DOZENS of access points to the Park

BY ANDREW HIND

For many visitors to Algonquin Park, Highway 60 – the Parkway Corridor – is all they know. This 56-kilometre roadway bisects the southern part of the park, entering from the west near Dwight and from the east near Whitney. When most people speak of entering the park, they refer to one of these entry points.

That’s perhaps understandable. Most of the park’s iconic attractions – the Algonquin Visitor Centre, the Algonquin Logging Museum, Bartlett Lodge and Killarney Lodge, Algonquin Art Centre – are found along this corridor. It’s also the easiest way to experience the Park: have car, will travel. But Highway 60 isn’t the only means of entering Algonquin Park. There are many more, far less-used access points.

“Algonquin Park is massive, with more than two dozen lesser-known access points scattered around its periphery,” explains Lee Pauze, executive director of the Friends of Algonquin Park. “These access points vary in terms of the amenities they offer. Most are really intended as a jumping off point for striking out into the interior, with no facilities and little for day-trippers to experience.”

There are exceptions, though. A handful of access points serve as launching points for backwoods adventures while also providing amenities and/or experiences for day-use visitors.

One of the more popular is at Brent, located at the far north end of the park on Cedar Lake. Once a bustling lumber town, the site of Kish-Kaduk Lodge, and a stop on the now defunct Canadian Northern Railway, Brent’s fortunes have declined since mid-century and today all that remain are a few atmospheric buildings. There’s a campground, and an Algonquin Outfitters outlet occupying the old train station.

Brent is also the site of the only interpretive trail on the north end of the park, leading to the Brent Meteor Crater. You can climb a lookout tower to gaze over this vast crater, dating back almost 400,000,000 years, and then hike down into the bowl.

Also in the park’s north is Kioshkokwi Lake - Kiosk Access Point. Like Brent, Kiosk was once the site of a thriving lumber town. And, also as with Brent, there is now a fine campground here today, with flush toilets and an excellent beach. A unique feature is the circa-1927 fire ranger cabin that can be rented out.

Achray, in the park’s east, has much to recommend itself as well. Indeed, after the Parkway Corridor, it has more facilities than any other part of Algonquin, including campgrounds overlooking Grand Lake complete with flushing toilets, a beautiful beach, park offices, and a theatre for interpretive programming. There are also several interpretive walking trails ideal for day use, including: the Berm Lake Trail that begins at the campgrounds; the more ambitious 17-kilometre Eastern Pines Backpacking Trail; and the Barron Canyon Trail – which overlooks the namesake canyon with its 300-foot cliffs (many consider it to be the park’s most stunning natural feature).

And, of course, if backcountry hiking or deep woods canoeing is your game, there are many more access points to choose from, each another adventure, with endless beautiful scenes of nature. The variety of experiences is one of Algonquin’s greatest assets; it can be many things to many people.

“The selection of access point will really determine your enjoyment of the park experience because they are certainly not all the same. We often get calls from visitors who went to one of the remote access points and then were surprised when there was nothing there,” says Pauze. “It also comes into bear in the fall, because the park’s east is at a lower in elevation than the Parkway Corridor and its forest is mostly pine, which means fall colours are far less striking.”

Algonquin is a vast park with many access points offering access to this natural treasure. But not all access points equal. Reach out to park staff or a knowledgeable outfitter to ensure the one you choose matches your envisioned experience.

“We’re back,” says Lee Pauze, Executive Director the Friends of Algonquin Park. The woman who heads the not-for-pro t charitable organization can barely control her excitement. Friends of Algonquin Park is, after all, devoted to interpretive outreach – it was founded in 1983 with a mandate to support Ontario Parks, principally in furthering the Algonquin Park’s vaunted educational programs.

But outreach is hard to do with COVID restrictions in place.

“We – the Friends and Ontario Parks –were cautious and conservative during the worse of the pandemic, and much remained closed or extremely restricted,” Pauze explains. “We’re starting to miss people, though, and are really looking forward to them returning to our facilities this year.”

Not that there was any shortage of visitors to Algonquin Park over the past two years. Visitation was way up about 150 per cent above normal each of the last two years as travel options were curtailed.

“The pandemic saw a rush of people coming who were discovering Algonquin Park for the rst time. They saw the park as something was that was COVID-safe and accessible, and of course something that was beautiful,” says Pauze. “I’m exciting about this development because they represent a whole new group of people coming.”

