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I like backcountry camping. Being in the backcountry is my happy place. But here’s the thing, or rather “things”. First, it was blueberry season, which means it was bear season. And I knew where the bears liked to hang out. Second, I only had two nights for this trip, and the first and last day of the trip were going to be 30+ degrees outside. That’s HOT to be on the water with Elo. I’ve done it with her before, and Ive seen the struggle first-hand. And third, I had been having a very busy and stressful few weeks leading up to this trip. I wanted a vacation. I wanted a trip with no agenda. A trip where I didn’t have to worry about Elo during a heat wave. I wanted a trip where I could turn off my mind and not worry about anything. So, as much as I love backcountry camping, for this trip, I decided to book a site at the Kearney Lake campground. It was a 10:00 PM booking the night before the trip (typical for me), so I didn’t have too many campsite options available. I grabbed Site K135, and to my surprise, I kind of loved it. But more on that soon.
Day 1 — Arriving to Kearney Lake Campground
I was in no particular rush to get to the park, since I had no real agenda for the day. But since this trip was only going to be three days, I wanted to make the most of those days. So I hit the road at 6:30 AM. I noticed on the reservation system that my campsite was vacant the night before my arrival, which meant I should be able to set up before the standard 2:00 PM check in time. But first, I wanted to take Elo for a walk to let out some energy after the three hour car ride. And look for bears of course. Don’t forget about the bears.
I spent 30 minutes walking with Elo while scanning the blueberry fields for signs of bear movement. I didn’t have any luck with the bears, but Elo did take a poop. Small wins, right? When I got back to the parking lot I saw a wildlife photographer friend of mine, who happened to be meeting another wildlife photographer friend in search of bears. Well, I guess I was going for another lap!
It was pretty hot outside during my first lap, and the heat really kicked it up a notch during the second lap. But the three of us found a place to sit in the shade while hoping to spot some bear movement. After roughly one hour of waiting, still, there was no luck. I was able to get some bird photos, including one tree with three woodpeckers attacking the bark simultaneously. So it wasn’t a total failure on the wildlife front.
It was time for a nap. I finally went to my campsite just past noon and got my tent set up. It was hot outside and I couldn’t wait to lay belly down on my EXPED Megamat and pass out. I left the rain fly off the tent and attached a small fan to the top compartment inside of the tent, pointing directly at me while I lay on top of my sleeping bag with nothing but underwear on. Elo was noticeably hot during our morning bear search, and she seemed equally as grateful for a tent nap.
While trip Cody is dozing off for a nap, future trip-report-writing Cody is going to give a quick campground and campsite review. I had been to Kearney Lake campground a handful of times, but it was always after the campground was closed (aka empty, no people around). This was my first time actually camping here, and I really enjoyed it. The campground is rather small and one of the less popular options, but at least in the section where I was staying, it was very pleasant. The road was narrow and winding, which forces cars to drive at an appropriate speed. Some of the campsites—mine included—have good privacy from the neighbouring sites. My campsite K135 actually had great privacy and was decently sized. My only complaint was that there was no flat ground to pitch a tent; for just me, I was able to make it work, but if several people wanted flat ground to sleep, it might be an issue. Otherwise, I really enjoyed my campsite and was surprised that it was one of the few available sites remaining when I made my booking.
Ok now back to trip Cody. I woke up to a notification on my phone. “Just saw a bear.” It was one of the friends that I was with earlier. I quickly got my things together and headed back to where they were. The bear quickly came and left before they were able to get good photos, but now we knew where to keep our eyes focused. There were a handful of other photographers hanging around too.
By this point it was the mid-afternoon and the sun was unbearable. Staying in the shade was basically mandatory. Even in the shade, without the wind, it felt extremely muggy. When a breeze would blow past we would all look at each other with a sigh of relief “ahhh”.
