Length of stay: 3 days
Visited: March 2026
Out of all the provincial parks in Ontario, we’ve been to Algonquin the most. It was the first provincial park created and it’s one of the largest in the province. We used to go backcountry camping there every summer by canoe. But now that we have a toddler, we’ve traded in our tent for a roofed accommodation. And instead of visiting in the summer, we’ve been taking advantage of the quieter offseason when it’s less busy and buggy.
Day 1: Spruce Bog Boardwalk
It was finally starting to look and feel like spring. Except not so much in Algonquin. While most of our snow back home had finally melted, there was still a decent base layer in much of the park. We arrived at the Mew Lake Campground just before 3pm and made a beeline for our cabin. Technically we’re not supposed to check in until 4pm, but the cabin was open and had already been cleaned, so we figured it was fine. After unpacking the car and eating a snack, we went for a short hike to stretch our legs.
The Spruce Bog Boardwalk (1.5km loop, rated easy) is one of the shortest and easiest trails in Algonquin. And it’s one of our favourites. It was perfect for our little one who wanted to hike on her own. The path was wide and well travelled. It was a bit slick in places, but thankfully it was flat so we could just slide and shimmy around.
Despite the sun, the wind was relentless, stealing what little warmth was provided. By the time we wrapped up it was time to get started on dinner so we headed back to the campground. It lightly snowed throughout the evening, but we stayed warm and dry inside the cabin.
Day 2: Bat Lake and Logging
It was much warmer the next morning and the sun was shining. It was supposed to go up to a high of 10°C this afternoon. So after eating breakfast, we went for a longer hike before the trails warmed up and became a slushy sloppy mess.
Bat Lake (5.6km loop, moderate) is conveniently located right around the corner from the Mew Lake Campground. The trail winds through a variety of forests, including a dense cedar grove and hemlock stand, features a lookout of the surrounding area and two viewpoints of Bat Lake, a naturally acidic lake.
Toddler M walked for the first kilometre, which was relatively flat. But then the uphills began so we pulled her along in her little red sled. We’re sure glad we had our microspikes. We got into a pretty good rhythm with the sled and dealing with the ups and downs. But the sharp twists and turns, especially around trees, were a bit tricky. The dense forest opened up into a valley where the trees were spaced out, allowing more sunlight to pour through. The snow was warming up quickly.
Our favourite part about this hike in the winter is that the trail passes an impressive frozen waterfall.
We made our way up a ridge where the overlook is located. And what comes up must come down. We then passed through a bog and checked out the two lookouts of Bat Lake. From there it was still another kilometre and a half to get back to the parking lot. But at least it’s mostly flat.
We returned to the cabin for lunch followed by a nap for M. But after 30 minutes of trying to get her down, we went with plan B, a drive. We headed towards the East Gate and passed through a few of the small towns before turning around at Barry’s Bay. On the drive back through the park, we stopped at the Algonquin Logging Museum.
The outdoor museum features a 1.3km loop that passes by a series of interpretive panels and old logging buildings and equipment that explain more about the logging in Algonquin and how it’s changed over time with muscle being replaced with machinery. Algonquin is the only provincial park in Ontario where commercial logging is still permitted in two-thirds of the park.
While there are a few indoor exhibits, which were closed during the winter, the majority of the logging museum is outside and is open year-round. The path is wide and the snow was borderline slushy, but it wasn’t too bad. I guess M enjoyed being pulled around on her sled earlier so she decided to give her bunny a ride this time.
Day 3: Back Where We Started
It was supposed to be another warm and sunny day. The road through the campground was already quite slushy when I woke up this morning and it would only get worse as things warmed up. I took the long way to the comfort station to enjoy the sunrise. It also gave me an opportunity to see more of the campground. It was noticeably quieter this morning as many of the weekend visitors had already left the day before.
Check out time is at 10am so that’s when we planned to leave. We decided to end things similar to how we started our visit with a hike along the Spruce Bog Boardwalk. This way M could stretch her little legs before the drive back home too. To shake things up, we hiked the trail in the opposite direction for a change of perspective.
