Algonquin Park

I fell in love in Algonquin Park.  We arrived with our sons at the Brent Campground late on a dark night, desperate for our sleeping bags.  Leaving her tent in the car for the night, I assembled my larger tent and then the four of us bundled into the cramped, humid space.  I slept fitfully and woke early, as the pale light seeped under the fly and through the nylon.  She lay facing me and I thought, “wouldn’t it be lovely to wake up to this face for the rest of my life?”  Later that warm, summer day, she turned cartwheels on the beach.  On the drive back to Ottawa, she put her bare feet on the dashboard and sang to the radio.

The author paddles his canoe across St. Andrew's Lake in the dusk.
Paddling on St. Andrew’s Lake, Algonquin Park (photo by Isabel Deslauriers)
Moose, Costello Creek, Algonquin Park
A loon creases the surface of the Lake of Two Rivers.
Loon, Lake of Two Rivers, Algonquin Park

Memories of Algonquin Park go back generations:  a dozen or so for settlers; 500 or more for Indigenous peoples.  A canoe glides over still water at dusk, while a loon calls across the lake, and a moose grazes in the shallows.  The face in the canoe changes over the centuries — Anishnabe, explorer, trapper, logger, camper, tourist — but the experience and wonder remain constant.  They imprint themselves on the individual and collective consciousness.

Of course, so do the blackflies.

I try to time my visits to Algonquin Park for early May, before the blackfiles and mosquitoes emerge, or for September after the first cold nights.  Not June.  Never June.  Except this year.  This year, the Fates seemed determined to thwart my plans:  critical meetings, slipping deadlines, family obligations.  I postponed my trip once, then again.  Early May slid by, then mid-May, then late May.  Not until the first week of June did I find myself pulling into the Mew Lake Campground.

The south branch of the Madawaska River bubbles over rocky shallows.
Madawaska River, South Branch, Algonquin Park

All that week, I crept early into my tent at night and rose at dawn.  For the first time in years, I didn’t light a fire.  When the sun came out, so did swarms of blackflies.  At night, or under the deep forest canopy, clouds of mosquitoes rose from the underbrush.  More than once, I retreated to the Lake of Two Rivers Cafe for lunch 0r supper for an hour’s respite.

Along the Spruce Bog Trail, mist-laden spider webs droop from shrubs in the early morning light.
Spruce Bog, Algonquin Park

Not once, though, did I regret the trip.  Morning mist rising from a lake or beading on a canvas of spiderwebs.  Pink ladyslippers blooming beside a trail.  A lichen-encrusted boulder reflected in a stream.  The rolling hills and forests spread below a fractured cliff.  The flush of new needles on a tamarack — “a little green”, as Joni Mitchell describes it.  The slap of a beaver’s tail somewhere out on dark water.  Moments of wonder and beauty capture in images and memories.

A silver maple emerges from the morning mist beside Brigham Lake.
Silver Maple in the Morning Mist, Brigham Lake, Algonquin Park
A perfect pink ladyslipper blooms beside the Peck Lake Trail.
Pink Ladyslipper, Peck Lake, Algonquin Park
In the early morning, the glassy waters of St. Andrew's Lake reflect lichen-encrusted boulders.
Still Life, St. Andrew’s Lake, Algonquin Park
A beaver pond and meadow lie below a high lookout.
Beaverpond Trail Lookout, Algonquin Park

Of course, memories needn’t always come with the scent of DEET.  Autumn may be the finest time to visit Algonquin Park, cool fire-lit nights and warm, bug-free days.  Early in the season, the lakes may still be warm enough to swim.  Colourful, quilted hills rise from shorelines.  Life at its most abundant, before the long migrations south and the long hibernation.  By the end of fishing season, the brook trout and lake trout have begun to emerge from the summer depths to chase a spoon or fly.  Amorous moose call from clearings and wetland meadows.  In the evenings, loons lament the shortening days.

