing around 9:20 AM. I was dreading the return journey. With all my gear again, my pack felt very heavy compared to the previous day.
The return route was somewhat easier going in the opposite direction. I found a slightly better exit out of Little Raccoon through the bog, and managed my effort level on the uphill section of the 2510m portage. I decided not to take a break this time, and kept walking towards Dividing Lake. The muddy trail was almost impossible on the downhill sections, and I had two full on wipeouts before I finally reached Dividing Lake.
By this point, there were darker clouds and light rain that made the final hour or so cold and miserable. I took another spill on the final portage into Dagger Lake. Dagger Lake did not look as pretty as it did on the first day. Perhaps it was the bad weather. Whatever the reason, I was looking forward to getting back to my truck. It took me about 15 minutes longer to complete the return journey compared to going out the first day as I was moving noticeably slower. I soon reached the end of Dagger Lake, carried my gear to the side of the logging road, and walked the remaining 250m or so to get my vehicle on the other side of the bridge. I drove over the bridge to load up my gear and canoe. The bugs were now out in full force. I quickly changed clothing and shoes, and headed back towards the highway.
Summary:
I have mixed feelings regarding this access point and this route in general. On one hand, Dagger Lake access point (#14B) is one of the quickest to get to from the GTA, does not appear to be heavily used, and provides a relatively easy way to access remote areas in the southwestern section of Algonquin Park. On the other hand, it is a pretty rough road and can be dangerous to drive on during active logging operations.
I might consider using this access point again if I planned to camp on Dividing Lake or explore destinations like Cross Corner Lake in the future. However, the grueling 2510m portage, combined with the indignity of trudging through the Devil's Arsehole, makes it far less appealing. I would much rather paddle the extra distance from more accessible entry points like Smoke Lake (#6) or Cache Lake (#8) to reach lakes such as Big Porcupine or Bonnechere. Once - or twice, in this case - was more than enough.
The campsite on Bonnechere Lake was delightful, and I would gladly camp here again in the future. That said, I was fortunate to have the lake entirely to myself on this trip, given how busy it typically is throughout the year. The day trip loop, while long, was well worth the effort, allowing me to explore several lakes for the first time. Along with North Grace, Lawrence Lake stands out as another promising destination for a future trip.
As noted in one of the comments, access point #14 (Hollow River - Dividing Lake) might be a better choice for reaching Dividing Lake or Cross Corner Lake in the future. If I were to use either access point #14 or #14B again, I would likely plan the trip for the fall. The area is rich with sugar maple and beech trees, in addition to massive white pines, and I imagine it would look stunning in the autumn. Additionally, the portages between Minkey and Little Raccoon might be less muddy later in the year. Overall, it was a rewarding trip that I learned a lot from.
Last edited by Bampot (11/27/2024 9:56 pm)
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Great trip report! Thanks for sharing! The mudholes from Dagger to Bonnechere sounded awful! Still I would choose that route over the Golden Staircase from Kimball Lake every time.
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Great report! That looks like the Gaga Site on Bonnechere? Beautiful site for sure.
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