It was already 8°C by the time we set out. We wouldn’t need our hats or mittens. The trail typically takes us 15-20 minutes to hike. But with our little one, it ended up taking just under an hour. It was nice to take things slow and just enjoy the day though.
Once we wrapped up our hike we started the long and uneventful drive home.
L
I loved this post. The moments: (1) the second I read babyM’s red sleigh I was looking for it to be the next photo (thankfully it came later in the post) — as cute as I imagine it would be. (2) frozen waterfall —speechless. (3) the family photo —beautiful. (4) spring forgot to notify Algonquin it was her season, or ol’ man winter just bullied his way past his seasonal date. Lovely post!!! Thanks for sharing Linda!!!
It sounds like Toddler M is getting a real feel for the forest and hiking. So nice that she wanted to hike with Mom and Dad, but always good to have the red sled ready. Winter in the forest in the off season is a real gift and Algonquin looks like the perfect place to go. Nice to get up close and personal with the frozen waterfall too. We used to take our boys along the floor of Maligne Canyon in Jasper to the frozen water fall there. Thanks for sharing Linda and have a great Sunday. ALlan
What a great family weekend. The frozen waterfall is very pretty. Love the shot of the three of you. M is not longer a baby, but a little girl! Maggie
Loved this. The mix of winter stubbornness and family moments made it such a sweet read.
Such a beautiful park! I am familiar with the name but have never been there. Yay for no bugs! Skeeters and deer flies have no mercy do they. That’s a beautiful family portrait, you must frame it! God bless your beautiful family. 🙏🏻😊🇨🇦
The trail looks really nice especially with the frozen waterfall. I can already see that your little one will be following your footsteps of being outdoor and hiking. She already has a lot of hiking experience.
What a wonderful family trip. I love how you embraced the slower pace and made special memories together. Love the photos, especially the last one, seeing your wonderful smiles… Those simple adventures often become the ones we treasure most. 😊 God Bless you all and keep you safe in His warm and loving embrace…
Another very nice park that we have visited only in the summer so it is good to see images of it in the winter. I agree that it would be less buggy…(Suzanne)
Your little girl is doing very well with her walking now, managing 1km along the trail. The frozen waterfall looked spectacular and it was sweet to read that M’s bunny got a ridge on the sledge.
I love the frozen waterfall and the sunrise photos. Sounds like a great trip. Adorable family photo!
Even more than an hour of hike for supposedly just 20 minutes of hike is worth it with M. That would be so enjoyable with her reactions and little conversations.
I looked at the photos last night, and the family photo made me smile. Very cute M. And I managed to read it this morning.
The cabin looks great, too and the sunrise is spectacular!
All beautiful, as always. The frozen waterfall is amazing.
I can’t believe how fast M is growing, she’s a toddler already!! These posts are such a joy to read, they’re so refreshing. What lovely hikes. The frozen waterfall was impressive. And your family is beautiful, absolutely love all the smiles! 🥰🥰🥰
a frozen waterfall!?!? As an Australian this sort of thing blows my mind!! great post! Linda 🙂
Such fun family memories to make! It is funny how much longer everything takes with a toddler, but it’s good for us to slow down. The frozen waterfall would be my favorite too.
There is so much to see and do in Algonquin and I do think it’s time for a return trip for us. We haven’t been back since pre-pandemic. I can imagine experiencing this park in the winter – the frozen waterfall makes it sound so appealing!
Hope you had a nice weekend and look forward to catching up next Monday!
Stunning scenery, particularly the frozen waterfall. Love the family photo, little M is darling!
How cool that it was the first park created. I can see why it is such a family favorite and that you get to experience it in different seasons and chapters of your life. Beautiful trails and a logging museum- I would definitely want to check that out
The weather looks so nice! But the photos of the frozen waterfall particularly caught my attention since it’s something we don’t have here in my part of the world. Little M giving her bunny a ride is cute!