Red and gold trees stand on the shoreline of the Barron River, reflected in the calm water.
Autumn Colours, Barron River, Algonquin Park
A golden maple and red canoes reflect in the water of Canoe Lake.
Cache Lake, Algonquin Park
A young spruce tree grows on a decayed tree stump in a back bay of the Madawaska River.
Madawaska River, Algonquin Park

I recall rising from my tent one morning before sunrise to look out over the Barron River.  Standing on the shoreline in the quiet darkness, I puzzled at the sound of crunching coming from both up and down the shoreline, as well as on the far shore.  Only later, in the growing light, could I make out the shapes of beavers in the shallows munching water lily roots like candy.  Later that same morning, as my son and I cooked breakfast at the fire, the alarmed chatter of a red squirrel alerted us to a pine marten peering around the thick trunk of a white pine.  In the afternoon, we pulled fat bass out of the river.

A pale peach and blue light heralds dawn over the Barron River.
Dawn on the Barron River, Algonquin Park
A boy sits under a tree with the Barron River in the background.
Camping on the Barron River, Algonquin Park
A young boy in a canoe holds up a fat bass.
Fat Bass, Barron River, Algonquin Park

On another, autumn weekend, my wife and I rented a shoreline cottage at Killarney Lodge.  Sitting on the deck in the sun, we read books, sketched, fed peanuts to the resident chipmunk, and looked forward to the next gourmet meal.  We rented bikes at the Lake of Two Rivers and cycled along the old rail line under gold and red trees.  We slept with the windows open, snuggled warmly under our thick blankets, welcoming the scent of the pines and the sound of wind in their branches.

The sun rises over the Lake of Two Rivers, as viewed from Killarney Lodge.
Sunrise over the Lake of Two River, Killarney Lodge, Algonquin Park
A pretty cottage sits under cedar trees on the shore of Lake of Two Rivers.
Cabin 3, Killarney Lodge, Algonquin Park
A woman stands astride a mountain bike on the Old Railway Bike Trail in Algonquin Park.
Cycling the Old Railway Bike Trail, Algonquin Park
A pencil sketch of a dead cedar tree leaning over the Lake of Two Rivers, with the far shore in the background.
Sketch, Lake of Two Rivers, Killarney Lodge, Algonquin Park

I have yet to visit Algonquin Park in winter, but would love to see it on one of those bright, cold January days, when the snow is dry and powdery, the spruce trees crack and creak, and the whiskey jacks complain at your passing.  I would like to see the steam rising from a beaver lodge, surrounded by the exploratory tracks of a wolf.  I would love to hear Raven croak a greeting and hear the rustle of his wings as he flies overhead.  I would love to follow an otter slide from lake to lake.  I would love to return to a warm fire and steaming cup of hot chocolate at night.

Some things, like hot chocolate, should be shared.  As much as I enjoy a solitary trip in Algonquin’s back country — quietly walking the trails, listening to the sounds of night, and rising silently in my own time — I almost prefer the shared experience.  Since the last ice age, 10,000 years ago, humans have travelled the waterways and ridges.  Where settlers now camp, Indigenous peoples once camped.  In the dense darkness of cedars, overgrown vision pits speak of ancient spiritual quests.  Decayed cabins and log slides lie mouldering beside waterfalls.  Logging trucks still rattle and bang along dirt roads, where trees fall to chainsaws.  Paddlers eat lunch on billion year-old Canadian Shield rock.  Travellers from around the world look out over the Sunday Creek Bog from the Visitors Centre, hoping (not without reason) to see a moose or a wolf.  People have always been here, and they will continue to be here.  The challenge is to ensure that Algonquin Park remains both a place to find Nature and to fall in love.

A faint peach light seeps above dark trees as dawn begins on Head Lake.
First Blush of Dawn, Head Lake, Algonquin Park
Two teenagers fish from a canoe in Algonquin Park.
Fishing in Algonquin Park
Mating dragonflies perch on a pile of camping equipment in the bottom of a canoe.
Hitchhikers in the Canoe, Barron River, Algonquin Park
Friends share a lunch on boulders deep in the Barron Canyon.
Lunch in the Barron Canyon, Algonquin Park

 

 

 

 

Deep River – Part Two

Deep River offers many lovely canoeing opportunities and destinations.  For a relaxed evening paddle, I frequently head downstream from the town along the Ontario shoreline, past Lamure Beach.  As the heat of the day dissipates, the wind dies down and the river often turns glassy and reflective.  I follow the outer edge of the sand flats, past two rocky points, and into Welsh Bay, where Kennedy Creek empties into the river.

