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It was mid-September and I had just gotten back from an 8-day solo canoe trip in the backcountry with Elo. The upcoming weekend forecast was looking decent, and fall colours were becoming more prominent. I was still sore and tired from the last trip, but I knew I wanted to be in the park for the weekend.
Car camping was completely booked solid, and backcountry was exceptionally busy as well. What the heck, isn’t mid-September supposed to be quiet!? I guess when the weather still feels like summer, people still want to camp. The forecast was calling for mid 20’s on Friday and Sunday, with rain on Saturday. Overnight temperatures would be in the low teens. That’s pretty dang good for mid-September.
I had a concert on the Saturday, but I put the ticket up for sale. I’d rather be in Algonquin Park. At 9:00 PM on Thursday evening, the ticket finally sold. I decided it was too last minute and I was still too sore to go into the backcountry, so I began refreshing the reservation system in hope of a campground cancellation. At almost 11:00 PM, after literally getting blocked by the reservation system for refreshing too much, I finally found a cancellation at Pog Lake campground. I quickly snagged it. Site #473. I had never been to the Pog Lake campground before, but based on the map, the campsite looked great. It looked like one of the most isolated campsites in the entire campground, and from the pictures, it looked big too. Algonquin Park, here we come!
Day 1 — Arriving to Pog Lake Campground & Paddling on Rock Lake
I was in no rush to get to the park, but you know how early-morning-wakeup habits work. I grabbed my canoe and was on the road by 6:00 AM. I arrived to Pog Lake campground shortly before 9:00 AM to find my campsite vacant. Either no one was camped here the night before, or they left super early. Either way, it was great because it meant I could set up camp early.
My first impression of the campground, and the campsite, were awesome. The trees were massive but spread apart, allowing the morning sun to shine through and light up the campground. The campground felt very stereotypical “camping”, but in the best of ways. If you told someone you were going camping and showed them the Tea Lake campground, you’d probably get a raised eyebrow in response. Now, if you told the best AI image generator to create a fictional campground that would attract the pickiest of campers, it would probably generate what Pog Lake campground looked like as I drove through.
I should give a disclaimer, I didn’t see the entire campground, but going into Section C, and particularly the little loop where my campsite was located, was extremely picturesque.
For the campsite itself, I was extremely pleased with it. It was massive. It had four separate driveway entrances, two picnic tables, a few good tent spots, and a trail to the water. The water access was extremely steep, but it was there. I only had one neighbouring campsite, and the campsite was located at a dead-end so there would be very few cars driving past my site (basically, only if they took a wrong turn). Did I get lucky and snag the best campsite in the campground!?
I quickly set up camp. I pitched my tent, set up a tarp for the Saturday rain, and hung Elo’s tether between trees. My one and only neighbour arrived to their site while I was setting up camp, so I made conversation with them as they worked on backing in their trailer. They had a cute 16 year old pup named Zeus. One of the adults made a comment “You got the best campsite here eh” or something along those lines. I told him the story of how I got really lucky and snagged it last minute.
It was still relatively early in the morning by the time I finished setting up camp. It was time to hit the water. I drove to the busy Rock Lake access point and launched out for a paddle. The sun was very hot in the sky with no wind and no clouds. The lake was calm in terms of the weather, but busy with people. Canoes, kayaks, and a surprising amount of SUPs.
I had all day to spend on the water and no specific agenda, so I paddled at an extremely leisurely pace. I wanted to check out some of the few remaining campsites that I didn’t already have documented, but that was the only thing on my to-do list. There were five campsites in total that were remaining, but I wasn’t sure if I’d have the energy to visit all five since it would require paddling the entire lake, from the launch, to the portage into Galeairy Lake, to the portage into Pen Lake, and back.
I decided to take it one campsite at a time. First on the list was Campsite #21. I wasn’t sure if the campsite even existed since it was a new addition to Maps By Jeff that wasn’t included on the previous version of Jeffs Map. The campsite did exist, but the orange campsite marker was gone. There was no indication that the campsite was closed though. The fire pit was there, a man-made kitchen counter was there, and one of the new blue signs for the thunder box was there. Just to be extra sure the campsite was still operating, I even used the thunder box. Confirmed. Everything is in working order!
I relaxed for a few minutes at the shaded beach landing of the campsite before heading to my next destination, Campsite #20. This was also a new addition to Maps By Jeff that wasn’t included on the previous Jeffs Map. This one did have the official orange campsite marker though. It was a great place to stop for a break, but it was not a campsite I’d want to stay at overnight, due to the absence of any notable tent spots.
Two campsites down. Next, I headed into the narrows towards Campsite #10 and Campsite #11. The wind began to pick up and I was battling a very gentle headwind. I was excited for the return journey when the wind would be at my back. I arrived at Campsite #10 to find it occupied. I was shocked. I expected that the far-away campsites in the narrows would be some of the least desirable options. It was still early in the day and many of the main-body campsites were still empty. But I guess someone particularly liked Campsite #10. I continued onwards towards Campsite #11.
Campsite #11 was your standard emergency campsite. Small landing, small campsite, small fire pit, and small tent spots. There was flagging tape leading into the forest where I found a dismantled and broken thunder box. I’m not sure if there was another, proper thunder box, but I would never want to camp at this site anyways.
