McIntosh Lake – Campsite #15
Prior to visiting McIntosh Lake, this is the campsite that I had read the most about online. I can see why people love it, but honestly I prefer the site I ended up camping on, island Campsite #7. This site is on a large open rocky point with lots of exposure to the sun and gorgeous views out onto the body of McIntosh Lake. The main fire pit is located right by the water which makes it very enjoyable to sit around, although less practical in terms of protection from wind and rain. There’s a secondary fire pit inland, and then another third fire pit a bit further inland from that. *Please remember to only use the main fire pit designated by the park! It has been constructed in a way that helps prevent root fires and forest fires, so using camper-made fire pits can be very dangerous!* The rocky landing isn’t the most accessible and since the site is up on a point, there’s a short climb from the landing to the campsite. It’s a beautiful site with so much to offer, but what really turned me off was seeing the abuse the site has taken. It’s a heavily used site and there was an insane amount of garbage lying around (not just small garbage like food wrappers, but a chair, a broken paddle, a wheel from a canoe cart, and more). It was really upsetting seeing a beautiful site looking like this because otherwise it’s a spectacular site when camping in good weather conditions.
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* Images and information taken September 2019
* Algonquin Map courtesy of Jeff’s Maps