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It was almost my father’s 70th birthday and my mom wanted to plan a family getaway. I only had one requirement… it needed to be somewhere dog friendly, because I didn’t want to leave Elo behind. I was advocating for Killarney Lodge inside of Algonquin Park. Me, wanting to go to Algonquin Park? *shocked pikachu face* But that didn’t work out for a few reasons, so she booked Deerhurst Resort instead. I thought to myself “It’s not technically in Algonquin Park, but it’s only 40 minutes away. I’ll make it work.”
I planned on sneaking away during the early morning hours for a few quick visits to the park, before coming back to Deerhurst Resort for family time. I was hoping I could convince my father to join me for one of the days. He had never been to Algonquin Park before, but he’s probably the only member of my family that could survive for 24 hours without WiFi.
This trip report will go through each day of the vacation, and then at the end I’ll give a quick review of my room at Deerhurst Resort along with an overall review of the resort.
Day 1 — Arriving to Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville
I woke up at 5:00 AM and after doing my normal morning routine, I picked up my canoe from my parent’s house and got on the road at 6:00 AM.
Wait, hold on. None of that happened…I guess I’m just used to starting every trip report like that.
For this trip, check-in wasn’t until the afternoon so I spent my morning lifting weights, getting some work done, and then I hit the road at around 12:00 PM. The nice thing about my usual early-morning drive is that there’s no traffic… that wasn’t the case when leaving at 12:00 PM.
I arrived at Deerhurst Resort close to 3:00 PM. The check-in process is done in the parking lot and took a bit longer than I expected, but at least my room was ready a few minutes early. I immediately did my bed bug test, checking all of the usual areas. The room passed my test. I travel very minimally (you know, being used to backcountry camping and everything) and the few things that I do bring, I keep in Ziplocs or garbage bags and store in the bathtub. Just as an extra precaution. Call me paranoid if you want.
The vacation was supposed to be a surprise for my father. He knew about the vacation for himself, but the fact that me and Elo, and my brother’s family were joining, was the surprise. My brother arrived earlier than I did, so they got to break the surprise. By the time I arrived they were already hanging out at the pool. Deerhurst Resort is a dog-friendly resort, but there aren’t too many places where dogs are actually allowed. Most people don’t follow the rules though, and bring their dogs in the dog-free zones. However, the pool is a small area that was packed with people and it would have been super inconsiderate for me to bring Elo, so I hung out by the beach and my family soon joined me there.
We only had a short period to hang at the beach before our dinner reservations at 5:30 PM. My brother has two young kids, which means dinnertimes are early. I had a quick work call I needed to take before dinner, which I decided to do from my balcony that overlooked the greenery behind the main Pavilion building.
Dinner on Night 1 was at 3 Guys And A Stove. Growing up, my family did an annual vacation to Hidden Valley Resort (next-door to Deerhurst Resort) and part of the annual tradition was going to 3 Guys And A Stove. The annual vacation tradition ended around 20 years ago, so this was our first time back to the restaurant since then. The restaurant has changed significantly over those 20 years… as expected, I guess. The restaurant has become a more premium, upscale dining experience with a higher-priced menu. Sadly, the mini-golf course that used to be attached to the restaurant no longer exists.
I had a steak for dinner, which was absolutely delicious. I don’t eat too much red meat in the city, so it had been a long time since I’ve had a steak dinner. It was a solid 9/10. Everyone else enjoyed their meals as well.
After dinner my brother and his family went back to Deerhurst since it was time for their kids to go to bed. I took Elo and went with my parents into the town of Huntsville to walk around. It was a beautiful, warm Friday evening and there were lots of people walking around town. We only walked for 10-15 minutes, doing a lap up-and-down the main street.
Afterwards, we went to get some groceries. I had a really small mini-fridge in my room, and I had brought my own shelf-stable snacks, so I just wanted some carrots and hummus to put in the fridge. The rest of my family were staying in two separate condo-style rooms by the waterfront, which had a full-sized fridge and kitchen. The main building—The Pavilion—was the only dog-friendly building, which is why we needed to split up. Groceries were the last stop for the evening before heading back to Deerhurst Resort to tuck myself and Elo into our large king-sized bed.
