canoe camping in algonquin park - free e booklet by wilderness adventures

Canoe Camping in Algonquin Park

Practical tips for planning a safe canoe camping trip in Ontario’s most beautiful Provincial Park

by Paul McCormick

The copyright of this work belongs to Paul McCormick (owner of Wilderness Adventures), who is solely responsi-

ble for the content. Please direct content feedback or permissions to [email protected].

Free eβooklet from WildernessAdventures.ca © 2014. All rights reserved.

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http://www.wildernessadventures.ca/


ContentsContents

1. Planning your trip

2. Making your canoe camping reservation at Algonquin Park

3. Reserving your canoe and other gear with a local outfitter

4. Packing for the trip

5. Entering Algonquin Park

6. Loading your canoe

7. Canoe paddling techniques

8. Health and safety tips

9. Canoe portaging etiquette

10.Selecting and arriving at a camp site

11.Taking a trip into Algonquin Park with a guide

12.About Wilderness Adventures & Paul McCormick






Planning your trip

The first step in organizing a canoe camping trip in Algonquin Park is to plan the locations

and route you intend to follow on a day-by-day basis.

The access point where you will start your trip

The lakes where you plan to camp each night. Some people may decide to camp at a site

for a couple of days and use it as a base for day tripping.

The canoe portage routes you plan on taking

The access point where will finish your trip

An Algonquin Park canoe route map, showing you the various access points and portage

routes, can be purchased directly from the Algonquin Park website.

Your planning should take into consideration the time of year you intend to visit the park. In

Canada, the spring and autumn water can be extremely cold and canoe camping trips are on-

ly recommended for experienced trippers. Hypothermia is a significant concern and can set

in very quickly if anyone from your group is in the water for more than a couple of minutes.

You should also develop a Float Plan and leave one with someone you trust, and another

with the staff at Algonquin Park or the outfitter with whom you are renting your canoe(s),

should your group fail to return on-time as planned.

11




http://store.algonquinpark.on.ca/cgi/algonquinpark/00021.html



Your Float Plan should include information to help rescuers track your group in case an acci-

dent happens. It should include:

a) Your planned canoe camping route, including dates and times

b) Summary of the people in your group including age, gender and medical considerations

c) Communication equipment with the group (cell phones, satellite phones, radios)

d) Canoe characteristics including color and make

e) Tent characteristics including color and description

f) Contact information of people you wish to notify in case of an emergency


Float Plan





Making your canoe camping reservation at Algonquin Park

Canoe camping and portaging trips must be reserved by contacting Algonquin Park directly

by phone (1-888-668-7275 within North America or 519-826-5290 for outside of North Ameri-

ca).

You must already have planned out your route and refer to it and the Algonquin Park map

when you reserve. In the event that your route has already been booked to capacity, it is ad-

visable to have an alternate route and access points in mind. It is also important to note that

it is not possible to reserve a specific backcountry camp site on a given lake. There are a pre-

determined number of sites on a lake, so the earlier you get to a lake with your canoe, the

better your site selection options.

Complete information can be found on the Algonquin Park Backcountry Reservations web-

site.

22




http://www.algonquinpark.on.ca/visit/camping/backcountry-reservations.php



Reserving your canoe and other gear with a local outfitter

If you are not planning on taking you own canoe to Algonquin Park, you will need to make ar-

rangements with a local outfitter. Outfitters are located close to most access points around

Algonquin Park and can rent you canoes and associated gear. Rented canoes can be

strapped to your car (with straps and specially designed foam pads supplied by outfitters) or

may be delivered to a specific point of entry by an outfitter for a fee. Canoe pickups at the

end of a trip may also be arranged by some outfitters for a fee. You will need the following

required equipment in order to comply with Transport Canada regulations:

Personal Floatation Device (PFD) approved for use in Canada and of a suitable size for

each person on board

A manual propulsion device (paddle)

