I think we would all agree that our 4 nights in Algonquin Park were probably the highlight of our trip so far. It was certainly worth the wait.

Algonquin is not the largest of Canada’s Provincial Park but it was the first (1893) and possibly it’s most renowned. Over a million visitors a year come here to “Reconnect with nature”.   It stretches over 2,946 sq. miles and as you drive in along Route 60 which cuts across 35 miles of the park from the West to East Gate you can see forest and nothing else as far as the eye can see.

Everything we’d read promised moose, wolves, bears, beavers all in their natural habitats set to the call of the loons that have inhabited the park for 10,000 years, since the last Ice Age. We were not disappointed!

The chipmunks that scurried around the campsites were so tame they ended up jumping up onto the kid’s legs and clinging on to their trousers which obviously wasn’t doing much to “Discourage Wildlife In Campgrounds” but was a thrill for the kids!!

We had an incredible Canoe Trip, which we gathered was ‘the’ way to explore the park. There are over 2400 lakes and 1200 kms of rivers and streams and we did just a tiny bit of this. So we headed out in a canoe for 4 with a guide and a lovely German couple in their 20’s in another canoe leading the way.

4 hours of pretty much non-stop paddling, apart from a very brief stop to eat our Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches (the ‘lunch’ provided as part of the tour?!?) and we ‘ticked off’ a whole load of wildlife.

A couple of loons, including a baby getting a piggy back on his mothers back. A painted turtle sunbathing on a tree trunk along the waters edge. A beaver swimming towards his dam and then as we turned a corner in the river a moose!! Paddling along the shores and eating the lilies, which apparently they love. It was truly incredible to be so close to this magnificent creature. We floated alongside it for a few minutes and it completely ignored us and carried on its lunch. Brilliant.

On our way back to the campsite we pulled off the road at a lovely spot on Smoke Lake. Charlie said it looked like a good place to fish. He was right. On only his second cast he pulled in a large mouth bass – he was absolutely thrilled. His first ever fish.

John then caught one too and honestly I don’t think I’ve seen him look more chuffed for a long time!!

The following day we went along to Whitefish Lake where a ‘Rock Bass Family Fishing Day’ was taking place. We had no idea what to expect but thought that we might pick up a few tips at the very least.

It was incredible. Organised by the park with a whole list of sponsors there were probably 150 people there at what turned out to be a really lovely day. The locals (those lucky people who have cottages along the shores of a few of the lakes) all volunteered with their little boats and were taking families out onto the lake. We had a lovely chap called Al and in his little boat William caught 6 perch and even I caught one!!

Back on shore there were lovely people showing the kids how to gut and prepare their catch, which they then bagged up in ice for us to take home. As well as conservationists telling the kids all about the abundant wildlife in the area.

Delicious fish fry lunch followed by a floatplane landed on the lake for the kids to climb on. One of the Conservation officers did a brilliant demonstration with his gorgeous chocolate Labrador sniffer dog and then just to top off what had already been a brilliant day (all free!!) they then drew the raffle and Charlie won a fully stocked tackle box and all the kids were given a bag of goodies including t shirts, caps, fishing lures, posters etc. etc. Result!

We had a really interesting chat with the Parks Superintendent who told us a little about what his job involves. Sounded fantastic and when he told us he’d had to wrap 2 bear cubs in his jacket during the winter, William was sold and applied for a job on the spot! We were delighted to hear that news of us and our trip had already spread and he knew exactly who we were before we even introduced ourselves!

On our way back we pulled over at another of the picturesque lakes and cooked the fish Will had caught on our camping stove at the side of the lake. Pretty special day all in all!!

At the visitor centre we were told that a female bear and 2 cubs had been spotted just off the road but we didn’t get a glimpse of her. The bear population of the park is estimated to be approximately 2000 but the park staff themselves don’t spot more than 1 or 2 a year. So we accepted that our chances were fairly slim!!

However we loved our time here and would come back in a heartbeat!!