Mizzy Lake Trail

This is the trail where you can see the most wildlife in Algonquin park. You’ll wind through 11km of lakes, marshes and forests. My daughter and I saw massive turtles, were followed by otters who mocked us, and even stood 2 feet away from a moose who crossed our path when she realized her foal was on the other side. The pic at the top of this page is of my daughter resting shortly after we found the remains of a grey jay (now officially called a Canada jay) that was likely eaten by a pine marten.

Track and Tower Trail

This 7.5km trail is very close to where we liked to camp in Cannisbay Lake. It’s stunningly beautiful and rugged trail that climbs to a spectacular lookout over Cache Lake (the location of the historical Highland Inn).

Spruce Bog Boardwalk

While this is a short trail (1.5km), it has a beautiful boardwalk that takes you across a spruce bog that looks both beautiful and eerie (very dark water).

Hemlock Bluff Trail

This 3.5km trail winds around Jack Lake and has plenty of elevation changes (including stairs in certain sections). The pines and hemlock trees along most of this trail are incredibly gorgeous, as is Jack Lake.

Bat Lake Trail

This trail stays pretty close to Bat Lake and the surrounding marshes, so you’ll get great exposure to some interesting wildlife as you walk around the area and on the boardwalks. At 5.8km, it’s a decent hike too.

Hardwood Lookout Trail

While this trail is only a few kilometers long, you’re climbing difficult rocky terrain through a hardwood forest. But it’s quite rewarding with its view of Smoke Lake and there’s a tall stone monument to Douglas McDonald Hains (a famous conservationist).

Centennial Ridges Trail

This 10.4km trail is tough and traverses two high ridges, but the views are spectacular. You can see large swathes of the surrounding park and appreciate how large Algonquin really is.

Lookout Trail

This trail is fairly short (2.1km) but challenging as you hike up to the top of a lookout. I actually have a picture of my daughter seated at the plateau at the top of the lookout, balancing her hiking stick on her head with Algonquin stretching away in the background.