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I'm a somewhat experienced canoer and camper. Last year I asked this board where to go in September for the labour day long weekend, as it was a last-minute decision, a lot of sites were taken, and I had particular requirements (novice group). We decided on going to North Tea East from access point 1, and boy was it a disastrous trip! It was the weekend where we had this unbelievable storm that just poured and thundered all day and night. On the way back, my brother's canoe and some other canoes also flipped--it's one thing flipping on a small lake or next to the shore, and a completely different thing flipping in the middle of a lake as big as North Tea. The group was also very unprepared as most of them didn't take my advice on what to bring (one girl even brought a f*%&*@! umbrella).
(see trip report if you're interested: )
Anyways, this year I have more time to prepare for it. But my favourite spot, which is lake OSA, is already taken pretty much all the way until the end of September. So, here I am, back to the suggestion board! I have friends and relatives coming from abroad (UK, Finland, etc.), so have to impress them with Canada!
We'll be going most probably once over 2 or 3 nights in May, and once in September for 2 or 3 nights.
My requirements:
* Distance: no more than a 3.5 hour drive from Toronto. Can't carry any canoes on my car, so launch site has to be near an outfitter.
* Length of canoe trip: no more than 6 hours of combined paddling and portaging. And we want to do this in one day, so our intention is to stay put at a campsite.
* Portages: No more than 2 and under 500m each, or 3 if they're relatively flat and under 300m.
* Scenery: maybe I'm getting spoiled, but I really want breathtaking views! OSA, North Tea Lakes, that kind of stuff. Lots of trees. Again, need to impress the guests (and myself).
* Privacy: I was concerned that North Tea wouldn't be too private, but I was wrong. Loved it in that sense. I guess when the lake is that big, it doesn't really matter (the crappy weather may have helped as well). We did camp near the trail at the northeast of North Tea East, so every two or three hours a canoe would come by and park near us to explore the trail, but that was fine with us. So I do want privacy, but it doesn't have to be just me within a km^2.
* Having a beach that faces West (for the sunset) would be nice, but not necessary. Having some rocks that face West would do as well. But need sun at the front or at least somewhere nearby that my group can use. The rest of it can be covered by trees.
All suggestions are welcome and very much appreciated.
Last edited by Sepandee (4/26/2018 9:31 am)
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Booth Lake seems like it (mostly) fits your description. Several beach sites facing more or less west.
Also, keep in mind that most outfitters will deliver canoes to access points for a modest fee.
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You don't explicitly state when or for how long - should we assume this is another Labour Day long weekend trip?
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Travers and Barron Canyon are in some of the most scenic areas but too far from your 3.5 hour limit. Big Crow does offer some good potential along with water taxi side trips and features.
Try the Kiosk access... Algonquin North is probably the nearest and cheapest outfitter to supply canoes. Quick google shows $440.00 from somebody else.
There is good scenery on Kioshkokwi campsites, eg. this googled vid. There's also the Kiosk campground if you want to reserve there.
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Uppa wrote:
You don't explicitly state when or for how long - should we assume this is another Labour Day long weekend trip?
Err, fixed. Thanks!
Yes, 2 or 3 nights: once in May, once in Sept.
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Take a look at Pen Lake. Only 1 portage in. Mostly north-south travel through Rock and Pen which helps with the wind. Lots of sites on the east shore of Pen to give you the west facing site for the sunset. You can add in the Booth Rock trail off Rock Lake for a hike on the first or last day to get to a great lookout.
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Burnt Island Lake off the Canoe Lake access point. It certainly won't be 'secluded', but it falls into the same category as North Tea, which is that it's big enough to hold a lot of people without feeling like it. And it's a beautiful lake to boot.
Canoe rentals right at the access point, and the portages to get there are as tame as they come.
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I might suggest Little Doe over Burnt Island for the kind of group I think you have. Burnt Island is fairly easily reachable in a day, but it would be a full day and is a big lake when you get to it. Little Doe only requires the one portage and the paddle up through Joe, Teepee and the Little Oxtongue River would be more sheltered. Then on the way out, if folks were feeling more comfortable and energetic, you could come back through Baby Joe, Little Joe and Joe.
The downside would be fewer west facing sites on Little Doe.
With either option - Little Doe or Burnt Island, take time to stop on Joe and take the short hike up to Gibraltar Rock. There is one picture from there on this page with more in the gallery for that trip report:
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Thanks for all the suggestions. Come to tihnk of it, I would say West facing is not actually a high priority. As long as there's somewhere on the site that gets sun decent sun from 11am-5pm and allows us to sit/lie down, that would be great. More important than which way the campsite faces, now that I think of it, is whether it's sufficiently breezy to keep the bugs away. That should certainly be a priority!
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I second the suggestion for Pen Lake. There is no outfitter at the lake but you can always arrange for them to deliver the canoe to the access point. The portage from Rock into Pen is really easy ,plus there's a fresh spring that you can use as a water source and a nice set of waterfalls just off the portage to check out. If you make it to the southern end of the lake to set up camp then you have some day trip opportunities there as well....you can check out the rapids between Pen and Clydegale or check out the Galipo falls.
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