This trip is geared to an upscale market seeking soft adventure - a wilderness experience combined with comfortable accommodations. We will be staying in distinctive rural lodges - all are "rustic" wood cabins with fireplaces or charming country inns, and will be hiking 13-20 km a day on "moderately" difficult trails. Participants should be in reasonable health, although they need not be Olympic athletes! All trails will be in wilderness settings, so the chances of seeing deer, moose and countless other small creatures, are very good.
Pickup in Toronto. After a leisurely drive through the heart of Ontario farm land and cottage country we will stop at the beautifully restored Sir William Mackenzie Inn. Here we will have lunch and a tour of the 36 room mansion originally owned by one of Canada's first rail barons.
From here we will continue our drive up to Algonquin Park, the oldest provincial park in Ontario, renowned world wide as a premier wilderness destination. We will visit the high tech Visitors centre where we will be surrounded with the sights and sounds of the many animals that are to be found in the park. We will also visit the Logging Museum where we will learn of the importance that logging played not only in the Park's history, but in Canada's as well.
We now go to our stop for the night - the beautiful Brides' Gate Estate. At this wonderful cedar lodge situated on 80 acres along the shores of Spurr Lake (in Bancroft) we can relax by the stone fire place, partake in a game of billiards, or take an evening swim. Dinner will be a delicious choice of poached salmon fillet, breast of chicken, or some other delicacy the chef can create.
After breakfast we will head back into Algonquin for our first hike. We will be walking the Highland Backpacking Trail. This trail is designed for interior camping, and as such we will be walking through untouched forest and only passing a few single tent sites along the way. At noon we will stop at Provoking Lake and set up our "picnic" type lunch. This will be an excellent time to cool off with a swim in the crystal clear waters of this isolated lake.
Since this is an "Interior" trail (meaning you can only get to it by foot or canoe) there is a good chance of seeing moose, deer, grouse, or maybe even a bear! The total hike is 18.5 km, but portions of the trail can be wet and hilly so the hike will take about 8 hours (including an hour's stop at lunch). In the evening we will return to The Brides' Gate Estate for another delicious dinner!
On this morning we will get off to an early start (the best time to see wildlife is early morning or late evening) embarking on a 13 km hike on the Mizzy Lake Trail, once again within Algonquin Park. With the help of a trained Naturalist guide we will learn about many of the plants and animals that live in this region. Since this hike will take us through a hardwood forest and will pass nine small lakes and ponds, there is an excellent chance that we will see animals like moose, beaver, deer, or even otters. We will definitely see several picturesque beaver dams during the course of our hike.
This hike is much easier than the previous day's walk; but since we will be making frequent stops as our Naturalist points out interesting animals and plants, it will take about 5-6 hours. Once again, lunch will be a packed picnic (sandwich meats, cheese, fresh buns, fruit, etc . . .).
We are now off to Pembroke, on the east side of the Park, and a different kind of forest altogether. Algonquin Park is so big (over 7600 square kilometres!) that one end of the park differs geographically from the other, experiencing different weather systems as well.
We will stop for the night at the Omagaki Wilderness Centre where we will be staying in newly constructed wood cabins. The modern lodge is unique because, tucked away in the middle of a private forest, it is cut off from the rest of the world. As a result, they have turned to "Alternative" energy. The entire Centre is completely powered by Solar Energy and Wind Power. Heating and cooking are done with wood burning stoves! This is really quite an interesting place.
With a fresh water lake just steps from the door, and numerous trails through the surrounding forest, this is an ideal location to relax in a serene setting. At night we can sit on the screened in porch and watch the moon rise slowly over the water!
Today we will be visiting the Barron Canyon, a spectacular gorge that was formed over 10,000 years ago by a river that carried a thousand times more water than Niagara Falls! The cliffs stretch for a hundred meters straight down on either side - quite breathtaking!
Our hike will start a short distance from here. We will be walking along the Johnston Lake and High Falls Trails, and will stop at one of the several lakes along the way for our picnic lunch and perhaps a quick swim. One highlight will definitely be the booming waterfall at the end of the High Falls Trail. This hike is slightly over 15 km in length, and should take us about 5 - 6 hours to complete.
We will return to Omagaki Wilderness Centre in time for a swim and then a delicious dinner in the main lodge.
Today we will get to sleep in (at least until 10am)! After a hearty breakfast of fresh fruit, eggs and cereals we will start heading south to Peterborough. Along the way we will stop in the town of Eganville where we will do our hiking underground! Here there are a series of caves carved out of solid rock by the effects of thousands of years of raging rivers. Now drained, these caves are a wonderful experience. They have been the subject of numerous articles, scientific studies, and several TV documentaries. The underground tour should last about an hour, then it's up to the surface for lunch.
After a 3 hour drive we will arrive at our next destination. This evening we will be staying on the outskirts of Peterborough at the Westwind Inn. This gorgeous wooden Inn is situated on the shores of Lower Buckhorn Lake, so we will have the opportunity of using the canoes or going for an evening swim.
Day 6
This morning we will make the short drive over to Petroglyphs Provincial Park. This Park is an area still considered sacred by the Native American Indians, as it contains one of the largest concentrations of aboriginal rock carvings in Canada - works of art nearly a thousand years old!
The trail we will be travelling will take us out to a pretty set of rapids. The round trip hike should take about four and a half hours and is 10.4 km long. This is the only hike we do that is not a loop, so we will have to come back the way we came.
Just before we get back to Toronto we will be stopping at the Timbercreek Lodge - a "traditional" Canadian restaurant where you will have your choice of whatever game is in season. This can typically be North West Territories Arctic Char, ranch raised Buffalo steak, or even Caribou! What a fitting end to your Canadian wilderness hiking adventure! You can truly say that you have "Answered the Call Of The Wild"!! Now it is back to Toronto.
Included:
Not Included:
Group Size: 6 - 11 people
Distance: about 1200 km driven round
trip
Contact:
Tel: 905-471-Wild (Wild = 9453)
Toll Free: 1-800-776-Wild
(Canada/USA wide)
Fax: 905-472-Wild
E-Mail:
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