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 wildernessadventures1@gmail.com.
Free eβooklet from WildernessAdventures.ca © 2014. All rights reserved.
Toll free: 1-866-383-9453 | (416)-746-7427 | Email: wildernessadventures1@gmail.com

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Canoe camping in Algonquin Park - free e booklet by Wilderness Adventures

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Canoe camping in Algonquin Park - free e booklet by Wilderness Adventures