Day 2 — A Day Trip Into Algonquin Park
I convinced my father to come with me to Algonquin Park on the morning of Day 2. He had never been before. We’re both early risers so we planned to meet at around 6:00 AM to head into the park. I had a morning coffee, spent some time cuddling with Elo, purchased a Daily Vehicle Permit for the park, and then picked up my father and started the drive east. I took on the role of Tour Guide and pointed out all of the landmarks along the way… the outfitters, the access points, etc.
There were a few spots I had in mind to check for wildlife. We arrived at the first destination, and literally within seconds of getting out of the car, I saw something running across the path in the distance. I said to my father “I think it’s a fox” but as I got closer, I realized it was no fox — it was a wolf!
The wolf stuck around for quite a long time before running off into the forest. There were a few other people beside me, each with better wildlife camera setups than I had. We whispered a few words to each other and then went our separate ways. No more than 5 minutes later, I saw a beautiful black bear around 100m away from the spot that I saw the wolf. Was this really happening!?
The black bear was feeding on berries and didn’t seem disturbed by human presence. There were a handful of people watching and photographing the bear from different angles. Mostly everyone was keeping a very safe distance. We were able to spend around 10 minutes watching the black bear in its natural habitat before something startled it and it hurried away, into the same direction that the wolf disappeared just a few minutes earlier.
The entire experience left me speechless. I said to my father that people spend years… decades… hoping to see either a wolf or a bear, and he saw both of them in the same spot, within his first 5 minutes of being in Algonquin Park. He needs to go buy a lottery ticket.
*Side note for a quick photography lesson. There’s something called ‘focal length’, which is essentially how much your camera’s lens can zoom in. A higher focal length (zoomed in) compresses the perceived distance between objects in the photo, and a lower focal length (wide-angle) does the opposite. In one of my photos, you can see people standing behind the bear. The photo makes them appear much closer than they actually were, due to the photo being shot at a long focal length.
After that insane encounter, we decided to go do a hike. Keep in mind, this vacation is to celebrate my father’s 70th birthday. Seventy. Seven zero. I wasn’t going to take him up the Track and Tower Trail or Centennial Ridges. I thought the Lookout Trail would be perfect. It’s relatively short so we could get back to Deerhurst Resort at a reasonable time, and moderately challenging with a beautiful lookout at the top. When we arrived, we were the only car in the parking lot.
We took our time doing the incline up to the main lookout. The sun was starting to appear from the clouds, bringing some warmth to the otherwise brisk morning air. It was still only 9:00 AM when we were at the lookout. We spent 10-15 minutes enjoying the beautiful view before heading back down the trail. Even when we finished the hike, the parking lot was empty. We had the entire trail to ourselves. It was only as we were driving away that a few cars pulled in to the lot.
But our Algonquin adventures weren’t over just yet. Next, I took him to Mew Lake Campground. As part of my Developed Campgrounds project, I’ve been documenting every campsite at each of the campgrounds. But Mew Lake is a tricky one, since it’s open year-round. This means there isn’t any time in the year that the entire campground is empty (which is how I’ve been documenting the others). So, I would need to chip away at Mew Lake and document empty campsites in batches, whenever I was able.
We walked through the campground and I was able to take photos of around 10 to 15 empty campsites. Walking through the campground, we smelled bacon and other scents from campers’ glorious morning feasts. Several people said hello and good morning as we passed them on the road. Everyone was super friendly. By the time we were finished it was 11:00 AM and we needed to head back to Deerhurst Resort. We couldn’t disappear from the rest of the family for the entire day!
I immediately went for a much-needed nap with Elo when we got back. I let her sleep on the bed with me when we’re on vacations, which she always loves since she’s not allowed on my bed at home. I felt super refreshed afterwards and was ready to spend some time at the beach under the almost 30-degree sunshine. My father and I decided to take a canoe out for a paddle, with Elo of course. The resort even had a dog-lifejacket for her.
