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I’m sorry. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t stay away from Algonquin Park. I was literally spending more time in Algonquin Park than I was in the city. To be fair, I booked this specific trip 5 months before my arrival—the earliest date allowed by Ontario Parks—because I wanted to snag a specific campsite at Rock Lake campground.
The campsite at Rock Lake was far away from the highway, out of cell service, and it had its own beach for easy water access. Well, things changed, and I actually wanted the opposite of all of those ‘perks’. I needed to take a few work calls, so cell service was important. I wasn’t bringing my canoe with me for the trip, so the beach with water access was no longer important (plus, any breeze from the lake would make the cold nights even colder). And the long road to get in and out of the Rock Lake campground would only add extra time whenever I wanted to leave the campsite to go search for wildlife.
So, I made some last minute changes and split my original reservation at Rock Lake into two separate bookings, at Lake of Two Rivers and Pog Lake. This trip report will cover the first half of the split booking at the Lake of Two Rivers campground, while the next trip report will cover the second half of the booking at the Pog Lake campground.
Day 1 — Arriving to the Lake of Two Rivers Campground
Since this booking at Lake of Two Rivers was super last-minute, and it was during the weekend of peak fall colours, I had very limited campsites to choose from. I’m not too crazy about camping at Lake of Two Rivers given how busy and loud it can be, but for only two nights, I would make it work. The campsite that I booked was Site #208. It turned out to be a pretty great campsite, which I wasn’t expecting since it was so last minute. The campsite was large and spacious, with a side area that provided water access, and decent privacy relative to many other sites at the campground.
Before arriving to my campsite, I first stopped at the Hardwood Lookout Trail. The trail was closed on weekends during the fall colour season, apparently to help traffic flow, so I wanted to hike the trail while it was still open on the Friday. There were a handful of other groups on the trail at 9:00 AM, but overall it wasn’t too busy.
The Hardwood Lookout Trail is short and is mostly easy terrain, with the exception of one section of rocks and roots that leads towards the lookout. The trail is full of ups-and-downs, rather than one main elevation climb to the lookout. The lookout itself is very pretty and probably lies in the middle-tier of my favourite hiking trail lookouts along Highway 60. Since I did this trail in the early morning, the sunshine wasn’t directly hitting the shorelines opposite of the lookout, so the overall views and the fall colours were somewhat muted. But it was very enjoyable nonetheless. It only took me 30 minutes to circle the entire trail, including a short break at the lookout.
After hiking the Hardwood Lookout Trail, I set up my spacious 4-person MEC Ohm tent and got the rest of my campsite setup. I didn’t stay too long before I headed out; I went to visit Mew Lake campground and Pog Lake campground, and then continued east towards Whitney to grab some firewood. After my little impromptu road trip, I went back to my campsite at Lake of Two Rivers at 2:00 PM for a midday nap with Elo.
My search for wildlife began in the afternoon. My first stop was at a popular moose spot, but I didn’t have any luck with any sightings. I gave up and drove towards the Spruce Bog Boardwalk trail. I was going to walk the trail and then go back to searching for wildlife afterwards.
On my way to the Spruce Bog Boardwalk, I saw a handful of cars pulled over at the side of the highway. Do you know why a handful of cars would be pulled over at the side of the highway? Of course you do. Moose! Always, moose! It also happened to be at a spot on the highway that I’ve seen moose in the past. I quickly grabbed my camera and asked someone walking in the opposite direction what the excitement was about, even though I knew it was moose.
…I was wrong.
It was a beaver. Yes, a beaver. There was just “herd mentality” creating a large crowd. People saw cars pulled over, so they pulled over, which caused more cars to pull over, and it snowballed from there. Half of the people would turn around when they found out it wasn’t moose, while the other half were photographers that still had a strong interest in observing the beavers. I was in the latter group. I spent around 10 minutes watching and filming the beaver having dinner (or maybe it was a late lunch after a long day of dam-building, who knows). One of the photographers was talking loudly to other people and it eventually scared the beaver away.