But the sheer number of people represented a problem. Any park has a capacity limit; exceed this limit and it begins to negatively impact the visitor experience. One of the ways Ontario Parks decided to manage the sudden in ux was by doing away with selling daily vehicle permits at the gates and mandating that they had to be pre-booked (up to ve days prior to the visit).

“Some people who were used to the old system resisted the change, but permits have been an invaluable in ensuring a positive visitor experience,” Pauze explains. “Perhaps more importantly, managing the number of people helps to sustain Algonquin. The park represents a nite resource. How much can it withstand? You can love something too much; there may come a time when the park’s popularity becomes detrimental, and we may need to close popular trails for rehabilitation.”

Algonquin Park was one of the few Ontario Parks properties that were able to open their visitor centre, thanks to the generosity of the Friends.

The sudden in ux of people visiting the park for the rst time posed another challenge. The Visitor Centre has always represented a vital messaging tool – it’s where people went to discover how to make the most of their visit, and how park staff educated visitors about safety and rules. But when the pandemic struck like a hammer blow, visitor centres in park and across the nation were shuttered.

Algonquin Park was one of the few Ontario Parks properties that were able to open their visitor centre, thanks to the generosity of the Friends. The group stepped forward to purchase state-ofthe-art software for a capacity counter, counting patrons as they entered and left, keeping an accurate count that is displayed it on a Smart TV to ensure capacity limits were not exceeded. More, the counter is linked to an app that visitors can access on their phones, so they know when the facility is quiet and therefore safe to visit without crowding.

With the worst of the pandemic behind us and the Friends back in full-outreach mode, visitors to the park in 2022 will enjoy a much-improved experience from the sometimes-chaotic 2020 and 2021.

“We are returning to our signature special events this year,” says Pauze, acknowledging that in the pandemic-era one need to plan for change just in case. “I think there is an appetite for longtime visitors to return to family traditions. Many would book their camping vacations around our annual events, which of course were cancelled the last two years due to COVID.”

These events include: Loggers Day (July 23), bringing to life Algonquin’s logging

Algonquin Park’s signature

Loggers Day

(10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Saturday, July 23 at the Logging Museum.

Admission $2)

Loggers Day is a fun and educational event that brings to vivid life Algonquin’s logging past. There are numerous demonstrations, sample an old-time loggers’ lunch (noon to 2 p.m., while quantities last, $10 per person), and listen to the music of the Wakami Wailers throughout the day.

Logging Days represents a great opportunity to explore the Algonquin Logging Museum, which includes a recreated camboose shanty, log chutes, old stables, blacksmith shop, sleighs for transporting logs, and a steam-powered ‘alligator’ (a tug that could actually portage across by land between lakes and river).

Meet The Researcher Day

(9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Thursday, July 28. East Beach Picnic Pavilion)

The Algonquin Wildlife Research Station (AWRS) is a little-known but integral part of Algonquin Park. Founded in 1944 to produce high-quality research to inform wildlife management, the staff at AWRS has studied many species of reptiles and amphibians, sh, birds, and mammals (including Algonquin’s iconic wolves). ‘Meet the Researcher Day’ offers the public a chance to meet biologists and learn about their work Includes a fundraising barbecue (noon to 2 p.m., or while quantities last).

Celebrating Algonquin Park

(7 p.m. - 10 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 10. Algonquin Visitor Centre) Close out the summer with an evening of presentations on all that is special and beautiful about Algonquin Park and the Canadian wilderness it represents. Guests will have an opportunity to meet the varied presenters, and there will be silent auction, door prizes, and refreshments served. Admission and pre-registration required (algonquinpark.on.ca/news/celebrating_algonquin_park.php).

For updates on all events, go to www.algonquinpark.on.ca/ involved/calendar/ past and present; Meet the Researcher Day (July 28), where you meet the scientists and tours facilities at the Algonquin Wildlife Research Station; and Celebrating Algonquin Park (Sept. 10).

In addition to special events, Algonquin will once again play host to its interpretive programming, such as the popular Public Wolf Howls, Evening Programs at the Outdoor Theatre, and Guided Walks with Park Naturalists.

“We can’t wait to welcome people back to Algonquin Park and to re-introduce them to our events and facilities,” says Pauze.