West Side Strokes, Canada day canoeing in Algonquin
I’m back! I can’t believe it has been 6 year since I have been on this route, it has always been one of my favorite areas.
This canoe trip on the west side of Algonquin that has a lot of everything, paddling, carrying, views, wildlife, and great times. Credit goes to Kevin Callan's excellent Paddler's Guide to Ontario (Pg. 35) for introducing me to this area.
Given the number of portages no kayaks will be permitted. It is also recommended that everyone coordinate with their boat mate to insure they can perform single carry portages.
Participants should have prior paddling experience though whitewater experience is not needed. Knowledge of bow maneuvering strokes (sweeps, draws, and sculling) may come in handy. There are spots where portages may be skipped if the bow person can successfully avoid shallow rocks. A fair bit of conditioning is required as the days will be fairly long.
The itinerary is as follows.
Friday June 28th
• Drive up and camp at Arrowhead Provincial Park, Site 115. I will be arriving very late.
Saturday June 29th
• Get an early start!
• Pick up any permits in Kearney.
• Pick up boats from Canoe Algonquin.
• Head to the MagNeTaWan Lake Trailhead (Labeled as put-in #3).
• Paddle over to the trail to Hambone Lake and portage.
• Paddle over to the trail to Daisy Lake and portage.
• Paddle up Pentawawa River
• Paddle over to the trail to Little Misty Lake and portage.
• Paddle over to the trail to Misty Lake and portage.
• We camp on Misty Lake
Total Distance is 17ish KM of paddling and 2130m of portage broken up over 6 trails. The longest carry is 935m.
Sunday June 29th
A day to explore with several lakes and rivers in easy reach. I may try to get to McIntosh marsh if the weather is good.
Monday June 30th
• Reverse the route from Saturday.
• Drive home.
Total Distance is 17ish KM of paddling and 2130m of portage broken up over 6 trails. The longest carry is 935m.
All portages are worst case estimates, some may be skipped in higher water conditions.
Reservation fees are being gathered to cover the following (assuming split 4 ways)
* $12.43 per person per night in Algonquin for two nights, $24.86 total
* $38.75 split 4 ways for campsite in Arrowhead. $9.69
* $11 online reservation fee for Arrowhead split 4 ways, $2.75
* $11 online reservation fee for Algonquin split 4 ways, $2.75
That is $40.05 per person plus $1.96 for PayPal processing
= $42.01 deposit.
This may get adjusted depending on how many people sign up. Additionally you should be prepared to cover
* A per vehicle parking fee of $14.13 a day for 3 days ($42.39) for our time Ontario parks(split by each car).
* The cost of any rental boat (est $150 for Sat-Mon) you may be in, split evenly by the occupants.
* The cost of gas split between all passengers and the driver.
* Food and sundries for the drive there and back.
One other note, Arrowhead only permits 6 per site so, if we exceed that I will request someone else pick up a second site.
Please use the following spreadsheet to coordinate carpools, boat sharing/rental arrangements, and gear sharing.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vjSp8zQwHDfa1ITbXvdTJbuA21uyxOfEjardXpfWAIQ/edit?usp=sharing
How to find us: Campsite 115