It may not have been a moose, but I still considered the beaver sighting to be a big success. Afterwards, I continued towards the Spruce Bog Boardwalk. I got my multi-camera system set up to document the trail, including my Insta360 mounted behind my back, my Canon mounted on my chest for high-quality photos, my iPhone in my pocket for quick snapshots of the trail, and my InReach Mini to track elevation data. I was ready to go when I saw a notification on my phone. A wildlife photographer friend spotted a pack of wolves about 15 minutes away from where I was. Documenting the Spruce Bog Boardwalk would have to wait. I knew the wolves weren’t going to stick around for very long (even though I jokingly told my friend to ask the wolves to wait for me), but I’d rather be in that general vicinity in case they decided to show their faces again.
As expected, the wolves had already disappeared by the time I arrived. There were a few other photographers in the area as well. I hung around for an hour before giving up hope. The sun was getting low in the sky, which meant the chance of getting a half-decent photo was dwindling by the minute.
I went back to my campsite at 7:00 PM and immediately got a fire started. It was a chilly evening with temperatures in the single-digits, so a warm fire was a necessity. I made myself dinner, fed Elo, organized some gear, and sat by the fire for a few hours. If you’re new here, this is the part of the trip report where I tell you that I enjoy a few sips of whiskey, banana bread, and roasted marshmallows while sitting beside the fire. It’s basically tradition.
At 11:00 PM I put out the fire and drove to the Canisbay Lake campground. There were three specific reasons for the drive:
1) I wanted some warmth from my heated car,
2) I was checking for the northern lights (since the beach at Canisbay Lake faces north)
3) Maybe I’d get lucky and see wolves during the drive.
Number one was successful… numbers two and three, not so much. By the time I got back to my campsite at Lake of Two Rivers and got into my tent, it was shortly after midnight.
I came into this trip specifically hoping to see a wolf, and even though I didn’t have any luck during Day 1, at least I learned where they were hanging out. I was going to wake up early and head over to that spot, in hopes of a sighting. Day 1 wasn’t completely wildlife-less though, I still got great footage of a beaver, and a raccoon walked directly through my campsite at 10:30 PM. Funny enough, that was only the second raccoon I had ever seen in Algonquin Park.
Day 2 — Three Wolf Encounters In One Day
Reminder to my future self, using my sleeping bag zipped open, blanket style, is not the best option when overnight temperatures drop to zero degrees. It was a cold morning, but I didn’t mind too much. One of the luxuries of car camping is that I can go straight from my warm sleeping bag into my heated car. But when I got out of my tent at 6:00 AM, things changed.
I heard some rummaging in the side area of my campsite. There’s a short hill that leads down to a separate section that offers water access and is shared between the two adjacent campsites. I figured the raccoon from last night must have come back and gotten into someone’s garbage. The sun hadn’t risen yet, and there was no moon in the sky, so it was pitch black outside. I pointed my headlamp in that general direction and I saw two white dots in the distance. It was an animals eyes, looking directly at me. I couldn’t see anything else, just the two white dots, but I knew it meant the raccoon was back.
However, the curious and inquisitive wildlife enthusiast in me wasn’t going to accept two white dots as valid identification for the raccoon. So, I walked closer. That’s when my heart started racing because I realized it wasn’t the raccoon, it was a wolf! My heart was racing with excitement, not nervousness or fear. I kept hoping to see a wolf during my previous trips, but I hadn’t had any luck, so this was a very exciting moment for me. Not only did I get to see a wolf, but it was waiting for me at my campsite first thing in the morning to give me a personal hello!
Once I realized it was the wolf, I quickly put Elo into the car and then grabbed my camera. Given how dark it was outside, even with my camera’s ISO cranked up high, it was still too dark to get any good photos with the necessary slow shutter speed. I did get one decent video though, which I was happy about. Plus, just getting to watch the wolf feed for close to 15 minutes was an incredible experience itself, even without getting good photos.
The wolf had dragged someone else’s garbage over to the side area of my campsite. It was feeding in peace, before everyone else at the campground had woken up. Given that it was pitch black outside, and that the only light source was from my headlamp, I made sure to keep an extra safe distance. I always aim to keep a safe distance from wildlife, but I was being extra cautious during this encounter.
At one point during the 15 minute encounter I went back to my car to check on Elo. That’s when I heard splashing in the water. I figured the wolf finished eating and left the area. I went back to take a look at what garbage it had gotten into, when I noticed the wolf was still there in the bushes. The splashes must have come from beavers or something. The wolf started walking towards me, so I carefully began to back up. I had my bear spray with me, even though I knew I wouldn’t need it. But still, when there’s a wolf at my campsite and it’s pitch black outside… I’d rather have the bear spray with me just in case.
