Barron Canyon Canoe Trip: Algonquin Park Canoe Routes

This post is a trip report of our Barron Canyon canoe trip and provides the best tips for planning a canoe trip in Algonquin Provincial Park.

Barron Canyon is a fantastic location in Algonquin Provincial Park to experience the diverse landscapes that Ontario has to offer! This is one of the most unique places that I have canoed and is a fantastic trip for any intermediate level canoe tripper. This Barron Canyon canoe trip report is part of my series where I share my adventures exploring various canoe routes and hiking trails throughout Canada’s National and Provincial parks. I hope this helps you to get outside and explore everything this amazing country has to offer!

Barron Canyon Canoe Trip Overview

This canoe route is a loop in-and-out of Barron Canyon. There are options to do an end-to-end trip but we chose this option as it’s the most accessible to start and end at the same access point. This trip is best completed over 4 nights and 5 days. If you are an advanced canoe camper who has experience travelling long distances every day then you could definitely shorten this trip by covering more ground each day. This trip is approximately 44 km with 18 portages total. The longest portage is 750m. This route is appropriate for intermediate canoe campers who have experience navigating longer portages and moving water. Ensure you are prepared for your trip by following this Canoe Trip Packing Guide.

Barron Canyon Access Point

This trip will begin and end at Access Point #22 – Grand Lake, Achray Access Point. This access point is on the far East side of Algonquin Park. To reach this access point from the GTA, the drive is approximately 6 hours. The drive is mainly on paved roads until you reach the park entry in which the last 50 km are a well maintained gravel road. This access point has a camp office as it’s also the site of the Achray Campground. In addition, it has a variety of amenities such as flush toilets and garbage disposal. Note that there is no cell service at the access point so be sure to pre-load the directions and share your trip plans with your friends and family prior to entering the park boundary.

Barron Canyon Campsite Reservations, Permits and Rules

Reservations for Barron Canyon campsites can be made on the Ontario Parks website. Reservations are mandatory. They can be made up to 5 months in advance of your arrival date. You will select the Backcountry tab and Paddling in the menu options. Then use the dropdown to select Algonquin Paddling, and Access Point 22. Bookings are made by lake. When you arrive at that lake during your trip you can select any available campground on the lake to set up camp for the evening.

The reservation fee when booking this route will include a parking pass for the Achray Access Point. Be sure to enter the correct license plate information when making your reservation as this is how they will verify your payment.

You can find a full list of Algonquin Backcountry rules here. It is essential you adhere to these regulations and the Leave No Trace principles to protect these areas for future paddlers and for years to come. There have been too many trips I’ve taken where I’ve come across a campsite that a previous group has not respected ruining the environment, and the experience for me and my group. Please do not be that person – if you are truly passionate about experiencing all this world has to offer, then you should be equally as passionate about protecting it for future generations.

Barron Canyon Canoe Trip Map

See below for a map of this Barron Canyon canoe trip. You can find detailed maps to bring on your trip at the following retailers:

• Maps by Jeff – offers excellent waterproof maps for all of Algonquin and multiple other paddling locations
• The Friends of Algonquin Park – official park map sold here

Best Canoe Rental for Barron Canyon

Algonquin Bound Outfitters offers an excellent variety of canoes and kayaks for trips leaving from Grand Lake – Achray Access Point. They offer deliver to the access point which is perfect! I recommend you book in advance to ensure a good price and that you get access to the canoe best suited for your group. They also offer a variety of gear rentals such as tents, sleeping bags, pads, cookware, and backpacks.

Barron Canyon Canoe Trip Itinerary

Optional – Achray Jump Off

A jump off site is one that you can use the day before you get out on the water. This is great for those that want to drive up to Achray campground after work and expect to arrive at the lake in the dark after a long 6 hour drive. Book the jump off for that night, then the next morning you can get an early start on the lake. This is what I would recommend if you plan to camp at High Falls Lake your first night. This ensures you have the whole day to reach High Falls.

Day 1 – High Falls Lake – Barron River

Daily Stats:

• 7.4 km total
• 3 portages – longest 595m

If you’ve rented a canoe from Algonquin Bound Outfitters, they typically drop the canoe off by 8:00am or it will have been delivered the night before. This means you can get out on the lake nice and early!

Your day will start with a short paddle from Grand Lake to Stratton Lake. There is a very short, 50m, portage over the dam and then you’ll be on your way, paddling under the Stratton rail bridge and straight down the lake. After this, it should take you just over an hour to reach the portage to St. Andrews Lake.