We kept searching for more than an hour until finally someone messaged us that the bear had been spotted again nearby. I quickly, but cautiously walked to that area while holding Elo on her short leash. And then we saw the bear in the distance. Elo was behaving so well the entire day, despite being tired and panting from the heat. But she continued to be on her best behaviour while we watched the bear. She sat in silence and stared towards the bear while I was taking photos (she was still tethered to my waist, don’t worry, she wasn’t going anywhere!).
The photos turned out about as good as I would have hoped, considering the limited 240mm range on my lens paired with the heat haze occupying the landscape. The bear was feeding on berries, but at one point it looked up and towards us, stared us down for a few seconds, and then went back to feeding. We were keeping a very safe distance and the bear was clearly not bothered by our presence. The entire encounter lasted about two minutes before the bear went back into the bush.
I still had a 10 minute walk back to my car underneath the heat of the sun. Instead of waiting to see if the bear would return, I decided to call it in. I was already REALLY happy that I saw the bear, Elo was reaching her limit under the sun, and we both needed to relax for a while. I gave Elo plenty of water, some kibble, and lots of praise for being such a good girl.
I was told about a moose sighting further down Highway 60 a few hours earlier, so I went to check it out. The moose was long gone by the time I arrived, but I did see two people also searching for the moose. I was about to drive away when I saw them set up a drone on the hood of their car, preparing for launch. I quickly opened my door and said “Hey, just so you know, drones aren’t allowed in the park. If park staff drive by you’re going to get a fine.” He replied “Oh really?”. I wondered if he was actually unaware, or just playing dumb?
I got back to my campsite shortly after 5:00 PM and got back into the tent for yet another nap. With the early wake up, the long drive, and the several hours walking underneath the 30+ degree sun, it was a multiple-nap kind of day.
After my second nap I went for another drive up and down Highway 60. With no luck finding any wildlife, I went back to the bear location for a sunset walk. To my surprise, the bear was back at the same spot, and this time, it was hanging around.
There must have been 25+ people watching the bear. Some families with children. Lots of other photographers. And some people just passing by. But everyone was staying quiet and keeping a safe distance from the bear.
Other than a 10 minute hiccup where I had to run back to my car to replace a dead camera battery (rookie mistake, I know), I spent more than an hour watching the bear feeding in the berry fields. Elo was so well behaved and stayed completely silent the entire time. People usually get nervous when they see me walking her, but they eventually realize she behaves better than most humans do around wildlife! She got a lot of compliments that evening.
The bear was so comfortable that it literally stayed in the same spot until after the sunset. The only reason I left is because it became too dark to take photos. I could barely even see the bear anymore by the time I left.
Just like earlier in the day, my photos turned out about as good as I could have asked with my 240mm lens. My camera gear was definitely the limitation here, not the bear, the lighting, or the environment. The encounter was pretty incredible and it made the first day of this trip pretty epic.
A fire ban had just been announced when I arrived to the park earlier in the day, officially starting the following day. Technically I could have made a fire on the evening of Day 1, but it would be unnecessarily hazardous and I would have felt incredibly irresponsible making a fire with the current conditions. Instead, I went for yet another drive along Highway 60. This time, it was almost pitch black outside.
The highway was pretty much empty so I was driving well below the speed limit (a safe choice when it’s dark out, given the amount of wildlife that crosses the highway). I had Echoes by Pink Floyd playing, which was the perfect soundtrack for the mood.
I got back to my campsite at around 9:30 PM and sat at the picnic table beside a fireless fire pit for a couple hours, responding to some emails and doing other miscellaneous things on my phone, before getting into the tent and calling it a night.
Day 2 — Another Day Searching for Black Bears
One of my favourite luxuries of car camping is bringing my new EXPED Megamat. When compared to my regular lightweight sleeping pad—the Sea to Summit Ether Light—the difference is… night and day (ba dum tss). But for real, I got an awesome sleep on this thing. Bringing a full-sized pillow helped too.
I got out of the tent as the sun was rising, right around 6:00 AM. The campground was dead quiet as most people were still catching zzz’s in their tents. I quickly got my things organized and headed out.
