Paddling Barron River Canyon - (Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario)

Well, we extended our stay for one day to paddle the Barron River Canyon and do it with some nice weather.

We got up and were pleased to see the blue skies and sunshine. As planned, we checked out at 7:00 a.m. and then went to Tim Horton's in Pembroke for breakfast.

We then proceeded to the Algonquin Portage Store & Outfitters on Barron Canyon Road where we would load a rental canoe on our Jeep for Esther & Steve.

The canoe rental was reasonably priced and they included rental straps and foam pads for the roof.

Now, there are basically two choices to paddle the Barron River Canyon as a day trip.

One option is to leave a vehicle at the parking lot/takeout just above Squirrel Rapids, and use the other vehicle to shuttle us and the boats to the put-in at the Brigham Lake parking lot upriver. However, that requires four portages totaling over 1,000 meters. And we heard that the portages are not fun. Also, you need two vehicles and have to pay two park entrance fees. But there is no backtracking, and you paddle downriver.

The other option is to use the Squirrel Rapids parking area for both the put-in and takeout. You only need one vehicle and one entrance fee, and there is only one portage (which you have to do each way), but you see the most scenic part of the canyon and forgo a small section on the upper end. However, this option requires paddling upriver and then returning. Still, a ranger and the lady at the outfitter both recommended this second option. They said paddling against the very slow current upriver was no big deal.

We decided on option two and parked at the Squirrel Rapids parking lot. Steve and I got the lightweight canoe off the roof and they were ready to go.

We inflated the FastTrack while Steve & Esther brushed up on their canoeing skills ....

and soon we were ready to join them.

We were on the water a little after 9:00 and it was still a little cool, but paddling upstream wasn't bad even with a slight breeze in our face. It was already a far better weather day than we'd been having. :)

It was a short trip to the portage where the river was shallow and rocky but very pretty.

We paddled to the right where the yellow portage sign showed us the way. Steve & Esther went first.

That 420 meter portage was not fun. It's up and down and rocky, and it was tough even with our inflatable boat. Fortunately, I don't think there is any way it's actually 420 meters - that would be four and a half football fields long, and I'm pretty sure we didn't portage anywhere near that far.

Soon, we were ready to go again.

The next section was more lake-like that river-like. We passed through a marshy area with rocks and downed trees just below the surface and a lot of water vegetation.

I took pictures of the water lily flowers both in early ....

and full bloom stages.

Not long after that, it had warmed up enough to shed our jackets and fleece shirts. Oh, the sun and warmth felt sooooo good. :)

Steve & Esther paddled by a Great Blue Heron that caught a fish just as they were about to pass.

Shortly after that, they spotted something swimming between our boats.

It was a swimming squirrel. Esther got a great picture ....

and then we paddled in behind it while Linda took some video.

The little rodent was moving easily through the water. None of us had ever seen a squirrel swimming voluntarily. I'd seen them water ski in videos and fall in the water, but none of them ever seemed like they wanted to jump in and swim a lap. :)

Later, we saw another one doing the same thing. Interesting.

Eventually, we could see the mouth of the canyon ahead.

It was beautiful with the red rock cliffs contrasting with the dark green trees.

There was little to no current between the canyon walls and we continued upriver on the smooth, glassy water.

Esther & Steve against the high wall.

It was soon clear to us that Barron River Canyon is a must-do if you have a short time in Algonquin and can do only one day of paddling.

We paddled below the overlook trail that we were on yesterday .....

and continued on up into a narrower part of the canyon.

Not far past those boulders, we came to the next portage.

That was the end of the line for us. We turned around and started the slow float back downriver.

We had our lunch and took our time. Then I noticed something moving up in the rocks to our left. It was a bear!

I alerted everyone and we quietly paddled toward the bear so we didn't scare it and so we could all get pictures. Well, this bear was on a mission and was moving quickly. Before we got close, it was in the river and swimming across. Fortunately, Linda had the video camera running.

I was fumbling trying to change lenses, paddle so we could get a better look, and then take pictures. We hadn't expected the bear to just make a beeline for the water and swim across as fast as it did.

I managed to get one decent shot of it in the water .....

and then a couple more as it reached the bank in the shadows on the other side.

As black bears go, this one was pretty small. As you could see from the video, it paused and stared at us for a few seconds before continuing up the steep slope. It stopped and looked at us a couple more times before we lost sight of it.

Timing is everything. We just happened to be in the right place at the right time. How lucky we were to see a bear, a swimming bear no less, on such a gorgeous day, our last day in the park. We all agreed that today was our reward from enduring those rougher days at the beginning of our visit to Algonquin. :)

After our bear sighting, we casually paddled back through the canyon (which is only about 2 kilometers) .....

and Linda assumed her favorite reclined position. She napped a little as we went back through the marsh.

In the early morning we saw only a couple of other people that had been camping on the river. There are about eight campsites along the way. On the way back, we saw a few more day trippers, but it was still a quiet, peaceful outing.

We made it back to the portage (which we had been dreading) and carried the boats to the last section. From there, it was a short paddle to the takeout, but we were all ready to be finished.

Soon, we beached the boats. The roundtrip took us a little less than six hours.

Steve & Esther paid a little extra to just leave the canoe on the outfitters trailer at the takeout parking area rather than having to load it on the roof again. I helped Steve with that, and then we cleaned, deflated, and packed up our FastTrack.

We stopped off at the outfitter to return the paddles, straps, and roof pads and to use the restroom. Then we were off on the two and a half hour drive back to the cottage.

Our four-day trip to Algonquin certainly had its share of adventures. The weather didn't cooperate until this last day, but we made the most of our time.

In summary, here were our impressions. The paved road through the park, Hwy 60, is certainly the most traveled with the highest concentration of people and there are lots of expensive, but nice lodging options. We liked the moose encounters we had, and the Mizzy Lake Trail is fantastic, .... although it would be much more pleasant if you aren't doing it in the pouring rain. But the easily accessible terrain and scenery isn't much different than what we saw on the backroads getting to the park and in the country around the cottages where we've been staying.

For me, the northeastern part of the park, where we spent the last day and a half, was more scenic and had more appeal to a nature lover.

Now, with all of that said, I'm pretty sure the best way to enjoy Algonquin is to load up a canoe with gear and spend a few days to a couple of weeks paddling and camping in its vast backcountry. That's the way to really enjoy the solitude and nature the park has to offer. It's quite different than U.S. parks in that respect. Most backcountry access in the U.S. requires backpacking. Algonquin offers the opportunity to access its remote areas by canoe which allows for the carying of far more gear, food, and comforts.

Of course, to experience several different areas requires a lot of portaging of canoes and gear. As Steve & Esther's neighbor says, "You have to do at least two portages to get away from the crowds". The portages can be long and tough, and they tend to eliminate all but the hardiest of paddlers and campers. Algonquin gets about a million visitors a year, but I would guess 80 - 90% of them don't get far from the paved road, so with a little work, it can be a nature lovers dream escape.

Well, that wraps up a wonderful little trip. Hope you enjoyed it. :)