Wild Toronto / Trips / Algonquin Park Fall Colours
Almost everyone sees Algonquin from a bus window
A day in Algonquin at the peak of the colour. A canoe lesson on a quiet lake outside the park in the morning, the Highway 60 colour corridor at midday, and a hike onto bare Canadian Shield rock in the best light of the day.
- Duration
- 13 hours
- Leaves from
- Keele Station, Toronto
- The trail
- 3.5 km
- Age
- 16 and over
- Price
- From $169 CAD
The trip
Why see Algonquin from the water?
Almost everyone who comes to Algonquin for the colour sees the whole thing through a bus window. From a canoe the hills stop being scenery and start being the thing you are sitting underneath, with the whole slope of red maple and dark spruce repeating itself upside down in the water.
We start the day on a quiet lake just outside the park's west side, where an experienced instructor teaches you to paddle a canoe properly. These are small canoes rather than the big boats most tours use, which means you are the one doing the paddling and you leave actually knowing how to do it. You will learn how to hold a paddle, how to steer from the stern, and if you fancy giving it a go, how to lift a canoe onto your shoulders and carry it the way people have been moving between these lakes for thousands of years.
In the afternoon we stop at the park's Visitor Centre for a late lunch and a look around the exhibits, then hike a moderate trail of about 3.5 kilometres that climbs through old growth conifers before coming out on bare Canadian Shield rock high above a small lake. Forest runs to the horizon in every direction and we get up there in the best light of the day.
It is also the best part of the park for wildlife. Algonquin has one of the densest beaver populations in North America and moose feed in the shallow bays along the shore, so keep your eyes open. On the way home we stop for the best optional ice cream in Ontario. The cones are enormous.
We think it is far better from the water.
Hour by hour
What does the day actually look like?
You leave Keele station at 7:00 AM and you are back there by about 8:15 PM. Between those two points the day runs like this.
-
7:00 AM
Leave Keele station
Downtown Toronto, on the highway before the city wakes up.
-
8:00 AM
A short stop
Fifteen minutes to stretch your legs and grab a coffee.
-
10:30 AM
Arrive at Oxtongue Lake
Fitted with paddles and lifejackets at the water.
-
11:00 AM
On the water
Ninety minutes. The canoe lesson first, then an optional introduction to portaging, then out along the lake to explore.
-
12:30 PM
The Highway 60 colour corridor
Off the water and driving the stretch of road Algonquin is known for.
-
1:00 PM
Lunch at the Visitor Centre
Time to look around the exhibits and the viewing deck.
-
1:45 PM
The lookout hike
A 3.5 km loop climbing through old growth conifers and coming out on bare Canadian Shield rock high above a small lake.
-
3:30 PM
Leave the park
Heading south with the light behind us.
-
4:30 PM
Ice cream
Optional, and the cones are enormous.
-
8:15 PM
Back at Keele station
Toronto, the same evening.
Times are approximate and will shift with traffic, weather, and how long the light holds.
What you pay for
What is included, and what do I bring?
The fare covers getting there, the guiding and the gear that makes the day work. You bring clothing, footwear and whatever you want to eat.
Included
- Return transport from downtown Toronto
- A canoe lesson from an experienced instructor, starting from scratch
- Guides for whom Algonquin is a second home
- Canoes, paddles and lifejackets
- The guided 3.5 km lookout hike
Bring yourself
- Shoes you do not mind getting wet
- Layers you can add and shed, and a waterproof shell
- Water and snacks for the day
- Travel insurance, gratuities at your discretion
Transport is not optional, and that is the point. Every Wild Toronto trip runs as one group in one vehicle from Toronto and back. There is no meet-us-there rate and no self-drive option. It is what lets us start before the lineups form and use a trailhead you will not find signposted. We travel in an adventure van rather than a coach, because a coach cannot get to where we are going.
Getting there
How far north is it, really?
A few hours north. We leave Keele station on Line 2 at 7:00 AM and you are back at the same station by about 8:15 PM. You get yourself to Keele. We handle everything after that.
- Meeting point
- 21 Keele Street, Toronto
Keele station, Line 2 - Be there by
- Ten minutes before departure. We leave at 7:00 AM.
- Home by
- Roughly 8:15 PM, the same day
Dates
When does it run?
Eight departures across late September and early October, which is the window Algonquin usually peaks in. Nothing runs after that until the colour comes back.
-
Thursday24 September 20267:00 AM · from $169
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Friday25 September 20267:00 AM · from $169
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Saturday26 September 20267:00 AM · from $169
-
Sunday27 September 20267:00 AM · from $169
-
Thursday1 October 20267:00 AM · from $169
-
Friday2 October 20267:00 AM · from $169
-
Saturday3 October 20267:00 AM · from $169
-
Sunday4 October 20267:00 AM · from $169
Booking and payment are handled by FareHarbor. Prices are per person in Canadian dollars and include transport from Toronto, guiding, permits and gear.
Before you book
The questions people actually ask
I have never held a paddle. Is this for me?
Yes. The lesson starts from scratch and no canoe experience is needed. You will learn how to hold a paddle and how to steer from the stern, and if you want to try it, how to lift a canoe onto your shoulders and carry it the way people have moved between these lakes for thousands of years.
How fit do I need to be?
Ninety minutes of paddling at a relaxed pace, then a 3.5 kilometre loop trail that climbs through forest and comes out on open rock. If you can walk for a couple of hours on uneven ground you will be fine.
How long is the drive, really?
We leave Keele station at 7:00 AM and reach the water at about 10:30, including a fifteen minute stop on the way. You are back at Keele at roughly 8:15 PM. It is a long day, and the reason it works as one is that you are not the one driving.
Can I drive myself and meet you there?
No. Every Wild Toronto trip is transport-included and we travel as one group from Toronto and back. There is no self-drive rate and no meet-us-there option.
What happens if it rains?
We go. Colour under cloud photographs better than colour in glare, and the park is quieter. We only cancel for conditions that are unsafe, and if we cancel you get a full refund.
Will the colours be at their peak?
Late September and early October is the window Algonquin usually peaks in, and these dates sit inside it. A forest is not a booking system though. Some years run early and some run late.
Is there an age limit?
Sixteen and over.
If plans change
What happens if I need to cancel?
How much you get back depends on how far out you cancel. If we are the ones who cancel, you get everything back.
| When you cancel | What you get back |
|---|---|
| More than 10 days out | Full refund, less a 5% admin fee. |
| 7 to 10 days out | 50% refund. |
| Inside 7 days | No refund. The seat and the guide are already committed. |
| If we cancel | Full refund within a week, back to your original payment method. Severe weather included. |
The other trip
Algonquin Highlands Fire Tower
A quiet loop through the Highlands with no guidebook entry, then a fire tower whose deck stands 142 metres above the lake.
See the trip
The dates are fixed and the seats are finite. When one fills, it does not run again.
Updated August 2026