The increased bookings is one thing but hey everyone has the same right to book. 

I'm more concerned on how that translates to pressure on the Park.

Lots of blocked portages last year while newbies ate their lunch, more garbage, crazy stuff left in thunder boxes, toilet paper all over the site. etc etc 

For me, at somewhere along the line there will be a breaking point where it doesn't make sense for me any more. 

I was secretly hoping that there may be some return to normal levels this year but that is clearly not the case with almost 100% more bookings already.

Multiple long difficult portages to start every trip this year may have to be the order of the day.

My website traffic for Jan/Feb is up about 5x from what it was in Jan/Feb last year. Lots more people are searching online and doing research. There's still nowhere to travel with all the restrictions in place so it's going to be another year of "staycations" in Ontario. And everyone that went to APP last year is probably telling all of their friends about it for this year.

Personally, I think all of this will cause in increased demand in the long run, but I do think last year and this year will be the peak of it. Once international vacations become normal again it will level off a bit since people will use more vacation days for that, and less vacation days for camping.

I have a May booking for APP and it will probably be my only trip to the park this year.  I think it's great more people are taking interest in back country camping but the easy target will always be Algonquin.  That being said, I've been trying to make a car camping booking for either Grundy or Killarney for my family and it's booked solid everyday by 730am.  

Swede I agree there is definitely extra pressure on wildlife and game and I think we will see a lot of great sites start to close for regeneration, similar to the Rose Island sites on Rock for example.  

 

northernfox wrote:

Yes a few more people are interested in outdoors these days. Lets remember last year this time parks were closed across Ontario until June 1. So comparing last year to this year may not be the true picture.

 
Totally, at this time last year we really didn’t have an idea of what covid would become in Canada. Reservation wise it should have been a normal year. It will be the ‘day of arrivals’ numbers in July that will be interesting to compare. I’m sure it will be the same, or higher, but with many lakes fully booked last year in the summer, it can’t really get busier than that!

TripperMike wrote:

I have a May booking for APP and it will probably be my only trip to the park this year.  I think it's great more people are taking interest in back country camping but the easy target will always be Algonquin.  That being said, I've been trying to make a car camping booking for either Grundy or Killarney for my family and it's booked solid everyday by 730am.  

Swede I agree there is definitely extra pressure on wildlife and game and I think we will see a lot of great sites start to close for regeneration, similar to the Rose Island sites on Rock for example.  

 

I am confused.  I read somewhere that it was Jean Island on Rock Lake closed to camping this year, not Rose Island.  FYI the 2019/20 FOAP map has these two islands names wrong.

So is Rose Island really closed this year?

Last edited by boknows (2/24/2021 8:38 am)

PaPaddler wrote:

it is great news that more people are actively enjoying the outdoors.  It presents opportunities for everyone - to learn, experience and share!

For those who feel this is bad and ruins their experience - move on towards the north and enjoy your journey!

Sorry PA but I don't think its that simple. Yes I agree more people enjoying the outdoors and getting out to shake off the covid cabin fever is a very good thing. Helps with our collective mental health.

My concern isn't about increased competition for reservations though. I'm an early booker anyway and am still capable of portaging anywhere in the Park to get beyond the congestion. It's the Park abuse I saw a marked increase in last year. Was I the only one? Increase in garbage..live trees cut down etc .. that coupled with other things mentioned. Increase in poor portage etiquette, fishing pressure etc...

I worry about the future of the Park I love.

If people like me who try to leave the place better than I found it.  People who pack out others garbage, leave cut firewood for the next group, repair firepits and so on stop going and are replaced by someone who cuts down a live tree for a better view of the lake and leaves TP all over their site.. well.. I worry.

Not much I can really do about it though except continue to do my part and hope that the Park uses some of the increased funds to improve education and enforcement.

 

I too saw Rose Island with a no camping sign twice last year.

I'm sure June experiences will scare some people away from ever returning to APP again :-)

@ShawnD - I believe it is relatively simple, but I tend to boil things down too much sometimes.  If you love a pristine environment then Algonquin or any park isn't for you (I don't mean you, individually, but 'you' as a group who loves pristine).  Parks like AP are managed resources that have infrastructure built to handle human activity and have byproducts like cleared campsites, portages, trash and erosion as well.
 
Our 'free will' (some might say ignorance) allows us to make decisions on what direction to travel and where to throw our garbage.  Not everyone makes the considerate decision and sometimes the inconsiderate actions are also unlawful and hopefully enforced.
 
Our anecdotal experiences, while very convincing to us personally, are often not representative of reality.  You may have witnessed more garbage and less consideration, or you may have been more aware due to environmental elements.  I don't doubt your perspective, sincerity or your dedication to being a good steward (we have a heavily biased group on AA and we are in no way representative of the larger population) and it is quite possible your perception is representative of the park as a whole, but it's an 'n' of one so has to be inconclusive. 
 
The symptoms that worry you (and me and most others here, I expect) are related to that larger population - parks that are geographically accessible and designed for multi-use are going to experience the traffic and abuse,  The other aspect that many of us find distasteful is the characteristic of change.  The park has changed in the last decade and over our lifetime and will continue to do so.  Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse but normally judged from our own personal perspective. 
 
Continue to do your part and hope the park uses their resources in a manner congruent to your interests.  But if the divergence continues...don't be afraid to move on for more change.  Adaptation is a tremendously powerful skill!  And you can always come back for the nostalgic delight!