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Trip Info
Date: July 29th – August 1st, 2025
Route: Smoke Lake > Ragged Lake x3 > Smoke Lake
Total Number of Portages: 2
Avg. Number of Portages Per Travel Day: 1
Total Length of Portages: 1,500m
Avg. Length of Portages Per Travel Day: 750m
Total Travel Time: 4hrs
Avg. Travel Time Per Travel Day: 2hrs
Total Distance Covered: 15km
Avg. Distance Covered Per Travel Day: 7.5km
*The numbers above are based on double-carrying portages, since this is how I travelled. If you plan on single-carrying portages, you’ll want to divide the Portage Length numbers by 3, and subtract the estimated time saved from the Travel Time numbers.
Background
Every year there comes a time where I need to make an important decision. I’m sitting at home, looking at social media, and I see everyone posting about their fun camping trips. And then I need to decide “Do I wait until the bugs go away, or do I suck it up and do a trip anyways?”
Now, don’t get me wrong, late-July isn’t exactly peak bug season, but it’s still earlier than I usually like to head into the backcountry. I was itching to do a trip (…foreshadowing), so I decided to pack my bags and head to the park.
On the day before the trip, three major things happened: 1) I bought a house, 2) I had a huge product launch at work, and 3) I had to pack out for this trip. Safe to say, things were insanely hectic. Every single minute of my day was planned on a tight schedule from the moment I woke up until midnight. I felt like one of those CEO billionaires that have every minute of their day scheduled for them… just without the billion dollars, but I’ll get there some day. Heck, I didn’t even get a chance to book my permits until 11:00 PM!
I needed an easy trip. Something relaxing. Not a ton of work. A break from the stress of everyday life. I didn’t want long travel days, especially not with the forecasted 30-degree heat. I just needed a vacation to decompress from the hectic weeks leading up to this trip. So, I booked Ragged Lake for three nights. Yes, it’s a very busy area of the park. Yes, the lake was going to be fully booked. Yes, it was going to be madness. But I just wanted to relax in the backcountry, and an easy destination like Ragged Lake was exactly what I was looking for.
Day 1 — Smoke Lake to Ragged Lake
After a 5:00 AM wakeup and a 6:00 AM canoe pickup from my parents’ house, I arrived to the Smoke Lake access point at 9:00 AM. It was crazy hot while paddling down Smoke Lake. It was barely tolerable when there was a breeze, but when there wasn’t any wind, the air was so thick and heavy. When I arrived at the portage I took off my PFD and my shirt became two-tone in colour…normal colour outside of the PFD area, and then completely drenched with sweat covering every inch where the PFD was being worn. I actually chuckled out loud when I saw how funny it looked.
There were a number of groups paddling on Smoke and also at the portage landing. I had a few people recognize me, commenting on my website and my YouTube channel. Elo was the star though, I got plenty of “That’s such a cool dog!” comments. Elo was so excited to be back in Algonquin park, it really got her cattle dog energy going! But she stayed leashed and under my control the entire time.
The humidity made the portage slightly more challenging than usual. There was one off-leash dog on the trail (disappointing, but not unexpected). And one family that, for some reason, decided to encircle my gear that I left at the portage landing while double-carrying. They put some food down on my pack and when I moved it off, my entire pack and sweatshirt reeked like whatever fruity bug spray they were using. I go through great lengths to try and keep my gear scent-free and my scents contained in my barrel, and then this family came along with zero common sense or courtesy. The canoe landing is massive too, I have no idea why they chose to huddle around my gear, which I left all the way off to the side.
But anyways, this was supposed to be a stress-free vacation, so I took my fruit-scented gear and kept moving. I took Campsite #3 on Ragged Lake, which I’ve stayed at once before during an October Thanksgiving trip. It’s one of my favourite sites on the lake, second only to the island in the southwest region. But that island is tucked away, so it comes with the risk of paddling all the way there only to find out it occupied, then needing to backtrack. This site was available, and was the site I was aiming for, so I snagged it.
The campsite was pretty buggy with all of the surrounding vegetation at the shoreline. The fire pit was a total mess, and was still smoking when I arrived. I spent a while cleaning up and rearranging the fire pit, and then of course dumped enough water to put the fire fully “dead out”. There was a new kitchen counter beside the fire pit, which wasn’t there during my previous stay. But otherwise, it was the same beautiful campsite that I remembered.
