Do I need a car for this trip?

No. Return transport from Toronto is included in the $159 price, departing 7:30am from the Yorkdale TTC passenger pick-up. Long-weekend departures leave at 9:00am.

No. Bring snacks and a picnic lunch — the canoe and hike run about three hours from 11am. We stop in Huntsville for a washroom and grocery break, and the Algonquin Visitor Centre has a small cafeteria and a microwave.

How hard are the hikes?

There are two. Ragged Falls is a short easy 20-minute return walk with some elevation. The Lookout Trail is 2.1 km and rated moderate: a mostly flat path with one climb. There is also about two hours of group canoeing, with several paddlers per canoe so breaks are easy.

Not on regular departures — we cannot know in advance who on board has an allergy. We designate a few pet-friendly dates each year and they are clearly marked when they go on sale.

Public transit to the Yorkdale TTC passenger pick-up is the easiest option. If you must drive, Wilson station passenger parking is free on weekends subject to availability. Do not park at Yorkdale Mall — cars may be ticketed or towed after five hours.

Algonquin Park & Ragged Falls: Hike & Canoe | Day Trip from Toronto

the trip

What you’re actually getting into

Two things happen on this one, and both of them involve water. The morning is a guided group canoe on the Oxtongue River — big boats, several paddlers to a hull, so there is always someone to trade off with when your arms quit. You finish at Ragged Falls, where the river stops being polite and drops through a rock chute loud enough that everybody goes quiet for a minute.

The afternoon is Algonquin proper: a stop at the Visitor Centre, then a 2.1 km walk out to a lookout over a valley that runs as far as the haze allows. Your driver guide is first-responder certified and handles the narrating. The bus is our 15-seat transit — we call it the Moose. Basic WiFi, an N64, karaoke, and no washroom, so we stop every hour or two.