Planing a trip in mid September and have a few question that needs answering.
The trip will take us from Queer Lake down the Tim River to Shippagew Lake, Blue Lake and finally to Big Trout Lake. I know that Algonquin has had quite a lot of rain this season and water levels are generally higher than normal but what about the Tim River is it safe to assume that it is canoeable? There is a warning for low water levels on the Tim River from Tim Lake to Rosebary Lake on the Algonquin Map. Does this warning apply to the entire length of the Tim River?
Is it reasonable to assume that we could get from Queer Lake to Big Trout Lake in one day without killing ourselves? There will be 1 or 2 newbies on this trip and I don't want to discourage them from future trips, and we all know that the total distance of a winding river looks shorter on a map than it actually is.
Finally, if we decide to stop on the Tim River is there a suitable camp site?

Thanks

I did that trek from Queer to Shippagew Lakes in Sept. 2002 during our park crossing. That year was a dry one, but the river was ok to travel on. It should be ok with all the rain we've had this year. Beware of the meanders as it should take a full day to travel this portion of the Tim River. Have fun.

I would agree with Dano that this is doable, but it will be a long day.
As for campsites on the Tim, really nice one at the start of the 275m portage past Shah Lake (buildings marked on map) but that is at the beginning of your trip and probably not much use to you.

You definitely will be able to reach Shippagew Lake and there are nice
sites on the lake when you enter it once you finish the Tim.


Bo

My kids (14, 12 and 10 and me their mom) just came back from paddling the Tim to Rosebary. (our 6th year canoeing Algonquin). River was definitely high enough. On the way we were able to shoot through the beaver dams (about 4-5) but on the way back the busy little buggers had patched up any openings. They weren't too bad and we just climbed out and pulled over. The small portage is a piece of cake, especially with the boys manning up and carrying the canoes and food barrel. The river meanders alot and especially after you pass Little Butt Lake. Rosebary's a nice Lake with the beach on the left of the Lake being especially nice. The two sites on that side are nice and if you stay at the far site of the beach there is a rocky area in the bay to your left where if you go in you'll find lots of dead wood on the ground. Great sunsets on that side of the lake!! Now to plan next years trip with my boys!! You can find some photos by following the following path. http://s360.photobucket.com/albums/oo41/deannagardiner/

Thanks for sharing your pictures Deanna. We here at AA always like looking
at pictures of Algonquin.

Nice family of boys and dog by the way! Keep on trippin'


Bo

Oh yeah we'll keep on trippin in fact I'm thinking end of Sept or maybe do thanksgiving in the Park. I'm in interior park withdrawal already and it's been less than a week. When planning a trip I always check out the trip logs and forum for info on different spots. We've done Rain, Booth, Baron Canyon, Penn-Rock-Clydesdale, Crow and now the Tim

I would not recommend doing the trek from Queer to Shippagew in one day. It is a very long day and you don't want to discourage the newbies. I have done it and stretched it into 2 days which gives you time to fish the portages and enjoy the park. I have stayed at the site just past the 460 portage and it is fine, pretty secluded, and different than lake sites. If you are wondering I am a 32 year old, experienced paddler, and light weight tripper. Keep it easy and don't kill em! =>



Matt

"There is more to life than canoeing but who really cares?" author unknown