Contents
- A pay telephone is located at each campground office.
- In case of emergencies, park staff can be reached at each campground
office -- hours vary throughout the season; or by phone at (705) 633-5562 -- 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. The Ontario Provincial Police phone line is 1-800-267-8919.
- The closest Hospitals / Ambulance services are in Huntsville (705)
789-2311 and Barry's Bay (613) 756-3044.
- There are no poisonous snakes in Algonquin Park.
- There is no poison ivy in the Highway 60 Corridor area of the park.
- Each campsite has a parking area, fire pit and picnic table. Most are
also equipped with a grill for the fire pit.
- Some new tents require water-proofing by the purchaser. Read the
instructions, set up the tent at home and soak it with water to see if your new
tent requires such treatment prior to your camping trip. Water proofing
substances are available at most hardware and camping supply stores. If in
doubt about what kind to use, ask a sales rep. for assistance.
- When pitching a tent, choose a flat or gently sloping area that is not
located in a depression. If your tent is located on a slope, orient the door
facing downhill, to ensure that rain water will drain away from your tent. (On
most campground campsites, the best locations for tents will be fairly
obvious... just use the areas where others have pitched tents before you!)
- Some campers find it useful to string a lightweight plastic tarp above
their picnic table, to provide shelter in case of rain. Tarps, in a wide
variety of sizes, are available at most hardware and camping supply stores.
Anything smaller than 10' X 10' will not be too useful for this purpose. Very
large tarps may require the support of poles (available at camping supply
stores). You will need up to 100' of rope (25' per corner) to hang the tarp
from the trees in your campsite. If you need to cut synthetic rope (e.g.
polypropylene), you can keep the ends from fraying by melting the tips with a
match or lighter. The tarp should be hung at about a 45 degree angle, to ensure
that rain runs off instead of collecting in pockets on top of the tarp. Make
sure your tent is not located near the low side of the tarp, or you may wake up
in the middle of a pond!
- Campfires are only permitted in designated campsite fire pits.
- Several types of fire starter cubes and sticks are sold through
hardware and camping supply stores. Birch bark and spruce pitch make good fire
starters, but should NEVER be obtained from a living tree.
- You are permitted to use dry twigs and branches found on the ground
for campfires. You are NOT permitted to damage any living tree. Firewood is
sold at several locations along Highway 60, on the way into the park, and also
at a wood yard located near Mew Lake Campground, within the park. This wood
yard
is open from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
- Cans and glass bottles are permitted in the campgrounds.
- Large ice blocks last much longer than either ice cubes or freezer
packs. You can make your own ice block by filling a 2-4L plastic container with
water and placing in your freezer several days before your camping trip -- a
large block made in this way can last up to 4 or 5 days in the cooler).
Additional ice can be purchased within the park, at the Two Rivers Store, or in
Dwight or Whitney, on Highway 60 just outside the park boundaries.
- Don't drain out too much of the water that is produced as the ice
block melts in your cooler. Ice water is a very effective conductor of cold
from the ice block to other parts of the cooler.
- Water obtained from the taps within the campgrounds has been treated,
and so is safe to drink.
- In order to save on fuel, it is a good idea to boil extra water at
mealtime and keep it in a vacuum bottle (e.g. a Thermos). This will
enable you to make a hot beverage between meals or at bed time without having to
heat up your camp stove again.
- Use only biodegradable soaps for dishes and personal hygiene. Dispose
of soapy water in the drains below the water taps or in the bush, well away from
any lake or stream.
- Outhouses and/or washroom facilities are provided at all campgrounds.
- All food and packaging wastes, etc., that cannot be burned must be
disposed of in the animal-proof garbage shed located within the campground.
- Never eat or store food in your tent, as food odours can linger.
- Your food, stove, cooler, dishes and garbage should be packed away in
the trunk of your vehicle whenever you will be away from camp. The garbage
should be dropped off at the campground garbage shed after supper each night and
the rest of the above locked in your trunk overnight.
