Closest Access Point: Canoe Lake (Access Point #5)
Distance To Access Point: 11.5 KM (2.5 – 3 hours)
Difficulty of Travel From Access Point: Easy
Maintenance Level: Regular
Date of Visit: July, 2021
I’ll start by saying that the site locations on Jeff’s Map and the Park Map for this bay are a bit off. There also seem to be some extra sites on the Jeff’s Map version that I couldn’t find. In consultation with Barry over at Algonquin Adventures we’ve tried to match the number sites to what we see on the Park’s official map. That said, there are four useable sites in this bay, and this is certainly one of them! Of the four, it would be my third choice. It’s relatively small and doesn’t have much going for it.
Terrain: This is a flat site. Ground cover is mostly pine needles and some tufts of grass. There aren’t too many tripping hazards, just a few rocks here and there. The site proper is dominated by the fire pit area, which we’ll get to in a minute.
Canoe Landing: Good landing area. The shoreline is a mix of mud, root and rock and makes for an easy spot to pull up. There are a couple of larger rocks that slope into the water that provide decent footing for getting in and out. There were a couple of downed logs under the water on the approach, but they didn’t amount to significant obstacles.
Fire Pit: The fire pit is the site’s main attraction. It’s front and center and has a nice view out to the lake. It’s well built with a decent rock wall that would provide protection against an onshore wind.
Swimability: Certainly swimmable. you can wade in and out pretty easily from the shoreline. However, that shoreline is pretty mucky and there are more than a few lily pads hanging out in the area. Underwater terrain is mostly mud and debris, so water shoes are a good idea.
Tent Sites: Two good sites back into the woods a bit. Both are level and would suit a medium to large sized tent. There’s a third site in between the two that would be useable, but not quite as level.
Thunderbox: Not too far back from the rest of the site, you’ll have to decide if that’s a good or bad thing. It looks like it’s been there for a while. Given how busy Little Doe is, that could make for an interesting situation towards the end of the summer. There’s also a weird cross bar suspended above the box, in case you like to do some chin ups while you’re doing your business I guess?
Accessories: Well, there’s the thunderbox chin up bar, of course, but there’s also a couple of other useful things. The fire pit is surrounded by a pretty solid semi circle of log benches. They look like they might have been recently placed, so they should be around for a while. There was also a ramshackle counter strapped between two trees that was basically just a bunch of grills lashed to two logs.
Views: Nice view up the bay and towards the north end of Little Doe. There’s some tree coverage along the shoreline, but not enough really obstruct things.
Notes: This site is fine. It’s certainly serviceable and I bet it will be free if you’re visiting Little Doe on a busy weekend and have arrived late to the party. Otherwise, I’d probably keep looking.
Related Trip Report: Tom Thomson Lake
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