Dates Completed : June 22 to June 25, 2025
Total Distance Traveled: 169.9km Portages : 44 Total Portage Distance : 20710m
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Brent Run has all the makings of a classic: it winds through some pristine, rarely paddled areas of the oldest provincial park in Canada, has nearly a century of history behind it, and is tough enough to make one wish they were at work instead. It’s inclusion in Kevin Callan’s book as one of the top 70 canoe routes in Ontario doesn’t hurt either.
I first heard about the Brent Run through Callan’s book and remember thinking how crazy someone would have to be to attempt it. Little did I know that I’d be the crazy one years later.
The real challenge was finding someone equally as unhinged. Fortunately, I was able to convince my friend and colleague, Shuaib to join me. He was strong, laid-back, and adventurous. Experienced enough to be trustworthy, but not experienced enough to realize what he was getting himself into.
The plan was to do this in 4 days, which would make it well within the reach of anyone with average fitness and a decent handle on canoeing and backcountry skills. But it didn’t necessarily mean it had to be fun.
June 22, 2025
Day 1 – Canoe Lake (Access Point 5) to Big Trout Lake
Distance Covered : 38.0km
Portages : 9 (240m, 430m, 160m, 780m, 190m, 360m, 270m, 100m, 710m)
Total Portage Distance : 3240m
Total Time : 11:28hrs
From past experience, if there’s a day to push yourself on a trip like this, it’s always day one. Not only are you at full strength but the adrenaline and excitement can power you further than you’d expect.
Of course this wasn’t your standard day one start, especially since we were both working the day before. In order to hit the water at 6am, we had to leave Toronto by 2am so upon returning home from work, I immediately went to bed with the intention of sleeping for the following 7 hours. The reality was that I napped for maybe an hour before giving up. After picking up my partner, he also confessed he’d barely slept either… and then passed out for nearly the entire drive to Algonquin.
We pushed off from Canoe Lake at 6:15am, making excellent time thanks to calm waters and empty portages. Near the entrance to Burnt Island Lake, we met our first paddlers, who warned us about a freak storm that had blown through. We also crossed paths with a solo paddler attempting the Brent Run—he had wisely turned back, having seen enough weather for one trip.
By 11:30am, we were already on Little Ottertooth – well ahead of schedule. My partner suggested that we could go further and camp beyond our planned destination to make the next days paddle a little shorter. Tempting, but knowing that anything could happen on trips like this, I responded by suggesting that we’d decide upon reaching our planned destination.
Upon entering Otterslide creek, it was immediately clear that conditions were very different from the last time I paddled it back in 2023. Some sections of the portages were flooded and the creek itself was running quite fast.
One other thing we noticed was that the portage signs weren’t clearly visible due to the tree cover. We’d have to paddle to within a few meters of the portage to see the sign.
After the 2nd portage, I remember wondering when the 3rd would show up. Just then, I spotted some faster moving water ahead. That was fine until I noticed some standing waves ahead. That’s when it hit me: we obviously missed the third portage. I shouted this to my partner, who took one look at me and quickly buckled his PFD with the intensity of someone fastening a seatbelt on a roller coaster they didn’t sign up for.
We charged into a series of large waves. For a brief moment, it was exhilarating – pure adrenaline, splashing water, and the illusion of control. But then I looked further downstream. The creek narrowed dramatically and began steepening down to what looked like a drop ahead. And just before that drop? The thing that saved us… and also the thing feared by white water canoeists and kayakers alike – a large strainer.
Given our speed, we had no chance to steer clear – we hit it head-on. The canoe spun sideways and promptly flipped, tossing us into the water. Thankfully, the water wasn’t too deep and we managed to scramble safely to shore. The canoe, on the other hand, looked like it had decided to retire right then and there -wedged firmly in place like it had grown roots.