A sound signaling device, such as a whistle

A bailer or manual water pump for removing water. (Don’t forget to tie the bailer to the

canoe)

A buoyant heaving line at least 15 meters long (floating throwline or throwbag)

A waterproof white light (preferably headlight), for use in low light or low visibility condi-

tions or at night

33




https://maps.google.ca/maps?rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&oe=&gfe_rd=cr&gws_rd=ssl&um=1&ie=UTF-8&fb=1&gl=ca&q=outfitters+near+algonquin+park&hq=outfitters&hnear=0x4cd679c83c416dff:0x436dbbeb68f460eb,Algonquin+Provincial+Park,+Ontario+60,+ON+K0J+2M0&sa



For canoe selection, the Prospector model is a good overall canoe to utilize on a canoe

camping trip to Algonquin Park. A Prospector canoe goes in a straight line fairly easily, turns

well, does well in high waves, and is able to carry a good load. Make sure to reserve at least

a 16 foot canoe if you are two people. Reserving a canoe made from Kevlar is strongly rec-

ommended because it is light weight and much easier to portage.

You should also consider purchasing a good formed yoke pad in order to make portaging

more comfortable. Most outfitters will sell yoke pads, but will not rent them because they are

easy to lose. The yoke pad provides padding for you shoulders when you portage the canoe.


Yoke Pad





Packing for the trip

Packing for the trip will require you to plan the appropriate camping gear (tent, a sleeping

bag, sleeping pad for a rejuvenating rest, stove and fuel, etc.), waterproof containers (plastic

barrels, dry bags, etc.), food, survival equipment (Algonquin Park map, water treatment/filters,

first-aid kit, matches in water proof case, etc.) and clothing.

Your clothing should be fast drying as much as possible and you should pack adequate warm

clothing for cold nights. You should plan on packing a proper rain suit and pants that you can

move around and portage in rather than a rain poncho. A pair of closed toe water shoes are

essential (open toe shoes are not appropriate as you can hurt yourself on underwater rocks;

crocs are not advised as they are slippery and dangerous on rocks). Hiking or athletic shoes

are recommended for wearing around the camp at night. Bug shirts are more useful, espe-

cially at dawn, and less toxic than utilizing insect repellent spray.

You should not bring any axes or hatches on a

canoe camping trip since axe injuries are po-

tentially very dangerous while you are far away

from medical attention. Bringing a small saw is

better and will allow you to cut dead or fallen

pieces of wood into smaller sections for your

camp fire.

44






Entering Algonquin Park

You have your reservation, your canoe and your camping gear. Before entering the park, you

will need to visit the sign in office closest to your canoe camping departure access point and

sign in. You will obtain a parking pass for your vehicle once you pay the balance of the Al-

gonquin Park fee. Algonquin Park sign in staff are helpful for any general information about

things going on in the area(s) you will be paddling into during your canoe camping trip.

IMPORTANT: Do not to leave any food or anything that may smell like food in your car

(anything with fragrances, empty coffee cup, wrapper from a breakfast sandwich, gum, candy

bar, toothpaste, deodorant, etc.). Failure to do so may result in a black bear trying to get into

your car and significant damage.

55






Loading your canoe

When loading gear in the canoe, you should decide who will sit in the front and back for

weight and balance purposes. The goal is to keep the canoe level to just slightly bow up by

distributing the weight fore and aft. If the canoe is bow down, you will have difficulty paddling

straight. If you change positions with your partner during the canoe camping trip in Algonquin

Park, you may need to reconsider how the canoe is loaded.

66






Canoe paddling techniques

Learning the appropriate canoe safety and paddling skills is critical to enjoying a canoe camp-

ing trip. Wilderness Adventures offers Algonquin Park canoe camping packages in which

Ontario Recreational Canoeing and Kayaking Association (ORCKA) certified level 1 through

level 4 canoe skills are taught. The table below summarizes the essential skills and

knowledge needed during an Algonquin Park canoe camping trip.

