198 
FOREST AND STREAM 
Feb. 15, 1913 
jnid so many, indeed, that one conld devote 
many pages to description of each. If, how¬ 
ever, the new arrival does not intend making 
one of the permanent inns his headquarters, I 
would suggest that he and his party outfit and 
strike off on the northern route. great many 
people go up to Algonquin Park, but aside of 
those who simply stay at the two hotels, very 
few get further into the interior than Smoke 
Lake to the south, or Island Lake in the north. 
If you will take my advice—and it is well meant 
—you will plan your trip for at least ten days 
or two weeks and hike away beyond Island 
Lake, through the Otter Slides, Red Pine and 
Burnt, to Cedar Lake and even further. Drop 
into Lake Lemeure, en route, for a day or 
two, and go after salmon trout; you will get 
them here aplenty—big fellows, full of fight, 
and you will, at the same time, find unsur¬ 
passed camping spots where the view is grandly 
virgin, and where there is nothing but the wild 
things of this vast wilderness to be seen. 
Overhead, perhaps, a lone seagull soars on out¬ 
stretched pinions, while away yonder at the far 
end of the lake a pair of parent loons send 
forth their wild laughter. Probably, when all 
is still and you are comfortably reclining in the 
canoe, your trolling outfit cleaving a golden 
thread astern, your guide will suddenly bring 
to notice a deer, perhaps two or a little herd, 
somewhere along the shore line. Then, just 
when the excitement of paddling up on these 
is over, you have a vicious tug and the fight is 
on with a lusty salmon to a finish. Can you 
ask anything better than such a life for your 
all-too-short vacation? 
Then, after a visit to the lumber supply sta¬ 
tion on Burnt Lake, if your provision bags are 
getting light, you point north and east again 
and steadily push onward toward the northern 
edge of the preserve. Each lake you enter 
possesses a charm all its own, each has its in¬ 
dividual shores and attractions—each time you 
will exclaim in admiration and never will the 
days seem long or the trip grow uninteresting. 
When you weary of trolling for the lake 
and red trout, the speckled beauties lose their 
power to draw you from your bed at dawn, 
then you can try out a new stunt, perhaps, 
that of live-game photography. Nowhere on 
the continent can this ever-fascinating game of 
kodak-shooting be essayed with such oppor¬ 
tunities for success. The whole preserve is full 
of deer and other furred animals. If you are 
wise you will include in your dunnage, when 
leaving civilization, some flashlight sheets and 
a reflecting outfit for night use. After dark 
on any of the lakes you traverse you can, on 
a quiet night, paddle along the shore line and 
have your chance at flashing a dozen different 
species of the wild animal life here found. 
You sit in the bow of the canoe, your flash¬ 
light outfit rigged before you, your kodak set, 
and silently as the shadows your guide drives 
the little craft through the deathly silence. 
Overhead the heavens seem drawn up and 
pinned by the stars, while out in the deeper 
water the silver moonlight gleams. Far ahead 
you hear a rustling and crackling of twigs, and 
your nerves jump several scales up in tension. 
Quietly, oh so quietly, you slip through the 
water—then your guide throws the jack on per¬ 
haps a lone buck, perhaps several deer to¬ 
gether, and you pull the trigger of the flash¬ 
light and it is all over. Far away a loon flings 
forth its weird night cry—so lonesome and 
ghostly that shivers run up your back—while 
a whip-poor-will warbles on the opposite shore. 
“By jove,’’ you exclaim, as a whopping trout 
jumps close to the bow of the canoe, and then, 
when the bottom grounds at the little camping 
spot, you feel at liberty to light up your pipe 
and ponder over the nights' experience. 
But—even though you do not care to 
bother with the necessary requisites for night 
photography—you can have unlimited “shots,” 
at deer in particular, during the daylight. I 
have counted, in two hours' paddle from the 
Hotel Algonquin. Joe Lake, on a Sunday after¬ 
noon, perhaps seven miles in all, fifteen deer 
and a black bear. On the northern route as 
many as forty deer have been started along 
the lakes and streams in two days’ going. 
Forcupines are a daily sight and a nightly 
nuisance, fox are nightly prowlers around one’s 
camp when there are fish to tempt them. Often, 
in the northern portions, one hears the long- 
drawn howl of the wolf pack as they trail over 
the mountains in search of their kill, while much 
interesting and instructive beaver lore may be 
had by quiet and patient watch at one of the 
beaver dams on dozens of the little streams. 
Animal life and game photography! Well, 
certainly I have never as yet found that sec¬ 
tion where it can be better located than in this 
Hinterland. 
