I led high school students on the first loop of the Western Uplands Trail in Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada several times but never hiked the entire trail. Three of my long time adventure partners and I decided this was the year to take it off the list. 

Algonquin, Ontario’s oldest Provincial Park, established in 1893, protects the headwaters of several rivers and to serves as a wildlife sanctuary. Today it has eight front country campgrounds and over 1900 back country campsites. Many of the portages and backpacking trails were originally paddled and walked by summer camp staff and campers. 

The Western Uplands Backpacking Trail, Algonquin’s longest backpacking trail, is no joke. It has three loops 36 km, 58 km, and 88km. The 36 km loop is the busiest and best maintained, but beyond that point, the crowds disperse and the difficulty increases.