77


Canoe safety skills

Retrieving a swamped canoe

Canoe over canoe rescue

Re-entering a canoe

Canoe paddling skills

Day trip packing skills (tandem)

Launching and removing a canoe

Entering and exiting a canoe

Paddling positions and trimming

Balancing

Changing positions in a canoe while

on water

Landing

Pivots

Sideward displacement

Forward straight line

Inside and outside turns

Inside and outside circles

Stopping

Inside and outside landings

Reverse straight line

Lifts and carries

Transporting canoe on vehicle

Canoe tour

Canoe theory

Selection of equipment

Equipment knowledge

Equipment care

Government regulations

Safe canoeing procedures

Outdoor precautions

Environmental awareness

Windy weather precautions

Canoeing history



http://www.orcka.ca/



The best way to learn how to paddle and manoeuver a canoe is to get at least 35 to 40 kilo-

meters of paddling experience over the course of 2-3 consecutive days. This “muscle

memory” based training approach gives you an opportunity to truly internalize how a canoe

operates and is designed to operate. As with all things, there is no right or wrong way to per-

form a canoe stroke… but there definitively is a better way!






Health and safety tips

Hypothermia

You have a risk of developing hypothermia if you are in water where the temper-

ature is below 15 degrees centigrade. The risk also depends how long you are

in the water. Needless to say, you should have a plan to deal with this if such a

situation arises.

In spring and autumn when the water is very cold, it is good to keep a group of canoes in

close proximity of each other and to paddle close to shore line. If someone falls into the wa-

ter, you should take that person to shore immediately. Time is of the essence in such situa-

tions and the goal is to quickly increase the affected person’s core temperature. Getting the

person out of their wet clothes and into a sleeping bag containing warm (not burning hot) wa-

ter in Nalgene bottles is key. Hypothermia is a real danger and people die from it.

The Canadian Red Cross web site provides additional information related to identifying and

dealing with hypothermia.

Staying hydrated

During a canoe camping trip, you should plan on drinking one cup of water every 15 minutes

in order for your body to readily absorb the water. If you drink more than that in one shot, it

won’t be as easily absorbed and you will end up needing to go to the “bathroom”.

88




http://www.redcross.ca/what-we-do/swimming-and-water-safety/swimming-boating-and-water-safety-tips/hypothermia-and-cold-water



Giardia – waterborne illness

Giardia is a protozoa that lives in all bodies of fresh water. If ingested, giardia will live inside

the infected human or other animal and symptoms may begin to appear 2 days after infection

including violent diarrhea, excess gas, stomach or abdominal cramps, upset stomach and

nausea. The resulting dehydration and nutritional loss may need immediate treatment.

It is therefore very important to utilize a water filtration system during your canoe camping trip

to Algonquin Park. Ceramic based filtration systems are recommended as they allow you to

filter water on the go and remove harmful toxins, bacteria and protozoa (such as giardia).

These systems easily attach to wide-mouthed Nalgene bottles, last a long time and are easy

to maintain.

If you are very unfortunate and end up losing your water filtration system while on your trip,

collecting and drinking the surface water from the middle of the lake may be your best option.

Giardia is heavier than water, therefore it sinks. There is more risk of giardia being present in

the water column if you obtain water near shorelines or from moving water such as a stream

or a river. Contrary to what we were taught as kids, drinking the water from a moving stream

is the worst thing you can do.






Black bears

Black bears are intelligent animals that live within Algonquin Park. To reduce your chances of

attracting a black bear, it is important to keep a clean camp site by burning any food scraps of

fat drippings in a hot fire. To eliminate food odours, dishes should be washed immediately

after each meal, but not in the lake or river. Instead use a wash basin or large cooking pot

and scatted the dirty water over vegetation preferably far away from your camp site. All other

bear attractants that may reside in your tent(s) or backpack(s) (such as soap, toothpaste, de-

odorant, sun screen lotion, candy bar wrappers, chewing gum and other fragrant products)

should be placed with your food, in a pack or stuff sack, hung high up above the ground and

away from the tree trunk(s).

