Fall Camping at Algonquin Park

Camping in the Algonquin Park frontcountry wasn’t something Darrell and I had really planned on doing. We’ve avoided the campgrounds at the park for years because we don’t love camping around a bunch of other people when we can help it. However, when Emily Gillespie, @emilywhoexplores on Instagram, decided to organize a content creator get-together at the park in the last week of September, I figured it would be a good excuse to check it out.

We stayed at site 412 in Pog Lake. Pog Lake is a nice campground. The sites are private between some and not between others. There’s plenty of stunning, towering pines overhead, with the typical underbrush of maples and other trees and shrubs fighting for light. You don’t feel crammed in, but you’re sure gonna hear and probably see your neighbour. It reminded me a lot of Miette Campground in Jasper National Park, minus the mountain views and potential for a grizzly bear.

On the Friday night we didn’t get in until 6:15pm or so. It took awhile to walk dogs, set up camp, and have dinner. Then we headed over to a group campfire we were invited to. We met a bunch of nice people and played a game that asked conversation starter questions that lead to some excellent stories. It was a nice way to spend the evening. Then it was back to the trailer to pass out for the night. It was a little chilly, but beautiful.

Morning came when Erza decided she was hungry, a little before 6am. She lets us sleep-in a bit when we’re camping, especially in the trailer and tent that don’t let a whole lot of light in.

The bed in the trailer makes it easy to get up in the morning. After a comfy sleep I can just slide down to the ground and not deal with a finnicky back. I really couldn’t love this trailer more. 

After a quick bathroom break for all of us and breakfast for the dogs, we sat on our comfy Kuma chairs for a bit to let the sun come up. The dogs took advantage of some cuddle time so I was spitting dog hair out of my mouth before breakfast. 

Once it felt late enough to make noise, we had breakfast burritos, made ahead and expertly reheated in the Coleman oven by Darrell. They’re my favourite breakfast meal while camping these days.

Planning for this trip was pretty non-existent, which is rare for us. We decided not to bring the canoe because it’s tricky to get the three dogs and us in it. That left us with with the possibilities of hiking, shore fishing, and seeing the sights. We didn’t have anything set in stone and decided to wing it.

A big advantage to staying in one of the campgrounds along Highway 60 is that you have easy access to so many incredible hiking trails. Get to them early though, because those parking lots fill up quickly!

We headed for the Spruce Bog Boardwalk Trail right after breakfast. The sun was shining and the bright blue sky contained just a whisp of clouds. This trail is only 1.5km long and a nice, easy hike through a beautiful area. Peak fall colours hadn’t hit yet, but the views were stunning all the same. The morning light captured hundreds of spiderwebs among the shrubs and trees.

After that hike, we decided to make sure Molly had a break, since our wonderful 13-year-old dog tends to forget she’s not young anymore, and we headed to the Algonquin Visitors Centre, where I had never been and Darrell last visited as a kid.

Dogs weren’t allowed inside so we took turns checking it out. There’s so many great displays showing off the geology of the park, the wildlife, the seasons, and the human history of it. It’s a great place to visit to learn more about Algonquin. The art gallery also has some incredible artwork on display. But of course, the store is what really caught my attention, because books! So many books and maps of all my favourite subjects! I bought some books about the fish and fishing in Algonquin Park, and grabbed a copy of Paddling My Own Canoe by Esther S. Keyser, which I started as soon as we got back to camp.

We left the Visitor Centre as the parking lot was beginning to fill up. The dogs seemed eager to get out and do more, so we headed for the Beaver Pond Trail.

I grabbed a guidebook at the trailhead and we crossed the bridge to get started. Beaver ponds and Beaver meadows are always interesting to look at and this trail really takes you through the many different stages of an ecosystem experiencing beaver activity. It’s pretty cool. The guidebooks available at many of the trails are excellent for explaining the features of the area you are visiting.

What I hadn’t realized about this trail is that it would be a lot of up and down. Up the stairs, down more stairs later. Up the rocky/rooted path, down the rocky/rooted path. I worried that it might be too much for Molly. She never really tires on a trail, but at her age, she pays for it later. We keep our hikes shorter these days to compensate.

While Molly was barely slowing down, around halfway through, Panda seemed to be struggling a bit climbing over the rocks. That’s not usually a problem for him and for the most part he seemed fine and I just kept an eye on him.

Near the end of the trail, the view from the top is stunning. You can even see people just beginning their hike and crossing the boardwalk. I’ll admit I was glad to be at the end!

With our hiking done for the day, we headed back to camp. The dogs slept while we had lunch and took a reading break.

Afterwards, everyone looked good so we got back in the truck to check out some of the other sights along Highway 60, not planning to do anymore trails. We took in the beautiful scenery with leaves that had started turning orange and had not quite reached their peak colour yet. We got gas in Whitney. We marveled at the full-to-the-brim parking lots we passed for hiking trails and lookouts. There were too many people at every stop for us to consider getting out.

Once again back at camp, Panda failed to finish his dinner. I figured he was just feeling off and hoped a good night’s sleep would put things right.

I was so wrong.

That night ended up being one of the longest Panda and I had ever been through. Neither of us got much sleep as he was unbelievably ill most of the night.

By the time morning came and the sickness slowed down enough that I felt he could handle the car ride home, Darrell and I quickly packed up and headed out.

It was an abrupt end to our time in Algonquin Park, but all I cared about at that point was getting Panda home where he could recover in peace.

As we headed back west along Highway 60, the morning mist made for even more incredible scenery. It seemed like more leaves had changed colour overnight and mixed with the mist, I marveled at the views around us. We’re so lucky to experience autumn the way we do in Ontario.

Fortunately, a few hours later, we arrived back home with a much happier Panda. While Erza and Molly raced around, Panda brightened up considerably, wagging his tail and looking a whole lot happier than he had for many hours.

There’s always something that makes a camping trip even more memorable!