Scorch Lake Loop
Total Distance: 28 km (shuttle required if doing the York River section)
Duration: 3 days
Number of Portages: 9
Total Portage Distance: 5600 m
Level of Difficulty: Experienced Novice (3 portages over 1000m, and portages only partially maintained along York River section)
Map provided courtesy of Toporama which contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. I have marked my route in blue and portages in red.
As a high school teacher, the last Friday in June is a special day -- especially for a canoe tripper. It is the first time in the year that trips longer than a weekend can occur. So despite heading out at the height of bug season, I gladly packed and headed on up to the very southern tip of Algonquin Park to paddle into Scorch Lake, excited about a 4-day trip.
Day 1 - Kingscote Lake
With my canoe firmly strapped to the roof of my car, I departed campus with an extra spring in my step. I headed north toward Algonquin and stopped in at Pine Grove Point to pick up my permit just outside the park boundaries. I was going in solo this time as most people had already made plans for the long weekend and I put this trip together only a short time earlier. I was supposed to drive my daughter to a soccer tournament, but it got cancelled. By the time I reached Kingscote Lake and put in, it was already getting late.
I paddled north on Kingscote, wishing I had more time to troll for the famous sub-species of lake trout that are unique to the lake. I passed a campsite on the eastern headland at the midpoint of the lake and tried to ignore the whooping and music of the young kids partying it up for Canada day. I heard one young lady, upon spotting me, exclaim incredulously, "Is that guy all by himself?!"
I had planned to spend the first night on one of the sites on the eastern shore at the north end of Kingscote, but was dismayed to find them all occupied -- it was the Friday of a long weekend, after all. Circumnavigating the north shore, I couldn't find an empty site. Dusk was upon me and I was getting concerned, so I double-timed it back the way I came. Staying close to the western shore this time, I found an empty site with a downed tree in front of it that was hiding the campsite sign. It was damp, dark, and, boy, was it buggy. We had had a late spring with a lot of rain, making it ripe for mosquitoes. To make matters worse, the black flies still seemed to be hanging around. I quickly pitched my tent, made a fire, cooked my steak, and called it a night.
Day 2 - Kingscote Lake to Scorch Lake
I got an early start, wanting to get the 1500 meter portage into Big Rock lake behind me. The weather was pleasant, warm and the humidity of the day had not built up at that time. About 200 meters down the trail, after rounding a bend and coming up over a rise, I almost stepped on the fellow you see pictured here. He hissed and I jumped about 3 feet backward in surprise!
The portage was long, wet, and undulating. I was very thankful that I was wearing my hiking boots. It descended into a swampy area that was quite muddy but wasn't too bad during the last half. I was happy to get out into the waters of Big Rock, though I think the mosquitoes followed me right out into the middle of the lake!
Crossing the north end of the lake only took about 10 minutes and I was carrying again. Much shorter, but equally wet, I finally got out onto the nicely wooded Byers Lake, simply a widening of the York River. The wilderness feeling there was wonderful and I felt inspired to explore the river.
Paddling upstream, I remained quiet in the hope of spotting a moose but did not have such luck. I cast a few lines out but had no bites. It took a bit longer than expected to reach the take-out for the carry to Scorch, but it was a lovely paddle as I slowly meandered upriver. I was loving being alone in the quiet wilderness. When I did arrive at the portage, I started to make lunch at the site next to the take-out
Feeling hungry, I took out my stove and made a proper lunch. Big mistake, because a few minutes after I got the water boiling, a couple of young lads rocked up in their canoe and started down the portage ahead of me -- not before their dog tried to help itself to my lunch, however. There is one prime site on Scorch that I was hoping to get and now I knew it would be taken -- darn!
I finished my lunch and got the 1000-meter portage into Scorch done. The sun was out now and helped keep the mosquitoes away. Happy to have a total of 3200 meters of portage distance behind me (actually about 10 km because I was double carrying), I took a rare selfie to celebrate the moment.
The paddle into Scorch was shallow at first. I had to get out and line the canoe over some rocks, but eventually, the waters got deeper as I got through the narrows and into the lake proper. And what a pretty lake it was!