It was nice to be on the water, but the canoeing experience wasn’t particularly great. The area to launch isn’t very large, so there were tons of people on canoes, kayaks, and SUPs all funnelling into one small section of the lake, making it very busy. The canoes were in pretty good condition, but I have to admit, it wasn’t anywhere near as enjoyable as paddling my own canoe. I’m spoiled, I know. But paddling a solo canoe with a traditional wooden paddle just feels so much better. I still had a great time out on the lake, and my brother made a surprise appearance with one of his daughters in a kayak.
By the time we finished paddling it was past 4:00 PM and we had dinner reservations again at 5:30 PM. I sat with my brother at the beach for a few minutes longer before heading back to the room to take a shower and get ready for dinner. Dinner for Night 2 was at Muskoka On The Rocks. It had more of a low-key pub vibe to it. We were seated on the patio since I had Elo with me. The restaurant advertises itself as “The best place to eat in town” with a big sign out front that says “Best Steaks in Muskoka”. I just had a steak the night before, but since I rarely eat red meat in the city, I decided to go for steak again.
I ordered a medium-rare 16oz New York Striploin, which looked closer to medium-well when it arrived. I pointed this out to the server, who also happened to be one of the owners. She brought it into the kitchen and brought it back out, saying that it looked medium-rare under the kitchen lights and that the outside lighting was deceiving. Even if true, the steak was still very tough and average tasting. Relative to the 9/10 rating that I gave my previous night’s steak dinner, I’d give this one a 5/10. It wasn’t terrible, but it was definitely not “The Best Steaks in Muskoka”.
The rest of my family went back to Deerhurst Resort after dinner, but I decided to head back into town with Elo and walk along the water for a little while. It was only 7:00 PM and I didn’t want to go back to the resort just yet. I enjoyed some people-watching by the docks while losing count of how many people commented that Elo looked like a fox or a wolf.
Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace) and Chantal Kreviazuk—who are married to one another—were playing a concert at Deerhurst Resort that evening. It was an outdoor show taking place in the large grassy area behind Maple Pub (one of the resort’s restaurants). My brother bought tickets for him and his wife, so my mother was on babysitting duty for his kids.
When I came back from town, I joined my father at the perimeter of the gated-off area to see if we could watch and/or listen to the show without tickets. To my surprise, there were staff monitoring the perimeter and asking people to move if they didn’t have tickets. We found one area by the tennis courts that we were able to hear the show, but without actually seeing the stage. We hung around and listened to a few songs, including the popular Our Lady Peace song “Innocent”, before calling it a night. I had walked close to 20,000 steps that day and I was exhausted. Plus, I planned on going back to Algonquin Park the following morning.
Day 3 — Another Day Trip Into Algonquin Park
I followed the same schedule as the previous morning, getting on the road shortly after 6:00 AM to head to Algonquin Park. Except this time, I was going alone without my father. My first stop was the same spot that we saw the wolf and the bear. I didn’t have any luck, but it was still a very beautiful morning to go for a stroll and take some general non-wildlife photography.
There were a few people that I recognized from the previous day, so I gave some friendly hellos. One of the gentlemen, who got some awesome photos of the wolf, didn’t even know that the bear had showed up 5 minutes later. He was in disbelief when I told him. Then, after about an hour of waiting with no luck, he proclaimed “Can you tell your dad to come back here? You’re no good on your own!”
I didn’t plan on doing any hikes, so after the non-wildlife photography I went for a walk through the Mew Lake campground to collect some more campsite photos. I was able to document an additional 10 sites, bringing the total between the two days to around 25 campsites. I took some general photos of the campground as well. It was another beautiful sunny day so I was moving at a slow pace, enjoying my time. When I was finished at Mew Lake it was 11:00 AM, similar to the previous day. I arrived back to Deerhurst Resort by noon.
The rest of my family was having lunch at the food truck area of the resort, so I joined them for a few minutes before heading back to my room for a quick nap with Elo. Afterwards, we all met at the beach to enjoy some family time under the sun. Dinner on Night 3 was at Maple Pub, one of the onsite restaurants at Deerhurst Resort. I was the last to arrive and I quickly asked my sister-in-law to switch spots with me so that Elo could be away from the restaurant’s foot traffic. I didn’t realize at the time, but the view out onto the lake and the opposing shoreline was quite stunning from the patio. By asking my sister-in-law to switch spots, I selfishly (though, unknowingly) stole the view from her!
