Algonquin Outfitters
Planning your Next Trip & A Look Ahead
This past weekend I did a 3 part series on how to pre-plan your next trip into Algonquin Park on my site www.algonquinblog.com. These tips are helpful whether you are camping along the Hwy 60 Corridor or going on a canoe trip. Pre-planning is, to me, an important part of trip planning. The reason for this is it allows you to get an idea of where you may want to go, when you want to go, and what gear you may need to purchase, rent or replace. The where and when are important because a) if you plan on going on a long weekend or during peak season in the park you need to reserve early, and b) each campground offers a different experience even though they are within the same park.
The first thing I do is typically done at the end of the season and that is to take an inventory of your gear/equipment. This allows you to make sure you know what needs repaired/replaced. Next you need to figure out what you want in a campsite. Do you want privacy? Waterfront access? Close to the washrooms? Space for a trailer? For me it’s simple. I want access to water if I can so that I can canoe, I also want to make sure that I can have a little bit of privacy. Site size is never a problem for me as I always tent camp but I do need to make sure I have room for my truck. The next step is choosing your date. As I mentioned in my post (http://www.algonquinblog.com/2013/01/26/pre-planning-pt-1/) and (http://www.algonquinblog.com/2013/01/26/pre-planning-pt-2/) I’m looking at Mother’s Day weekend which limits the choices I have for campgrounds. When you know your dates, use www.ontarioparks.com to see what sites are available and if they meet your initial criteria. If your dates are available and you wish to book your site now you can. Be warned that Ontario Parks only has up to June 29th available right now.
So what if you don’t want to camp in a campground but you want to go on a canoe trip instead? Well you can pre-plan that too. In fact I highly recommend that you do pre-plan because it will make it easier closer to the time. For this you need a map because you can’t access canoe routes on the Ontario Parks website. For this I recommend www.algonquinmap.com because not only are you able to view the map online but you are also able to download it to your computer. To see more about pre-planning your canoe trip check out my post http://www.algonquinblog.com/2013/01/27/pre-planning-pt-3/. I walk you through step by step via video.
What’s next for www.algonquinblog.com? Well first off…we are going to be going to the Sportsman Show in Toronto. We will take a look at the phenomenon that is Standup Paddleboarding. We’ll also ask the exhibitors what the trends are for 2013. We’ll also be going to the Outdoor Adventure Show at the end of February. A cool thing that is coming up is the Winter Festival in Algonquin on February 16th. We’ll be there along with Algonquin Outfitters taking videos and photos of the events…although I’m not sure about the snowshoeing thing. As well this year I’ll be doing quite a few trips to the park. I’ll be exploring more of the past of Algonquin Park, going on fun day trips, and bringing you all with me thanks to my GoPro camera. So keep checking the site for new posts, crazy adventures, and more fun surprises!
~Enjoy your trip
Jenn Kerr
Guest Blogger
www.algonquinblog.com
Twitter: @jenn_kerr @algonquin_blog
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