 Major
highways bring Algonquin Outfitters within reasonable driving distance from
many points eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S. Major centres like
Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, New York City, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Detroit,
Cleveland and Columbus are all within a day's drive of each of our bases.
Driving from Toronto, southern
Ontario, western NY, western PA and eastern Ohio:
Those driving from the U.S. should cross the border at either Niagara Falls
or Buffalo. From there follow the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way) to a toll road,
Hwy 407. The exit off the QEW is just past the Hamilton–Burlington
Skyway Bridge. Follow the 407 to Hwy 400 north. If you miss the 407, follow
the QEW to Hwy 403 (at Oakville) and follow the 403 to Hwy 401 east to bypass
downtown Toronto. Follow the 401 to Hwy 400 north. Just past the city of
Barrie, take the exit for Hwy 11 north. Algonquin Outfitters' main base
in Oxtongue Lake is about a three hour drive north of Toronto, via Highways
400, 11 and 60. Add an extra hour to get to Opeongo and an extra three to
get to Brent.
• To Oxtongue Lake: A four lane divided highway takes you all the way
to Huntsville, where you turn on to two lane Highway 60. This road runs
right through Algonquin Park. Our main base is about a 25 minute drive from
Huntsville, a town of 18,000 with all major services. Follow Highway 60
towards the village of Dwight. Another 10 minutes past Dwight you will come
to the community of Oxtongue Lake. Look for signs announcing our location.
• To Opeongo: If you are going to Opeongo, stay on Hwy 60 and continue
driving into Algonquin Park. The Opeongo Road is well marked, 45 km past
the park’s West Gate (watch for km signs on the roadside).
• To the Huntsville store: From Hwy 11, take the first Huntsville exit
(Muskoka Road 3 / Aspdin Road). Turn right off the ramp at the stop sign
and follow Muskoka Rd 3 into town. It will eventually turn into Main St.
Algonquin Outfitters is at the second set of lights on the left. Drive down
the alley beside the store to find parking.
• To Brent: Stay on Hwy 11 past Huntsville. Follow 11 to North Bay,
then take Hwy 17 east towards Mattawa and Ottawa. Mattawa is your last chance
to get gas and major supplies. The Brent Road is about 35 km from Mattawa,
just before the town of Deux Rivieres.
Driving from
the Eastern US:
Most people from this area find that the most convenient access to Canada
is across the Thousand Islands Bridge, via Interstate 81 north of Syracuse,
NY. From the border, take Highway 401 west to Belleville, then follow
Highways 62 and 127 north to Highway 60 at Whitney. Turn left and follow
60 west through Whitney to Algonquin Park. This is also the best route
for customers using our Opeongo base. The Opeongo road is about 11 km
past the east gate of Algonquin Park. Our Oxtongue Lake base is on the
west side of the park, about 10 km past the west gate. Customers driving
to Brent from this direction should take the 401 west to Napanee, then
follow Hwy 41 to Hwy 17 at Pembroke. Follow 17 to the Brent Road, just
past the town of Deus Rivieres.
An interesting and scenic alternative for customers using our Oxtongue
Lake base is to take Highway 28 west at Bancroft, then follow 121 and
35 through the Haliburton Highlands to Hwy 60, just 10 km west of our
base.
Driving from Ottawa, Montréal
and points east:
From Montreal, take Hwy 417 through Ottawa, where it turns into the two
lane Hwy17. At Renfrew, take Highway 60 and follow it to Whitney, where
you can continue as described in the previous section. Brent customers
should stay on 17 to the Brent Road, just past the town of Deux Rivieres.
 A
note on the Brent Road:
The main reason for the under-utilization of the Brent area is its only
means of access, the Brent Road. The road starts near the town of Deux
Rivieres, off Highway 17, about 34 km (58 miles) southeast of Mattawa
and 111 km (69 miles) northwest of Pembroke. The turnoff is marked, so
look for signs. Even though major improvements have been made in recent
years, the 40 km (25 mile) road is gravel the entire distance. The winding
(and often washboard) Brent Road is probably not the most suitable destination
for large RV’s or boat trailers. The first section, outside Algonquin
Park, is usually well maintained by logging companies (and well used,
so watch out for trucks). The park gate and permit station is 16 km (10
miles) along, as well as the turn off for the Wendigo Lake access point.
