Gate To Gate

The first bridge, exiting Kiosk

Ninety nine years ago, the CNR railway pushed its way through the dense forests of Algonquin Park, over and across its many lakes and rivers, to service the small logging communities and mills that once thrived amidst this landscape, in an attempt to move northward, connecting Southern Ontario to the vast Northern landscape and its desolate communities. It moved supplies and tourists into the wilderness, taking resources back to the southern cities, like Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto.

Lunch along the Petawawa River

This was back in 1915 and was known as the Algonquin Route, traveling 128km through Algonquin Park, crossing water 17 times. It is now an abandoned rail bed, stripped of its steel rails since November 24th, 1995. It is where Chief Amable du Fond once stood along the shores of that same river and where Kiosk was once a booming mill, run by the Staniforth Lumber Company. That's where this bikepacking "overnighter" adventure began.

Yup, two Via packs!

This "overnighter" has been sitting in the 'chat' room for some time now, desperately trying to make its way to fruition. Last weekend it finally happened. As company I had Jarrod Forrest with me. Jarrod is no stranger to riding a bike. He's typically on the podium for every event he signs up for. He's also had the opportunity to ride some bikepacking miles of his own, doing a 600km+ trip to visit family, rather than driving his car there...yeah, he's that kinda guy.

Crossing over the Petawawa River

This time of year in the Park, there is no one around, except the odd hunting party. We noticed one group of hunters within the first 10 minutes and that is all we saw for people or vehicles, the entire ride.  Our chosen route was to ride Gate to Gate (Kiosk to Achray) and then another 45 km to the Forest Lea Trails parking lot, totaling 150 km, the last eight was on gravel road, the first 135 km on rail bed.

The Swamp Crossing

Our route began at the northern tip of Algonquin Park, at the Kiosk gate. Our shuttle driver (Thanks Dad), left us around 5:30pm on Saturday afternoon. With an hour and a half of daylight left, we wasted no time to make our way down the line a few kilometers, find a camp and rest up for tomorrows blast through the Park. A moose appeared next to us about 10 km into the ride. A cow moose, she was chewing on some water vegetation down below as we rode past on the raised rail bed.

Cruising through the colors

Camped next to Cochon Lake, we set up the GoLite Shangri La 5 teepee tarp tent and made ourselves comfortable for the evening, listening to the 30 to 40 km/hr winds push their way from north to south (yes, we had a nice tail wind the entire time). Knowing that we had upwards of 135 km to ride the next day, we woke at 7 am, boiled our water for oatmeal in a bag and some coffees and rode out at 9 am. Little did we know about the surface conditions of the rail bed and that it would deteriorate significantly as we moved in a southerly aspect.

The ShangriLa

Bag meals....It's all about the long-spork

With bikes loaded for an overnighter, we knew that a long day lie ahead, but we did not anticipate being crushed by what we called the 'favorite part' of the trip, the washboard. To clarify, the 'washboard' that we rolled through could last anywhere from 500m to 5 km in length. It was spaced out in a way that made for a roller coaster-style feeling and then throw in the chunky, slick rocks that make up a rail line. It was a recipe for a beat down and felt like you were riding a bed of well-oiled, extra large Lego pieces that were piled-up by a mean little kid every meter or so. Being able to sit on the saddle to pedal became a luxury. We agreed that about 30% of the route was washboard, the other 70% was great riding.




At around kilometer ninety, we arrived at the "swimming hole". Luckily, for us, this 600m section was only about 1.5 feet deep and with the solid rail bed underneath, we slowly chugged our way through the cold water all the while, unbeknownst to us, that our drivetrains were also collecting some water vegetation. After 25 minutes of plucking, pulling and cutting the weeds from our drivetrains and wheels, we set off with wet feet, continuing south, towards Achray. We contemplated hikebiking the swamp to keep our footwear dry but did not want to risk injuring our feet. We packed our fall riding boots (northwave winters and Lake MX303) as footwear and the daily high for Sunday was +10C, so we were comfortable with having some wet feet given the milder weather.

SwampThing Drivetrain

If you've ever canoed through the interior of Algonquin, you are aware of how serene and magical it can be. Mix in the fall colors, the emptiness of no one around and a rail line that has you riding high-up along the banks of its many rivers and lakes and you have the perfect wilderness bikepacking adventure. The Algonquin Route is unlike other rail lines, since it twists it way through and around the many lakes and rivers and since it is not maintained, it it overgrown in many parts, making for interesting riding with a varying landscape.

Considerations

There is little to no cell coverage throughout the entirety of the Park rail line, so one should be prepared with a SPOT or similar device. A map (we used Jeff's Map) is also a good idea. 

Spreading this ride into two nights would be ideal, to better enjoy and explore what the Park has to offer. 

Consider purchasing a park pass and pay campsite fees or at the very least slide a few bucks into the receipt box at either gate. 

Note that the route is marked with "No Trespassing" signs along the rail line and it is still owned by the CNR. Use at own risk.

My Gear List (main items)
Specialized Fatboy Expert with 4" Dillingers

Specialized's Burra Burra bags held up really well
on the bumpy washboard

Specialized Burra Burra  bar harness and Burra Burra saddle bag 20L
Screaming Beaver half-frame bag (the Grundy)
GoLite Shangri La 5 teepee tent
Western Mountianeering Summerlite 0C
SOL thermal bivy
Thermarest Xtherm pad
Primus ETA XL stove/pot combo
the usual fix-it gear for bike/etc...
Insulating layers for evening
LS Specialized merino-tech layer
Ibex merino 3/4 knickers
MEC 3 layer hardshell
For food we each packed a Backpacker's pantry dinner, some oatmeal and preferred mixes in ziplocks and a bunch of bars/snacks.

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