A new 432 page release by Roderick (Rory) MacKay "Algonquin Park - A Place Like No Other" takes the reader through the park's early indigenous hunters and gatherers, their displacement by colonist lumbermen, the formation of the Park in 1893, the growth of lodges camps and cottage leases, the challenges dealt with by park superintendents, the co-existence of regulated logging and recreation, the role today’s Algonquin People will have within the park and much more.

Brian Maltman (Director of The Friends of Algonquin Park) has said, "This is the definitive work on the human history of the Park, and how it has been shaped by the people who explore, work in, live in and love this place."

Robert M. (a.k.a. 'Uppa of Kayak Camper') has completed publishing the 4-part video documentation of his 2018 Ice Out seven-day kayak trip.

Video 1 - Days 1 & 2: Robert set out from Achray and met-up with Drew (of allofalgonquin.com) at Carcajou Bay. They then paddled via McDonald Creek to Guthrie and Clover Lakes.
Video 2 – Day 3: Robert and Drew traveled to Tarn and St Andrews Lakes.
Video 3 – Days 4 & 5: Drew departed back home. Robert day-tripped to 'High Falls'. Then he headed to a new basecamp on Francis Lake.
Video 4 – Days 6 & 7: On day 6, Robert day-tripped to the Barron Canyon. Day 7 was his departure day from Francis Lake.

Drew (forum handle: "AlgonquinLakes") has posted a 2-part account on his All Of Algonquin website, of the 4-days of the 2018 Ice Out trip he shared with Robert M. (a.k.a. 'Uppa of Kayak Camper') .. Four Lakes to Clover .. and Tarn Lake And A Whole Lot Of Walking.

"It was kind of like wading through snow. My feet sunk into ankle deep ice water/mud with pretty much every step and my toes were quickly numb. We double carried to save weight, and stuck to the edge of the meadow where the ground was, theoretically, a bit firmer. Eventually, we both managed to make it across relatively unscathed and without getting sucked into a never ending pit of Algonquin quicksand."

As you plan your backcountry canoe trips, remember to check over the Portage and Campsite Inventory .. not only to refer to campsite and portage details along your way .. but also to identify gaps in the PCI that you may be able to fill on your trips.

There are new updated field-worksheets available to print and take with you, to help in the gathering of portage and campsite information, in preparation for email submission to the website upon your return.

Mark Rubino started his MarkInThePark.com website in 2005, mainly as a way to keep track of all the lakes he'd had camped on. He soon discovered that not only reading other people’s trip-logs was addictive, but that writing them was lots of fun too. His presence in the online Algonquin Park community has been well established over the past decade.

Ian Young has completed the sixth and final video installment on his YouTube Channel of his 8-day canoe trip with three buds, that he took last year ... Algonquin 8-Day Canoe Trip 2017

A timely reminder to those planning a visit to Algonquin Park, who don't have the advantage of an automobile, to checkout the Parkbus website.

Bob McElroy has added a very unique feature to the "Bob and Diana McElroy Bushnotes website.

Over the past three years, Sean Mason has published three accounts of what are now new family traditions .. yearly Algonquin Park canoe trips with his brother and son.

Robert M. (a.k.a. 'Uppa') has completed publishing the 3-part video documentation of his September 4-day solo kayak loop-trip .. out of Kiosk, via Mink, Club, Mouse, Erables, Maple Lake and back to Kioshkokwi Lake. You can access the three videos on his YouTube channel at .. Kayak Camper.

Rob's personable narrative style and effectively operated bow and stern video cameras combine to allow the viewer to enjoyably share in his trip, that benefitted from the gloriously fair weather that marked this past September.

Back at the beginning of November, Steve Elms took his dad for a 6-day walk-in backcountry stay at Sec Lake and explorations in that corner of the park. Steve used this website's forum to post his trip-log of that stay. With his outstanding photographs and commentary, it is a very effective description of that area, of this time of year in Algonquin Park and of sharing them with one's dad! ... Back from 6 Days on Sec.

"Needless to say we had a really amazing trip. So nice to be able to spend time with my dad like this in such a peaceful setting. Over the 6 days we camped there we saw 3 people at the put-in spot who came down for a quick view and a pic. It's a difficult time of year to pack for as you can get anything from warm days to rain to snow, but we were very well prepared and never felt uncomfortable. We spend a lot of time on the west and highway 60 area of the Park so this was a very welcome change!"

MartinG has told the tale (with 27 great photos on the website forum) of how early this fall he, ShawnD and SmedleyCo paddled over four days south from Access #25 to Radiant Lake, and then southeast from there down the Petawawa River to the Mcmanus Lake takeout ... Fall Trip Down The Pet.

