Back in July, Cody and his dog Elo did a six day canoe trip via Kawawaymog Lake to North Tea Lake and Manitou Lake .. .. "Double-Triple on North Tea Lake and Manitou Lake". They enjoyed good weather, dramatic full-moon rises and the company of a trio of otters. The trip-log is filled with wonderful high definition photos, as is his entire website .. Algonquin & Beyond !

"As I continued to paddle, that one otter that grunted kept poking out from the water. It would make a grunting sound towards me, and then go back underwater. I was clearly not welcome. Elo was calm as a cucumber the entire time. The otters piqued her interest but she was watching in complete silence. But I know Elo has my back if the otters tried to pick a fight!"

On August 23rd, Jim R. and his brother did a twenty eight kilometer day-hike from Basin Lake to Spectacle Lake, following a route immersed in the history of Tom Thomson .. "The Tom Thomson Route: Achray to Basin Depot". As usual, their website's (Algonquin Day Hikers) trip report is well-illustrated by photos.

"We made our way to the first couple of GPS points but still could not find any sign of a logging road or trail. The whole area is covered with dense forest. The old maps and more recent satellite images suggest that the original road went to a spot on Lower Spectacle Lake which is now the location of the campsite on the south shore of the lake. It’s a fairly level area of bare rock that juts out into the lake. Having found no sign of the original road, we decided it would be best to take a compass reading and head in a straight line to that spot on the lake."

Peter Stokes has submitted his trip-log of a seven day solo canoe trip he took in September of last year. It took him from Canoe Lake east to the Otterslides, up to Burntroot, down to White Trout, and home via McIntosh and Tom Tompson, titled .. "September 2023 - 7 Day Solo Loop".

"I made my way down through Longer Lake. It was a nicer paddle, with the sun and a tailwind. I toured around the large island at the entrance to the narrows to White Trout. The wind had risen and was it was harder work getting west to the cliffs .. another pretty section of the park. I took the third site past the cliffs on White Trout (PCI campsite 6). I landed around 1:00 PM to a pretty steady flow of traffic heading east to Big Trout. It was a fairly sheltered site with a great west view."

For those of you still working on your backcountry trip planning and hoping to avoid logging sounds, here's the 2024-2025 AFA Operations Map.

Today, I was reminded by Gord Cumming (AFA's Chief Forester), that its link has been handily placed on the AFA's website's (algonquinforestry.on.ca) upper right "Quick Links", being its first pull-down link..

Evan, of the "Single Malt and Maps YouTube Channel", has posted a forum account of "day-one" of an August 2023 six day loop out of Cedar Lake ... August 2023: Cedar - Hogan - Radiant Loop.

He's also been publishing multi-part YouTube videos of that same trip ... August 2023: Cedar - Hogan - Radiant Loop.

"Once on top of the site you discover three tiers of campsite. The top, where there is a nice flat rock and limited tent area, the middle shelf where we set up our chairs and sat on the ledge all evening, and the bottom tier where a huge rock firepit is nestled. No matter where you are on the campsite you have a spectacular view of the lake, made even better by the elevation. We hung our 4 hammocks all over the site, basically anywhere we could find suitable trees."

Jim R. and his brother did a five and a half hour, fifteen and a half kilometer day-hike to Wilkins, Breezy and Robitaille Lakes .. "Wilkins, Breezy & Robitaille Lakes June 26, 2024". Their website's (Algonquin Day Hikers) trip report is well-illustrated by photos.

"It's always nice when a day hike in the Park provides an opportunity to see several lakes. In this case we were able to get to three lakes by using the cart trail to Wilkins Lk and the portages to Breezy and Robitaille. We parked at the clearing a short distance from Park boundary at the start of the cart trail."

Martin G. posted a very substantial 'photo-rich' trip-log on this website's forum .. "Otter Creek Loop" .. of a very early-season canoe trip with friends Scott and Jeffrey.

"At last falls gathering Jeffrey introduced us to a way to make a loop in the Panhandle. Sounded like a novel trip and a great adventure. Scott, Jeffrey and I did it in late April."

Drew (of the website "All Of Algonquin") has added the over-night trip-log Kingscote Lake" and four more backcountry campsite reports to his website. As usual, they have been linked to in this website's own "Portage and Campsite Inventory".

"Our plan was to paddle Kingscote, then hike up to the Minnow Lakes to check them out. We figured that would be more than enough to stretch our paddling muscles without overstretching anything on the first day."

Jim R. and his brother have started their own website .. "Algonquin Day Hikers" .. exploring Algonquin Park's backcountry.

"We are two brothers who enjoy exploring the backcountry of Algonquin Provincial Park. This website provides detailed trip reports on day hikes we've made in the southeastern and central parts of the Park. From breathtaking vistas to hidden waterfalls, we share our experiences and explore the history of the Park. Join us on our journey and discover the beauty of Algonquin."

"These backcountry hikes were not made on organized trails. Most of these routes require navigational tools such as a topographic map, GPS and/or compass, and bushwhacking experience."

Jim R. has submitted a photo-illustrated account of his March 14th "Day Hike to Robitaille Lake".

"At 11:00 AM we were on a grown-over logging road / trail that made for very hard walking, so we decided we had best take a compass reading and head directly toward Robitaille Creek. This meant bushwhacking for about 700 meters. It was slow going, and we flagged our route just in case we did not find a trail to the lake, and in coming out would have follow the same route we had come in on. The trek toward the creek involved a steep decline. About half way down we could hear the welcome sound of rapids, so we knew we were getting close to the creek. It was a relief to find signs of a trail running along a ridge above the creek."

Cody has added another trip-log to his website "Algonquin & Beyond".

"Questionable water sources and a dangerous cliffside tent setup were just some of the precarious things that were part of my final backcountry trip of the season. It’s rare to see people following leash rules in the park, but hopefully this story can serve as a good example of how unpredictable events can occur."

Jim R. has submitted a photo-illustrated account of his Spring 2022 hike northeast of Basin Lake .. "Day Hike To Basin, Turcotte and Guthrie Lakes".

The account is in the form of a 4 meg. "PDF".

"This hike took place not long after ice off in the spring of 2022. The trek would take us along Basin Lake and to Turcotte and Guthrie Lakes. The starting point was Basin Depot, located 5 km from the Basin Lake access point."

Cody has added one more trip-log to his website "Algonquin & Beyond" .. along with a wealth of 18 new campsite reports from North Tea Lake!

"I met a few more groups along the way into North Tea Lake. At the end of the 280m portage leading into North Tea Lake, I met a man with his girlfriend. He told me they were finished a 6-night trip guiding a Swiss couple who were at the other end of the portage. We spoke for around 15 minutes, which is a pretty long time to chat at a portage landing. He told me his company was called Driftwood Paddle and his property was just a few doors over from Voyageur Quest Outfitters. He told me to stop by and say hi on my way out."