Algonquin PP: 4 Days - Canoe Lk -> East Arm Joe Lk -> Little Otterslide Lk > Canoe Lk
I've commented about this trip in other topics about this trip, so I'm going to keep this post simple. This was my first-ever canoe trip and I suspect it may be a typical first-timers trip in Algonquin; Canoe Lake to East Arm of Joe Lake to Little Otterslide Lake to Sunbeam Lake and back via Little Oxtongue River.
Four days, starting the Sunday after Labor Day. Beautiful weather with highs in the 70s, lows in the upper 40s or lower 50s, no rain. Light winds the first two days, moderate winds (usually headwinds) the last two days.
Started at the Canoe Lake access point in mid-afternoon after about a seven hour drive. Camped the first night at the second or third campsite on the south shore of the East Arm of Joe Lake. There was flat ground for a tent a short distance up in the woods, but I pitched my tent next to the lake. There was also a wonderful permanently strung bear cable. The campsite opposite on the north shore had flies, presumably from garbage left behind, plus two empty beer bottles stuck on the upturned branches of a nearby small pine tree. (I was far from amused.). Heavy mist the next morning made everything exposed quite wet.
Second day was up and across Burnt Island Lake and took longer than necessary because I mistook a campsite on the far shore for the portage to Little Otterslide Lake from a distance. Camped the third night on the eastern tip of the island in Little Otterslide Lake: very nice campsite with plenty of space for a tent with excellent morning sunshine. Someone made a bushcraft shelf between two trees that was very handy. 790m Portage was a bit hilly and a bit muddy. Saw a cow moose about 100 feet away on the opposite shore five minutes before arriving at the campsite.
Third day to Sunbeam Lake requires five portages. After portaging back to and paddling across Burnt Island Lake, the take-out to Jay Lake isn't visible until you're almost right up on it. The portage to Jay Lake was difficult and treacherous. It's listed as 680m, but has a steep, very rocky, and at the time, very muddy climb of quite some distance on it. The other portages were not particularly memorable except that blowdowns made the take-out a bit tricky, but doable, at one of them.
The sole campsite on the south shore of Sunbeam lake had the cut-off top of a pine tree "planted" in the fire pit. I did not remember what that meant until I saw the bear stick its head out of its den about 50 feet south of the thunderbox. (Fortunately, I was just scouting for firewood at the time and not otherwise occupied.
). Both campsites on islands in Sunbeam Lake were occupied by boisterous groups of young people. Sunbeam Lake appears to be a standard destination for one of the established Camps in the area (Camp Arowhon perhaps?) as I came across another organized group of young people heading for Sunbeam as I was leaving the next day. I took a campsite in the middle of the north shore and there was barely enough flat space for my 2+ person tent. A couple who paddled by reported the northeastern campsite as "dark" and unappealing.
The Vanishing Pond/Blue Jay Lake route south from Sunbeam was navigable, but with lots of 90 degree turns and time spent in extensive marsh grass. Water levels at the time I was there were reported to me as "high" and that's a very good thing for this root. While I usually had two or three feet of water under my keel, there were plenty of times when there was a foot or less. Also passed over three beaver dams but only had to get out of the canoe for one of them. Two Ontario Parks personnel were doing some much needed maintenance on the 405m portage on this route, but the portage itself was ok.
I scouted some campsites on Littledoe Lake on the way out on day 4 and saw no flat ground at the two I viewed on the south side of the lake. These sites also appeared very heavily used and had massively exposed roots. The first campsite on the north shore when approaching from the east, appeared to have plenty of flat space but was occupied. Other south shore campsites I only paddled by weren't very visible from the canoe because they're elevated several meters from the water's surface, but they all appeared to be very rooty with minimal flat ground, if any. I started paddling about 10:00 am the last day and arrived back at the Canoe Lake permit office shortly after 3:00 pm, about 18km with two portages. Canoe Lake was very busy despite it being a Wednesday.
Bugs at this time of year were only moderately annoying during the day and disappeared entirely near sundown. At the East Arm campsite, I had to guard against a seagull that was stalking my food bags while I was packing up. If I moved away, the bird moved in. Heard what I believe was one wolf howl a few times the first night, saw the one moose, a baby beaver swimming, and heard and saw numerous loons.
I do recommend this route as a first-timers trip, provided you're in reasonable physical condition. I feel like I got a good sampling of campsites, lakes, creeks, portages, and wildlife for the time spent.
