Friday, December 03, 2010

Algonquin Park is in winter wonderland mode!

Don't be standing under this tree when the snow drops!
It is not often that you hear "snow squall warning" and "flood warning" in the weather forecast, but that is what we had earlier this week. After the big snowfall (40 cm in some places) last Friday/Saturday, there was the torrential rain on Tuesday, which washed a lot of the snow away. Then on Wednesday it snowed again, and it is amazing what a difference a little elevation makes. Here in Oxtongue lake there is probably twice as much snow as there is in Huntsville, and I heard a report today that at some higher elevations in Algonquin park, there is up to 18 inches of snow on the ground. Winter is here.

Having said that, the best activity at the moment is still hiking. The ground is very wet, water levels are very high, lakes are very mushy and travel by ski or snowshoes might prove to be more trouble than it is worth. Give it a week or so, we'll get a little more snow, the ground will drain a bit, making a better and more solid base. The weather forecast for the next week is very favourable for firming things up.

All the pictures in this post were taken today, so you can have an idea of what it is like right now. According to some visitors from the south, the snow starts at Gravenhurst!

 
You might find the trails a little wet...


 
Oxtongue Lake is about half-frozen
We don't need Christmas lights with colourful kayaks like these
Outfitter Creek is in spring flood mode and the lake is very high

3 comments:

  1. Woohooo Algonquin here I come! Gonna be camping at Mew Lake from Dec 6 to 10 if anyone is in the area :)

    Great pics!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hope you have a blast in Algonquin Park, next week, Steve.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the compliment Steve, coming from a skilled photog like you, I'll take that as high praise. Even a point & shooter like me is bound to get a half-decent image with the gorgeous light, sparkly snow and lovely scenery.

    ReplyDelete