Harness Lake, Algonquin Provincial Park.
Harness Lake is impressive, with eleven fantastic campsites, an interesting shoreline, good Lake Trout fishing and two vastly different ways to access it by canoe or by hiking along the Highland Backpacking Trail. Neither route is easy though, and despite its proximity to two unique access points, Harness Lake is certainly not the busiest lake in Algonquin Park. Two long portages separate it from the Cache Lake access point, and the hike in from the Highland trail head can take six hours of steady walking.
Im on Harness early after completing the short, scenic 145m portage from Pardee Lake where I spent the night. Im surprised to find a very shallow bay at the foot of the waterfall for some reason I was expecting more moving water with a deep water channel that would attract feeding trout. Its not that.
But, as soon as I reach the mouth of this bay, the lake opens up, the shoreline gets steeper and several scenic campsites come into view along the eastern shoreline.
Five backpacking campsites are located along the eastern shore and cannot be reserved by canoeists. However, the remaining six campsites are actually superior in any event, and you really cant go wrong with either one of them.
The winds are lighter today and are more westerly so theres a light chop on the water, but the orientation of the lake is such that wind is not an issue on Harness Lake today. The portage to Head Lake has a nice sand beach landing, so I pull up and take a short break, enjoying the view down the lake. There isnt a single canoeist or hiker here today, so I have the lake to myself.
Ive decided that I want to make today, my last day paddling in Algonquin Park this season, as long as possible, so Im going to detour down Head Creek and up the Madawaska River instead of portaging from Head Lake directly into Cache Lake. This will add several hours of travelling, so Id better be on my way. Continue Day 3 Date: 2020-11-30