The first site was available but didn't look that nice. The camp sign at this site must have fallen because it could not be seen. The second site on the north shore was taken by my dog-loving friends who had passed me on the portage, which logically meant the prime site on the eastern beach shore had already been taken by others.
I did manage to get the site on the northeastern corner of the lake which was nice and secluded, but quite buggy. I had a feeling that the entire area was buggy at this time of year though. The rocky beach in front of the site had a shallow entry. It was a nice place to sit, but not the best for swimming as I had to wade a long way out through mucky water. But the views across the lake were fantastic.
After setting up camp, I spent the afternoon having a bush cocktail or two by the lake, enjoying the afternoon sun. I paddled over to the beach on the eastern shore to do this. It was better for swimming there than at my site. The wind had picked up and after the long day of portaging, I didn't feel much like exploring more of the lake. It was a wonderful couple of hours of rest, reading, and relaxation with the sun and the wind pushing in at me off the lake as I sat in my folding camp chair, drink in hand. Bliss.
Returning to my site later, I walked the beach area where I pulled up my canoe and discovered that I had not been alone. Fresh moose tracks were all over the sand. I never did spy the owner of these footprints though. It was early evening and I made my way back up to camp to collect some firewood and start my dinner. I was hungry and had had a full day.
I got dinner underway and it started to get buggy -- and when I say buggy, I mean really buggy. The wind had died off completely and it got eerily quiet. I am usually pretty good at not letting the bugs get to me, but this time I donned the whole bug suit, and let me tell you, it's hard to get a bush cocktail in you with that thing on.
The quiet was a little too quiet if you know what I mean, and I went down to the beach to have a look at the sky. Just as I did so, I started to hear the thunder. Coming in from the east behind me, over the trees, was the most ominous purply-coloured wall of clouds I had ever seen and it was rolling in fast! I knew I was in for it.
I ran up to the site to batten down the hatches. I got dinner cleaned up in a hurry, everything stowed away in my waterproof sack and barrel and I got into my tent just as the deluge started.
Within minutes the lightning was almost immediately followed by the accompanying thunderclap which told me that it was striking nearby. I heard a tree fall in the not-too-far distance and felt that I needed to get out of my tent and away from trees.
With my Therm-a-rest in hand, I ran down to the canoe just as the marble-sized hail started raining down and biting my skin. The temperature had dropped about 10 degrees and in my hurry, I had forgotten my jacket and hoodie in the tent. I turned the canoe upside down, threw my Therm-a-rest under it, and climbed in, careful to not have any part of my body touching the ground in case of a nearby lightning strike. If a tree were to fall, I'd rather be under a kevlar canoe than in a polyester tent. The hail started coming down harder and I was grateful for the invention of kevlar -- after all, if it is strong enough to stop bullets in a vest, it should be able to withstand some hail.
Thankfully this only lasted for about 10 minutes when the thunder started moving away. The hail went with it but the rain lasted most of the night. My tent (MEC Camper 2 - highly recommended! ) withstood the onslaught and I climbed in, changed my clothes, and slept for the night. I later found out that this is what I was dealing with!
Day 3 - Scorch Lake to Benoir Lake
I slept in longer than usual. The rain had woken me up a few times during the night. When I got up I had to put on the bug suit again. The dampness from the rain seemed to bring out the mosquitoes in droves.
The day was cloudy and it looked like the sun would not emerge. It looked as it might rain most of the day. Sitting there trying to sip my morning coffee through my bug mesh, I decided to head out a day earlier, but instead of coming out the way I had come in, I would take the York River back to Pine Grove on Benoir and get a shuttle back to my car.
The bugs and the weather were just not cooperating and I was excited to see the High Falls area of the York. I reasoned that I would rather be on the move and exploring rather than sitting at my site in the rain and getting eaten alive. So, taking my time after I loaded the canoe, I fished a bit of Scorch and had a nice, fun fight with a 2.5 lb largemouth, which eventually became my lunch. I have to say, with a little lemon and spice it wasn't too bad, but I prefer smallmouth if I am going to eat bass.
By the time I got through the 1000-meter portage out of Scorch (lots of downed trees from the previous night's storm) and paddled down to Byers, past the portage in from Big Rock, the weather was improving but I was running out of water to drink. I stopped at the first site on Byers to get my gravity filter going and wanted to have a quick swim.
