When we go to Algonquin, we are always on the go and we like to explore the area around/outside the Park. There are a lot of cute towns/cities within an hour or so drive and you can also access different parts of Algonquin Park away from the main Park area.
One day we drove to South Algonquin to some Back Country camping access points. We had went back country camping in this area years ago but neither of us could remember what it looked like ! The access points are for Billy Lake and Shall Lake.
Trail to Billy Lake was pretty muddy and wet 
So if you are going in back country camping on Billy Lake, this is where you put your canoe/gear in at
Two spots just outside the park are favourites of ours.
Madawaska River May 2023 
Just at the corner of Hwy 60 and the old hwy
We also like to go into Dwight which is a small town west of the Park. There is a restaurant there called the Boiler Room and it’s good. We have been there several times for lunch or breakfast, the breakfasts are delicious. It’s a really pretty spot and the staff are awesome, thanks Tara and Prabash ! The last time we went, Tara was our server and Prabash is the cook there and they are both really nice and it was a pleasure to chat with them both.
We like to go to Bracebridge and usually stop at Muskoka Brewery to sit outside and enjoy a glass of beer. One of my favourite breweries and they have a lovely outdoor seating area.
Sawdust City Brewery is another favourite of ours, located in Gravenhurst, maybe 70 minutes drive from the park. Great food too !
Dorset is a great little spot to visit, they have an awesome General Store called Robinsons. When I was a kid growing up my parents had a cottage just outside of Dorset on Harvey Lake. My Mom didn’t drive so my Dad took us to the cottage right after school let out and we stayed until Labour Day weekend. My Dad would drive up on weekends, (he was in the Army) and stationed at Base Borden. At that time, it was called Camp Borden, one of the larger Army bases in Canada. Anyways, I digress………….every Saturday morning Dad would take us into Dorset so Mom could get groceries or whatever she needed for the week as he went back home on Sundays. I loved going to Robinsons and I still remember I was allowed to buy one comic book and I’ll tell ya, at that time I thought it was the meanest thing to get only one comic book. It was hard to choose just one, such decisions I had back then lol.
Robinsons General Store, it is huge and two stories, they have everything 
A shot I took out the window with my phone as we were driving through Dorset.
My Mom passed away when I was young and sadly my Dad sold our property right after she died. I have such fantastic memories of that place. My Uncle owned the lot on one side of us and then my Grandparents owned the next lot with a cottage on it. There were only 7 cottages on the entire lake, the lake was not huge but it wasn’t little either. We would go out in an old wooden green rowboat, which leaked, and be gone 1/2 the day. One kid would row and one would scoop water out of the bottom. No one checked on us, we grew up tough back then!
Our cottage from the water, probably 1972ish 
My Mom, my dog Mitzi and Me in the old rowboat, this was maybe a year before she passed away
Memory lane, we all have memories don’t we? I think as we get older we treasure memories so much more than when we were younger. Hope you are enjoying your summer !
That’s it for now, stay safe……….
Trums Travels 