Algonquin Provincial Park 🍁🫎🏕️

Algonquin has all the feels of a Canadian national park. It's wildlife, lakes, trails and competitive reservations feels familiarly like our national parks but indeed Algonquin is an Ontario provincial park. We were lucky to score a reservation here for 3 nights although it was evident pretty quickly that were were the biggest rig in the park. Our radios came in handy while navigating into our spot.
We took advantage of our first rainy day and went for a bike ride on a rail to trail that connected to our campground. Our only wildlife sighting early in the day was a little mouse on the side of the trail. We clocked in roughly 18km, Willow found this ride a bit more challenging than the smooth flat bike trails in Montreal. Everyone was rewarded with Ice Cream at the end! Once the rain cleared we went out in search of some wildlife. Our hunt didn't disappoint, we spotted a big moose eating and drinking in a small lake and a beaver patrolling his lodge. When we got back to the campground Weston's new buddy Colin had left a note with an email address so they can be pen pals.
The next day offered a drastic change from the rain! Our first full sunny day in Algonquin and we took full advantage. A hike, a swim, a BBQ picnic, and a visit to the Visitor's Center. First thing we hiked the look out trail. The trail reminded us a lot of the lake with the big boulders and pines. The kids learned about the Canadian shield and bedrock and the differences. We watched a man spread a loved ones ashes at the top of the mountain while we held on to his dog Thor. The kids had a lot of questions!
The Visitor center boasts amazing displays of the wildlife in the area along with the deep history of Algonquin Park. William found out about Tom Thompson and the Group of Seven.
After the centre we seeked out a picnic area with a private beach. The water couldn't have been nicer and the hot dogs were great! We felt like we were on our own secluded island! The private beach area was worth the hunt and we definitely put the effort in to find this gem.
Our next day was a travel day. We all showered and caught up on laundry before we hit the road. We also visited the visitor centre one last time so Willow could turn in her park helper passport to earn her "Official Park Helper" certificate.Read more