Eventually, the wolf disappeared into the bushes, likely moving towards the highway. I drove a few laps around the campground looking for park staff, to report the incident. It was still too early for park staff to be on site, but I did find the culprit of the food source. One of the nearby campsites had wrappers and garbage scattered all over their site, meaning the wolf likely grabbed their garbage and dragged it over to my campsite.
I drove down Highway 60 as sunlight began to enter the sky. There was a thick fog rolling through certain sections of the highway. As I continued driving, the wolf from my campsite made another appearance. I pulled over to the side of the road, far ahead of where I saw the wolf. I made sure to give the wolf plenty of space. This is why having a camera with a huge zoom range is very important!
I had a direct line of sight with the wolf as it walked towards me, still very far away. Cars were driving down the highway without knowing that a wolf was there, but thankfully no one was speeding. When a car did notice the wolf, it would slow down for safety sake. Eventually, the wolf got spooked by the vehicles and went inland, into the bushes. But not before I was able to snap this photo that perfectly captured the mood and mystique of the morning.
After all of the wolf excitement, I went and hiked the Beaver Pond Trail. It wasn’t very busy, which was surprising given that it was one of the busiest days of the year for hiking in the park. It was a Saturday morning, and the fall colours were at their peak. The park was very, very busy. All of the other hikes already had full parking lots.
I moved through the trail rather quickly. I stopped to enjoy the main lookout for a few minutes, but otherwise I moved at a fast pace. The scenery was very pretty, but to my own surprise, I actually preferred the scenery when I walked the trail in November, a few years earlier. During my November visit, it was later in the day and the sunlight worked better to highlight the shorelines across from the lookout. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed walking the trail this time around. The Beaver Pond Trail has a wide variety of scenery, from its main trails, to the big boardwalk section that provides a 360-degree view, up to the elevated lookout at the very end of the hike. It’s a relatively short hike overall with a ton of variety packed into it.
After the Beaver Pond Trail I went back to the Spruce Bog Boardwalk. The parking lot was close to full, as I had expected it would be. Once again, I moved at a fast pace. I had done this trail many times previously. This time, my focus was on documenting it. That’s not to say I didn’t still spend time appreciating all of the beauty along the trail. It really is quite pretty, especially given its short duration and easy terrain. The first section of the trail takes you across open boardwalks in the middle of the bog, before the path leads into the forest where every twist and turn reveals a new beautiful view.
By the time I finished both the Beaver Pond Trail and the Spruce Bog Boardwalk, it was 11:00 AM. I drove to Whitney to get gas, driving past all of the ridiculously jam-packed parking lots for every hiking trail. Every single parking lot was full. The Track and Tower Trail had massive overflow onto the highway, and the Lookout Trail was so busy that the nearby Big Pines Trail parking lot was filled with overflow and people started parking across the highway on Rock Lake Road. There were numerous people walking along the highway to get from their parking spot to their intended hike. Despite how busy it was, the vivid fall colours is what had my attention. Every corner I turned revealed a fall-colour landscape prettier than the last. It was a sunny day too, so the colours looked extra vibrant.
I drove to the Mew Lake campground and found a park staff to speak with about the wolf that was at my campsite earlier that morning. I spoke with him for nearly 45 minutes about the wolf encounter, and the park’s wildlife in general. He asked to see my pictures and said he was going to fill out a report about the incident. He told me the wolf had become habituated and unafraid of humans, and that the park was trying to capture and relocate it.
After my conversation with the park staff, I made a few more stops along Highway 60 and then went back to my campsite for an afternoon nap. I saw a few extra bags of firewood beside my existing stash, which I’m guessing was a gift from the park staff that I spoke with.
If you’re a regular reader of my trip reports, remember this park staff, he makes an important appearance in my next trip report! (spoiler alert, it also has to do with wildlife)
Post-nap, I went for an evening drive to one of my favourite moose side roads. I didn’t have any luck, so at 6:30 PM, as the sun was low in the sky, I got onto Highway 60 and began driving back to my campsite. I saw a car pulled over on the highway, but I didn’t automatically think “It means there’s moose!” the same way I normally would. There were so many tourists in the park and it was pretty common to see them randomly pulled over on the highway to take a selfie in front of the fall colours. I suspected that was the case this time. But as I got closer I noticed it wasn’t a tourist, it was a pair of wildlife photographers that I know. I decided to stop for a few minutes and say hello. Once I was safely pulled over, I noticed there was a wolf directly in front of my car! I literally didn’t even see it until I put my car in “park”. This was my third wolf sighting in the same day! I slowly drove backwards to give the wolf space and then grabbed my camera.
