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I just received a request from Roderick (Rory) MacKay. He's gathering insight and information regarding " .. the Covid pandemic and how it changed the ways in which people used Algonquin Park, both in the Development Zone and in the back-country."
Rory's "Algonquin Park - A Place Like No Other" was written in 2018. The Covid pandemic occurred in 2020. Most of us remember the associated uncertainties that hit the camping experience. It's the resulting impacts and changes to our Algonquin Park experiences that Rory wants to chronicle.
While it's been less than a decade of intervening time, I believe those years (with their technological and social developments) have brought about some substantial changes to our personal experiences in the park.
Rory has indicated, "I am open to you soliciting information on this topic from the forum .."
So here we are .. given the opportunity to share our experiences with Rory!
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Well, I had hoped there would be interest from members in letting me know how Covid-19 affected the collective Park Interior experience, especially if Barry posted the request. Perhaps the figurative pump needs a prime. I will still be working on this project for another month, into march 2026. Here is what I have written so far, based on some of your posts elsewhere. Please let me know if anything should be added.
"With highway campgrounds fully reserved, and the experience different, some experienced and some novice campers turned to camping in the Park Interior or Backcountry. The open space of the Park Interior lent itself to relief from some social distancing, but care had to be taken at landings and on portages where social distancing was sometimes difficult. Masking was recommended in those situations. Similarly it was recommended that on joint family trips, campsite set-up and tasks would be done together by people assigned to each canoe, so as to maintain space, bubble to bubble. Occupants of a bubble would keep a distance from those in another bubble. Use of hand sanitizer was encouraged, and when washing dishes a rinse in bleach water was recommended. Inexperienced campers often did not know the “rules”; how lakes were reserved but not campsites, and canoeists had to find an unoccupied campsite; camping without proper equipment and sometimes abandoning it on site; and that nobody would come along to pick up litter or garbage along the trail, on their campsite, or even stuffed in the “thunderbox” or on-site pit toilet. There appeared to be an increase in unsafe behaviour and poor judgement which sometimes led to a need for rescues. It was the opinion of some people that the new campers broke the rules because they did not know the rules, but others thought some of the new campers just didn’t care. There was also an increase in negative behaviour toward staff and other Interior campers. Some experienced canoeists thought there should still be a requirement for new campers in the Park Interior to pick up a permit and have contact with staff, with reminders about safety and garbage."
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