If a bear does get food from you or other Algonquin Park canoe campers, it will start to asso-

ciate camp sites and people as a food source. This means that the bear will quickly lose its

natural fear of humans and become a problem to people in Algonquin Park. The result not on-

ly endangers everyone in Algonquin Park, but also endangers the bear’s life as the Algonquin

Park rangers may be forced to hunt and kill it. This would result in a very sad state of affairs

for such a magnificent wild animal in its natural habitat.




http://www.algonquinpark.on.ca/visit/recreational_activites/black-bear-safety-rules.php

http://www.algonquinpark.on.ca/visit/recreational_activites/black-bear-safety-rules.php



Keeping your food cool

Utilizing air tight containers such as plastic food barrels is the recommended method to keep

your food cool. Wrapping your plastic food barrel with a wet white towel will create a heat ex-

changer / air conditioning effect and result in prolonged cooling conditions. While in the ca-

noe, keep the white towel wet on the food barrel so it will evaporate during the day. At camp,

find a shady spot, preferably an area with a breeze, so the wind evaporates the water from

the white towel. This evaporation pulls heat out of from the barrel and acts as a mini-

refrigerator, keeping your food cool.

Emergency communication and location equipment

Cell phones will not work in the interior of Algonquin Park. It is recommended that you bring

along an emergency locating device (such as a SPOT unit) or a satellite phone than can be

rented from providers in your area (search on the internet for “sat phone rentals”). Having

such equipment is especially important for longer trips in the interior, especially if you are

traveling solo.




http://www.findmespot.ca/en/



Plan for emergencies that may come up

Make sure to be aware of any medical emergencies that may come up and plan accordingly.

Some people on the trip may have food allergies (seafood, peanuts) and/or environmental

allergies (bee stings, wasp stings) resulting in anaphylactic shock. In these cases, be sure to

take at least two (2) epipens (in case one gets damaged or lost) as you will be a long way

from medical services.

It is also recommended that some people in your canoe camping group be trained and experi-

enced in delivering first aid. There are a number of organizations that offer such training in-

cluding Wilderness First Aid Associates and the Canadian Red Cross. Be sure to prepare an

appropriate first aid kit to deal with common types of injuries that may occur.

In summary, don’t try to figure things out in the middle of a crisis, have a plan developed well

in advance.






Canoe portaging etiquette

Around 30 to 40 years ago, when there were considerably less people canoe camping and

portaging into the interior of Algonquin Park, the practice was to leave your canoe in the water

at the landing of a portage, walk your gear through, and then come back and portage the ca-

noe. This practice is no longer acceptable and blocking the access to the landing of a portage

will get you a harsh response from other canoe tripping groups. Please be courteous and do

the following:

Quickly unload your gear from your canoe and put it tightly together on one side of the

portage – keep all your gear together to be sure you do not forget or lose anything.

Take your canoe out of the water and place it out of the way on the side of the portage

trail

Once the portaging access is clear for others, you can start walking the portage with

packs and paddles first. This practice allows everybody to enjoy some scenery along the

canoe camping portage trail and check for deadfalls and other obstructions that you may

not see with a canoe over your head.

Continue going back and forth until all of the gear is at the other end of the portage.

Come back for the canoe(s) and portage the canoe(s) to the other side. Use a yoke pad

to make the portaging experience more pleasant on your neck and shoulders.

Do a final check to make sure that all of your gear is on the other side of the portage

Put the canoes directly into the water, load your gear keeping in mind the weight and bal-

ance and continue your trip route.

99






Selecting and arriving at a camp site

You may have a variety of camp sites to select from when arriving at your destination lake. If

you have a choice, select the site that will best fit your needs – a site on the north side of a

lake will be good if you are trying to maximize sun exposure. If it is very hot and you are look-

ing for shade, it would be better selecting a site on the south side of the lake.

