arman555, you're getting a bit confused.

What you're talking about doing is switching from a frontcountry site in the campground to a backcountry site, not switching from a reservable to a first-come-first-serve site. The numbered sites that you can book individually on CAMIS are frountcountry (drive-in) sites in the campground; all the campsites shown on Jeff's Map are backcountry campsites.

I think when the guy told you it was free to switch he meant if you book a site in the campground, then show up at the campground and say you'd rather take one of the first-come-first serve sites within the campground (subject to availability), there isn't a fee to switch. But the campground and the backcountry are managed separately; you'd have to cancel your campground booking, pay the cancellation fee, and book a backcountry site on Rock Lake.

And when you book a backcountry (aka interior) site you're just booking for the lake, and within the lake it's all first-come-first-serve, so you'd have no guarantee you'd get the site you're talking about. In general backcountry campsites on Rock Lake are only accessible by boat; the one by the Booth estate might be an exception to that since it's so close to the Booth's Rock Trail, but as I said you might end up having to paddle to one of the other ones if you book an interior site on Rock Lake. And of course it's a completely different camping experience than frontcountry since you won't have access to your vehicle or any facilities.

I have never caught a trout in Rock Lake although there are some there.  There is also bass in the lake as well.

DanPM wrote:

Well bass won't be in season... so yeah, Rock Lake might not be your best bet for fishing in the spring, unless you're using it as a base for daytrips into back lakes.

spicol, by "exception" I just meant it might be physically possible to access it without a boat... but I haven't actually tried it, and even if it is it wouldn't really matter, since you wouldn't want to head out there without a canoe in hopes of getting the one campsite that wouldn't leave you totally stranded.

That campsite is very easily accessed via the Booth's Rock trail, so easy that in the summer I bet you'd get a few dozen tourists in your campsite per day. 

ATVenture wrote:

DanPM wrote:

Well bass won't be in season... so yeah, Rock Lake might not be your best bet for fishing in the spring, unless you're using it as a base for daytrips into back lakes.

spicol, by "exception" I just meant it might be physically possible to access it without a boat... but I haven't actually tried it, and even if it is it wouldn't really matter, since you wouldn't want to head out there without a canoe in hopes of getting the one campsite that wouldn't leave you totally stranded.

That campsite is very easily accessed via the Booth's Rock trail, so easy that in the summer I bet you'd get a few dozen tourists in your campsite per day. 

My very first back country trip, many years ago, I stayed on this site. I had not at all been involved in the planning of the trip and for a long time after, had no idea of our route apart from the fact that we were south of 60. A couple of years ago we hiked Booth's Rock trail and when we got down to the area around the site, it looked strangely familiar. A little bit of wandering and I realized I had been there before. I was able to piece together our route after that.

The trail more or less stumbles within earshot of the site. A nice site no doubt, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for any kind of solitude. 

DanPM wrote:

Algonquintripper wrote:

As Joey would say, it's a "moo" point as the Park would not allow you to book a canoe site with the intent of backpacking to it. All backcountry sites at Algonquin are use-specific. Fines would apply, I suspect, if you are found doing this.

I have trouble imagining that the park would fine you for accessing a canoeing campsite by foot, assuming it was properly booked... what are they going to do, inspect your campsite and fine you for failing to produce a canoe?

Assuming you booked it as a canoe trip, the issue wouldn't be rules and enforcement but the fact that you can't book individual sites, so if you showed up without a canoe and that one site was taken you'd have no way to get to one of the others.

People do it all the time.. Take Number One Lake for example on the Barron Canyon Road, Its accessed by a 180m portage from the road and the two sites are considered "canoe in sites" but its a dead end lake and the campsites are both accessed from the portage. Same idea for Mallard Lake on the road to Sec Lake, as well as Sec lake which has at least 4 sites that people hike into. You can also hike into the 5 sites slightly East of the Jack Pine Trail on Grand Lake. Oh and Pretty Lake as well is a 'canoe site' without needing a canoe. 

Last edited by ATVenture (4/15/2017 5:58 am)