At my leisurely pace, it was 1:00 PM by the time I finished my visit to Campsite #11. That meant it took me 2.5 hours to get there, including the time spent documenting three campsites. I sure was moving leisurely alright! And now I had the tailwind at my back. Instead of using the tailwind to make fast progress, instead, I just paddled even more leisurely. At times I was literally paddling with one hand while the wind did most of the work. The only effort I put in was basically just to keep the boat pointing straight, because the strong wind and the big waves had a tendency of pushing my mostly-empty boat in the direction of its choosing.
I saw lots of canoes on the water, heading in the opposite direction as me. They were probably looking for their home for the weekend. I was too busy paying attention to the western shoreline though. The fall colours were really starting to pop. That shoreline is one of my favourite views in all of Algonquin Park for fall colours.
I arrived back to a very busy access point at 2:30 PM. I was surprised to see so many people starting their adventures that late in the day. I felt bad because they were about to battle a huge headwind too. Oh well, my day on the water was done. I took off my shirt and soaked up the sun while loading my canoe onto the car.
I made a pit stop in Whitney to grab some firewood and a cold carbonated beverage, which really hit the spot after four hours under the sun. Note to self, don’t put the firewood on the passenger seat unless I want my car beeping every 10 seconds telling me to fasten the passenger seat belt.
I got back to my campsite at 4:00 PM and immediately went for a walk with Elo to explore some of the campground. I checked my phone and saw a DM on Instagram from one of my followers, asking if I had just paddled Rock Lake. He hiked Booth’s Rock Trail and saw me in the distance. He said he recognized Elo and then realized it was me. It was kind of funny because just one day earlier I was telling a friend that when someone recognizes me in the park, it’s usually Elo that gets recognized first. He shared a few pictures that he took from across the lake, of me and Elo paddling, which was pretty cool.
I was going to make myself dinner at 5:00 PM, but I got attacked. Not by a human. Not by an animal. I got attacked by mosquitos. It was mid-September so of course I didn’t bring any bug spray. Who in their right mind would bring bug spray in mid-September!? But I was getting swarmed. Eaten alive. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t sit still for two minutes without getting bitten. I was forced to leave my campsite.
I went driving up and down Highway 60 in search of wildlife. I didn’t have any luck, but I did stop to go for a few short walks with Elo. One of the stops was at the Mew Lake airfield. The berry season was finished but there was still a strong, sweet smell in the air(field). If it was strong to me, I could only imagine what is smelled like to Elo’s sensitive nose. She loves walking in the airfield, and it’s also her favourite poop spot, so I make an effort to take her there often.
When I came back to my campsite at 7:30 PM, the mosquitos were finally gone. So was the sun. I grabbed my headlamp while I got a fire started and made myself dinner. I gave Elo dinner too. We spent the rest of the evening sitting beside a decently-sized fire until 10:30 PM when I decided it was time to get some sleep.
Day 2 — Rest Day at Pog Lake Campground
The forecast was calling for rain on-and-off throughout the day, so I decided to treat Saturday as a rest day. A real rest day. Not one of my typical “It’s a rest day but I’m actually going to paddle for 7 hours and document 13 campsites” type of rest days.
I got out of the tent at 6:30 AM and after a quick snack for both me and Elo, I went for a drive. I went up and down Highway 60 in search of wildlife. Once again, I didn’t have any luck. But I did see a rainbow shortly after the rain stopped. It’s all about the small wins!
I was driving west, which was the direction that the rain was coming from. I thought to myself “Hold on a second… why don’t I go in the other direction instead?” so I turned around and started driving east and I was able to escape the rain. I stopped at the Mew Lake airfield and was able to sneak in a quick 10-minute walk with Elo before the rain caught up to us. I got back into my car and continued driving east to escape the rain once again. I drove down Opeongo Road and stopped to take a few photos. After about 10 minutes the rain had caught up to us again, so I decided to go back to my campsite.
Elo and I were back at camp and in our cozy sleeping bags by 9:00 AM. We took a little snooze because like I promised, this was going to be a rest day! After waking up, we did a repeat of our early-morning adventures. I drove up and down Highway 60, and was once again, I was unsuccessful in finding wildlife. After another walk at the Mew Lake airfield I decided to stop at the Spruce Bog Boardwalk. I was wearing my Crocs and that was the only trail I was willing to do without proper footwear. Spruce Bog Boardwalk is a very pretty trail with lots of nice photo opportunities.
We finished walking the Spruce Bog Boardwalk at 1:30 PM, which was just before the rain started again. It was time to drive back to our campsite and get back into our cozy sleeping bags and take another snooze. Even though the Spruce Bog Boardwalk is one of the easiest trails in the park, it directly went against my Rest Day Policy. I needed to make up for my misbehaviour and get more rest.
The worst of the rainfall happened over the next few hours, but I didn’t mind because Elo and I were bundled up in the tent. I wasted some brain cells endlessly scrolling on Reddit, and then gained new brain cells by playing online chess. Like the great Thanos once said “Perfectly balanced, as all things should be”.
