Algonquin Adventures / Slummers?

**Posted by hiker72** 5/24/2016 6:05 am

Out of curiousity, I took a peek at the online reservations to see how booked up the Highland and Western Upland Trails were during the past weekend. I noticed that every site was booked on the Saturday and wondered if all of those who reserved actually intended to hike into their selected sites, especially those a considerable distance from the trailhead. Did anyone have any issues with slummers?

**Posted by DanPM** 5/25/2016 9:24 pm

I also noticed how fully booked the backpacking trails were leading up to the long weekend. (Eastern Pines too, by the way.) I can't directly answer your question, since I was canoeing. But I can attest that there were real live backpackers camped on Harness Lake, which is the Highland Trail's farthest lake from the trailhead. Of the two backpacking campsites that I could basically see from my canoeing campsite, both were occupied on the Saturday night and one on the Sunday night, and there seemed to be a decent amount of backpacker traffic on the trail when I day hiked on it on the Sunday.

Granted, the WU trail goes farther away from access points than the Highland. But the campsite bookings weren't fully vacant for the Friday, were they? Surely some people started before the weekend, and took more than one day to get to those far-out lakes?

**Posted by RobW** 5/26/2016 8:24 am

DanPM wrote:
... Surely some people started before the weekend, and took more than one day to get to those far-out lakes?

That's how we book our canoe trips - get in on a Thursday preferably or at least on the Friday. Not only does it get us ahead of the rush to find a site, but I've had several folks note that it's easier to leave work 'early' for the weekend than it is to come back 'late' when everyone else you work with is already in full gear and you're still recovering from the weekend.

**Posted by spicol** 5/26/2016 9:05 am

What is a slummer?

**Posted by hiker72** 5/26/2016 2:22 pm

Hi spicol, I meant slummer in the context of one who camps out somewhere other than their designated site. Granted it's a bit of an obscure slang - in retrospect, 'squatter' would have been a better word to use
Dan, Rob, thanks for your messages. Hopefully this was the case all around and no one ended up with surprise visitors or camped off site. I guess I was just shocked that every interior site was booked up the way it was!
Cheers,
Rich

**Posted by RobW** 5/26/2016 3:14 pm

I'd say that is typical for a long weekend in Algonquin. I was more surprised at how few people I saw the weekend before in the Ragged - Big Porcupine area. I know the weather wasn't the greatest and that plays a big part in how many folks do make the trip up to Algonquin, but it still seemed quieter than I had expected.

**Posted by hiker72** 5/26/2016 5:55 pm

Rob, I hear ya. I've done several WUT hikes on the weekend after the May long weekend and the entire trail was practically deserted every time.