Autumn 2023 Canada Maple Road Camping Trip <Day 7> Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario
Today, we are heading to Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, which I visited many times while stationed in Toronto. It is about three hours north of Toronto, making it perfect for a weekend visit. There are 15 campgrounds spread across its vast grounds. Advance reservations are required, and I booked two campgrounds from Japan. Friday and Saturday fill up quickly. Also, sites for large RVs are limited.
We woke up leisurely in the morning and checked out of the KOA campground. First, we went to a nearby Walmart for our final grocery run. We shopped carefully, calculating the remaining days. We also bought chocolates prepared for Halloween as souvenirs for Japan.
By noon, we arrived at the east gate of Algonquin Provincial Park. We were told that entry passes for today were already sold out. Since we had already reserved a campsite within the park, it was not a problem for us.
First, we stopped by the Visitor Center. The view from the observation deck of this building is spectacular. Because of this, tour buses arrive one after another.
After having lunch at a picnic table in the Visitor Center parking lot, we headed to our destination for the day, the Lookout Trail. Our RV was too large for the parking lot, and we barely managed to squeeze it into a spot. The Lookout Trail is a light 2.1-kilometer loop, and along the way, we walked through the yellow autumn leaves of the maple trees, which are so typical of Canada. The scenery from the observation deck at the end is truly breathtaking. A carpet of yellow, orange, and red trees, which can only be seen at this time of year, stretches as far as the eye can see. I have traveled to 89 countries around the world, but this scenery is the number one best view for me. It is likely the highlight of this trip. I clicked the shutter many times, but I am not sure if I was able to truly capture this sight faithfully.
Our accommodation for tonight is the Mew Lake Campground, located almost exactly in the middle of Highway 60, which runs through Algonquin Provincial Park. This is a site where only electricity can be hooked up. Looking around, there are many large camping trailers and the large pickup trucks that tow them. This is how Canadians spend their holidays.
Tomorrow, we will stay one more night at Algonquin Provincial Park, so we can spend the whole day here. We plan to go around the popular trekking routes.