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Hello all,
We have a group of 12-14 dads and kids that want to try car camping in Algonquin on the civic holiday weekend. We're coming in from the south.
The boys are looking for a spot like Grundy where we went last year. They liked the swimming (cliff jumping), paddling/portaging, and biking. They also fished A LOT but the bite was slow, so we're hoping Algonquin will be better.
What campground would be best for us?
From my research, it looks like Rock Lake would be best... but some of the reviews i read said they are very strict about noise. We're not crazy partiers, but we do enjoy drinks at the campfire with quiet background music. The boys are 13 and still have a little bit of enthusiasm left in them.
Any thoughts? Thanks!!!!!!!
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with a group that large, I'd be looking at Whitefish Group campground. Getting 3 sites together would be almost impossible, even in the same campground would be difficult. All the campgrounds have the same rangers (they patrol each in turn), so all have the same noise restrictions. none of the campgrounds have great shore fishing, but Whitefish does have some panfish and trout in it.
Last edited by scoutergriz (2/06/2021 8:17 am)
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i believe whitefish lake has a group camping area,, i would suggest contacting the park to help fine tune your trip,,,
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Is Whitefish group camping open during covid? It seems like they'd be limiting groups.
We're probably just going to get 2 sites. If the final 2 commit, then they can grab a third site somewhere else in the campground.
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If 2021 is anything like last year, the park will be super busy again. I saw the family campground at Kiosk last year when taking out after a trip and she was packed. Rock lake is a great place to car camp with kids but with good hiking and easy day trips I imagine it will be slammed as well. I've car camped at Grundy and IMO the sites are much bigger and more spaced out than any family campground in APP.
If the kids are 13, why not paddle into a lake like Penn or Clydegale from Rock? Easy trip, decent fishing and you would most likely be able to find 2 adjoining sites or at least close together. Even camping on a Rock lake interior would be a decent option.
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Heck, I'd go for Shall lake based on TripperMike's suggestion. There's a whole slew of sites on the east shore just south of the parking lot. It's literally a 10min paddle from your car and you can even buy (wet) firewood from the Park Office. VERY spacious sites.
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TripperMike wrote:
If 2021 is anything like last year, the park will be super busy again. I saw the family campground at Kiosk last year when taking out after a trip and she was packed. Rock lake is a great place to car camp with kids but with good hiking and easy day trips I imagine it will be slammed as well. I've car camped at Grundy and IMO the sites are much bigger and more spaced out than any family campground in APP.
If the kids are 13, why not paddle into a lake like Penn or Clydegale from Rock? Easy trip, decent fishing and you would most likely be able to find 2 adjoining sites or at least close together. Even camping on a Rock lake interior would be a decent option.
Paddle-in would be my first option for sure. Unfortunately, there are dads in the group that like their creature comforts. Some don't have enough gear either.
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Paddle-in would be my first option for sure. Unfortunately, there are dads in the group that like their creature comforts. Some don't have enough gear either.
Totally fair. You could head to Achray on the East side as, take the kids to high falls and the water slide, Barron canyon trail etc. And if you do bring a canoe, a day trip down the Barron would be fun.
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For easy access car camping and cliff jumping I would head to Killarney. Fishing on the other hand would not be great in many of the lakes as they're dead or recovering. In Algonquin I'd also favour Rock and Achray for car camping but that is in part because all of Achray and the tent only area at Rock are smaller and tend to be less busy. Both areas have access to some great trails and a day trip to Slide Rock at Achray is a great destination especially for younger kids. It can be slammed with people (ie: 20-30) but if you time things to be early or just before sun down it isn't too bad. On a holiday weekend I expect it might be even worse numbers-wise but that will be true of everywhere.
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No background music allowed at Achray.
The waterslide, to all intents and purposes, requires a canoe for access. (Yes, I know you can walk there but it's a long walk.)
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For easy access car camping and cliff jumping I would head to Killarney. Fishing on the other hand would not be great in many of the lakes as they're dead or recovering. In Algonquin I'd also favour Rock and Achray for car camping but that is in part because all of Achray and the tent only area at Rock are smaller and tend to be less busy. Both areas have access to some great trails and a day trip to Slide Rock at Achray is a great destination especially for younger kids. It can be slammed with people (ie: 20-30) but if you time things to be early or just before sun down it isn't too bad. On a holiday weekend I expect it might be even worse numbers-wise but that will be true of everywhere.
I think we might try for Killarney if we can. If that doesn't work, we'll have to regroup. Grundy may be back on the table as well, given some of the feedback here.
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PM me if you'd like on thoughts on Killarney (would need to keep off AA board). And Bob is correct about radio-free - that is a reason it is a nice car camp spot but also may not be great for a dads/kids group.
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PM me if you'd like on thoughts on Killarney (would need to keep off AA board). And Bob is correct about radio-free - that is a reason it is a nice car camp spot but also may not be great for a dads/kids group.
We actually just settled for Grundy again. We checked Killarney and Killbear but they were booked. I had a plan where we could snap up Rock Lake sites 73,74,75 and be somewhat separated from the other sites, but in the end Grundy was the safe bet, with sites still available side by side.
We did have a great time last year... The fishing was the only complaint.
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