I went for a drive to search for wildlife, and after failing terribly, I went back to the blueberry fields in search of bears. The temperature outside was way more comfortable than Day 1, so I spent two hours walking around and searching. For the second time that morning, I failed terribly at finding wildlife. I did see some fresh paw prints, and I hit 6k steps before 9:30 AM, so it wasn’t all that bad. It was a really beautiful morning too, with a layer of mist rising above the colourful blueberry fields.
I drove to Whitney to get gas and then went back to my campsite for my first nap of the day. Afterwards, I lounged around the campsite with Elo and then drove to the Spruce Bog Boardwalk. I started working on a new project for my website in 2024, documenting the hiking trails, and I wanted to try something new that I had in mind. Spruce Bog Boardwalk is a really short and easy trail, making it the perfect Guinea pig for the new idea I had.
It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon with the warm sun dominating the sky among a few scattered clouds. It was a beautiful day to be outside and walking. The low water levels made the thick vegetation even more prominent while walking the trail. I moved at a moderate pace and finished the trail in about 25 minutes, only encountering one other group along the way.
After a little bit more driving and a little bit more failing to find wildlife, I made a quick pit stop at the Mew Lake campground to take photos of a couple campsites, and then went back to my own campsite for my second nap of the day. Yes, if it wasn’t obvious by now, I’m basically a 4 year old with my nap schedule.
I woke up, rolled over, and saw Elo snoozing beside me with her tongue sticking out, like she always does. She looked absolutely adorable. I quickly grabbed my phone to take a photo and then snuggled up beside her.
I lounged at my campsite for a little while longer, while making myself dinner. I watched as my neighbours were flying a drone at their campsite (two drone sightings in one trip, it was unfortunate to see), and then I headed out for my final wildlife search of the day.
I drove up and down Highway 60, and guess what… more failure! I know what you’re thinking “Quit complaining Cody, you saw a bear yesterday. Twice!” I can practically hear you yelling at me through the computer screen. But I wasn’t giving up just yet. The purpose of this trip was to search for bears, so search for bears I shall.
I arrived back to the blueberry fields as the sun was nearing the shoreline, at around 7:45 PM. I quickly walked back to the same place that I saw the bear the previous night, and to my surprise, it was back in the same spot. So were the crowds. The same bear was feeding in the same area of blueberry bushes, undisturbed by the hoards of people nearby. The crowd was slightly more rowdy this night, with people walking closer to the bear and making more noise. Thankfully, the bear didn’t mind, but it did make me nervous and I made sure to keep a very safe distance.
I was told that a moose was about 200m away as well. After taking a few photos of the bear I started walking in that direction. When I was halfway there I had a realization… I have a pretty big collection of incredible moose photos, and odds are, any photos I got on this evening wouldn’t be joining the “incredible” tier. It would have been cool to say I saw a bear and a moose back-to-back within 5 minutes, but this trip was dedicated to finding bears, so I turned around and went back to the bear.
Elo, as usual, was on her best behavior and got lots of compliments from the people nearby. We watched the bear for roughly one hour—just like the previous night—before it became too dark to continue photographing. The bear was still feeding in the blueberry fields, but there was no point in hanging around any longer. Being in close proximity to the bear when it was dark out, with a dog attached to my waist, was all risk and no reward.
While walking back to my car I saw several people picking blueberries. Some were eating them, some were putting them into bags to take home or back to their campsite. It honestly blows my mind how people are either unaware, or just don’t care that picking blueberries in the park is illegal. There are signs in the area that clearly indicate this, so it’s hard for them to play dumb about it. If it was just one person I would have said something, but there were 10+ people scattered around doing the same thing. I wish the park had more enforcement.
I did another short night drive on the highway, this time listening to Damien Rice’s album “O”, and then headed back to my campsite for 9:30 PM. My final hoorah for the evening—after sitting beside another fireless fire pit for a few hours—was going to the campground beach to stargaze and watch the moonrise. I enjoyed 15 minutes underneath the stars with Elo before the moon appeared on the horizon. I snapped a few photos of the moon, but I didn’t bring my wide lens or my tripod with me, so any other astrophotography was out of the equation.
