Site Details
Closest Access Point: Opeongo Lake (Algonquin Park Access Point # 11)
Distance to Access Point: 18KM (4.5 hours)
Difficulty of Travel From Access Point: Easy/Medium (depending on if you use the water taxi to get up to the Red Rock portage)
Maintenance Level: Regular
Date Visited: August 2022
I’m a big fan of this site. It’s big and well laid out. It’s on a point in the center of Red Rock and somehow offers great views and a nice sense of privacy at the same time. I stopped here for lunch on my way through, but I would 100% come back and spend a night or two.
Terrain: The site sits at the tip of a small point in the middle of the lake. It’s relatively flat. There’s a small step up from the lake to the site proper, but after that not much change in elevation (although the thunderbox is up a short hill). The site is enclosed on all sides by forest, including some decent tree cover along the shoreline.
Canoe Landing: The best canoe landing is facing west, just around the point. There’s a nice sandy bottom, although there are a few rocks and other underwater obstacles to keep an eye out for. Loading and unloading may require a bit of balance, but for the most part it’s a good spot. (There’s a second spot on the south face that looks like a canoe landing, keep paddling).
Fire Pit: I really liked the fire pit layout of this one. The pit is towards the back of the site proper. It’s well built, and there are plenty of well built benches around it. The only slight knock is that it’s so far from the water (I love having my fire pit near the water), but you still have an okay view south.
Tent Sites: This is a big site and you could fit a large group on it. I counted three or four decent spots for tents. The ground was level and the sites were reasonably separate.
Swimmability: I like the swimming options here. There are quite a few spots to slip in, including some nicely laid out rocks right at the tip of the point. The canoe landing area is also a decent place to wade in and out.
Thunderbox: Up a short path behind the site. This is pretty much the only change in elevation on the site, and it’s not too much of a rise. The box itself is in good shape.
Accessories: This site is bench Nirvana. There are a couple of very good bench setups here, including a lakeside sorta-semi-circle that helped win this site the Best Moment category in the 2022 Moosie Awards.
Views: The site has semi-obstructed views south and mostly obstructed views every where else. Trees grow along the shoreline between the west shore and the site and are intermittent along the southern shore. Despite this, the site doesn’t feel as enclosed as some others that are hemmed in by trees would because the site area is so big.
Notes: I’m a big fan of this site. I would happily stay here for a day or two some time. Red Rock seems like a cool lake to visit as well. The cliffs across from the site are very pretty and I bet it would be a great view from up top.
Related Trip Report: Opengo Base Camp