Boulders emerge from the water of the Ottawa River on sunny, summer day.
Ottawa River Shoreline, Deep River

I frequently see young lake sturgeon and longnose gar finning in the shallow water of the bay, feeding on the bottom.  I’ve spied bald eagles sitting sentinel in the pines along the shore, and listened to the chiding of ospreys as I glide past.  Pulling my canoe on to the sandy shore, I like to cross the bar to the beaverpond behind the beach and watch for wildlife in the thickets.  The shoreline, here, remains largely unchanged.  I can imagine Samuel de Champlain and his Algonquin guides pulling their canoes on to shore 400 years ago to make camp for the night.

The setting sun silhouettes a woman in a canoe on the still, reflective waters of the Ottawa River.
Ottawa River Calm

At least once during our annual visit to Deep River, I like to cross the river to the bay just inside Houseboat Point, where an overgrown logging trail heads up into the forest.  A 20 minute walk takes me to the path to Mount Martin, almost hidden on the north side of the trail.  An inconspicuous sign, placed by the Boy Scouts, marks the trailhead.  On a hot, summer day, the climb up through the forest provides a workout, and mosquitoes whine incessantly.  However, after a few false summits, the trail finally emerges on to an open, rocky lookout over the river and the town on the far side.  The sand flats and shoals show clearly along the shoreline.  Ravens and turkey vultures soar above and below, riding the breeze that rises over the escarpment.  Breaking out a lunch, I rest and recuperate on the rocks, even lying back and closing my eyes for warm nap.

A weathered, wood sign attached to a tree marks the trailhead to Mount Martin.
Mount Martin Trailhead
From far above on Mount Martin, the sandy beach and shoals of Houseboat Point can be seen reaching out into the blue Ottawa River
Houseboat Point Viewed from Mount Martin
The author rests on a rocky lookout at the top of Mount Martin, with forest and the Ottawa River in the background.
Resting at the Mount Martin Lookout

Another, more challenging paddle leads up the Ottawa River along the Quebec shoreline to Baie de la Presqu’ile d’en Bas and Lac a la Tortue.  This 20 km long trip follows the rocky east shore of the river, where the long seismic fault of the Ottawa – Bonnechere Graben (the geological feature that we call the Ottawa Valley) and repeated glaciation has laid bare the tortured roots of the Canadian Shield.  Broken only by a few short, sandy beaches, the old gneiss falls sharply into the deep waters.  Fissures and cracks spit the billion year-old rock, along with coarse veins of crystallized quartz and other minerals.  Sheered plates of stone form rocky walls and ledges.  A forest climbs back from the shoreline, while a few hardy, slow-growing trees find a tenuous foothold closer to the water.  The bay, itself, lies under a towering, shattered rock face, sheltered from the wide river by a long spit of sand deposited by an upstream tributary.  At the head of the bay, shallow Lac a la Tortue provides superb habitat for pike, gar, turtles and shorebirds.  Unfortunately, the bay has become very popular with campers and houseboats, who sometime line the beach in small flotillas.  Nonetheless, the scenery provides ample justification for a visit, as do the healthy pike that feed along the rocky, Ottawa shoreline.

A canoe rests on a rocky shore in a small cove under a flat wall of stone.
Quebec Shoreline Upstream of Deep River
A stunted red maple grows from bare stone on the Quebec shoreline of the Ottawa River.
Life Finds A Way
A great blue heron stalks along the shoreline at Lac a la Tortue.
Great Blue Heron, Lac a la Tortue
A wide angle photograph shows the towering rock face above Baie de la Presqu'ile d'en Bas.
Panorama of the Cliffs at Baie de la Presqu’ile d’en Bas

Of course, at the end of long day of hiking or paddling, nothing feels so good as plunging into the clean, clear river at Lamure Beach or Pine Point.  Many times, I’ve waded into the water to the drop-off, then dived under.  The distinct, wonderful scent of the water fills my nostrils.  The water washes over me.  I rise, turn on my back and float under the sunset sky, as the heat seeps from my skin along with sweat and weariness.  The quiet envelopes me like the river..  Somewhere inside me, an ancestral memory stirs.  I think about tomorrow’s adventure.