When you arrive at a camp site, your first goal is to find a safe “take-out” and “put-in” location

for your canoe(s). The location you select should be easy to get the canoe(s) in and out of

water without having to scramble over things that can cause a fall or injury.

The next thing to do when you arrive at a camp site is to walk around and look for animal

signs such as fresh black bear dung and rubbing on trees. If you do find such signs, it does

not mean you have to leave the campsite. Rather, you should be more cautious and be

mindful to not attract bears with products that have odours.

Your third step will be to look for suitable spots where you will setup your tent(s). Things to

consider:

Spots that will not be affected by flooding or pooling if you happen to get a lot of rain. Pref-

erably, chose to put your tent on a very slight slope, with your head up the slope, so the

water travels under the tent in the case it rains.

1010






Spots that are free of overhanging things that could become a problem in a wind storm

(such as dead branches)

Spots that are well aware from the fire pit since an ember will burn through high-tech tent

fabric quickly.

Keep in mind that if you put your tent under resinous trees (such as pines, fir, etc.), the

drops of sap that may fall from the tree will make your gear sticky.

VERY IMPORTANT: Camp Fires and fire pits

Only use the established fire pit at a camp site. Under no circumstances should you move a

fire pit. Moving a fire pit is extremely dangerous and results in a very expensive fine. The

reason why it is so dangerous is that all of the soil in Algonquin Park is riddled with dead

wood that has been accumulating over decades. If you stamp on the ground, you will hear it

make a hollow sound since the ground is made up of an accumulation over decades of wood

and debris. If you make a fire elsewhere other than the established fire pit at the camp site,

there is a high probability of starting a root fire that will smolder for weeks. When a campsite

burns, it will collapse and sink as all the organic material it was sitting on turns to ashes, thus

losing this campsite on that lake or river.

When Algonquin Park rangers establish a fire pit, they dig right down to the bed rock and re-move any debris and materials that could burn. They then fill the pit with rocks and soil and finally put rocks in a circle formation to create a safe fire pit. So please, do not move a fire pit and protect Algonquin Park.






Camp site etiquette Electronic devices that broadcast out are illegal in Algonquin Park. Listening to an iPod with headphones is acceptable although. Please note that people go to Algonquin Park in order to get away from such devices and experience the sounds of nature.






Taking a trip into Algonquin Park with a guide

Taking a canoe camping trip into Algonquin Park is a rewarding experience and one of the

top things that many foreign tourists want to do while visiting Canada. There are few places

on earth that are uniquely tailored for experiencing canoe camping and portaging such as Al-

gonquin Park. For many foreign visitors to Canada, embarking on a canoe camping trip into

Algonquin Park is an once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Taking a multi-day trip into Algonquin Park with a guide is a good option to consider if:

You are interested in learning proper paddling techniques and safety skills

You don’t have enough time or interest in planning the logistics associated with such a trip

(gear, canoe, food, etc.)

You want to be with someone who is trained and certified in wilderness first aid knowledge

and skills

You want to go with someone who can show you hidden gems inside of Algonquin Park

that are not easily found by others or readily located on a map or the internet.

When selecting a guided tour company, make sure to enquire about their guides certification

and experience. Are their guides certified in Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness First Re-

sponder? Are their guides certified in teaching paddling skills? If so, who is the certifying or-

ganization/body and what level of certification did the guide(s) achieve?

1111






About Wilderness Adventures

Wilderness Adventures is a Toronto (Canada) based company that has a mandate not only to

lead guests on a safe and enjoyable wilderness canoe camping experience into the Algon-

quin Park interior, but also to teach and educate as well. The company has been in opera-

tions for over 15 years and has never had a guest experience an injury that could not be

cured with an adhesive bandage.

