Algonquin Park

How big is Algonquin Park?

Algonquin Park is a huge expanse of wilderness. Covering 7,725 square kilometres (2,983 square miles, 765,345 ha) of rugged Canadian Shield country, the park is home to an abundant wildlife population, including moose, wolves and black bears. While many Algonquin visitors see moose, the latter two creatures are less common sights.

During late August and into the fall, people who try howling for wolves are often rewarded with a mournful response from a nearby pack. Smaller mammals like otters, fox, chipmunks, squirrels and raccoons are common sights. Over 250 bird species have been recorded in Algonquin Park and everyone’s favourite wilderness bird, the common loon, is found nesting on most lakes.

A canoe tripper could spend a lifetime exploring Algonquin Park! Over 1,500 km of canoe routes follow lakes, streams and portage trails through the vast forested interior. Campsites and portages are marked and maintained. Fly-ins are prohibited. Motorboats are restricted to a few lakes and road access into the park is limited to the Hwy. 60 “corridor” and a few peripheral access points. As a result, most of Algonquin Park is only accessible by canoe or on foot, using backpacking and day-hiking trails. In the winter, the park is also open to travel by ski and snowshoe.

If Algonquin Provincial Park was a country, it would be bigger than 152 nations around the world!

Algonquin Park is about:

• 1/80th the size of  France
• 1/64th the size of  Spain
• 1/57th the size of  Sweden
• 1/48th the size of  Japan
• 1/45th the size of  Germany
• 1/41st the size of  Norway
• 1/38th the size of  Italy
• 1/34th the size of  New Zealand
• 1/31st the size of  United Kingdom
• 1/17th the size of  Greece
• 1/12th the size of  Portugal
• 1/11th the size of  Austria
• 1/9th the size of  Ireland
• 1/6th the size of  Denmark
• 1/5th the size of  Netherlands or Switzerland
• 1/3rd the size of  Israel
• …. and just a little smaller than Jamaica, Lebanon, & Puerto Rico