- To be on the safe side, in addition to locking up all food, it is best
to keep chewing gum, mints, toothpaste and perfumed soap in the trunk overnight,
rather than in your tent.
- Your tent should NOT be situated too close to the fire pit or dish
washing area.
- If you have more than one tent on your site, align the tents in such a
way that, should an animal enter the campsite and become startled, the animal
would not feel trapped, without an obvious and easy escape route. (i.e. DON'T
arrange the tents in a circle, or too close together in a line or semi-circle).
- In Algonquin Park, the peak of black fly season is usually throughout
the month of June; mosquitos, sand flies and deerflies first appear in June and
are most numerous in July.
- Insects are most attracted to dark-coloured and rough-textured
clothing; least attracted to light-coloured, smooth-textured clothing.
- Insects are attracted to perfumed soaps and shampoos.
Deet-Based Repellents
- The most commonly used repellents are Muskol
and Deep Woods Off! Both use a chemical called "deet"
to scramble the insects' radar. Deet-based repellents are very effective and
readily available through pharmacies, department, hardware and camping stores,
etc., but they do have one drawback: deet is a proven carcinogen
(cancer-causing agent). It should not be used on infants or toddlers and, if
used on a regular basis, can be hazardous to children and adults.
Alternative Repellents
- Off Botanicals... a new herbal repellent that is available
wherever Off Deet-based repellents are sold.
- Bug Off... an herbal repellent that is advertised as
being safe for children and pets. This product is sold at many
outfitting stores. The manufacturer, Cherryl de Villiers Products,
Inc., is located in Oakville, Ontario, and can be reached by phone at
1-877-AROMA37
- Druide Natural Citronella... available in
Oil, Soap and Hair & Body Shampoo. These Canadian-made products contain
all-natural ingredients, are biodegradable and do not contain any toxic
ingredients. These products are available at many camping specialty stores and
Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacies in Canada. The manufacturer, Druide
Laboratories, can be reached by phone at 1-800-663-9693 or (514) 426-7227
[Pointe Claire, Quebec].
- Some people report that Avon Skin-So-Soft
Bath Oil makes an effective insect repellent. This product is available through
Avon sales representatives.
Repellent & Sunscreen
- Products containing both insect repellent and sunscreen:
- Canadian Ice Outdoor Protection Bug'N'Sun Block...
contains 14.25% Deet and a Paba-free SPF 15 Sunscreen. This product is
available at many Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacies in Canada. The
manufacturer, Canadian Ice International, can be reached by phone at (905)
948-8888 [Mississauga, ON].
- Coppertone Bug and Sun Block... contains 9.5%
Deet and a Paba-free SPF 15 Sunscreen. This product is available at many
pharmacies and department stores. The manufacturer, Schering-Plough Health Care
Products Canada Inc., can be reached by phone at 1-800-714-4449 [Mississauga,
ON].
- Muskol Insect Repellent with Sunblock... contains
9.5% Deet and a Paba-free SPF 15 Sunblock. This product is available at many
pharmacies, department and camping specialty stores, etc. The manufacturer,
Schering-Plough Health Care Products Canada Inc., can be reached by phone at
1-800-714-4449 [Mississauga, ON].
- Off! Skintastic Lotion Insect Repellent with Sunscreen...
contains 7.125% Deet and a Paba-free SPF 15 Sunblock. This product is
available at many pharmacies and department stores. The manufacturer, S.C.
Johnson and Son Ltd. can be reached by phone at 1-800-558-5566.
- If you are using a separate repellent and sunscreen: the University
of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter states that it makes sense to
apply the sunscreen first, about a half hour before exposure to the sun, as
sunscreen needs to be absorbed by the skin in order to provide proper
protection. The insect repellent, which works by emitting a vapour from the
surface of the skin can be applied second. (from June 1996 issue, pg. 7)
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