Wilderness Adventures takes care of all the logistics and provides top quality material for an

optimized guest experience. There are no planning hassles – guests just enjoy their time in

Algonquin Park. In fact, the only things that guests need to bring are their clothes and toilet-

ries. Wilderness Adventures take care of everything else, including the canoes and other rent-

al details, cooking and eating gear, tents, food and necessary safety equipment and Algon-

quin Park permits. A Wilderness Adventures ORCKA certified instructor will teach guests the

necessary skills to have complete confidence and control of a canoe throughout the trip.

Guests will walk away from this experience feeling like an accomplished canoeist.

1212




During a 3-day canoe camping trip with Wilderness Adventures, I learned basic canoeing skills and obtained my ORCKA level 2 certification at the completion of the trip. All of the lo-gistical aspects of the outing were professionally handled (such as canoe rental, park per-mits, dry bags, dry backpacks, tent, meals and snacks, cooking equipment, water filtration system, meal preparation, etc.) which resulted in zero planning for the trip. It was a great weekend, the weather was fantastic and I learned a lot of valuable skills.”

R. Gauthier Gatineau, Quebec



http://www.wildernessadventures.ca/ClientComments.html


Wilderness Adventures takes pride from the fact that all of our guides are certified ORCKA

Canoe Tripping Leader Level 3 (multi-day canoe camping trip) and are certified ORCKA Ca-

noe Instructors who effectively teach canoe safety and paddling skills as well as being Ad-

vanced Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness First Responder specialists, and thus certified to

lead wilderness trips anywhere in Canada – including the high Arctic. At the end of one our

multi-day canoe camping trip, guests may achieve and obtain ORCKA certifications. Guests

benefit from a “muscle memory training” approach that ensures that proper paddling tech-

niques are internalized over the course of several days and canoe mileage.

Wilderness Adventures utilizes only high quality gear – tents, canoes, cooking gear, safety

equipment. All of our gear has been tested and selected to optimize the comfort and enjoy-

ment of guests on our multi-day trips. We also provide round trip transportation out of Toron-

to and the highway 400 and 11 corridor to make it easier for guests to access Algonquin Park.

Finally, Wilderness Adventures prides itself on delivering really tasty food on all trips, not re-

hydrated powder meals. Nothing is more rewarding on a canoe camping trip than a delicious

meal after a rewarding day of paddling and portaging.




"Hi Paul—Just wanted to send a thank you, our trip this weekend was awesome! Our guide was amazing, very personable and did a great job keeping us busy and active. We were taught many amazing wilderness skills and cant wait to try some ourselves! The tour was both challenging and fun and the meals were plentiful and delicious!”

Mike and Monica Toronto, Ontario





About Paul McCormick (the owner of Wilderness Adventures)

I have been an adventurer all my life. Growing up, I took every opportunity to take off into the

Ontario wilderness. I started canoe tripping in my early teens and never looked back. While

living in British Columbia on Canada’s west coast, I racked up over 3,200 kilometers in ca-

noes and kayaks. Today, I now count 8,000+ kilometers of paddling experience in my log

book and serve as a board member of ORCKA and am the Chair of ORCKA’s kayaking pro-

gram.

I was also a downhill ski enthusiast. I lived in Aspen (Colorado), Snowbird (Utah) and Whis-

tler (British Columbia) as a level 3 ski instructor. When I was not teaching advanced skiing, I

would quickly venture into the back country with friends for deep powder and extreme skiing.

My skiing specialty and passion was extreme steep and big air off cliffs.

Speaking of big air, I was also one the most experienced hang glider pilots in Canada for over

20 years – with flights over 20,000 feet and 300+ miles cross country. Once I had a 737 fly

under me! Most of these big air flights were done in United States (Utah and Colorado) in the

spring between good powder days on the mountain. My other great adventure included sail-

ing big keel boats all over the Caribbean.

In doing all these adventure activities, I learned the importance of proper planning, gear

maintenance and above all safety which is an attitude I have bought to my company Wilder-

ness Adventures. I look forward to meeting you on one of our trips.




http://www.orcka.ca/content/?page=22

http://www.orcka.ca/content/?page=22



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