Date Completed : March 3 to March 4, 2026
Total Distance Traveled : 16km Total Time : 4:28
Introduction
A lot of people from the Toronto area aren’t aware of the extensive XC ski trail system in Algonquin Provincial Park. Even fewer know about the heated cabins that can be rented along the trails, accessible only by XC skis.
I only found out last year when I skied the Fenn Lake trail system near the west gate. Knowing that the Leaf Lake trail system was far bigger – with not one but three cabins – one of my goals for the 2025/2026 ski season was to visit the trail and stay at one of the cabins. Among the three available cabins, the Pinetree cabin appeared to have the best view, so that was the obvious choice.
My companions for this trip were my coworkers Phil, Jeremy, and Matthew. They had their own gear and were anxious to try something new. For me, my last XC-accessed hut trip was the ACC Elizabeth Parker hut in Yoho National Park over 14 years ago! A huge change in scenery but at least I didn’t have to wear an avalanche beacon for this one.
March 3, 2026
Day 1 – Trailhead to Pine Tree Cabin
Distance Covered : 9.59km
Elevation gained: 290m
Elevation lost : 174m
Max elevation : 533m
Total Time : 2:28hrs
Our departure at 10:30am was undoubtedly the laziest start of any of my Algonquin trips, but there was a calculated reason behind it. Knowing that the ski conditions tend to be quite icy in March, I decided to start our ski later in the afternoon to allow the warmer temperatures to soften the snow. The Pinetree cabin is known to have the best views in the park, but that comes at a cost in terms of elevation gain. Starting later would give us a bit of a safety margin.
By the time we hit the trail at 2:45pm, the snow was a little softer but still noticeably hard in the shaded areas. The fresh footprints in the snow on the steep inclines (where other skiers decided to walk up/down) were a testament to how difficult the trails had been earlier in the day – and earlier in the week.
On a side note, I later realized that one of the hills we climbed along our route topped out at 533m, which is only 31m lower than the highest point in the park. Another indicator as to the type of terrain encountered along the trail.
We eventually arrived at the Pinetree cabin around 5:20pm.
The cabin was considerably smaller than I expected and was clearly undergoing some renovations, as it was wrapped in Tyvek. But that was fine, since the scenery more than made up for it. Down below, we could see the Madawaska river along with some lights from the town of Whitney.
The first order of business was to start the wood burning stove. Thankfully, the cabin was well equipped with lots of firewood, kindling and even matches. Once the stove warmed up, we collected fresh snow and used the provided pot to melt it before filtering it through our gravity filter.
We ate well that evening. Taking advantage of the stove, we cooked everything from hot dogs to lamb chops. The cabin’s smaller interior space meant we could sit around in just T-shirts as we spent the evening talking and drinking before eventually turning in.
Like all the cabins along the XC ski trails in Algonquin, this one had a pair of bunk beds (without mattresses) to accommodate a maximum of four people. I ended up bringing a thick air mattress along with a -9C sleeping bag, but that turned out to be overkill. My mattress and liner alone would have been sufficient for the night.
March 4, 2026
Day 2 – Pinetree Cabin to Parking
Distance Covered : 7.10km
Elevation gained: 116m
Elevation lost : 222m
Max elevation : 543m
Total Time : 1:59hrs
Day two started much earlier than the previous day, mainly because of the southeast facing cabin and cloudless blue skies.
Despite having a relaxing breakfast and even a morning fire, we were back on the trail by 9:20am.
Thankfully, the temperatures didn’t drop too much overnight, which meant that the surface of the snow remained a little soft. This was important, since the return route from the cabin involved the steepest trails we’d encounter during the trip.
One of my colleagues, Phil was a little hesitant about skiing down one of the steeper sections, but I convinced him to follow me. As we started down, I yelled back that it was much easier to control your speed during the descent than to slow down once you’d already picked up momentum. Within seconds of offering this advice, Phil blew past me at an impressive speed and promptly wiped out in front of me. I managed to avoid running him over, but eventually took a faceplant into the snow myself. So much for the advice!
A few kilometers later, we arrived at another cabin along the trail, the Dee’s Cabin. This medium sized cabin was what I imagined when I booked the Pinetree. A rustic wood cabin with a large deck and spacious interior. That said, we all agreed that the location of the Pinetree cabin still made it preferable to Dee’s.
A short 30 minute ski from Dee’s brought us back to the parking lot.
Unfortunately, this trip will probably be the last XC ski outing of the year. Although I was hoping to return once more to check out the 3rd cabin along the Leaf Lake trail network – the Thistle, it’s looking unlikely. With temperatures expected to hit the mid teens, along with steady rain, the trails will probably resemble a Bobsled run than an XC ski trail. We shall see…
Additional Information on Cabins
As mentioned previously, there are a total of four backcountry cabins in total which are winter accessible via XC skis.
Three (Pinetree, Thistle, Dee’s) are located on the Leaf Lake ski trail while one (Fen) is located on the Fen Lake ski trail. It should be noted that the Pinetree and Thistle cabins are the only real “ski-in cabins” as they are only open during the winter and are only accessible by XC ski (classic and skate) since walking and snowshoeing to the hut is not permitted. Here are some links to the Ontario parks information portal :