"Shawn had to portage the Schooners and part of 5 Mile. We took his pack for those ports. I hope it wasn't too hard to hustle over those ports with a 26 pound solo canoe! Running the rapids was a hoot for Smedleyco and I. We had more beautiful weather and a couple of surprise treats. The first was running into the McElroys. They had decided to have a lunch date on Whitson Lake. The spot of their first ever interior canoe trip in the '70's. I have so much respect and admiration for both Bob and Diana that it was a real thrill to finally meet them."

"Camper Christina" started her camping website .. CamperChristina.com .. back in 2015. This September she took a four-night solo canoe loop out of Kiosk .. by way of Kioshkokwi. Maple, Erables, Big Thunder, Mouse, Club and Mink Lakes. She has posted Part One of her trip-log here, and Part Two here.

"With every step, I sunk deeper and deeper and it became harder to walk. In a few places, I actually got my foot stuck and almost fell flat on my face and in one spot, I got stuck so badly, I had an incredibly difficult time pulling my foot from the mud that seemed to be trying to pull my foot, my leg and the rest of me down below the surface. I pulled and pulled and finally emerged with just my foot! No shoe!"

Late this summer, Steve Elms (one of our forum moderators and our "Photography Tech Guy") was featured along with David LesGros (Natural Heritage Education Specialist for Algonquin Park) and Dianne Saxe (Environmental Commissioner of Ontario) in the TVO presentation Ontario's Declining Moose Population.

In the 5-minute video, Steve shared at length his experience with moose in Algonquin Park, effectively representing those of us who visit the park hoping to observe a moose.

Not only is Steve a crackerjack photographer, he's a great spokesperson for the park!

"Neelands" has posted a photographic trip-log (40 photos) of his recent 4-night canoe trip .. 2017 Sept 11-15 Burnt Island-Otterslide-Thomson.

"I decided to take my time and just paddle slowly around the lake, since my destination was just the next lake. I love the middle and east end of Burnt Island Lake." . . . "Had a nice chat with two of the Alive guides who were heading with their group to a rendezvous at Camp Arowhon on Teepee Lake. They told me there are about 5000 kids and over 100 guides working each summer. Wow!"

Over the past few weeks, a number of additions have been made to the Portage Campsite Inventory.

Wanda Spruyt has submitted Farm Lake CS#5, Farm Lake CS#6, Tanamakoon Lake CS#4 and Tanamakoon Lake CS#5.

Barry Bridgeford has submitted Tanamakoon Lake CS#2, Tanamakoon Lake CS#3, Tanamakoon Lake CS#6 and co-authored on Tanamakoon Lake CS#5

Another trip-log from Drew on his All Of Algonquin website. This one is a two-part trip-log .. The Barron Canyon Revisited and The Secret of the Ooze (Lake).

"It’s a small body of water, barely more than a pond. And, arguably, it’s not actually a single small body of water but many even smaller bodies of water separated by weird floating clumps of … dirt? peat? swamp monster droppings? … I don’t know. What I do know is that we started off poking at various floating clumps while trying to get away from the shoreline, then poked at even more floating clumps as we paddled across. "

Chris Lawson has posted a trip-log of his late September 4-day canoe trip .. Canoe - Burnt Island - Big Trout - Tom Thomson.

"It was, in fact a smouldering root fire that had, at that point, consumed a circle maybe 6m diameter on this island which, itself was maybe 30 or 40m across. At the centre of the fire circle was a smallish ring of rocks with a few burnt logs in the middle. It seemed like someone had freelanced a fire pit right on top of the loam and the predictable had happened — the roots underneath the soil had caught fire."

Drew (forum handle: "AlgonquinLakes") has posted a trip-log on his All Of Algonquin website .. of his recent weekender to Radiant Lake with three coworkers, ... Radiant Lake

"We paddled around for a bit, then made our way back to the Squirrel Rapids where we decided to portage up and paddle down a few times so that we could tell everyone what whitewater paddling badasses we were when we got home."

Maegan M. has added a trip-log to her blog .. of a late August 'mother-daughter' get-away-weekend .. Algonquin In Three Days: Magnetawan, Hambone, Daisy Lakes.

"Acme Pond was a quick windless paddle before beaching on the 420m portage into Daisy Lake. I remember this portage being relatively easy, but this year it was very muddy. This was also the longest portage I’ve ever carried a canoe on my own. I’ve travelled significantly longer portages, but this was a first with a canoe over my own head!"

Randy Born has submitted a trip-log of his late-August 3-day canoe trip .. Big Trout Revisited After 40+ Years (in PDF format).

"A day of rest and relaxation was in store. We slept in till 8:45 and had a leisurely breakfast of bagels, porridge and coffee. We left camp to fish Big Trout at 10 and trolled for the next 3 hours. We were able to have lunch at the previous desired point campsite, as the family had moved on and memories of past times made for a pleasant lunch."