I've commented about this trip in other topics about this trip, so I'm going to keep this post simple. This was my first-ever canoe trip and I suspect it may be a typical first-timers trip in Algonquin; Canoe Lake to East Arm of Joe Lake to Little Otterslide Lake to Sunbeam Lake and back via Little Oxtongue River.
Four days, starting the Sunday after Labor Day. Beautiful weather with highs in the 70s, lows in the upper 40s or lower 50s, no rain. Light winds the first two days, moderate winds (usually headwinds) the last two days.
Started at the Canoe Lake access point in mid-afternoon after about a seven hour drive. Camped the first night at the second or third campsite on the south shore of the East Arm of Joe Lake. There was flat ground for a tent a short distance up in the woods, but I pitched my tent next to the lake. There was also a wonderful permanently strung bear cable. The campsite opposite on the north shore had flies, presumably from garbage left behind, plus two empty beer bottles stuck on the upturned branches of a nearby small pine tree. (I was far from amused.). Heavy mist the next morning made everything exposed quite wet.
Second day was up and across Burnt Island Lake and took longer than necessary because I mistook a campsite on the far shore for the portage to Little Otterslide Lake from a distance. Camped the third night on the eastern tip of the island in Little Otterslide Lake: very nice campsite with plenty of space for a tent with excellent morning sunshine. Someone made a bushcraft shelf between two trees that was very handy. 790m Portage was a bit hilly and a bit muddy. Saw a cow moose about 100 feet away on the opposite shore five minutes before arriving at the campsite.
Third day to Sunbeam Lake requires five portages. After portaging back to and paddling across Burnt Island Lake, the take-out to Jay Lake isn't visible until you're almost right up on it. The portage to Jay Lake was difficult and treacherous. It's listed as 680m, but has a steep, very rocky, and at the time, very muddy climb of quite some distance on it. The other portages were not particularly memorable except that blowdowns made the take-out a bit tricky, but doable, at one of them.
The sole campsite on the south shore of Sunbeam lake had the cut-off top of a pine tree "planted" in the fire pit. I did not remember what that meant until I saw the bear stick its head out of its den about 50 feet south of the thunderbox. (Fortunately, I was just scouting for firewood at the time and not otherwise occupied.
). Both campsites on islands in Sunbeam Lake were occupied by boisterous groups of young people. Sunbeam Lake appears to be a standard destination for one of the established Camps in the area (Camp Arowhon perhaps?) as I came across another organized group of young people heading for Sunbeam as I was leaving the next day. I took a campsite in the middle of the north shore and there was barely enough flat space for my 2+ person tent. A couple who paddled by reported the northeastern campsite as "dark" and unappealing.The Vanishing Pond/Blue Jay Lake route south from Sunbeam was navigable, but with lots of 90 degree turns and time spent in extensive marsh grass. Water levels at the time I was there were reported to me as "high" and that's a very good thing for this root. While I usually had two or three feet of water under my keel, there were plenty of times when there was a foot or less. Also passed over three beaver dams but only had to get out of the canoe for one of them. Two Ontario Parks personnel were doing some much needed maintenance on the 405m portage on this route, but the portage itself was ok.
I scouted some campsites on Littledoe Lake on the way out on day 4 and saw no flat ground at the two I viewed on the south side of the lake. These sites also appeared very heavily used and had massively exposed roots. The first campsite on the north shore when approaching from the east, appeared to have plenty of flat space but was occupied. Other south shore campsites I only paddled by weren't very visible from the canoe because they're elevated several meters from the water's surface, but they all appeared to be very rooty with minimal flat ground, if any. I started paddling about 10:00 am the last day and arrived back at the Canoe Lake permit office shortly after 3:00 pm, about 18km with two portages. Canoe Lake was very busy despite it being a Wednesday.
Bugs at this time of year were only moderately annoying during the day and disappeared entirely near sundown. At the East Arm campsite, I had to guard against a seagull that was stalking my food bags while I was packing up. If I moved away, the bird moved in. Heard what I believe was one wolf howl a few times the first night, saw the one moose, a baby beaver swimming, and heard and saw numerous loons.
I do recommend this route as a first-timers trip, provided you're in reasonable physical condition. I feel like I got a good sampling of campsites, lakes, creeks, portages, and wildlife for the time spent.
