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Smoke Lake, Algonquin Park is one of the best places to start off on a canoe trip! Algonquin Provincial Park spans more than 7000 square kilometers which leaves you with endless canoe route possibilities. In my trip report series, my goal is to share with you my experience as I explore various parts of Ontario’s oldest provincial park. In this detailed trip report I’ll go over the easiest way to get to Smoke Lake, the closest outfitter, what to look out for on the route and some spots you don’t want to miss!
Route Overview: Smoke Lake Algonquin Park
This route is about 43 km long and includes 12 portages, the longest being 1700m. I would recommend this route for an experienced canoe camper. On top of the significant daily mileage, some of the portages are difficult due to the extreme incline so definitely ensure you feel confident with your canoe camping and portage skills before you take on this route. You must make reservations for this route. Reservations can be made 5 months in advance on the Ontario Parks website.
How To Get There:
Smoke Lake is Access Point #6 in Algonquin Park. It is an easy 3 hour drive from the GTA. The entire drive is on well-maintained paved roads with multiple road stops available with washrooms and restaurants. The Smoke Lake parking lot is not paved but a fairly even gravel lot. Although it might be tempting to park your vehicle close to the water I recommend parking it at the back of the lot near the washroom, water refill station and garbages. This area gets the most amount of shade and least amount of daily traffic so it’s a good place to park for 5+ days. You can drive to the dock, unload all of your belongings and then go to park at the back of the lot.
Closest Outfitter:
Smoke Lake Algonquin Access Point is right down the street from The Portage Outpost. I have rented a canoe countless times from this outfitter and have had an amazing experience each and every time. You can book online in advance for the dates of your trip. They offer a wide variety of canoes – the 16FT Ultralight Kevlar Canoe is my favourite! They also offer other gear rentals such as lifejackets, food barrels, backpacks, sleeping bags, tents and more! Right around the corner from this outfitter you will find the Canoe Lake Permit Office. If it’s your first time in the park I recommend going in and asking any questions you might have. You can also pick-up a map and other safety items here.
Day 1 – Smoke Lake to Ragged Lake
Daily Stats:
- 8km total
- 1 portage – 240m
I love the paddle down Smoke Lake and into Ragged. Smoke Lake does tend to have a pretty heavy wind, I recommend sticking to the shoreline and taking your time. Aim to be at the access point before 9:00AM and you will have lots of time to grab your rental, pack up and be at your first site in the early afternoon. I’ve stayed on two different sites on Ragged and I loved both of them! You can’t go wrong with an island site! I’ve attached a full map of my favourite sites on this loop at the end of this article.
Day 2 – Ragged Lake to Kirkwood Lake
Daily Stats:
- 13km total
- 4 portages – longest is 590m
This is a long day of paddling through 5 different lakes to get to a little island oasis on Kirkwood Lake. I recommend starting the day early and with a hearty breakfast as the first portage of the day, which is also the longest portage of the day, is nicknamed the Devil’s staircase! Let me tell you, it is true to its name! Thankfully there are logs in place acting as stairs to help you up the very steep incline. Picture yourself with a 30lb pack on and a 48lb canoe on your shoulders and then picture yourself doing box jumps for 15 minutes straight – that’s what this climb felt like!
Safe to say after that portage we needed a portaging break – we opted to paddle the 2.7km around Big Porcupine Lake instead of taking the 395m portage into the lower half of the lake. The rest of the day was a gorgeous paddle and we managed to get to Kirkwood Lake in the early afternoon and snagged our favourite site.
This is the island site directly across from the portage landing. Sadly, when we arrived we discovered someone had left eggshells in the fire and alcohol bottles under some trees. After we cleaned up the site and searched to ensure there were no other food remnants, we felt safe to stay there and had another lovely experience on the island. If you’re new to the backcountry make sure you check out the Leave No Trace Principles. Leaving food and garbage behind for other paddlers diminishes their experience and is also very detrimental to the environment.
Day 3 – Kirkwood Lake to Head Lake
Daily Stats:
- 8km total
- 3 portages – longest is 1035m
This day was much shorter than yesterday although we were racing with the rain clouds to get to our site before it downpoured. The paddle up into Harness Lake is one of my favourites, one day I want to stay on Harness Lake and I recommend it if you’re interested in making this a shorter day. Harness Lake is so peaceful, we didn’t pass any other paddlers and we saw a beaver although we didn’t manage to get any photos!
After the long portage into Head Lake, we quickly stopped by the Head Lake Falls. Once you exit the portage stay right on Head Lake and you’ll enter into a little bay. You will find the falls at the end of the bay as well as one of my favourite campsites on Head Lake. Unfortunately, that site was taken so we headed for the site on the point across the lake and settled in there before the rain came. The point site was very large, well maintained and a great flat spot to set up camp and hunker down in a rainstorm. On a sunny day this spot would be perfect for swimming – I can’t wait to go back to that site in better weather!
Day 4 – Head Lake to Little Island Lake
Daily Stats:
- 8.5km total
- 3 portages – longest is 1640m
After a rainy night on Head Lake we were excited when we realized we were only a short paddle from the portage landing. The first portage of the day is almost 2km long so it’s important to make sure you’ve had a good breakfast, you’re hydrated and you’ve packed up as efficiently as possible. This portage is long but relatively flat, making it a semi-enjoyable walk through the woods.
After the long portage we entered into Cache Lake which is right along Highway 60. It has cottages which I personally like to paddle past and admire! It is also a lake that allows motorized boats so I recommend sticking to the shoreline as much as possible to stay out of the wake. After an easy paddle and 2 short portages, we settle in at our favourite Little Island Lake site.
Day 5 – Little Island Lake to Smoke Lake
Daily Stats:
- 6km
- 2 portages – longest is 895m
Little Island Lake is one of my favourites in Algonquin Park, every time I am on this lake I never want to leave. Sadly, we had to head home so after a beautiful morning swim, it was time to pack up and get paddling! Typically, if you leave camp at around 9:00AM you can make it back to the Smoke Lake Access Point by around 11:00AM or noon which gives you lots of time to head back into the city.
If you had extra time, I would recommend booking 2 nights on this lake. It is nice to have 1 day without any paddling or setting up and taking down camp. Little Island Lake is the perfect place to have a zero day!
Smoke Lake Loop – Favourite Campsites
