McIntosh Lake Loop

Submitted by admin on Thu, 10/29/2009 - 19:19
Canada›Ontario›Algonquin
Submitter & Author Information
Route submitted by: 
Admin
Trip Date : 
Route Author: 
Unknown
Additional Route Information
Distance: 
45 km
Duration: 
2 days
Loop Trip: 
Yes
Portage Information
No. of portages: 
10
Total Portage Distance: 
6445 m
Longest Portage: 
2320 m
Difficulty Ratings
River Travel: 
Novice
Lake Travel: 
Novice
Portaging: 
Difficult
Remoteness: 
Novice
Background Trip Info
Water Levels: 
Route Description
Technical Guide: 

Start at the Portage Store on Canoe Lake (Just off Hwy 60)
North on Canoe L
p295 into Joe L (can be shortened if you wade a little)
N on Tepee L
N on Fawn L
NE on Little Doe L
NW into Tom Thompson L
p2320 into Ink L
N on Ink L
N on Creek
N on McIntosh L (Great Campsites)
p665 W into Straight Shore L (all uphill)
W on Straight Shore L
p975 into Rosswood L
W on Rosswood L
p175 into Brule L (can shorten in high water to a p100)
S on Brule L
p725 on W along a gravel road
S on Potter L
p740 on W along a gravel road
S on Potter Creek
L/O various beaver dams
p95 and p65 can be run, waded or lined depending on water levels
p390 into NE arm of Canoe L
S on Canoe L to Finish

Trip Journal/Log/Report/Diary: 

Day 1
8 am on the water to beat the weekend rush. Good timing as the fall colors are at the peak - 3rd week of September 1999. Fought a tough headwind all morning and stopped for an early lunch at an island looking into Tom Thompson Lake. The moose that has made her home in the beaver pond is there again - never fails for us! Her calf is getting pretty big now (we saw the calf earlier this spring when it was very young). Push off the rocks to take pictures of the moose for a while and get going again after 12:30.
The 2320m portage is a stinker, good thing there are trees to rest the canoe in at two spots on the trail. This 75 lb canoe is a beast!!! Once into Ink L we marvel again at the color and wonder if it is just the tannins that have leached into the water or if there is more to it...
We take the 3rd campsite on the west shore of McIntosh L, one of our favorites as you can see the sunset and sunrise. Steak and potatoes for dinner - seems so much better on the fire.

Day 2
It got chilly last night and was only +2 this morning. The mist didn`t leave the lake until about 9:30 and we got some great pictures. It was really quiet as we paddled to the portage, not a ripple and the mist was thick. Another rough portage, it feels like a p1000 since it is all uphill...
We see a family at a nice campsite on Potter L with two very young kids - maybe 6 months and 3 years old. Water levels were a little low on Potter Creek (as usual - check with the ranger before you head out) but we only had to wade a few times. We waded both the p95 and p65 this time...
One beaver and lots of moose tracks today.
TONS of day trippers on Canoe Lake, makes you really glad you were so isolated on Potter Creek.

Maps Required
Other Maps: 
Algonquin Provincial Park map published by Friends of Algonquin Park
Other
Special Comments: 

This is one of our favorite Algonquin Trips for fall colors and moose (between Littledoe and Tom Thompson). But one of the best parts of this trip is the run down Potter Creek - you miss all of the traffic on the Hwy 401 of Algonquin

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