The Forgotten Trail
to Tarn Lake
May 2, 2024
From a list of old trails and early tote roads in the Park, the trail from Upper Pine Lake to Tarn Lake is one that we had hoped to explore for many years. A hike we made to Grass-pink Lake in April had revealed that the first part of the route to Tarn is now completely overgrown. An effort to retrace the entire route to Tarn would require hours of bushwhacking and we knew it would be a challenge to hike there and back in a day. The original route can be seen in the following map that was published in 1958.
The trail from the Park boundary to Tarn Lk...
... and from Tarn Lk to St. Andrews Lk.
Department of Lands and Forests, Map 47a 1958
A report of a canoe trip made in the 1980s provides a description of the condition of the trail 40 years ago. "I once paddled from the Shall Lake entrance via McKaskill, the Bonnechere River then up through the Pines [Lower and Upper Pine Lake} and Tarn finishing at Achray. A challenging trip that felt like it was mostly portaging, but there were many beautiful spots and historical places that had not likely been visited very often... the portage trail north to Tarn was hard to follow even then - it was mostly cairns, blazes and the odd bit of flagging tape." Canadian Canoe Routes
Part 1
From the Park Boundary to Upper Pine Lake
Starting point - at the Park boundary on Pine River
between Lower and Upper Pine Lks.
The lower end of Upper Pine Lk.
The ranger cabin on Upper Pine Lk ca 1984. The cabin was removed in the early 90s.
Algonquin Provincial Park Archives & Collection, APM 6055.
Photographed by S.R. Gage - used with permission
There is a fairly good trail along the east side of Upper Pine but once you go beyond the site of the old ranger cabin the trail begins to narrow and is covered by deadfall in sections.
Arrival at Zigzag Creek. Though it is not very clear in the picture above, the indentation in the hillside in the centre of the image is one of the last clear signs of the original trail. From this point on it is a matter of bushwhacking the remainder of the way.
Completion of the first section of the hike -- to Upper Pine Lk and Zigzag Creek
Map courtesy of Maps by Jeff
Part 2
From Upper Pine Lake to Richards Lake
While the original trail crossed the creek and after some distance crossed back over, we chose to remain on the east side of Zigzag.
Easy walking along the creek at this point.
After crossing back over to the east side of the creek the original trail headed northeast. This area is thickly forested. We came across a tree covered with burls from the base of the trunk to the top of the tree.
Keeping feet dry on the hike is a challenge as there are a number of streams to cross.
The terrain changes dramatically as you head north, with steep rock faces to cross over. We stayed away from the edge as the moss covered rock is very slippery. It's a long way down.
Beavers provided a place to cross. Once across we took a compass reading and headed toward Richards Lk.
This is one of the most beautiful spots on the hike. Water crashes down over the rocks and creates a small falls below where I am standing. It empties into a deep pool with rock-lined walls and bottom. In the heat of summer it would be a great spot for a swim.
The area along Pine River to above Tarn is designated a Nature Reserve Zone. There is logging east of Zigzag Lk and west of Clover Lk but there is no logging in this area. As a result, there are great stands of forest with towering White and Red Pine.
Signs of spring along the route.
Approaching the south end of Richards Lake.
Second leg of the journey completed -- from Upper Pine to Richards Lk.
Part 3
From Richards Lake to Tarn Lake
The 1958 map indicated the trail went along the east side of the lake. The entire length of the lake is lined
with Red Pine.
In places along the lake a trail is clearly visible. Whether that is part of the original trail or is an animal trail, it's difficult to say. But the trail certainly did pass this way.
Signs of a forest fire from years ago.
The north end of Richards Lake.
Maps indicate there should a stream at this location but at this time there is only a dry riverbed.
For a short distance there was some easier walking but it did not last long.
We have crossed a valley through which Pine River flows on its way to Richards Lk. This meant working our way through alders. Later in the season, after the alders and underbrush have leafed out this would be a jungle of vegetation.
It appeared the trail would have kept to a long valley which skirts some steep hills. However, we decided to try to save some time by going over the hills rather than around them. This way we also avoided the wet land and alders that now cover the valley floor. That involved some steep climbing.
The final section of the hike passes through a narrow valley with huge walls of boulders on either side. The valley leads down to a marsh on the southern corner of Tarn Lk.
Arrival at Tarn Lk after almost six hours.
(That's a sock hanging from the back of the pack -- drying out out after the first of two soakers.)
We came onto the lake east of the portage to Little Tarn Lk.
The portage to St. Andrews Lk is located at the northeast corner of the lake.
A quick lunch to recharge and prepare for the return trip.
Distance covered - 23 km D uration - 11 hrs
Almost 35,000 steps.
Notes
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We have completed longer hikes in terms of distance covered, but this was probably the most difficult trek given the number of hours of bushwhacking required, and the ruggedness of the terrain.
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Wildlife - over the day we saw a total of 9 deer, mostly in 2s and 3s. That is a larger number than usual. Many signs of fresh wolf and bear scat. We carry bear spray but have never had to use it. Over the past year we have seen only one bear while hiking.
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One tick was discovered after completing the hike.