 

Deep River – Part One

An evening calm has settled over the Ottawa River as I paddle into a burnished, copper sunset.  I trail a fly behind the canoe, more from habit than hope.  If I really wanted to catch fish, I would trail a spinnerbait for pike, or rig a artificial minnow for walleye.  Mostly, I just enjoy the quiet, made more pronounced by the occasional powerboat thrumming in the distance.  On the Quebec side, I see lights begin to glimmer on the houseboats beached at the point.  Laughter carries across the water.  Nearer, on my left, I see a whitetail deer come shyly down to the beach in the deepening dusk, as a wood thrush begins to flute in the woods.  Abruptly, the sandy bottom rises below my canoe.  I ship my paddle and quickly wind in my fly.  Then I continue into the bay toward the boat launch, passing Lamure Beach and threading through the moored boats.  I pull out the canoe and drag it up to the trees with the others.  Then I stroll through the peaceful streets until I see home and the glow of warm, yellow light through the blinds of the large front window.

The setting sun turns the sky a burnished copper over the Ottawa River.
Sunset, Deep River

The town of Deep River lies an easy two hour drive northwest of Ottawa along Highway 17.  Sandwiched between the highway and the Ottawa River, it trails along the shoreline for a couple of kilometers.  The usual Tim Hortons, Canadian Tire, motel and small strip malls service the highway.  A busy grocery store, post office, shops, cafes, school, and town office anchor the small, downtown core, which sits just behind the waterfront, overlooking the river.  The marina and yacht club lie only a brisk two minute walk away.  Tidy residential neighbourhoods lie either side of downtown — a mix of small, renovated, post-war bungalows and more modern, multi-story houses.  The Deep River Regional Hospital marks the east side of town, while the Mount Martin Ski Club sits on the west side.

The Ottawa River and Ottawa Valley spread out below the lookout on Mount Martin, Quebec. In the distance, the town of Deep River lies along the far shore.
Deep River Viewed from Mount Martin, Quebec
The Deep River Waterfront as photographed from Mount Martin, Quebec.
Deep River Waterfront

I spend at least two weeks every summer in Deep River with my wife and our sons.  We make shorter visits throughout the year.  I spend most of that time outside, exploring the local forests and wetlands, or paddling the shoreline of the Ottawa River.  Deep River is a microcosm of whole Ottawa Valley, with almost every kind of ecosystem, habitat and wildlife species within easy reach.

Most trips to Deep River begin and end at the Four Seasons Forest Sanctuary, on the southeast side of the town.  This community-owned forest is part of an enormous, contiguous, protected natural area that includes the restricted lands surrounding the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (formerly AECL) in Chalk River, the Petawawa Research Forest, the training areas of Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, and Algonquin Park.  A short hiking loop begins across from the hospital and leads to a pretty, covered shelter overlooking a wetland.  Even on the buggiest days, the squadrons of dragonflies hunting along the marsh edge succeed at keeping most mosquitoes at bay.  Common yellowthroats sing in the thickets, while swamp sparrows skulk in the reeds.  An American bittern grunts deep in the marsh.  A blue heron fishes along the meandering stream on the other side. Turtles and frogs bask in the small pond by the shelter, where an occasional beaver, muskrat or otter makes an appearance.  I’ll bring a lunch and meditate on the scene, read a book, or bring a guitar.  Almost always, I’m on my own.

