MartinG wrote:

Not only is Opeongo a junction for some of the best loops in the park, Opeongo is a beautiful lake with dozens of fantastic campsites and unbeatable views! Sure it can be dangerous if the winds are up but so can Cedar, Ralph Bice, Burntroot, Lavielle, Grand and on and on. Not sure why people isolate Opeongo as a place not to go.

Nailed it. It's a very scenic lake and has a ton of features to explore. My only gripe is motor boats but nothing I can do about that.

I've paddled Ope a solid dozen times from all ends to all ends (except Annie's Bay) and only two of those times it was tough going. Many of those times the water was glass, pics speak louder than words. It's especially strange (to me) that Ope gets so much hate, given that Cedar has claimed more lives. Every lake is dangerous in the right conditions. Every lake is safe in the right conditions.

And the tread drift continues.
Martin and Peek, I agree. I think Opeongo has just got an undeserved bad reputation. Being the largest lake in Algonquin and being on 60, be nature it tends to attract those who may be newer to canoeing in general. It is what, something like 15Km or a 3ish hour paddle from the outfitters to the Proulx lake portage. Again by Algonquin standards it is a large lake, but there are much larger around. Lake of bays down the road is approximately 22Km across the bottom. I know some of us have paddled lakes that take a day or 2 to cross. Big water, no portages, great sunrise and sunsets. Bring It on!!
Read the stories from a 100 years ago and it was no big thing to leave Big Trout and paddle through to the dam at the bottom of Annie Bay. Are we just getting soft?

Day two of my video log is up:
https://youtu.be/dyOopek9Qw0

Steve E ,
Had a few tough days solo coming out of Tim L too. Never paddled Opeongo ,but took the taxi a few times . If you think $95 is pricey from AO try coming out and seeing $1300 tacked onto your credit card bill .