For a moment I had almost forgotten about the mosquito-mayhem from the first day. I was promptly reminded when I attempted to make myself dinner at my campsite. Once again, the dusk mosquitos kicked me out of my own campsite. I went for one more drive up and down Highway 60, just to confirm to myself that I did indeed have the worst luck at spotting wildlife during this trip.
I drove to Whitney to fill up gas, grab a cold carbonated beverage (it still hits the spot even without four hours under the sun) and then explore the Galeairy Lake access point. I had never been to the Galeairy Lake launch before, so I was just curious what it looked like.
My final stop for the day was at the Lake of Two Rivers campground. I pulled into the parking lot by the beach, rolled down the windows of my car, and took out my food barrel. Dogs aren’t allowed in this area, so I left Elo in the car. I prepared a freeze-dried dinner in the parking lot, and then took my barrel near the water and used it as a chair. I was facing east, meaning I didn’t get a direct view of the sunset. But the sky was full of clouds and it was a very dramatic looking landscape. You know that post-storm cloudy look? It was like that, but with some blue sky and a bit of sunlight making its way through the clouds. It was a beautiful view to enjoy while eating.
I ate my dinner and enjoyed some people-watching. The beach was very busy. Most people on the water looked like it was their first time ever being in a canoe or kayak. But that’s what it’s all about, go camping and try new things! It made me happy to see everyone having fun, exploring the different activities of Algonquin Park.
I got back to my campsite at 7:30 PM and promptly got a fire going. I sat by a warm fire for a few hours until 11:30 PM. The raindrops falling off the trees kept tricking me into thinking wildlife was nearby. The campground had signs up, warning about wolves and bears in the area. The front office told me that the bear hadn’t been spotted in over a month, but the wolf was being seen every single night. I was really hoping it would drop by my campsite, but sadly it never happened.
Throughout the evening there was some very gentle rainfall and a very fine mist sweeping throughout the campground. Walking around my campsite created an almost illusion-like view with my headlamp lighting up the mist in front of me. It was pretty cool.
When I finally got into the tent at 12:30 AM, I realized that I made a small mistake. I like sleeping with the door of my tent’s rainfly rolled up, so I can see outside. Normally, this isn’t an issue, even on cold nights. But that cool illusion-like mist made everything inside of the tent a tiny bit damp. Not “wet”. I’d barely even qualifying it as ‘”damp” to be honest. But it was noticeable. It was enough for me to regret not keeping the door closed. I thought it might be worse to close the door overnight, after the damage was done, because then it might trap in the condensation. Thankfully, it was only on the outer layer of stuff, so inside of my sleeping setup was fine. Plus, I had clothes that were bone dry. But note to my future self… don’t do that again.
Day 3 — Leaving Pog Lake Campground
I was originally planning to spend Day 3 on the water, but I cancelled those plans. A previous injury was aggravating me, and I didn’t want to make it any worse. I still wanted to do a few more trips before the season finished, so I thought it was smart to stay off the water and rest up.
I rolled out of my sleeping bag shortly before 7:00 AM. I went for a drive along Highway 60, and as you could have guessed by now, I failed at finding any wildlife. I came back for a snooze in the tent with Elo. It was like the movie Groundhog Day… every day was repeating itself.
Lots of my gear was still wet from the previous day’s rainfall—like my tent, tarp, and tent footprint—so I hung it all out to dry while slowly getting everything else packed up. I packed up camp at an extremely slow pace, enjoying every last minute of my reservation until the check-out time of 2:00 PM.
As I was loading my car, my neighbours came over and said goodbye. They were on their way out as well, so we spoke for a few minutes before parting ways. I went back to the Mew Lake airfield to take Elo for a walk, and then went into the campground at Mew Lake to document a few of the campsites. By 2:30 PM, I was on the highway and the trip was officially over.
The Aftermath
This was one of the most uneventful trips I’ve ever done in Algonquin Park. That’s not a bad thing though. I already had an incredibly busy season in the park, and most of the previous trips were strenuous with long and tiring days. This trip was the opposite. I went into this trip wanting to collect lots of content for my website, but I cancelled those plans and spent most of my time relaxing at my campsite and driving along Highway 60. It felt nice having such a laid-back trip for once. It felt like a true vacation.
I couldn’t have been happier with Site #473 at Pog Lake campground. To whoever decided to cancel their trip at 11:30 PM the night prior, thank you very much! I was a big fan of the campground in general, even though I didn’t spend too much time exploring Section A or Section B. I did one drive-through of each section, but that was it. The overall aesthetic and visual scenery throughout the campground was exceptionally pretty.
My only complaint of this trip was the lack of wildlife. Where were they all hiding!? I must have driven up and down Highway 60 like twenty times over the course of the three days. Nada. Zilch. Zero. Not even a beaver. There were daily wolf sightings being reported at Pog Lake campground, and the wolf didn’t even have the courtesy to come and say hello or join me for some whiskey beside the fire. Elo’s friendly, I promise! Joking aside, wildlife sightings are always luck of the draw. This trip, luck wasn’t on my side. But I’m not upset… you can’t hide from me forever mister moose.
