Trailhead for the McIntyre clearing (where it branches off from the road)
Campsite on Buck Lake
Buck Lake; small but scenic
A bit hard to see but there were hundred of dew-covered spider webs in the grass
Oh my!
Packed up and ready to go
Yeah, this photo right here perfectly sums up why I go camping
Small creek on the east shore of Basin Lake
I can't help it - if I see a creek, I must explore it - even when I know it probably ends very soon
Moon over Basin Lake
Not many 'backcountry' campsites come with a parking spot!
My tour of Basin Lake Road
I continued up the road and my first stop was the trailhead for the High Falls Trail. I debated it, but knowing it would take a good chunk of my day (It’s a bit of a long one) I decided I would save that for another time. Continuing along, I stopped at the freshwater spring. Marked it on the GPS, snapped a few pics and moved on. As I reached Foys Lake road, I pulled over and got out to check it out. Seemed decent but at 4.5km, this was another trail that would take most of my day, so once again I saved it for another time and moved on. in the boat and time to move on.
Guaranteed this desk has a bunch of stories to tell
But not before taking a moment to appreciate this wonderful depiction of a Basin Lake Pike
Day 3: Basin to Buck + McIntyre clearing trail
Awake at 6:15am and I was surprised to see the lake covered in a very thick fog – and the moon was still out! By 7am the fog had started to lift and oh wow – I was in for another beautiful day.
The McIntyre clearing (Looking south)
Then suddenly, it wasn't a foggy morning anymore - you know what that means!
Time for a paddle
When you're a tiny blue dot in a giant sea of green
The 'campsite' at the hydro line
With my coffee finished, it was time to head back to camp and pack up. I debated staying another day, but after thoroughly exploring Basin Lake yesterday, there wasn’t much left to see and there was more to explore elsewhere. I was completely packed up and back at the car by 11am. The plan was to spend the day exploring Basin Depot road – beginning, of course, with the oldest standing building in Algonquin Park.
I spent the afternoon relaxing by the water with my shoes off and enjoying the peace & quiet. I didn’t bother to take the canoe off the car, or put up a tarp – the latter decision I will later regret. Evening came and I made a mountain house pasta primavera for dinner. As it was rehydrating, I collected a bunch of firewood – I wanted to have a nice fire for my final night. Unfortunately, just as I finished cleaning up, it started to spit, then it started to rain, then it started to POUR. It was dark so I didn’t notice the clouds coming in. I had a decision to make – run for the tent or run for the car. It was only 7:30pm and I didn’t feel like hiding in a tent. So, screw it – I jumped in the car and listened to tunes while it rained. I thought it was funny to see a little blue dot in the middle of nowhere on my car’s navigation screen. The rain didn’t stop and after a couple of hours sitting in the car, I was ready for bed. I made a quick dash to the tent and promptly passed out.
'Trail' to the McIntyre clearing
tr 102: Basin & Buck
Turn off for Foys Lake
When I arrived at the hydro line, I was greeted by the most basic of basic campsites and was left wondering why anyone would ever choose to stay here. It was a pile of rocks disguised as a fire pit and that’s it. I parked at the trailhead for the McIntyre clearing trail and made my way down. The trail was easy to follow, but without some maintenance I could see it disappearing within a few years. Not much to see other than a clearing. No relics, no visible foundations. But a beautiful view none the less.
Back at the car and off to Buck Lake. Normally, I wouldn’t camp right next to a road but given that it was a Thursday and no logging activity was scheduled, I decided to cross this one off the list. Buck has a decent campsite and the water is surprisingly clear.
The McIntyre clearing (Looking west)
I couldn’t just stand there – I had to go for a morning paddle. I made a cup of coffee to take with me and I was on the water by 7:20am. This morning paddle will stick out in my mind for a long, long time. I can’t quite put my finger on it as to why, I’ve had plenty of beautiful mornings in Algonquin before – but this one really felt special. The sun was blasting and there was plenty of dew covering the grass. I found one section of grass that had hundreds of spider webs strung up between the blades – the way the sun was hitting the dew-covered webs just added to the experience.
As does this photo
This red squirrel was not impressed with me being on the island
TOURduPARK
Leaving Basin and headed to Buck
A very foggy morning
Freshwater spring approx halfway up Basin Depot Road
The oldest standing structure in Algonquin Park, built in 1892 (Click here to see & learn more)