A wooden archway spans an entrance to the Four Seasons Conservation Forest trail network.
Four Seasons Forest Sanctuary Entrance
Looking out from the shade of a covered observation shelter, a verdant marsh offers a pleasing view.
Marsh Shelter, Four Seasons Conservation Forest
A black-masked, common yellowthroat perches on the branches of an alder bush.
Common Yellowthroat, Four Seasons Conservation Forest
An otter plays on a log in a marshy pond at the Four Seasons Conservation Forest.
Otter, Four Seasons Conservation Forest

Longer trails lead deeper into the sanctuary, passing a variety of habitats:  upland forests of white pine, maple and beech; darker forests of spruce and balsam fir; pretty riparian marshes, and dark forest pools; bright, grassy clearings, and shadowed fern gardens.  One of my favourite destinations is Cranberry Lake, which stretches back into the AECL lands.  At the end of a half hour hike, a small bench looks out over the lake and a pretty, floating fen mat.  In late June and early July, white waterlilies carpet the water, and pink orchids (swamp pinks and rose pogonias) dot the fen.  I often skip the bench and stretch out under the white pine that graces the shoreline, closing my eyes for a nap in midday sunshine.  Occasionally I lift my head and look down the lake, hoping to see one of the moose that have found a haven on the AECL lands.

A verdant marsh is framed by overhanging trees.
Cranberry Lake, Deep River

During the winter, the trails of the Forest Sanctuary become an active cross-country ski and snowshoe network.  Trails are well marked and maintained by the Deep River Cross Country Ski Club, who put on an active recreational and social program through the winter.  The forest and wetlands take on a different kind of beauty and quiet in the winter, always reminding me of the Robert Frost lines, “the only other sound’s the sweep, of easy wind and downy flake.”

A young white pine sits at the edge of a snow-covered beaverpond, against a backdrop of older, darker pines.
Winter Beaverpond, Four Seasons Forest Sanctuary
A forest creek runs swiftly between snow and ice-covered banks on a warm, late-winter day.
Winter Creek, Four Seasons Forest Sanctuary

The Petawawa Research Forest, just outside nearby Chalk River, also provides wonderful opportunities for exploration.  The Research Forest Museum, now inactive and partly abandoned, still remains open to the public — albeit quickly deteriorating.  An interpretive trail still loops from the museum through the forest, and an old boardwalk still offers a short, but pretty walk along the shore of the Chalk River.  A maze of access and logging roads leads deep into the forest, past a myriad of different tree communities, streams and wetlands.  In particular, the research forest includes a large number of well-developed fens and bogs, some of which are very accessible and yet still virtually unknown and pristine.  They provide a unique opportunity for a careful, conscientious visitor to explore the flora and fauna of these marvelous ecosystems.  Unfortunately, summer visitors can expect to be trailed by a cloud of deer flies, which swarm from the sandy roads and trails in numbers that are hard to comprehend.  Once off the roads and into the forests and wetlands, however, the deer flies give way to the usual mosquitoes and blackflies, which respond much more readily to repellent.  Of course, sensitive individuals can always choose to wear bug hats or bug shirts.  Either way, the research forest is worth a visit.

A wide-angle photography of a raised bog in the Petawawa Research Forest.
Raised Bog, Petawawa Research Forest
A narrow stream runs through a sedge meadow, fed by the raised bog in the background.
Sedge Meadow and Raised Bog, Petawawa Research Forest
A type of rich fen, known as a "ring bog", surrounds a small pond in the Petawawa Research Forest.
Rich Fen, Petawawa Research Forest
A delicate pink orchid, called a rose pogonia, glistens with raindrops in a fen in the Petawawa Research Forest.
Rose Pogonia, Petawawa Research Forest
A swamp pink blooms on a fen mat in the Petawawa Research Forest.
Swamp Pink, Petawawa Research Forest
Pitcher plants bloom on a fen mat in the Petawawa Research Forest.
Northern Pitcher Plant, Petawawa Research Forest
A gartner snake curls atop a sphagnum hummock in a bog in the Petawawa Research Forest
Garter Snake on Bog Hummock, Petawawa Research Forest
Tufts of red and green sphagnum moss form a mound in a bog in the Petawawa Research Forest.
Sphagnum Moss in a Bog, Petawawa Research Forest
Orange-tipped lichen grows on a sphagnum mound in the Petawawa Research Forest.
Lichen in Bog, Petawawa Research Forest

Barron River, Algonquin Park

Boulders reflect in the still water of a mist covered lake in early morning light.
Still Life, St. Andrew’s Lake

On a still summer morning, the lake lies like glass.  The sun has peeked over the hills to light your campsite and warm the air.  The mist begins to burn off, drifting like lace before an imperceptible zephyr and swirling up in wisps.  You almost regret fetching water for the morning coffee, because of the ripples that mar the perfect reflections of stone, tree and sky.

