Introduction
During the drive back from my Algonquin Highlands trip in late September, I couldn’t help but notice that the fall colors were nearing their peak. Knowing this display would be short lived due to the lack of rain, I immediately began planning a trip to Algonquin for the following week.
The weather looked perfect. Seven straight days of sunshine and 0% chance of rain and best of all, my former colleague Poul was available to join me. Poul was the one who trained me and was perhaps the most experienced outdoorsperson at work – he was canoeing back when I was still in diapers!
Despite inviting a few others, the notice was too short and in the end it was just me, Poul, and Hana the portage puppy on this three day trip in Algonquin provincial park.
September 29, 2025
Day 1 – Smoke Lake (Access Point 6) to Ragged Lake
Distance Covered : 8.6km
Portages : 1 (250m)
Total Portage Distance : 250m
Total Time : 1:46hrs
Strangely enough, most of my trips end up being either a type-two-suffer-fest of long days, endless portages and paddling – or a dinner that was hard to get to. This one, however, was on the relaxing side of things and for good reason.
Seven straight days of clear skies, daytime temperatures in the 20s, fall colors, and great company in the form of a colleague with whom I hadn’t seen in almost a year (and of course Hana!)
Keeping with the relaxing theme, we each drove up separately and met at the Smoke Lake access point at a leisurely 1:45pm. Our first night would be on Ragged Lake, about an hour away, and we knew the lake was mostly empty that night.
We left the access point at 2:15pm, crossed Smoke Lake, single carried the portage, and were on Ragged Lake by 3:30pm. Sadly, it became quite obvious by then that we missed the peak of the fall colors. There was plenty of yellow and orange but hardly any reds. The window to see the full colors was probably less than a week long and we had probably missed it by 3 or 4 days. But that was alright since the weather was otherwise perfect. Maybe next year?
For the first night, I asked Poul if he was okay with staying on the big island. The reason was simple – the campsite there happened to be the same one I’d stayed at over 25 years ago. To be fair, there were two sites close together, and after many years I wouldn’t be sure which one it was but of course he was more than happy to accommodate my request. We took a quick glance at both and decided on the west campsite due to better exposure to the sun. Upon exploring the campsite, it did feel somewhat familiar. Back then, we had a group of around 8 people and this site had plenty of space. Maybe next time, I’ll try staying at the east campsite.
With a perfectly clear sky that evening, we decided to skip the campfire and instead brought our camp chairs to the waters edge. We ate dinner and then sat peacefully – watching the stars multiply overhead before calling it a night.
September 30, 2025
Day 2 – Ragged Lake to Big Porcupine Lake
Distance Covered : 8.9km
Portages : 1 (590m)
Total Portage Distance : 5900m
Total Time : 3:30hrs
Day 2 was another laid-back day with only one portage – ominously called the Devil’s Staircase.
Looking back, the hardest part wasn’t the portage itself, but actually getting to it. Water levels were extremely low and upon reaching the south bay of Ragged Lake, we were forced to climb out of the canoe and drag it through thigh-deep mud. Which was strange because we’d just met a pair in a canoe coming from the portage who didn’t mention a thing – nor leave a trace in the mud. As we got to within 50m of the portage, we noticed a trail along the shore which would’ve allowed us to bypass the shallow bay.
The Devil’s Staircase wasn’t nearly as bad as it sounded. It had some steep sections but nothing too tough, especially with an ultralight canoe.
This was my first visit into Big Porcupine and it was amazing! The lake was very scenic, the water was clean, and the campsites were well spaced out and quite spacious. This was the type of lake one could spend days on.
Much like me on Ragged Lake, Poul also had some nostalgic memories on this lake, having stayed here more than 30 years prior. We took some time to pass the campsite he stayed at in the past before circling back and grabbing an island site. The lake had two islands but ours was the only one with a single site to itself. If it weren’t for the direct view of two campsites on the far shore, it would probably rank amongst the best campsites I’ve ever stayed on. Unfortunately, the previous campers – likely the ones we passed earlier – hadn’t fully extinguished their fire as it was still smouldering when we arrived.
Since we had lots of time, we relaxed in the sun for a while before collecting firewood for the evening since the Garmin forecast called for cooler temperatures that night.
The night time view of the sky was breathtaking as usual. Apparently, the northern lights were visible that evening but we only had a southern view so we missed them.
September 7, 2025
Day 3 – Big Porcupine Lake to Smoke Lake (Access Point 6)
Distance Covered : 15.5km
Portages : 2 (590m, 250m)
Total Portage Distance : 840m
Total Time : 3:42hrs
The last day of our trip was spent paddling back to our starting point on Smoke Lake.
I had considered a detour along Parkside Bay to complete one of the routes in Kevin Callan’s, “A Paddlers Guide to Algonquin Park”, but that would’ve added over an extra kilometer of portaging so I decided to save it for next time.
While on Ragged Lake, we came upon a large group of eight canoes from a high school in Mississauga. Since Poul had been a high school teacher there and had led outdoor programs at his school, he struck up a friendly conversation with the group leaders . What a small world!
The return trip was quick and straightforward as we pulled into the access point shortly after 2pm.
Oh yeah, Hana was a totally different pup on this trip. Unlike the previous two outings, she actually seemed to enjoy this one. She hardly spent any time in the tent, ate all her food and slept soundly each night. I’m guessing it’s because she really took a liking to Poul. So much that when he walked to the end of the parking lot to grab his car, she followed him and jumped right in. What’s up with that?!
