Join us for the trip of a lifetime this Family Day weekend, winter camping in Algonquin.
During this 3 day, 2 night trip, we'll snowshoe in over frozen lakes, carrying our gear on sleds. Once we find a suitable location, we'll set up our hot tents with wood fired stoves to keep us warm during the night..
During the day, we'll explore the old growth forests of Algonquin, traversing frozen lakes to visit areas few have gone before. Winter camping involves plenty of camp tasks, so you'll learn and help with processing firewood, collecting water and setting up shelter. The evenings offer some of the best night sky viewing on earth and a chance of seeing the Northern Lights!
The trip is led by Rory, our lead guide with over 15 years of camping experience and experienced winter guide, former navigation instructor for the Canadian and British army, Rob Buckingham with experience in the arctic and Sarah, a trained medical doctor who has vast winter camping experience including making her own moccasins so you'll be in the safe hands of 3 guides with advanced wilderness first aid qualifications.
Very few people offer trips of this kind and where they do, you're typically looking at $900+ so this is a rare opportunity to experience a bucket list trip in a cost-effective way.
The trip includes all of the equipment and food you'll need for this adventure (snowshoes, sleds, shovels, tents etc) except backpacks, sleeping bags and pads which are available to rent at an additional cost.
Rescheduled so more people can come!
Join us for the trip of a lifetime this Family Day weekend, winter camping in Algonquin.
During this 3 day, 2 night trip, we'll snowshoe in over frozen lakes, carrying our gear on sleds. Once we find a suitable location, we'll set up our hot tents with wood fired stoves to keep us warm during the night.
During the day, we'll explore the old growth forests of Algonquin, traversing frozen lakes to visit areas few have gone before. Winter camping involves plenty of camp tasks, so you'll learn and help with processing firewood, collecting water and setting up shelter. The evenings offer some of the best night sky viewing on earth and a chance of seeing the Northern Lights!
The trip is led by Rory, our lead guide with over 15 years of camping experience and experienced winter guide, former navigation instructor for the Canadian and British army, Rob Buckingham with experience in the arctic and Sarah, a qualified doctor who has vast winter camping experience including making her own moccasins so you'll be in the safe hands of 3 guides with advanced wilderness first aid qualifications.
Very few people offer trips of this kind and where they do, you're typically looking at $900+ so this is a rare opportunity to experience a bucket list trip in a cost-effective way.
The trip includes all of the equipment and food you'll need for this adventure (snowshoes, sleds, shovels, tents etc) except backpacks, sleeping bags and pads which are available to rent at an additional cost.
Saturday 15th February
06:00 - Leave from Keele Station
10:00 - Arrive in Algonquin and head off into the wild
Afternoon - Set up camp
Evening - Dinner in heated tents and stargazing
Sunday 16th February
Morning/Afternoon
Breakfast
Navigation lesson with Rob
Snowshoe to a lookout over beautiful winter Algonquin
Exploratory Hike
Lunch
Evening - Dinner and campfire
Monday 17th February
Morning - Break camp and head back out
14:00 - Anticipated departure
15:00 - Celebratory group meal
19:00 - Anticipated return back in Toronto
Preparations
We'll be offering a full in-person trip briefing at MEC on Queen Street a week before the trip that's an opportunity to ask any questions and make sure you're well prepared. You'll be able to take advantage of an exclusive Wilderness Union discount in store to pick up any last minute purchases. We'll also be sharing a very detailed trip plan outlining exactly what you need to bring and what to expect a couple of weeks before we go.
Gear included
The trip includes all of the equipment and food you'll need for this adventure (snowshoes, sleds, shovels, tents, cooking gear and utensils etc) except sleeping bags and pads which are available to rent at an additional cost. Closed cell foam or blow up sleeping pads are both suitable, we recommend a sleeping bag with a comfort rating of at least -17ºC. Combining a fleece sleeping bag liner with a sleeping bag typically adds a few extra degrees of warmth and you can also double up sleeping bags.
Tents and sleeping arrangements
We're bringing 5 person 'hot' tents that come with a wood burning stove. These are much heavier duty than regular tents and keeping the stove fired throughout the night will give us some warmth.
Where possible we'll be separating tents by gender but there may be some mixing.
Food
Food will be suitable for listed dietary requirements - please ensure that yours are up to date in your account before registering.
We'll be providing Dinner on day 1, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on day 2 and breakfast on day 3. On our way home, we'll stop at a restaurant for a celebratory group meal that will be an additional cost.
There'll be plenty of hot and delicious food. We'll all help make it.
It's recommended that you bring your own snacks.
Difficulty
Winter camping is invariably type 2 fun. It will be cold at times and there's hard work involved but we'll be very well prepared. We're planning a trip that's suitable for anyone in good shape and most importantly, ready to challenge themselves and have an incredible experience!
Carbon Offsetting
Wilderness Union offsets the estimated carbon emissions of every trip by investing in a global portfolio of verified carbon reduction projects.
Please read and understand this before registering
Cancellations made:
More than 10 days before the event: Will receive a full refund minus a 5% admin fee.
7–10 days before the event: 50% refund.
Less than 7 days before the event: No refunds.
Weather or emergency cancellations: If an event is canceled due to severe weather or other uncontrollable factors, members can receive a full credit to their account.
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Hot tent camping
We'll be camping in heavy duty canvas tents, heated by a wood burning stove.
Snowshoeing in pristine wilderness
We'll hike in to our campsite, creating new trails over frozen lakes and see Algonquin as never before.
Learn winter camping skills
Our world class guides will teach you how to safely traverse ice, use an augur to drill holes in ice, set up hot tents, navigate by map and compass in the wild and much more.