I relaxed for a short while before pitching my tent and taking an obligatory midday nap. I brought a small rechargeable fan that I hung from the top of the tent, pointing towards me. It made a HUGE difference when trying to sleep inside of a tent that was basically a sauna. After my nap I finished setting up camp, relaxed some more, and dozed off one more time while sitting beside the fire pit.
As much as I love this campsite, it did come with its compromise. It’s located in a junction section of the lake, with several campsites surrounding it nearby. And to my misfortune, every one of those nearby campsites were occupied by loud groups. Two of the campsites were families with young children, and one campsite was a group from Camp Tamakwa that had 17 people occupying the site (yes, despite the rule being 9 people). How did I know they were from Camp Tamkway? Well, the children were yelling “WE’RE CAMP TAMAKWAAA!!!!” at the top of their lungs to every single group that paddled past their site.
I had dinner at 6:30 PM, gave Elo dinner shortly after, and then hung my food and went for a paddle. I had two goals for the paddle… find firewood, and find moose. I circled the large island south of my campsite, stopping on shore at a pretty sketchy spot with bad footing to collect some wood. Then I paddled to a small beach at the east shoreline. I saw very fresh moose tracks, but no actual moose. Contrary to how it appears on Jeff’s map, the area behind the beach into Archer’s Bay is not navigable by canoe. At least not when I was there, and water levels were pretty typical, if not slightly higher than normal. Before going back to my campsite, I paddled into the small inlet leading towards the 120m portage across from my campsite, which was also very difficult to navigate by canoe. Getting to the portage entrance with dry feet would have been challenging. Thankfully, that wasn’t my destination.
The sun had long crossed the shoreline and I arrived back to camp at 9:30 PM, immediately needing to use my headlamp. I took a quick DEET shower and decided to save my limited firewood for another evening. That was a mistake. It was insanely buggy. It was also still very hot outside, like 25 degrees. But I was forced to wear long clothing for protection from the mosquito-swarms. Elo wasn’t too happy with the mosquitos either; she kept trying to eat them and scratch them away. Maybe I should take note of her strategy and try eating the mosquitos from now on. I felt bad for Elo, but she held up ok.
I wandered back and forth between the beach shoreline and the fire pit area, with no relief from the mosquitos. They finally subsided at 10:15 PM, but the sky was too cloudy to stargaze. I didn’t have a fire. I didn’t get to stargaze. I basically subjected myself to getting eaten alive for no reason. I should have just gotten into the tent right when I got back to camp.
Day 2 — A Rest Day on Ragged Lake
The forecast originally called for rain overnight, but I was spared. I woke up to a dry campsite and enjoyed a quiet morning before the nearby children began yelling. I had breakfast while appreciating the gorgeous view out of the campsite, looking east down Ragged Lake. With my telephoto lens I was able to see the beach that I visited the previous night, so I scanned the shoreline for early-morning moose. No luck. Even if I did see a moose, by the time I got into my canoe and paddled over it would likely be gone anyways.
So I went back to sleep for a bit.
After waking up for the second time that morning, I headed out for a day trip. I circled the same island as the previous night, hoping that the campsites would be vacant. The two campsites on the south side of the island were some of the only remaining campsites on Ragged Lake that I hadn’t yet documented for my website. One was still occupied, but the other one was empty, so I went on shore for a few minutes.
The next campsite I was hoping to get photos of was the site on the north shore, beside the moose beach area I keep talking about. Unfortunately, it was occupied. There was a gentleman sitting at the shoreline as I paddled by, so I asked if he had seen any moose during his stay. I saw the fresh tracks, so I knew the moose had been at the beach very recently. But he said he hadn’t noticed anything. We spoke for a few minutes and then he invited me on shore to check out the campsite… which was actually really funny and coincidental because I didn’t even mention that I wanted photos of the site. We ended up chatting for close to an hour. He had no problem with me taking photos of the site either.
