This years fall colors in Algonquin Provincial Park hit peak early, and I mean weeks early. We have been watching the fall color report closely, and we just happened to have a weekend open just when they were due to hit peak. I checked on the Ontario Parks reservation system and was lucky to find ONE site open for Saturday so I booked it immediately.
As the week progressed, I started to get a head cold. Great. Just what we needed. I didn’t care. I pushed through the week and was determined to get out. On Friday, my son stayed home from school. He had gotten sick. Didn’t care again. We were still planning our night.
So Saturday morning we packed up and headed on our way. This is I believe the 8th time we have driven to or through Algonquin this year for various reasons, so the drive is one we know well. We have our usual stops and in no time we were at the park, getting our camping pass and starting our fun. Since it was before 2pm, and the campers before us were still on the site, we headed to Tea Lake for a paddle.
We decided to do the same loop we did at the 150 for 150 event, except start at Tea Lake. The park has opened this campground up as a day use picnic area. It is such a great idea as people can park at a campsite, have lunch and then enjoy the beach and scenery.
While on our way to Canoe Lake, I decided that since this was the 100th anniversary of Tom Thompson’s death we should paddle to see the totem pole and memorial.
After a long and hot paddle, we changed into our swimming gear and went swimming at Tea Lake beach. The water was so nice and refreshing. Really wish we could have stayed longer, but it was getting close to supper and we still had to set up camp. Once all camp chores done, I had a little bit of time to relax in my hammock.
When the sun was setting, I suggested we walk to the beach to check out the sunset. Since there were not many clouds, the sky was mainly a dull yellow. Still so beautiful.
Sunday…
Our plans for today was the Track and Tower Trail hike. I have not yet done this trail and I suppose it was time. There is a nice lookout where we were hoping to catch more views of the colors.
We started early in the morning and knew that the parking lot would soon be full. Plus we wanted to beat the heat as it was going up over 30 again today.
At the top of the lookout, we had such a wonderful view. The colors were not as vibrant, which seems to be the story this weekend, BUT WOW! I just loved sitting on the rock taking in the view.
We sat and chatted with a lovely couple, also enjoying the view about places we have hiked and traveled. We shared some stories and realized we had gone to a lot of the same places. I could have sat here for a long time, but we had to push on.
Since it was such a hot day again, we drove to Canisbay Campground and went for a swim to cool off. It honestly felt like a mid summers day where you can exit the lake and not get cold from a breeze. The breeze was warm and I could have just jumped right back in the lake.
Overall this was a nice getaway for the weekend and I was glad that there was some color to enjoy. Our next trip is heading south to the Adirondacks where we hope to chase the colors there.