In situations like this, a pin kit would’ve been ideal. But of course, we didn’t have one. And the odds of running into someone else who did? Slim to none. Realistically, we had two options. We would have to unpin the canoe ourselves or I’d have to activate my InReach and call for help.
We decided on the former option and luckily managed to work the canoe free inch by inch until we could empty it of water and carry it to the portage trail. The canoe was punctured in several places and visibly battered but it seemed structurally intact. So, naturally we did the only reasonable thing: we pushed on.
The serenity of Big Trout Lake was a perfect way to transition out of the adrenaline soaked chaos we faced on Ottertooth creek.
Perhaps it was the lack of sleep, the mental fatigue or just physical exertion but I found myself feeling so sleepy on Big Trout. Earlier in the day, my partner didn’t realize how close I came to nodding off while driving along highway 60 to Algonquin. Now, in the canoe, he didn’t realize how close I came to nodding off again, which would have certainly tipped us into the water.
It was only around 5pm but we agreed to skip the idea of pushing further and instead call it a day. Sleep was non-negotiable at this point, especially with a monster day ahead of us.
June 23, 2025
Day 2 – Big Trout Lake to Cedar Lake
Distance Covered : 51.1km
Portages : 13 (310m, 40m, 80m, 150m, 360m, 100m, 420m, 380m, 100m, 180m, 2400m, 290m, 690m)
Total Portage Distance : 5500m
Total Time : 15:05hrs
The goal for day 2 was Brent, the destination and turnaround point for this run. My partner seemed more focused on the real prize: an ice cream cone in Brent. Based on our departure of 6:40am, I figured we’d arrive in Brent at around 8pm which most likely meant that every store was closed in this tiny town. But I didn’t have it in me to tell him that.
The northern end of Longer Lake was absolutely stunning! Maybe it was the way the sunlight lit up the hillside of trees but it was perhaps the highlight of this trip. I’ll have to come back in the late fall for the change of colors. I’m sure the view will be mind blowing.
The positive vibes didn’t last long. As we reached the inlet which led into Redpine Bay, things started to feel less serene. On paper, the upcoming portages looked like a joke at only 40m and 80m long. But with the high water flow and current, they felt far more intimidating. To be fair, the previous days misadventures may have left us mildly traumatized.
The first portage was manageable but the second basically dumped us into a set of rapids. Not too difficult but one which leaves little room for error.
But more importantly, it became clear that there was no way we’d be coming back this way. The current was far too strong to paddle upstream to the portage. Fortunately, the map showed an alternate route but it added 2 portages. One was a a respectable 740m but the other was 2590m, which would be the longest on this trip. As if the Brent Run didn’t have enough portages to begin with!
Shortly after the portages, we entered Burntroot lake and proceeded to waste a precious 90 minutes after making a wrong turn into Sunfish Lake. But the detour wasn’t a total loss since it led to one of two moose sightings during this trip.
By 5pm, we finally made it to the end of Narrowbag lake where we stared down the longest of the planned portages which was 2400m in length. My partner started the portage but partway through told me that he wanted to challenge himself by carrying the canoe all the way. I tried to argue for my share of the burden, but I put in as much resistance as I do when my puppy rolls over and demands a belly rub.
One more 690m portage later brought us to Cedar Lake where we could finally see Brent in the far distance. The time was now 7:30pm and with sunset just 90 min away, we quickly decided to paddle to Brent and back so that we wouldn’t have to do it first thing in the morning.
The conditions were quite choppy but we finally arrived at the Algonquin Outfitters dock at 8:06pm. To no surprise, everything looked to be closed so sadly, ice cream was off the menu. I took a quick photo to commemorate our arrival before we paddled back to the south shore of Cedar island.
By the time we arrived at our campsite, it was 9pm. Barely enough time to set up our tents before it became dark. After moving for nearly 15 hours non stop, we were so exhausted that we barely managed a quick bite before collapsing into our tents.