The site was nice, but open and exposed -- and it didn't have a thunderbox. I immediately noticed this because someone had left a mound of human feces right in the middle of the campsite without burying it. Who would do such a thing?! Of all the places I paddle, I find Algonquin the worst for respect for the environment. Maybe it's because the name attracts people who just want to say they've been there, but don't know what they are doing in the backcountry? I can't imagine experienced canoe trippers doing something like that.
By the time I was back on the water, it was nearly 3 pm. I had to get moving. At the eastern end of Byers, I portaged past a small dam and a pretty little falls. From there it was a nice paddle with a couple of little swifts and then the river veered south. The short portage past the Gut Rapids did not appear to be well-maintained but was easy enough.
Further downstream, the river narrowed into a canyon. The map displayed a portage on the left, but I could not find it for the life of me. Instead, there was one on the right which seemed to be a part of the Gut Rapids Trail. I took it but soon discovered that it went in a circle, following a creek that entered into the York from Big Rock Lake. It ended right in the middle of the boulder-strewn rapid (pictured below). From there, I half-lined/half-paddled my way through the rapids leaving a lot of white paint on rocks. This slowed my progress, but the stunning scenery made it worthwhile. Not having done this route before and looking at the time, I was getting a little concerned about making it back to Pine Grove before it got too dark.
The paddle from Gut Rapids to High Falls was nice and it began to meander through a lovely marshy area. It was there that I came upon the oddest choice of boat for a backcountry trip that I've seen. A young man and his girlfriend were desperately trying to maneuver what appeared to be an inflatable banana down the York River. It was yellow and puffy-looking, and the poor fellow at the stern had to switch his paddling sides on every second stroke. Whatever possessed this poor guy to bring this contraption into the backcountry, I do not know, but I assumed it was because it was light to carry on portages. Passing the banana, I caught up to their paddling mates in a proper canoe a little further downriver.
After passing them, I soon came to the portage around High Falls. By now it was 7 pm and I was worried about getting back before dark. In my haste, I forgot to apply my bug juice before tackling the portage. Another big mistake, because the portage was not easy. It was a steep climb past a campsite on the portage trail and involved climbing around fallen dead trees. Once through those hurdles, the trail descended sharply past the falls and down toward the river. It was slick from the previous night's rain and I was plagued by mosquitoes. I was sprinting and hollering by the time I reached the end. I dumped my pack and dug into it for the Deet. In a matter of a few minutes, I got over 40 bites before I could apply the bug spray. Uggh!
Heading back to get my canoe, the banana boat people were arriving. Their progress was not fast. I asked them if they were staying on the site for the night and they said that they were heading back to Pine Grove, as well. I expressed my concern to them about not making it back before dark but they didn't seem that worried. It never ceases to surprise me how some people take canoeing in the backcountry lightly. A lot can go wrong out there. Making the proper decisions and trip planning is essential. At that moment, I was a little mad at myself for underestimating the time it would take to travel down the York, but I was moving much faster than this group.
Saying my goodbyes, I moved on. At the end of the portage, there was a one-minute paddle across the river at the base of the falls and then into another short, but very rocky, portage -- the last one of the trip. From there it was a little over an hour paddle back to Pine Grove. There, the river was flat as it emptied into Benoir Lake. It's a beautiful section of the river with large sand bluffs and dense coniferous forests.
Leaving the park and then heading into cottage country, I left the wilderness behind and encountered kids jumping off the bridge and cottagers sipping drinks on their docks in preparation for the beautiful sundown we were about to experience. Getting back to Pine Grove just before dark, I arranged my shuttle back to the Kingscote put-in and ordered a cheeseburger and fries. I let them know about the group coming in and they also seemed concerned. By the time I got shuttled to Kingscote, drove back to Pine Grove, and started loading my canoe on my vehicle, the sun had gone down and the group meandered in with their flashlights strapped to their heads -- no search party was necessary.
Driving home, I reflected on the trip and what a beautiful area it was. I would love to do this trip again sometime and spend more time on Scorch, hiking the Bruton Farm Trail (overlooking the beach pictured below) and of course, catching more fish!