I decided to go 3 for 3 and order another steak for dinner. This time it was Steak and Frites, a grilled 8oz Canadian Striploin, lovage herb butter, sea salt fries, garlic aioli, peppered arugula, and crispy onion rings. It was the most calorically dense “comfort food” meal of the vacation, but it tasted as good as it sounds. I really enjoyed the meal at Maple Pub; the atmosphere was great, the view was stunning, and the food was delicious.
After dinner, we all drove to the nearby Hidden Valley Resorts. If you remember from earlier in this trip report, I mentioned that it used to be a family tradition that we would stay at Hidden Valley every year. Part of that tradition was taking an annual photo sitting on the large rock by the front entrance of the resort. The last time we stayed at Hidden Valley was around 20 years ago, so I suggested we recreate that same photo, 20 years later. And of course, a new photo with everyone, including my brother’s wife and children.
After a nostalgic photoshoot, we then went to Kawartha Dairy for ice cream. It was very busy, with a full parking lot and tons of kids running around screaming from their sugar high. I was all caloried out from dinner so I decided to pass on the ice cream and just hang out while everyone else enjoyed some scoops. This was the last stop for the evening before we all headed back to our respective rooms at the resort and called it a night.
Day 4 — Checking Out from Deerhurst Resort
I decided to skip my Algonquin Park visit on the final day of the vacation. I know, I’m sorry guys. But I still successfully snuck away for two of the mornings. Plus, I was still riding the high from the first visit with the wolf and the bear.
I had a work call at 10:00 AM that I took from my balcony. Then I spent a solid 20 minutes trying to get at least some of the copious amounts of Elo’s hair off of the bedsheets. Deerhurst Resort charges an extra $50 when people bring a dog, for the extra cleaning required, so I wasn’t overly concerned. But I still didn’t want to leave the room looking like an Elo-hurricane just came through.
I finished my work call and met up with my family to say goodbye to everyone. I was on the road a few minutes after 11:00 AM.
Deerhurst Resort — Room Review & Resort Review
ROOM REVIEW
It’s important to mention that Deerhurst Resort has a handful of different buildings. Only one building allows dogs—the main Pavilion—so that’s where I was staying. My family was in a much nicer, newer, and more modern condo-style building by the waterfront.
The Pavilion building had a very cozy ski-chalet atmosphere immediately when I walked through the front doors. There were two elevators to take me to my room on the second floor; one of which was broken, and the other which looked like it was from the 1950’s and might collapse at any moment. Thankfully, it didn’t.
I was staying in Room 214. There was a little plaque on the front door that read “Deerhurst Resort had the honor of hosting the G8 Summit of World Leaders 2010. Her Excellency Angela Merkel Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany stayed in this room June 25-26, 2010.” I looked around but didn’t see other plaques on the adjacent rooms, so I guess it was at least somewhat unique.
The room itself is very dated looking, from the furniture to the carpets, the décor, basically everything. There were some stains on the carpet, a hole in one spot of the carpet, the balcony had gross green grime in places… you get the picture. I don’t really care about that stuff though. I only care about three things.
#1: Is the bed any good? In this room, you could tell everything was dated except for the bed. The mattress looked new and was quite comfortable. The bed sheets were clean and the pillows were very large and soft. 8.5/10 sleeping situation.
#2: Does it pass my bed bug inspection? Yes, yes it did. The first thing I did when I arrived, before bringing in any of my luggage, was check for bed bugs. I stripped off the sheets and looked in all of the crevices of the mattress. I looked around the bed, in the corners of the furniture… all of the usual hiding spots. No signs whatsoever. 10/10 bed bug inspection.
#3: Does everything in the bathroom work and provide a comfortable experience? This one wasn’t as positive as the first two. The sink and the toilet were fine, but for some reason the toilet paper was just a tiny bit too far to the side that it required standing up to tear off a piece. First world problems, I know. But the shower had mold all along the caulking, the sink had some permanent dirt stains in it, and the blow dryer didn’t work at all (it also had some hair stuck to it from previous guests). Those things definitely brought down the rating. The pressure in the shower was like a jet engine… I’m still not sure if that’s positive or negative points. Overall bathroom condition, 4/10.
