Algonquin & Beyond

Big Thunder Lake – Campsite #1

The sole campsite on Big Thunder Lake was better than I was expecting, but still not good enough to make me want to camp there. Big Thunder Lake itself is pretty unexciting. It’s not very pretty and I’m not sure why anyone would choose to camp on the lake unless they absolutely loved the idea of having the lake to themselves. Maybe if it were a different lake I would get excited, but having Big Thunder to myself isn’t anything that would excite me. Anyways, the campsite has two flat landings at the waters edge. The landing that I used, pictured below, is the first one you would see when coming from the east. But the proper and better beach landing is just around the corner. Either way, there’s a steep incline up to the main campsite area. The campsite is situated on a point so it has a unique aesthetic when at the top of the campsite, with the rows of trees spread far apart letting lots of light into the campsite. The fire pit has two large and perfectly flat benches surrounding it, and among the slopes are two flat tent spots grooved out in the ground. Overall it’s a campsite that has everything you need, but nothing about it would draw me to want to camp there. Especially since it splits up the two long portages, the 1495m and the 1705m into two separate days, which I would personally rather tackle back-to-back to get them out of the way.

(Click on the images to view larger)

Map of Campsite on Big Thunder Lake in Algonquin Park
Map of campsites
Big Thunder Lake in Algonquin Park Campsite 1 Fire Pit and Seating
Fire pit and seating
Big Thunder Lake in Algonquin Park Campsite 1 Interior of Campsite v1
Interior of campsite
Big Thunder Lake in Algonquin Park Campsite 1 Interior of Campsite v2
Interior of campsite
Big Thunder Lake in Algonquin Park Campsite 1 Path to Campsite
Path to campsite
Big Thunder Lake in Algonquin Park Campsite 1 Tent Spot v1
Tent spot
Big Thunder Lake in Algonquin Park Campsite 1 Tent Spot v2
Tent spot
Big Thunder Lake in Algonquin Park Campsite 1 Canoe Landing v2
Canoe landing
Big Thunder Lake in Algonquin Park Campsite 1 Canoe Landing v1
Canoe landing
Big Thunder Lake in Algonquin Park Campsite 1 View From the Water
View from the water

* Images and information taken September 2022

* Algonquin Map courtesy of Jeff’s Maps

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