June 24, 2025
Day 3 – Cedar Lake to Lake La Muir
Distance Covered : 39.4km
Portages : 12 (690m, 290m, 2400m, 230m, 180m, 100m, 380m, 420m, 100m, 360m, 150m, 740m)
Total Portage Distance : 6040m
Total Time : 14:05hrs
We knew Day 3 would not be fun. The previous day had taken over 15 hours and we had no reason to believe this would be any shorter. On top of that, the soreness had officially kicked in – likely thanks to the estimated 50,000 paddle strokes we’d racked up so far.
After waking up at our usual 5am, we packed up and were on the water by 6:25am. An impressive time for us which was fueled mainly by the clouds of mosquitos waiting for us to wake up.
The day would start with a series of 3 portages which totaled over 3km in total. As expected, they were tough because unlike the previous day, they’d be going mainly uphill. Once we reached the Petawawa river, we were now forced to deal with the strong currents. Some so strong that we were literally inching our way forward.
Eventually, the currents subsided as we retraced our route into Catfish Lake. The rest of the paddle down to Redpine Bay was straightforward and involved mostly big lakes with little to no wind. My partner even managed to squeeze in a super short power nap.
I knew this trip would be tough. I was mentally prepared for the long days, the tough portages and sore muscles – but what I didn’t expect were the biting insects. Being two of the only humans in the park interior apparently made us prime targets for every mosquito, deer fly and horse fly in the park. The large lakes were mostly free of bugs due to the breeze but the narrow rivers and especially the portages were horrendous. Despite the 30°C heat, I starting wearing a rain shell during the portages since I’d rather sweat buckets than be eaten alive.
At around 6:30pm, we arrived at Redpine Bay where we diverted from our original route to avoid the portage which was now inaccessible due to the high flow rates. One 740m portage later, we finally arrived at Lake La Muir which was a sight for sore eyes. Much like the first 2 days on the trip, we likely had the lake to ourselves so we grabbed the site closest to the portage which was located on a point.
It was 8:15pm by the time we unloaded the canoe which gave us around an hour to set up our tents and eat before we went to sleep. Since we’d leave the park the next day, we took our time and started a fire, which made our campsite nearly bug free. For the first time during this trip, I could finally eat without having to lift the bug net around my head during each bite.
June 25, 2025
Day 4 – Lake La Muir to Canoe Lake (Access Point 5)
Distance Covered : 41.4km
Portages : 10 (2590m, 100m, 710m, 270m, 360m, 190m, 780m, 160m, 430m, 240m)
Total Portage Distance : 5830m
Total Time : 12:20
Despite all of the fun we had over the first 3 days, we were both looking forward to heading home. My partner was looking forward to taking a shower (probably while eating an ice cream cone) while I was missing my usual tripping companion, Hana the portage puppy. In hindsight, leaving her behind was the right call – this trip would’ve been too intense for her and I could’ve lost her during our canoe flip.
After another bug clearing fire and a leisurely breakfast, we left camp at 7:13am which was a sleep-in by our standards. The first task of the day was to complete the unplanned 2.5km+ portage. Thankfully, it wasn’t too bad and took us less than 45 min before we were back in Big Trout Lake. Unlike our first visit to this lake, we had a helpful northwest breeze that pushed us quickly towards Otterslide creek.
Apart from battling some upstream current and a bad faceplant I took while dismounting the canoe, the paddle to Otterslide Lake was uneventful. Oh yeah, we also figured out why there was always water in the canoe. The canoe was sadly taking on water from one of the cracks it suffered on day one.
Once we reached Burnt Island Lake, we were back on familiar ground. I’ve paddled this stretch to Canoe Lake many times and despite the beautiful weather, the park still felt surprisingly empty. We passed only a couple of occupied campsite and crossed paths with just two other canoe parties on the portages.
At 7:30pm, we finally slid into the beach at an empty Canoe lake where we promptly packed up, motivated by the relentless bugs – Officially closing the book on our Brent Run adventure.