In crazy coincidental timing, two more wildlife photographer friends were driving down the highway, so they also pulled over. The wolf kept trying to cross the highway while cars were zooming by. One of the photographers was waving at the passing cars, trying to get them to slow down. Eventually, he got into his own car and began honking to get people’s attention, and also to scare the wolf away from the highway. He was doing everything he could to make sure things didn’t end badly for the wolf. Everyone’s priority during this encounter was the safety of the wolf. There was practically no sunlight left either, so that didn’t help the situation as cars drove past. But finally, with enough noise, the wolf disappeared into the bush.
I went back to my campsite at Lake of Two Rivers to grab a few things and then went to Canisbay Lake campground to set up my camera gear for a northern lights viewing. During my drive I saw a few cars still in the parking lot at the Track and Tower Trail. The sun had long crossed the shoreline and it was almost completely dark outside, so it was quite concerning to see cars still in the parking lot. I hoped the people still on the trail were well-prepared with a headlamp and other necessary items.
There were strong forecasts for the northern lights that evening, but after an hour of sitting and waiting, they never came. I gave up and went back to my campsite at 9:00 PM to start a fire. The raccoon was back and kept creeping into the campsite throughout the evening. It even climbed up the tree directly beside my tent. Elo didn’t tolerate its shenanigans and quickly scared it away whenever it got too close. Thank you, Elo.
At 11:30 PM I put out the fire, went to the campground beach to stargaze, and then went to bed shortly after midnight.
Day 3 — A Final Wolf Sighting Before Driving Home
I woke up at 6:00 AM and quickly packed up camp. I had my car loaded, teeth brushed, Elo fed, and everything organized by 7:00 AM. The sunrise was looking pretty epic through the trees so I quickly stopped at the campground beach to spend a few minutes admiring it. The beach was packed with people so I didn’t stay too long. Shortly after getting onto the highway, I saw a wolf walking towards my car.
Was this even real life!? This was my fourth wolf encounter during this trip!
The wolf turned off the highway and walked onto a side road, where I saw two more wolves in the distance. The two in the distance were too far away to get photos. What a crazy way to start the day!
I didn’t have anything on the agenda for Day 3. There was going to be heavy rainfall in the afternoon, along with thunderstorms, so I didn’t plan on doing any hiking. I went to a few wildlife hotspots and saw some animal tracks, but I didn’t have any more sightings after the wolves in the morning. I hung around and enjoyed the beautiful fall colours throughout the park until noon, before deciding to drive home. I was only going to be in the city for less than 48 hours before my next trip and I had some work that I needed to get done, so I didn’t want to get home too late.
Right after I began my drive home, it started to rain. It was such a heavy downpour that I could barely see in front of me. These were not safe conditions for highway driving! I pulled over into the Tea Lake Campground—which was open for day use—to wait out the storm. There was thunder and lightning, and downpour so hard it sounded like my car windows were going to shatter. I pulled over into a campsite to get some tree coverage above my car, and then took a short nap while waiting for the rain to subside so I could finish my drive home.
The Aftermath
Well, this trip was something special. The wolves had been active along Highway 60 throughout the summer, and I did have a few sightings during my previous trips, but they were nothing like this. During this trip, I had several different encounters, including three separate sightings in one single day. I was very happy with the photos I was able to get, too. Plus, waking up with a wolf at my campsite and getting to watch him for several minutes was a spectacular experience.
In addition to the wolf sightings, I also really enjoyed hiking the trails and making progress with that project for my website. The fall colours were prominently on display, creating a beautiful backdrop throughout the entire trip. My campsite at Lake of Two Rivers surprised me, in a good way, and was better than I was expecting for a last-minute booking.
Since this was originally supposed to be one long booking that I split into two, and since I was only going to be in the city for less than 48 hours before the second half of the trip, it didn’t really feel like this trip had come to a conclusion. It felt more like a “To be continued…” rather than the end of the trip.
So, to be continued…
