There is a particular quiet that settles over Canoe Lake at seven in the morning in September. The mist lifts off the water in ropes, a loon calls somewhere past the first island, and the only sound from the launch is the hollow knock of a paddle against a gunwale. For many of us, this is where backcountry canoeing began. Algonquin Provincial Park has more than 2,400 lakes and roughly 2,000 kilometres of canoe routes spread across 7,635 square kilometres, and Canoe Lake is its most popular front door. If you have never done a loop with portages and a permit before, this is the place to learn.
Why Canoe Lake is the right first access point
Algonquin has 29 official access points, and the busy ones sit along the Highway 60 corridor, the 56-kilometre stretch of road that crosses the southern part of the park. Canoe Lake, access point number five, is about 14 kilometres in from the west gate, roughly three hours by car from Toronto. It has a permit office, a parking lot, canoe rentals, and a clear route north into Joe Lake and beyond. Because the first lake is large and open, you get a feel for wind and paddling rhythm before the first carry.
Smoke Lake, across the highway, and Rock Lake further east are good alternatives, but the Canoe Lake to Joe Lake corridor has the gentlest introduction to portaging we know of, and the campsites on Joe, Tepee and Tom Thomson lakes are numerous enough that you will almost always find one you like.
Permits, quotas and how the reservation system works
Every night in the Algonquin backcountry requires an interior camping permit. In general terms, the system works by lake, not by campsite. You reserve a night on a specific lake, the park caps the number of parties on each lake for each night, and once you arrive you take any vacant site marked with the orange campsite sign. Reservations open several months ahead, and for September weekends the popular lakes near Canoe Lake fill early. Weekdays in mid-September often have plenty of space.
You pick up the physical permit at the access point office on your way in. Staff will confirm your route and remind you of the fire situation. Carry the permit; wardens do check. Cans and glass bottles are banned in the interior, so decant everything before you leave home.
A three-night loop with portages under 300 metres
Here is the route we recommend for a first trip. Paddle north up Canoe Lake, about five kilometres, past the stone cairn near the north end that commemorates the painter who drowned here in 1917. At the top of the lake a 295-metre portage takes you around the dam into Joe Lake. This is the only carry you must do on day one, and it is flat and well trodden. Camp on Joe Lake or push on into Tepee Lake and Littledoe Lake, which connect through narrow channels with no portages at all in normal water. Tom Thomson Lake, at the end of that chain, has some of the finest campsites in this part of the park.
On day two, backtrack to Joe Lake and follow the Little Joe and Baby Joe chain toward Burnt Island Lake, with carries of about 165 and 200 metres. Burnt Island is a big lake with dozens of campsites and a reputation for afternoon wind, so cross it early. On day three, return the same way to Joe Lake and camp there, leaving an easy final morning down Canoe Lake. The total is roughly 40 kilometres of paddling and six short carries, none over 300 metres. It is exactly the right size.
Portage technique and what to actually carry
A portage is measured in metres on the park map, and the yellow signs at each end tell you the distance. Under 300 metres means one trip if you are organised: one person takes the canoe, the other takes the two packs, and you swap on the next carry. Pack in two bags, not five. A 60-litre barrel or dry pack for food and a second pack for the tent, sleeping bags and clothing is the standard.
Transport Canada requires a lifejacket for each person, a bailer, a whistle or other sound signal, and a 15-metre buoyant heaving line. Add a spare paddle, a small first aid kit, a water filter, and a map in a waterproof case. Bring a tarp; September rain can settle in for a full day and a dry kitchen makes all the difference.
Loons, moose and the bear hang
You will hear loons every evening. Their tremolo call travels across still water for kilometres, and by September many pairs have a nearly grown chick in tow. Moose are most often seen in the shallow bays at dawn, feeding on water plants. Algonquin holds a population of roughly 3,000 moose, and a slow paddle along a marshy shoreline at first light is your best chance. Keep your distance. A moose that lays its ears back is telling you something.
Black bears live throughout the park and are rarely a problem for campers who manage their food properly. The standard is to hang all food, garbage and scented items at least four metres off the ground and one to two metres out from the trunk, well away from your tent. The method is simple: throw a line over a sturdy branch, clip the barrel or food bag on, and haul it up. Do it before dark, when you can still see the branch. Cook and wash away from the tent site, and never keep snacks in your sleeping bag. Bear-resistant canisters are an acceptable alternative if you would rather not throw a rope.
Why September, and how to pack for it
September is the month we would choose if we could choose only one. The blackflies of late May and June are a memory, the mosquitoes are thinning out, the water is still warm enough to swim on a sunny afternoon, and the crowds of July and August have gone home. From the third week of the month the maples on the ridges above Canoe Lake begin to turn, and by the first week of October the hillsides are red and gold.
The trade-off is temperature. Daytime highs of 15 to 20 degrees are typical early in the month, but nights drop to single digits and frost is common by the equinox. Bring a sleeping bag rated to zero, a warm hat, and a fleece you will not take off after sunset. Days are shorter too, with sunset before seven thirty by mid-month, so make camp by five and give yourself the long, blue evening on the rock with a cup of tea, listening for the loons. That is what you came for.