In a trip over this northern section lasting 
from ten days to two weeks, a party can visit 
anywhere from twenty to forty lakes and 
streams, depending on the amount of time de¬ 
voted during the cruise to fishing and loitering 
at camps, and the outfit carried along. As al¬ 
ready stated, these waters are unsurpassed for 
the canoe cruiser, and the situation of being 
wind-bound anywhere is practically unknown. 
Leaving out Smoke Lake, south of the rail¬ 
way, and' Island and White Trout lakes, on the 
northern route, the winds never kick up suf¬ 
ficient sea to cause any anxiety, although one 
can make the best of use of his knowledge of 
handling these craft. 
One of Ihe great beauties of this virgin sum- 
merland is that the'fair sex can safely be taken 
along. A great many bring their wives to the 
Algonquin National Park and lca\-c them at 
either the Hotel Algonquin at Joe Lake or the 
Highland Inn at Cache Lake, and go into 
the interior themselves. However, more and 
more are they taking their ladies along with 
them, and personally I know of no better health 
and pleasure-giving vacation for the mesdames 
than two weeks in the heart of the preserve. 
If there is any red blood in them—and general¬ 
ly they have just about as much as the average 
male—they will enjoy every minute quite as 
much as their lords and masters. 
In conclusion I desire to state that nowhere 
on the Continent, between the Atlantic and the 
Pacific, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Height 
of Land, do I know of a playground offering 
attractions in their purely natural states as in 
the great Hinterland, with ease of access, virgin 
fishing and all the other genuine inducements, 
surpassing this grand territory officially known 
as the Algonquin National Forest and Game 
Preserve. 
Some Routes Outlined: 
No. I ROUTE, which probably offers the best 
there is in the shape of an extended cruise 
over good going, grand scenery and the best 
of fishing, may be outlined as follows: 
Putting in at Joe Lake Station (where there 
is a fine inn and well-stocked outfitting store, 
operated by L. E. Merrell), passing north and 
east through Joe and Baby Joe lakes, down a 
creek into Little Island and Big Island lakes; 
thence over a portage of some 400 yards into 
Little Otter Slide Lake, connecting with Big 
Otter Slide, thence a short portage into the 
Petewawa River, which winds in short and long 
sweeps to White Trout I-ake; north straight 
across this lake and a short portage of about 
200 yards into Longer Lake and down a short 
narrows with a little rapid into Red Pine Lake. 
Here go east over a portage of 120 yards into 
Lemeure for a fishing side-trip; returning, pass 
on north into Burnt Lake (where a lumber 
camp supply store enables the refilling of pro¬ 
vision supplies). On straight north through 
the Cedar and Catfish lakes right to the north 
edge of the park on the Amable du Fond 
waters. Return as far as White Trout Lake, 
thence cutting a little east down through the 
big Opeongo Lake waters, which will bring one 
out at Rock Lake Station, some twenty miles 
each of where the start was made. This is 
one grand cruise for a three-week outing. Fish¬ 
ing is essentially lake, salmon and speckled 
trout; going excellent, portages well marked 
and open. 
No. 2 ROUTE strikes south from Joe Lake, 
passing through Canoe Lake, thence into Smoke 
Lake (where the G. T. R. System are this sea¬ 
son operating a most comfortable log-cabin 
camp). The route continues southward through 
this big lake over a short but steep portage 
into Ragged Lake, from which you can either 
go over into Big Bear Lake or on into Crown 
Lake over a long but open portage of over a 
mile. Crown Lake is noted as one of the lakes 
of the Highlands for big speckled trout, and 
good sport is assured during the entire summer 
season. Big Bear Lake is also excellent trout 
water; the camping sites are everywhere all 
along the route—the party could, if desired, stop 
over one night at the G. T. R. Camp-Inn at 
Smoke Lake. Distance each way about twenty- 
two miles. Trip can be cruised in four days, 
but would recommend allowing at least ten 
days. 
Route No. 3. — From Joe Lake north 
through Buck, Fawn into Doe. Especially good 
for May and early summer fishing for lake 
and salmon trout (illustration shown herein is 
a salmon trout from Doe Lake that was caught 
late in May, weighed 17'^ pounds). Continuing 
from Doe Lake into Little Bear Lake and out 
by way of McIntosh Lake down to Canoe 
Lake station, or eastw^ard out by way of Island 
Lake and back to Joe Lake Station. Excellent 
fishing; good going. Time required from two 
days to a week. 
Route No. 4.—From Cache Lake (where 
there is also excellent inn and outfitting store; 
through Cache, Cranberry and White lakes out 
through .Source. Hilliard and connected lakes 
into the Madaw^aska River, wdiich can be fol¬ 
lowed for miles. Excellent speckled and gray 
trout waters, also small-mouth black bass in 
Continued on page 218. 