When I got back to my own campsite, I went deeper into the forest to collect some more firewood. It was super buggy in the forest. My ankles, wrists, and neck were a necessary sacrifice to the mosquitos. Then I took another nap. Outside of the tent, the wind kept things bearable, but inside the tent, aka my portable sauna, it was way too hot. That cheap portable fan I brought was honestly such a game changer for mid-day tent naps in the summer. But a quick swim with Elo was still my preferred way to cool down from the hot sun.
The rest of the afternoon consisted of lounging around the campsite with Elo. The occasional breeze kept the bugs away for part of the afternoon. I had dinner at the beach shoreline of my campsite while listening to my loud neighbours continue with their “who can yell the loudest” contest. The “WE’RE CAMP TAMAKWA” group was back at it, and a family with young children on the opposite side of my campsite decided to yell back to the Tamakwa group, having a legitimate cross-lake conversation. And there I was, sitting in silence with Elo, eating my dinner, somehow stuck in the middle of it all, literally.
And then out of nowhere, one of the other neighbouring groups yelled “Fire in the hole!” before a loud bang went off. It sounded like fireworks, but obviously it wasn’t. Maybe they were testing a bear banger? I couldn’t believe how incredibly loud every group in the junction was. At one point, there was a brief 3-minute period of silence and I got worried thinking maybe the apocalypse happened and I was the last person alive.
The only family that was actually being respectful was the large family of mergansers in front of my campsite. I spent some time watching them before heading out for my evening paddle. I went to the area in the South Bay that leads towards Mohawk Creek. This region is also not nearly as navigable as it appears on the map, due to thick lily pad coverage bringing the canoe to a standstill. However, it was still a really beautiful area of Ragged Lake. I stopped paddling and put my paddle down, surrounded by thick lily pads in all directions. It was a calm, peaceful setting to watch the sun hang low in the sky during its final minutes before crossing the shoreline.
I still didn’t have any luck finding moose, but there was a group of territorial Canada geese nearby. I must have gotten a little too close because they became very vocal until I left the area. I said a quick hello to Vern—the friend I made on Day 1—who was once again sitting at the shoreline of his campsite, before arriving back to my own campsite at 9:15 PM.
I quickly got a fire going. It definitely helped with the bug situation, but not as much as I had hoped it would. I still got eaten alive, despite taking another DEET shower. It became much more tolerable at around 10:00 PM, so I continued sitting beside the fire for a little while longer than that.
The stars were ok that evening, but not particularly great due to the cloud coverage. I stargazed for only a few minutes before heading to bed shortly after 11:00 PM.
Day 3 — A Rest Day on Ragged Lake
“Birds flying high, you know how I feel. Sun in the sky, you know how I feel. Breeze driftin’ on by, you know how I feel. It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for me, and I’m feeling good.”
The oversized Camp Tamakwa group left their campsite. The loud family on the other side left their campsite. Peace and quiet had been restored to the junction of Ragged Lake.
I did my usual morning routine, including a quick snooze before heading out for a day trip at 10:00 AM. I only had one single campsite left on Ragged Lake to document. It was one of the island campsites I had paddled past a few times already. I went back again, but it was still occupied. Darn.
It was a windy day outside, which I quite enjoyed. It kept the bugs away and offered relief from the hot sun. I was able to wear my sweatshirt while sitting in a shaded area of the campsite. I occasionally checked the moose spot with my telephoto lens, despite consistently failing to find moose. I collected some more firewood and then people-watched groups paddle through the junction, onwards to their destination for the evening.
One of the empty campsites beside me became occupied with yet another loud group. They were blasting heavy music from speakers. How do so many people have so little respect for the outdoors!?
After dinner I headed out for my routine evening paddle. I decided to venture further this evening, going all the way to Crown Bay with a gentle tailwind breeze guiding the way. The beautiful island campsite in the distance was occupied by a massive group with four tents set up on the beach. Now that looked like a good vibe!
Similar to Archer’s Bay and the region of the South Bay that I visited during my previous nights, Crown Bay isn’t as navigable as it appears on the map. There’s a narrow path that you follow, like a river, rather than a big open area that you can explore. I made it halfway through and then stopped paddling and watched the sun cross the shoreline. It was a colourful sunset with some clouds in the sky and a gentle breeze against my face. The only noise was the natural buzzing of insects and small wildlife in the tall grasses of Crown Bay. This was hands down the prettiest evening paddle of the trip. Elo was sitting quietly at the front of the canoe, enjoying the view with me.
