My wife and I headed into Galeairy lake via Rock lake on Aug 30th. While passing the Barclay Estate we noticed 4 guys camped illegal on the old cement docks and the campsite next to the estate was empty! I still can't believe that. I didn't say anything because it was just me and my wife and I really didn't want to get into a confrontation.

Later while sitting around the campfire around 9:30-10:00pm we could hear people paddling up the lake looking for a campsite. Of course they were all full (I am not 100% sure on this). I could someone saying "someone stole our campsite". That's really weird I thought to myself and considered offering to share our site but they sounded like a bunch of yahoos that had been drinking. So I didn't offer.

The next day while paddling down the galeairy lake we came across the same people from the Barclay estate camped illegally again (it was them paddling up the lake at night) on very small island (the tent hardly fit on the island) next to larger island and again next to an empty legal campsite. I was freaking mad at this point but my wife still suggested I didn't say anything again. We figured that being on galeairy that ranger with a motorboat would be by at some point on the long weekend but they never came. The 4 guys later left around 5:00pm……paddling there 20 to 22 foot cedar strip canoe headed for the rock lake dam.

What would have done in my situation? I never been so disgusted while camping in Algonquin park.

Also our site on galeairy had a pile of tin cans (which I packed out), broken glass pieces, 6 empty Coleman fuel canisters, a bag of garbage thrown back in the bush and two broken camping chairs.

I packed out what I could but just couldn't take it all.

On the bright side it was a beatiful weekend and Galeairy / Rock lake was like glass on our paddle out.

SBA

That sucks.

I encountered the same thing last May while camped on Carcajou Bay. Two couples decided they would prefer to camp across from the falls (not a campsite) even though there were empty sites that I suppose weren't good enough for them.

A park ranger and his partner came by our site that afternoon and I ratted them out ... too bad. You should have seen the park guys when I told them, they were so pumped they hightailed it over the rocks with their motorboat

Had the park staff not shown up I wouldn't have said anything either.

I wouldn't have confronted them personally, either.

But I would have stopped at the access office, and put in a formal report.

Could you still do that?

And I would have kicked myself for not taking photos of the garbage at the campsite, before I cleaned it up.

Can you still put in a written report about the garbage?




Barbara

and hope you don't need them....


http://www.abrweb.ca/news/news004.htm

http://www.abrweb.ca/docs/IncidentReport2.pdf



Barbara

I often encountered illegal campers while working in Gatineau Park, looking at them, I could tell most of the times if they would co-operate or not. I would also contact the rangers on many occasions because some of these people would become aggressive and abusive.

Camping away from the crowded areas is an option to avoid most of these "humanoids".

Thank you everyone for their input.

Joan - I'm glad those people got caught.

Barbara - I'll fill out these forms. Thanks

I never book for Labour Day so late again lesson learned

SBA

Well..... off to Ralph Bice lake if it isn't booked (maybe the lesson wasn't learned)

I can believe it. I can believe that and more. APP on a summer long weekend. I bet you couldn't see the stars for the number of huge campfires on on the sites.

What would I do? I would go somewhere else on these dates. Thanksgiving weekend is the closest to a summer long weekend that I'd go. There are too many options out there for me to volunteer for that level of asshats and idiots.