We have just returned from a 3-day trip to Opeongo Lake from July 12-14 2021.

A particular “thank you” to Colin and Ryan (I hope I got the names right)  who piloted our water taxis to and from the site on Bates Island.  They were exceptionally helpful and knowledgeable and helped to make the trip memorable.
The cheerfulness and positive attitudes of the store staff who provided service with a smile were so refreshing!
Malik will be returning in a week with another group but we wish to express our appreciation of your service. We will most definitely be making another trip to Opeongo and hope to see you soon.
Thank you.
Malik and Ghufran Sallay

- Opeongo Water Taxi

My great day turned into a great week, thanks for providing the transportation. “MY WEEK IN ALGONQUIN | Teaser video” on YouTube

 

- Jay Black – @jayblack792

A huge thank you to Algonquin Outfitters for outfitting our first backcountry trip, but for also giving me the summer of a lifetime. Thanks for the crazy times, friends that turned into family, and the experience. I couldn’t have asked for anything else this summer.
#findyourselfhere
#OPpartner
#ontarioparks
#healthyparkshealthypeople

- @stephkelly121

★★★★★ Aug 2018

This store is great. They have kayak and canoe rental, water taxi service and any of the last miniute provisions for your back country trip. For example, rope, chairs, water bottles, bags, trinkets, patches, walking sticks, sleeping bags, tents, tarps and much more. The staff is very friendly and willing to help. Some of the products are slightly marked up due to distance and convenience and you should expect that.

 

- Robert McLean – Lake Opeongo

- Water Taxi with 3y/o

Reviewed by Seasoned_traveller41 – Trip Advisor

12 Jul 2017 – 5 Stars

Awesome.
Canoeing in the far reaches of Opeongo Lake is something to experience. We were taken in fast water taxi from the Outfitters store for a journey of about 15 minutes. Then dropped off in complete isolation and we watched the taxi disappear. At that pint we were standing on a damp piece of ground that about 20 feet wide. But we had 3 canoes. We then canoed further into nowhere and back for about 3 hours. We saw beaver lodges, turtles and bullfrogs but no moose this time. Lots of bird life. And saw a Hummingbird Clearwing moth. Masses of colourful flowers. But its the peace and scale of the beautiful wilderness that I’ll remember. We were aged 13-52 with no real canoeing experience to speak of. The water has no real flow; certainly no white water or rapids. We had glorious weather with a bit of a head wind on the way out. Never felt unsafe. Our guide, Emily, was a pleasure; very knowledgeable and friendly. Thanks again Emily! Told us to clap hands in the woods when we went to the loo, in case of bears. Everyone held it! 🙂

- Awesome

Reviewed by lemieuxdavid – Trip Advisor

12 Jul 2017 – 5 Stars

Moose!
My eight year old daughter and I flew from Vancouver Island (where there are no moose) to Ottawa for a week of Canada Day festivities, with a three day trip to Algonquin Park in the middle with the specific goal of seeing moose, our favourite animal, which neither of us had ever seen aside from one that I’d seen briefly in Quebec when I was a child. As we were coming across the country, travelling light, we couldn’t camp, so rather than an overnight canoe trip, I did some research and determined a guided canoe day trip with Algonquin Outfitters was our best bet. Thankfully, on our way to meet our guide at the Opeongo Lake store at 6:45 AM, we saw a beautiful cow moose in a wooded marsh, and took some beautiful photos. The pressure was off! However, I can’t say enough wonderful things about our guided trip through the marshy creek at the end of Opeongo Lake. We went in to two canoes, with our guide Emily in one canoe with another guest, and my daughter and me in a second canoe (I’m very experienced). After a 20 minute ride across the lake in a water taxi (motor boat with canoes on top), we entered the marshy creek. We paddled for about 90 minutes, seeing no moose, but Emily pointed out turtles, hawks, and we saw countless active beaver lodges. On our way back to the meet-up point, we saw something far up creek, and we all thought it might be another large beaver lodge, until we saw it move, and up out of the marsh came a large set of antlers. We paddled like Olympians to get close, and we ended up viewing this huge bull moose from about 50 meters away for about five minutes. For my daughter and me, it was a dream come true to see a bull moose, in a marsh, eating lily pads, two days before Canada Day. Emily knew where the moose might be, and got us to that spot. It was perfect. It really could not have been a more perfect trip. If your time is limited, or you’re not an expert paddler, and if you want to put yourself in the best position to see moose, definitely do a guided day trip with Algonquin Outfitters. Emily helped create memories that will truly last a lifetime.

- Moose!

Reviewed by LarissaRoz – Trip Advisor

10 Aug 2017 – 5 Stars

Friendly faces on a lovely but challenging lake
The Opeongo water taxi literally saved our lives on the first day of our back country canoe trip on Lake Opeongo. We arrived to treacherous waters (whitecaps and a report of a capsized canoe) and decided to pay the $65 for the taxi to take the two of us (plus our dog) to our site. We had no idea how big the lake was! Our driver patiently took us all over the south arm of the lake, but we couldn’t find a vacant camp site despite having a reservation. She even more patiently provided first aid to my foot when I cut it while we stopped to pick up other passengers! She didn’t give up trying to find us a campsite after this pickup and finally found one for us to stay on en route back to the Outfitters. I just wished I remembered her name! Additionally, all other staff we encountered at the Outfitters were just as pleasant and efficient as she was. Thanks guys! Be mindful that the weather on this lake can change quickly & dramatically – know the sheer size of this lake and plan a back country trip that matches your abilities and time available. It may not be a bad idea to plan for an extra day on your Lake Opeongo back country route in case you have bad weather. Trust me, you don’t want to be canoeing on this lake if that happens! Weather withstanding, expect an amazing experience that you will always remember. And don’t forget to have a delicious (and generous!) scoop of Kawartha dairy ice cream from the Outfitters store when you return from your adventure!

- Friendly faces on a lovely but challenging lake

Reviewed by JeffG1234 – Trip Advisor

16 Aug 2017 – 5 Stars

Great outfitters
We rented two Swift Kevlar canoes for a 6 day trip. Good equipment and knowledgeable. Picked up some last minute/forgotten items in the store. Well recommended.

- Great outfitters

Reviewed by BrianKirkham – Trip Advisor

25 Sep 2017 – 5 Stars

My wife and I rented a deluxe outfitting package for a weekend on Opeongo Lake and the only disappointment we experienced was having to come back! The service was fantastic: We only needed to bring our personal belongings (clothes, binoculars, etc.) and Algonquin Outfitters provided the rest. The gear that they gave us was good quality, well-packed and ready for us when we arrived. The food they provided was organized into meals that were easy to prepare and clean up after. (This is incredibly helpful for backcountry newbies like us.) The staff (Candace, Colin) were friendly and helpful with answering our questions. We took a water taxi up to the North Arm and then paddled back over the next couple days, taking some scenic side trips to Hailstorm Creek and Marmot Lake. If you have never tried backcountry camping, I would strongly recommend using these outfitters! We will definitely be back. I have one other recommendation since some of the negative reviews here seem to be fixated on wind/weather/canoeing-with-toddlers, etc. There are some very short (<5 mins) and helpful how-to videos on youtube that teach canoeing basics such as a J-stroke. If you’ve never tried canoeing, check these out before you paddle! Canoeing is simple and fun, but it can be frustrating if you just push out onto the water (and into the wind) without knowing how to paddle. I know this because I’ve done it!
Admin – Be sure to check out our how to videos, Brian gave us a great tip and we’re going to look into producing more how to videos. 

- Amazing experience! – Lake Opeongo