Whether you are going to Brent, Wendigo or the North River access 10 km
(6 miles) further, you should stop here and get your camping permit and
fishing licence. Save yourself a return trip - there is no permit station
beyond here! A little ways past the North River access is the famous Brent
Crater. Created 450 million years ago by one of the largest meteorites
to ever impact the earth, the crater is a spectacular geological feature.
A special viewing tower has been erected to help you grasp the enormity
of the crater. This stretch of the road can be quite rough, so take your
time. Most people take at least an hour to drive from the highway to Brent.
By commercial airline:
Toronto's Pearson International Airport is one of the busiest airports
in North America. It is about a three hour drive (barring Toronto traffic)
to our main base at Oxtongue Lake. Pearson has frequent service by most
domestic and international airlines from points in North America and overseas.
Airlines flying to Toronto include Air Canada, Canadian, American, US
Air, British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa, Swiss Air and Alitalia. Car
rentals are available from major companies like Avis, Budget, Hertz and
National. As mentioned before, bus or taxi service is available to the
Yorkdale terminal, for connections to the Toronto - Huntsville bus route.
By private plane:
The nearest public airport with a paved runway is between Bracebridge
and Gravenhurst, a 72 km drive from our main base at Oxtongue Lake. The
Muskoka Airport has an 1800 m (6000 ft.) strip, fuel and plane parking.
Customs officers are available on call and rental cars are available in
the nearby towns. Several local resorts have smaller strips. Call us for
more information on using these private airports. Float planes can land
on Oxtongue Lake, adjacent to our main base. Private float planes are
not permitted to land in Algonquin Park, so fly-in access to our Brent
or Opeongo bases is not possible.
By public transportation:
Ontario Northland runs daily bus service to Huntsville, 30 km from our
main base at Oxtongue Lake, from the terminal in downtown Toronto (Bay
St. & Dundas St.). The bus also stops at the Yorkdale Mall, which
is accessible from Pearson Airport by bus ($7.25 in 2001) or taxi. Please
note that there is no public transportation available to our bases at
Brent and Opeongo Lake. We can shuttle customers from Oxtongue Lake to
Opeongo ($45). Customers wishing to start a trip in Brent should be prepared
to rent a vehicle.
• Ontario Northland bus schedule:
This schedule is from 2001. One-way fare is $39.06. Return fare from Huntsville
includes the transfer to Pearson Airport:
| Leave downtown Toronto |
Arrive Huntsville |
| 9:15 am |
1 pm |
| 2:30 pm |
6:15 pm |
| 7:15 pm |
11 pm |
(leaves Yorkdale 30 min. later) |
| Leave Huntsville Arrive downtown Toronto |
| 7:55 am |
12 pm |
| 1:40 pm |
5:30 pm |
| 6:25 pm |
10:30 pm |
| (arrives at Yorkdale 30 min. earlier) |
Airport
shuttle service:
Northern Airport Service (1-800-461-4219) offers service from Huntsville
to Pearson Airport and return by advance reservation only. Cost is $79.95
return or $49.95 one-way.
Transportation to Algonquin Outfitters from Huntsville:
Once in Huntsville, two taxi services are available for transportation
to Algonquin Outfitters in Oxtongue Lake. Call Al’s Taxi (705-789-2374)
or Courtesy Cab (705-789-0205). The fare to Oxtongue Lake is approx. $35
one-way. The fare to Opeongo is about $80.
By advance reservation, we can arrange to pick up customers in Huntsville
or take them there at the end of the trip. The cost is $35 one way to
the Oxtongue Lake base. This service is only available during our regular
business hours.
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