We had a nice little snack break at the St. Andrews portage, it’s the perfect spot to take a swim break too! Next, you’ll paddle up St. Andrews Lake towards the High Falls Lake portage. This will be your longest portage of the day at 595m with a bit of elevation. Be sure to watch out for poison ivy in this area – definitely cover your legs, feet and arms to be safe. This will be the lake you camp at for the night. There are two sites available.

Note that the famous High Falls natural water slide is on this itinerary but it’s much easier and safer to access from Stratton Lake so I’d wait until Day 4 to head to the falls versus bushwacking from the High Falls Lake portage.

Day 2 – The Lower Barron – Below Canyon

Daily Stats:

• 13.5 km total
• 7 portages – longest 530m

Be ready for a day of portages up The Cascades! Until you get into Barron Canyon you will be spending a lot of time hopping in and out of the canoe. Make sure to pack up the canoe efficiently in the morning to make the portages as easy as possible. Regardless of the portage time, the landscape you travel through here is an extremely unique part of the park. Make sure to take breaks to take in the beauty and to rest!

You’ll start the day with a short paddle up High Falls Lake. Stick to the left side and take the portage to The Cascades. Your first portage of the day will be the longest at 530m. Then you’ll travel up the river and complete 4 different portages until you reach Brigham Lake. If you’re doing a single carry at each portage, this section should take you about 2 hours to complete.

At the end of Brigham Lake, stay to the left to take the series of 2 portages past Brigham Chute and into Barron Canyon. Lastly, enjoy the paddle down through the canyon and into Lower Barron where you will have multiple campsites to choose from. I recommend not camping too far down the river as it will lengthen your day tomorrow.

Day 3 – Brigham Lake

Daily Stats:

• 7 km total
• 2 portages – longest 440m

Enjoy a slower day retracing your steps back to Brigham Lake. My recommendation is to enjoy a slow morning swim at camp and then take your time paddling back up the river towards the Brigham Chute. Have lunch and then finish the day with the 2 portages back into Brigham Lake.

Day 4 – Stratton Lake

Daily Stats:

• 7.6 km total
• 5 portages – longest 750m

Try to start as early as possible this day so you have a lot of time to enjoy the High Falls water slide at the end of the day! You’ll start your day with the longest portage of 750m, then a short paddle in Opalescent Lake. Next, take the 640m portage over to Ooze Lake. True to it’s name, Ooze Lake is rather muddy, stinky and buggy. Speed paddle onto the next 300m portage back into High Falls Lake. This section should take you just over an hour if you’re doing a single carry.

You’ll spend the rest of the day paddling back down High Falls Lake, into St. Andrews and lastly Stratton Lake where you’ll set up camp for the night. Again, for a single carry, this section should take about 1.5 hours. When you exit the portage into Stratton Lake, paddle to the right. Aim to camp at the sites on this arm of the lake as it has the closest access to the High Falls water slide.

I recommend setting up camp and then packing up some snacks, water, your lifejackets and towels to head over to the High Falls water slide. You should be able to see how to access the waterfall from Stratton Lake clearly on any map or GPS. It’s best to wear your lifejacket when using the slide even if you are a strong swimmer as the bottom of the slide can really pull you under. Plus it helps prevent the rock from scratching your back as you slide! At different times of the year the water can be at different levels, it’s especially important to be cautious when the water is high.

Day 5 – Paddle Out and Home

Daily Stats:

• 8.3 km total
• 1 portage – 50m

On your last day, there is the option to get up early to head back to High Falls and enjoy more time at the water slide and swimming area. Then, pack up camp and paddle back down Stratton and into Grand Lake. Depending on the weather on these larger lakes, this paddle and one portage should take you about 2.5 hours.

Tips for your Barron Canyon Canoe Trip

My top tip for this trip is to pack light! Typically on a canoe camping trip you can bring more gear since you spend most of your time paddling. Not on this trip! Due to the amount of portages packing light can really make the trip more enjoyable. The last time we did this route we were in a group of 3, 4 including Nova pup. We rented a 3 seater canoe and packed everything in 2 backpacks. This guaranteed that we could complete single carry portages with 1 person taking the canoe, and the 2 others with the backpacks.

My next tip is to start your day early. This route does have some traffic and there often isn’t space for multiple people going different directions on the portages. It’s best to get out ahead of the crowds so you can move quickly and not spend too much time waiting for others to pack and unpack their boats.

My last tip is to be prepared for bugs. The summer is always quite buggy, although it gets better as the summer goes on. But this route tends to be buggier due to the amount of time you spend in small bodies of water and on the portages.

This post was all about how a Barron Canyon canoe trip is a great route option for your upcoming backcountry paddling trip!