I did like the location of my room; it was nearby the elevators but still private from any noise coming from the main lobby area. The balcony faced some courtyard greenery which was nice, and I enjoyed the privacy that the balcony offered, especially while taking a few work calls. The balcony got sun for a few hours of the day as well, which was a nice little perk. Overall, if you’re like me and not very picky, the room will be more than sufficient. The bed is comfortable, the toilet flushes, and the shower works. That’s a heck of a lot more than I get in the backcountry. But if you like finer accommodations, you probably won’t be happy with the Pavilion rooms, especially for the price.
RESORT REVIEW
The entire property at Deerhurst Resort is very pretty. This was my first time staying there and I won’t pretend I saw everything it had to offer, but here’s what I think about the places and facilities that I did visit.
There was plenty of parking in front of the main Pavilion building, and the building itself had a calming resort atmosphere. I liked the experience of walking into the main lobby. Most of the facilities, like the indoor swimming pool and some restaurants (plus more) are located in the Pavilion. I didn’t explore too much of it though, so I can’t comment. Even when we went to Maple Pub, I came and left through the back patio.
Behind the Pavilion building, where the patio of Maple Pub looks over, is a large grassy area. It’s where the concert was held. It’s elevated up high and provides a really pretty view onto the water. To get from this main area of the resort to everything else requires going down a steep hill. There are a handful of different parking lots at the bottom, so you could drive if you’d like, and I believe there are also shuttles to transport you. I preferred walking though. Midway between the Pavilion and the beach is a small volleyball beach, a ski-zipline, and a few food trucks. It’s also apparently where the wildlife likes to hang out (see photo below).
To the west is the golf course, but continuing further south is where the beach and outdoor swimming pool are located, along with many of the other resort accommodations. This is the area where the rest of my family stayed. The pool is enclosed and was jam-packed every time I walked by. My family obviously didn’t mind, they spent a lot of time there with the kids, but it was a little too and germy for my liking.
The beach was also always very busy, with very few chairs available whenever we went. Many people were taking advantage of the watercraft activities (canoes, kayaks, SUPs) that are included for free with the resort fee. This was the main area that I spent time outside, but it would have been nice if there was a bit more space with some more seats.
Overall, I think the grounds are very pretty and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back. For a family vacation like this, it was the perfect destination. If I was looking for somewhere to spend a night before starting a long trip in Algonquin Park, it would be a bit overkill. My room in the Pavilion was ok, but I think it’s worth jumping to the next price point and getting one of the nicer accommodations by the water (assuming you don’t have a dog with you). Either way, all of the accommodations are very expensive; it’s a beautiful place, but it’s not a resort for the budget-conscious.
The Aftermath
From the moment I arrived at Deerhurst Resort, it had the “we’re on vacation and everything is good” feeling. You know, the Don’t Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin type of vibes. We lucked out with perfect weather the entire weekend. The resort itself was lovely, though some parts of it are clearly dated (eg. my room). But I’m a low-maintenance guy, so that didn’t really bother me.
The first Algonquin Park visit was literally a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I’m incredibly thankful for that. And I’m extremely happy that I convinced my father to tag along that day. It was the perfect first-time Algonquin Park experience for him. He should probably never go back though, because nothing will ever live up to those few hours.
Elo was so incredibly well-behaved the entire trip. She had so much fun at the beach, she was silent and calm during dinners, and she was on her best behaviour while we were in Algonquin Park. She was with me the entire trip, even while watching the wolf and the bear, and she was just the absolute best. In the city I usually get one comment every day from people saying that she looks like a wolf, or a fox. On this vacation, I was hitting my daily quota within the first few minutes of walking around the resort and I probably had 10+ of those comments every single day. I think it’s hilarious, I never get tired of seeing people’s reactions when they see her.
Overall, this was a very lovely vacation. It’s an easy getaway from the GTA and the resort was able to accommodate everyone, including my pup and my brother’s young children. I do think the resort is slightly overpriced for what it offers, but I wasn’t the one paying for the vacation, so I can’t complain!