I was still in search of moose. And I was still failing miserably at that task. Jeff’s map has Crown Bay labelled as good moose territory, but as someone that spends lots of time photographing moose, this isn’t a place I’d come searching. It might technically be moose territory, but moose tend to stick near the shoreline rather than swim to the middle of marshy areas. And since you’ll be stuck in the middle of the marshy area, far from the proper shoreline, if you do spot a moose, it will most likely be a distant sighting and not up close. The only reason I mention this is because someone made a post on Facebook shortly before I left for this trip; they were heading to Big Porcupine and wanted to know if they should detour to Crown Bay to look for moose. If I was on my way to/from Parkside Bay, then maybe I’d make the detour. Or if I was camping on Ragged Lake (like this trip) then sure, go for a paddle and check it out. But I wouldn’t recommend taking a big detour to visit this area.
I started my 45-minute paddle back to my campsite after the sun had already crossed the shoreline. I was hoping the wind would die down, which typically happens in the late evening. But the wind does not care what I “hoped” it would do. It ended up being probably one of the windiest post-sunset paddles I’ve ever done.
I immediately put my big pile of firewood to good use. I intentionally collected wood that would create a smoky fire, and I strategically used that wood first while the mosquitos were launching their main attack. I felt like a war general. But I was fighting a war that was impossible to win. There is no beating the Mosquito Military. Elo and I survived The Great Battle Of Ragged Lake; we made it out alive, though not without battle wounds. We celebrated our victory (if I can even call it that) by stargazing at the front of the campsite at 11:00 PM. It took my eyes a few minutes to adjust from the fire, but it was easily the starriest night of the trip. The Milky Way was perfectly clear in the sky. I decided not to do any astrophotography and instead just enjoy the moment with Elo. The loons were calling in the distance while I was stargazing overhead, thinking deeply about the vastness of space. It was a really cool evening.
Day 4 — Ragged Lake to Smoke Lake
Day 4 might have been my final morning of the trip, but I was in no particular rush to leave. It was a surprisingly chilly morning, but not uncomfortably so. The bugs were tolerable. There was a beautiful mist sweeping off the lake. I slowly packed up camp while soaking in the scenery.
My new friend Vern paddled by my campsite at 8:30 AM so I decided to return the favour and I invited him on shore to take a look around. I was actually hesitant to offer a campsite tour because he would inevitably realize how bad his site was in comparison! But I invited him anyways. We spoke for 30 minutes before parting ways.
I got on the water at 9:45 AM to finish my trip, while groups were paddling in the opposite direction beginning their own journey. The portage to Smoke Lake was jam-packed with people, but that was totally expected. While portaging, someone walked past me and said “Hey! I watch your YouTube Videos! Cody and Elo!” which put a smile on my face.
I took a short break at the end of the portage to have a snack and water break with Elo. And then we set out onto Smoke Lake for our final paddle at 10:45 AM. It was another scorcher outside, and I was definitely feeling it. I made it back to the very busy Smoke Lake access point at 12:00 PM. After loading my car, I drove to the airfield at the Mew Lake campground to search for some wildlife.I was told about a bear sighting earlier in the day, but it didn’t make an appearance while I was there.
Finally, I started my drive home at 2:00 PM.
The Aftermath
Well, to start… the bugs sucked. But if you’ve made it this far in the trip report you’ve probably seen me mention that about 37 times already. Pretty much all of my campsite neighbours sucked too, but I knew exactly what I was getting myself into when I booked Ragged Lake in the middle of the summer. I didn’t actually let it bother me during the trip.
Despite those two inconveniences, everything else was perfect. The weather was awesome and I snagged the campsite that I was aiming for. I know I’ve done a lot of complaining in this trip report, mostly in a joking manner, but the truth is that this trip was very relaxing. It was the detox that I needed from the stress of the city life. It was a pretty uneventful trip with no major wildlife sightings, no extensive campsite documenting, and no crazy standout moments. But that’s totally fine. It was exactly the type of laid-back trip that I wanted.
