30-Day RV Trip in Canada: Two Days in Algonquin Park, Domestic Flight Baggage Fee Exceeds Ticket Price

📍 Toronto · 👁 1784 reads

Arrived at Toronto Pearson International Airport at 6:00 AM.

Tips:

Domestic flights in Canada do not include free checked baggage. Only one carry-on is allowed. Before boarding, large handbags must pass through a metal frame. Only bags that fit into the frame can board for free; otherwise, you must pay a baggage fee. A 20-inch carry-on suitcase will still be charged. The checked baggage fee for a 24-inch suitcase is about 100 CAD, while a domestic flight ticket purchased three months in advance costs just over 700 RMB. Therefore, when traveling abroad, try to bring as little luggage as possible—reduce and simplify to lighten your load and your wallet.

Still renting an RV from Fraserway RV.

Tips:

This RV rental company is about an hour's drive from Toronto airport. There is only one fixed shuttle per day for airport pick-up and drop-off. Taking a taxi to the rental location costs 82 CAD. The rental company has a shuttle at 9:00 AM to pick up customers. If you are not in a hurry, it is better to take the company shuttle. There is a Costco about half an hour's drive from the rental location. After picking up the RV, the first stop is Costco to buy ten days' worth of food.

After picking up the RV, drive north and find an RV resort to stay at randomly. Head Lake RV RESORT is a private campground. It costs 85 USD per night (very expensive, not recommended). It only has water and electric hookups and a dump station, no WiFi. The host needs to be contacted by phone to come and handle the check-in. Fortunately, it is across from Head Lake, with beautiful scenery. There are a few maple trees by the lake with bright red leaves, while more maples have not yet turned golden (October 3, 2023).

First stop: Muskoka Lake, also known as Honeymoon Lake. Its beautiful scenery makes it one of the most popular vacation destinations for Toronto residents. It is only a two-hour drive from Toronto. The local indigenous people call it "Red Earth" because there are large areas of pink granite by the lake, which reflect a red glow under sunlight. There are many resorts and golf courses along the lake, offering beautiful views. There is an island in the lake with a villa on it, presumably a private property of some wealthy person. This area is also the gateway to Algonquin Park.

Then continue north, entering Algonquin Provincial Park from the west gate at 2:00 PM. Algonquin Provincial Park covers 7,725 square kilometers, with over 2,500 lakes and vast forests. The park is an important wildlife保护区. It is not recommended to walk alone in the forest at night.

There is no gate at the entrance of the park, but everyone stops and enters a one-story building. We also parked and went in, only to find out it is the park's visitor center. Here we bought tickets. For 21 CAD, we were given a detailed park map (available in traditional Chinese). The map clearly marks the locations of service areas, campgrounds, and hiking trails, along with the time and difficulty level of each trail, so you can choose a trail based on your fitness level.

Tips:

There are two RV campgrounds in the park. The one by Pog Lake in the south only has electric hookups and nothing else. The campground has public restrooms, showers, and a laundry room. For better scenery, it is recommended to stay at the campground by Canisbay Lake in the north. Perhaps because it is farther north, the leaves there are already golden. Driving slowly along the golden path, a gust of wind blows, and golden leaves slowly fall. At this moment, the line from Du Mu's poem comes to mind: "I stop my coach to admire the maple grove at dusk; the frost-tinged leaves are redder than spring flowers." This is the perfect time to choose a hiking trail suitable for your fitness level and take a walk through the forest. We chose Peck Lake Trail, 2.3 km in length, taking about 1.5 hours.

If you want to go canoeing, you must book in advance. The rental company will deliver single or double canoes to designated areas. From July to August, a double canoe costs 36.98 CAD. At other times, you will have to pay a high delivery fee if you want to go canoeing.

Algonquin Park is definitely a place worth spending quality time in. There is no internet here, and cell phone signals are often unavailable. All you have is the quiet forest, the rustling of leaves in the wind, the occasional wild ducks gliding across the lake, or the chirping of birds. Enjoy this peaceful isolation away from the world.

Travelogue Directory

1. D12 – About baggage allowance on domestic flights in Canada? Why is the first night's RV campground not recommended?

2. D13 – Two-day trip to Algonquin Provincial Park

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