The Barron River flows east out of the quiet, north side of Algonquin Park.  Being much less accessible to visitors from Toronto, the north and east sides of the park receive much less use than the Highway 60 corridor.  For visitors from Ottawa, they offer a chance to experience the park free from crowds, tour buses, and other traffic.  The campgrounds feel more open, cleaner and less claustrophobic.  Everything seems slower and more simple.

Two people paddle across a calm lake in an inflatable kayak, with a pine-covered shoreline in the background.
Paddling With Friends

The turn-off for the Barron River lies just over an hour and half north of Ottawa on the Trans-Canada Highway, 13 kilometres past the Town of Pembroke.  A turn on to Doran Road, followed by a quick right turn, leads to County Road 28.  After nine or ten kilometres, the pavement changes to a good gravel road and County Road 28 becomes the Barron Canyon Road.  The Sand Lake Gate to Algonquin Park lies another 18 km up the road.  Day trippers can obtain a visitors permit at the Sand Lake Office, while those with reservations can pick up their camping or backcountry permits.

Many visitors to the Barron River travel only 2.5 km past the gate to the Squirrel Rapids parking lot and access point, for a day paddle up to the Barron Canyon.  The flat water trip takes about six to eight hours return, factoring in an easy 420 m portage around some falls, maybe a try at the bass in the marsh above the falls, with time for a relaxed lunch and swim in the canyon.

A teenage boy holds a largemouth bass.
Barron River bass

The Barron Canyon formed after the last ice age, carved by an immense, sand-laden river of cold, glacial water draining from the Great Lakes.  100 m high cliffs climb straight out of the water, stained with orange lichen and topped by dense pines and cedars.  Ravens soar overhead.  Trailing a free hand along the stone of the canyon wall, one feels the age and weight of the earth.

Stone cliffs tower over a river.
Barron Canyon Cliffs

Several canoe-in campsites lie along the river below the canyon, available by reservation.  Other resting spots offer themselves along the way.  But I prefer to stop for lunch in the heart of the canyon, where a tumble of huge boulders offers a small pull-out, a swimming hole, and a flat picnic spot just above the river.  Eating a sandwich in the warmth of a 4.5 billion year-old star, on billion year-old stone, in a 10,000 year-old canyon, I find comfort and satisfaction in the triviality of my own existence.

Through a frame of pine and cedar branches, a figure stands looking down from midway up a boulder-covered slope.
Bouldering Above Picnic Rock

Backcountry camping is available all along the Barron River.  Achray Campground, 25 km past the Sand Lake Gate, offers a good starting point for a trip down to Squirrel Rapids.  A one-way trip could be accomplished in anything from one to four days, depending on how hard one wished to work.  Personally, I prefer to take a full day to traverse the five portages between St. Andrews Lake and Brigham Lake.  None are long or onerous, but they add up.  Even more, I can’t imagine missing the evening paddle along the shoreline in twilight, after setting up camp, eating and washing the dinner dishes.  Or rising before dawn to watch the dawn wash the hills and sunrise glitter on the dew of a cobweb.

A crescent moon looks down from a deep blue twilight sky on band of dark trees and white canoe beside a still lake.
Evening at St. Andrews Lake, Barron River
Trees slowly reveal themselves as morning mist lifts off the surface of a river.
Morning on the Barron River

Scenery along the Barron River equals that of any place in Algonquin Park.  Wildlife abounds, although moose are infrequent.  Waterfalls and cascades separate the stretches of flat water.  The autumn colours dazzle against the dark conifers and reflect in the still river.  Bring a camera, canvas and brushes, paper and pencil.  Bring an open heart and time to fill it.

A shallow stream runs under leaning cedars trees in a stony channel.
Stream
A small rapid spills into a reed-line pool.
Cascades
A stream tumbles over stones in a small waterfall.
Brigham Chutes
A great blue heron perches on a dead cedar leaning far out over a calm stream.
Great Blue Heron, Barron River