Algonquin Park
From Freepedia
Algonquin Provincial Park is a Provincial Park in central Ontario, Canada.
Algonquin Park is the fourth largest park in Ontario, covering about 7,725 square kilometres. Its size, combined with its relative proximity to the major urban centres of Toronto and Ottawa make it one of the most popular parks in the province. Highway 60 runs through the south of the park, while the Trans-Canada Highway bypasses it to the north. Over 1500 lakes and 1200 kilometres of streams and rivers are located within the park, including Canoe Lake and the Petawawa and Nipissing Rivers. These were formed by the retreat of the glaciers during the last ice age. The park covers both the deciduous forests of southern Ontario and the coniferous forests of the Canadian Shield in northern Ontario. It contains thousands of species of plants and animals, including moose, beaver, black bear, lake trout, maple, and spruce, and is an important site for wildlife research. The park also provides protected habitat for the Eastern Wolf.
In the 19th century, the logging industry began harvesting the large White Pine trees in the area for shipbuilding. To preserve the land as a wildlife sanctuary, the province of Ontario designated it a Provincial Park in 1893. It quickly became popular with fishermen and hunters, as well as artists such as Tom Thomson and the members of the Group of Seven, who found the landscape inspiring. Thomson served as a guide in the park and died there in 1917. Up until 1994, the main line of the Canadian National Railway passed through the northern part of the park.
Today Algonquin Park is a popular year-round outdoor activity area. There are designated campgrounds along the edges of the park, especially on Highway 60, but it is possible to camp further inside the park as well, in sites accesible only by canoe or on foot. Other activities include fishing, hang-gliding, snowmobiling and cross country skiing. Yurt camping is available in the park.
The park contains and protects the headwaters of the rivers:
- Madawaska River
- Muskoka River
- Magnetawan River
- Amable du Fond River
- Petawawa River
- Bonnechere River
- York River
See also
External links
- The Ontario Parks Algonquin web site
- The Friends of Algonquin web site
- A web site listing services and activities available in and around the park
- Algonquin Park Eco-Lodge - guided wilderness canoe safaris focusing on moose and wolf ecology
- Algonquin Eco-Lodge - a unique wilderness lodge on the southern tip of Algonquin
