Unmissable park that everyone tells you about when you plan to go to Canada, Algonquin is indeed one of the places where it is possible to meet a wide variety of animals, but also landscapes.
With my cousin, we had arrived on the scene in mid-October. There are fewer animals to see around this time, but if you are looking for a peaceful hike, this is a great time. There are fewer tourists during this period. First of all, be careful not to miss the entrance to pay park tickets depending on where you enter: by the West Gate or the East Gate. At these two places, you can also get a map and the people in the park will tell you the essential places depending on what you want to do (a trail more oriented towards animals or hiking).
Once you have your tickets and your map in your pocket, off you go for the visit! Additionally, there are a number of hikes that are rather short but damn educational. When you stop at each of the hiking points indicated by the map, you will find a small hut at the entrance. In the latter is a register to sign with your name and your time of passage, but also a small booklet with a map of the hike and explanations of what surrounds you.
With these additional explanations in the booklet, you will finally understand the landscapes around you, and why they are shaped this way. Learn more about wildlife such as beavers, moose and birds.
We were arrived at the beginning of the afternoon, we had targeted our route on 3 different walks: Whiskey rapids, Peck Lake and Beaver Pond. These 3 routes are rather short (a few kilometres) and allow you to visit several places in the park in a short period of time. You can find the map below to show you our different visits
(circled in green).
After warming up with a whiskey rapids tour (2km), we hopped straight to the next destination: Peck Lake. I was quite surprised that most of the route is over wooden walkways. Indeed, on this trail, there are places a little marshy, but also a place where the ground is spongy. If you gently kick the ground, you'll find that the ground is soft, as if it is floating on water. It also makes it possible to observe interesting and glowing vegetation. The trail ends with a small portion of very nice forest.
After this trail, we went to the Lake of the Two Rivers. At this place there are plenty of ducks so used to being fed by visitors, that the simple fact of calling them makes them come towards you. If you're tempted to play duck shepherd, this is your chance!
Finally we ended with one of the most interesting parts in my opinion: the beaver dam. Throughout your journey, you will learn more about the nature of this animal (thanks to the little booklet at the entrance) but you will also see trees felled by them. The dam is really impressive to observe. And if you're lucky, you might see a beaver in the distance swimming towards its habitat. Indeed they are quite shy, and therefore, sometimes difficult to observe.
If you have more time than me to spend on Algonquin, I highly recommend the trails which can offer spectacular views of the park, and why not, camp nearby.
I hope this article has brought you a little getaway in your day.
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