Algonquin Provincial Park is one of Ontario's best. From the wildlife to the canoeing / kayaking, cycling, hiking, camping and museums - it is a must-visit destination. In this episode we'll review Pog Lake Campground (including the RV sanitation station and drinking water availability), the Visitor Centre, Logging Museum, and camp stores, as well as the canoeing, biking and hiking opportunities.

Canoeing. With thousands of lakes & rivers, Algonquin offers canoe and kayak enthusiasts incredible opportunities to explore….. And if you don’t have your own canoe, kayak or paddle board, there are outfitter companies that serve the park. You can rent online or by phone and the canoe will be brought to the campground for you, or you can just speak with the staff when they make their deliveries and pickups.

Cycling. Algonquin has 3 bike trails, including the Old Railway Trail accessible from a number of campgrounds including Pog Lake. For most of its 16-kilometre distance the trail follows the abandoned bed of the historic Ottawa, Arnprior, and Parry Sound Railway that opened in 1896 and was decommissioned in 1959. This bike trail is rated easy and is pretty family friendly while Algonquins other two trails are more for experienced mountain bikers. And if you didn’t bring your own bike, you can rent one at the kiosk next to the Lake of Two Rivers camp store.

Visitor Centre. Algonquin has a fascinating visitor’s centre – it’s actually more of a museum. From the park’s history to its wildlife and eco systems, its exceptional displays and information are top notch. There’s also an observation deck and bookstore/gift shop.This is the best provincial park visitor centre we've been to.

Logging Museum. Algonquin has a second museum that is definitely worth visiting….or should we say hiking – it’s the Logging Museum. The Algonquin Logging Museum brings to life the story of logging from the early square timber days to modern forestry management….and logging that still goes on within the park today. The exhibits are laid out along a picturesque and easy to hike 1.5 km trail. They demonstrate the techniques, tools and conditions loggers have encountered over the last 150 years.

In addition to canoeing, Algonquin is famous for hiking on its 20 marked trails….some with rugged challenging terrain through hardwood forests and others along a tranquil boardwalk meandering through a spruce bog.

Visitors to Algonquin are always hoping to see some of its famous full-time residents…moose are plentiful. And we returned to the area we’d seen the black bears on our drive in and found a female and two cubs digging and flipping rocks looking for lunch.

Pog Lake Campground. Divided into to three sub campgrounds, 'A' section where we camped, has a pretty beach. It can get quite busy and noisy here in July and August. The majority of the sites in this section have electricity and a few sit high with a beautiful view through the trees of the lake. ‘A’ campground also has a small section that is radio and pet free.

‘B’ Section has both electric and dry sites. Some of the dry sites in particular have beautiful lake views but some might be tough to maneuver a large RV into.

And ‘C’ section is all dry camping. While many of the sites are large (and some are on the water) the roads are narrow and this campground may be best suited to tents or small truck/van campers.

And if you arrive in Algonquin and discover you’ve forgotten something, the park has a well-stocked camp store near Lake of Two Rivers that includes a small restaurant. There are also two outfitter stores with camping and paddling equipment in the par The Opeongo Store and Canoe Lake Store (Portage Store). The Canoe Lake Store had some beautifully painted canoes on display.

Fabulous Algonquin. Algonquin, if you haven’t visited, has so much to offer - it is definitely worth planning a multi-day stay here. Whether it’s for the hiking, water sports, wildlife or quiet wilderness, Algonquin is a gem in the Ontario Parks system.

#ontario
#camping
#rv
#rvlife
#provincialpark
#canoesport
#rockwoodminilite
#algonquin
#rvcamping
#rvca
#ontariocamping
#roadtrip
#rving