Day 3 — Leaving Algonquin Park
In the middle of Day 2 I had a feeling there was going to be trouble overnight. One of my campsite neighbours arrived in the afternoon and it was a large family with four tents, and an infant baby. Well, my suspicions were correct. I was woken up at 1:00 AM to the baby crying. The campground was otherwise silent, but the high-pitched crying pierced through the air. I imagine it woke everyone in a nearby radius from that site. It definitely woke me up.
I put in my earbuds and eventually fell back asleep. My second alarm clock of the morning was another high-pitched noise that pierced through the air. This time, it was the cries of a red squirrel. I didn’t mind the red squirrel alarm clock since it was 5:45 AM, which is when I planned on getting out of the tent anyways.
I followed the same routine as the previous day and went searching for wildlife while the sun rose into the sky. I went down a side road and apparently I just missed a bear by a few minutes. Then I saw fresh moose tracks down a different side road. But I didn’t have any luck actually seeing anything. One of the roads I drove down was Opeongo Road, and even though I didn’t see any wildlife, I did get an awesome landscape photo. It’s a popular spot for people to take photos, and I have plenty of my own photos from this exact spot, but the photo I took on that morning was particularly breathtaking.
Before heading back to camp, I stopped at one more side road and saw an Australian Cattle Dog with its two owners, getting ready to set out for a hike. I pulled over and told them I also have an Australian Cattle Dog. My quick hello turned into an hourlong conversation. Their pup was very handsome and looked like a picture-perfect representation of the cattle dog breed. Even though I think Elo is the most beautiful pup ever, she doesn’t look like a typical cattle dog. It was fun seeing them side by side.
Searching for wildlife and making new friends is tiring. But I’m sure by this point in the Trip Report you know what time it was… nap time! I went back to my campsite, set up my small portable fan inside my tent, and dozed off to sleep for 30 minutes. When I woke up, I packed up camp and was out of my site shortly after noon.
I stopped by the Mew Lake Campground to take photos of a few more campsites, and then did one final search for wildlife. I wanted to give Elo a chance to poop before the drive home, and I wanted to increase my step count for the day too. Either way I was killing two birds with one stone, and if I saw wildlife, I’d be killing three birds with one stone. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any wildlife. And just to be clear, no birds were harmed and no stones were thrown during my adventures!
The sun felt equally as hot as it did on Day 1, and I immediately regretted my choice to go for a walk. Oh well. I powered through, did about 3k steps, and then blasted the A/C in my car while driving home.
The Aftermath
The goal of this trip was to search for black bears. And I found black bears. The first afternoon encounter was the tease leading up to the main events. Then the two back-to-back nights with hourlong encounters each night was everything I could have asked for. I don’t care that I didn’t see moose or any other exciting wildlife. I came searching for bears and this trip was a major success.
My only regret was not purchasing a lens with more zoom before this trip. My camera was definitely the limiting factor. I was debating purchasing the RF 100-400mm lens, but I didn’t pull the trigger in time. So I only had my RF 24-240mm lens. I love this lens, but even with heavy cropping, I’m not going to get good details of the bear since I was keeping a very safe distance. But I was still happy with the shots I was able to get.
The bugs were bad at times, but for an August trip, they were pretty tolerable. They came out mostly during dusk, and while walking through narrow forested trails. They were nowhere near as bad as my backcountry trip the week prior. I only used bug spray once during this trip.
I liked camping at the Kearney Lake campground, and I really liked my campsite too. The entire campground was quiet and respectful, other than the one family with the loud crying baby. The fire ban didn’t really bother me either. Sure, it’s nice to have a fire. But in the middle of the summer, a fire is mostly for entertainment, not necessity. And given that I’d only have the fire burning for an hour or two anyways, it really wasn’t a big deal without it.
