Upper Pine to Grass-pink
Day Hike
Searching for the Old Portage Trail from Upper Pine Lake to Grass-pink Lake
March 28, 2024
Upper Pine Lake is situated in the southeast corner of the Park. Years ago there was a portage trail that went from Upper Pine to Tarn Lake, roughly 8 km to the north. A second trail branched off this route below Richards Lake and went west to Grass-pink Lake. (See maps below.)
Department of Lands and Forests, Map 47a 1958
Trail from Upper Pine Lake to Tarn and St. Andrews Lks - red dashed line
Historic route from Upper Pine to Grass-pink
Source: The Atlas of Canada, Toporama Open Government Licence - Canada
While there are references online to trips made from Upper Pine to Tarn, most of those reports date back a good many years. They indicate the trail was getting grown over and difficult to follow by the 1980s. I could not find a report of anyone using the portage route to Grass-pink. My brother and I decided we would see if we could hike to Grass-pink, and find signs of the original portage trail along the way. We set out early on the morning of March 28. Our starting point was the park boundary between Lower Pine Lake and Upper Pine Lake.
Map courtesy of Maps by Jeff
We knew from past experience that Toporama maps did not necessarily indicate the exact location of trail routes. However, where the trails make river crossings or pass by a significant feature such as a large pond – those are often the more probable locations to find an indication of old trails in the Park.
There is a trail running along the east side of Pine River, just above the Park boundary, but there is no easy way to that side from the access road – you could cross on foot or by canoe. We chose to put on old running shoes and wade across.
It being late March, and with ice still covering the wider part of the river above us, it is an understatement to say the water was as cold as ice! In making the crossing we startled a pair of Trumpeter Swans that were not happy about us invading their space; they let it be known with their loud, trumpeting calls.
Trumpeter Swans
Crossing Pine River at the Park boundary; a cold start to the day.
Once across, if you look back toward the access road you see a cliff above the river. We climbed up there several times as kids back in the 1960s. I have always heard this cliff referred to it as Eagle Rock.
We are across the river now. Eagle Rock is at the top of the hill to the left in the picture.
The trail along Upper Pine Lake
Upper Pine Lake looking northwest
The historic maps indicated the portage trail crossed Zigzag Creek several times above Upper Pine Lake. If we were to keep to that route it meant finding ways to get across the creek multiple times. The spring melt had swollen the creek which made getting across difficult, and necessitated finding suitable places to cross. There were few rocky areas to cross which meant we had to look for logs that had fallen across the creek. In some cases we were able to walk on top of a log with a pole for support (see following photo). In searching for the original route we did find indications of an old trail at two of these crossings.
Crossing Zigzag Creek
The portage trail passed through a narrow piece of land with Pine River on the west and Zigzag Creek to the east. After crossing Zigzag a third time the trail kept to the east of the creek. Signs of the original portage route faded soon after we crossed to the east side of the creek. This marked the start of several hours of bushwhacking.
Higher terrain as we went north – rocky outcrops provided good locations to check GPS points.
After travelling in a northerly direction for about 2.5 km the terrain becomes more rugged with steep rock faces and cliffs. In this area water flowing from Zigzag Lake rushes through a narrow valley of large boulders. The older maps indicated a narrow point in the river that provides a place to cross.
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It was at this point, after crossing the creek, that the original portage trail carried on to the north toward Richards Lake and then to Tarn. The portage trail to Grass-pink went west after this crossing. We were able to find the narrow crossing point suggested in the old maps, but discovered beavers had claimed the location and had built a dam there. We moved downstream a short distance and found a place to cross among the boulders.
Zigzag Creek at the base of the rocks.
The creek is just barely visible at the base of the rocks in the image above. Looking down at the rock face from a distance, the formation looks eerily like a skull peering out of the rock – two eyes in the centre of the image. This is all the clearer when viewed in person.
After crossing the creek it is not a long hike to Pine River, but the terrain between Zigzag Creek and Pine River at this point is steep and rocky. Pine River flows out of Richards Lake, located about 350m to the north from where we took the following photo. As we were approaching Pine River we saw several pieces of very old, faded trail tape which looked to be on a line headed further north toward Richards Lake. It’s possible they were left by someone hiking along Pine River up to Richards Lake and, perhaps, on to Tarn.
Pine River -- Richards Lake is approx. 350m north of this point
The following image shows a widening of Pine River just below the cross over point. I am standing at the base of a steep hill that beavers have cleared of trees. The beaver lodge can be seen in the middle of the photo. The hillside is covered with trails made by the beavers as they dragged branches down to the water edge. They had climbed up a long way and went a long distance from the water to access the trees. My brother and I commented that being on that hillside, a long distance from the safety of the water, must have left them vulnerable to attack by wolves.
Beavers have worked hard to clear the hillsides along this stretch of Pine River.
After crossing Pine River, one of the maps suggested the portage trail went by a fairly large pond. That pond is pictured below. This more open area of forest looked like a good place to search for signs of the trail. We did find a short stretch of about 20 ft that looked as though it might have been a wider trail at one point, Animals have since claimed it as their route along the pond.
The original portage route went along the edge of this pond.
The hike from that pond over to Grass-pink was the most difficult part of the trek. The route we chose took us over some higher ground. In the photo below you get a sense of the climb involved, with high hills just visible in the distance. Zigzag Creek and Pine River flow through the valley behind and below us.
Steepest part of the hike.
At the highest point you pass through an area of hardwood and a short stretch of less densely covered forest. However, the open space does not last long as you soon descend toward Grass-pink.
One of the few open, hardwood areas on the hike.
First view of Grass-pink Lake
Time for lunch
Grass Pink Orchid
Public domain image - Wikipedia
I have often wondered how some of the lakes in the Park got their name. In the case of Grass-pink Lake I imagine it must be a reference to the Grass Pink orchid. The blog Birds, Bugs and Botany has a piece on the orchids of Algonquin Park, and notes that while this orchid is widespread across much of eastern Canada it is not particularly common in Algonquin Park.
It is often found in bogs, which might explain the lake’s name since there is a long bog along McDonald Creek between Pogonia Lake and Grass-pink. Finding signs of the orchid in the area would be something for a summer hike.
Reading this article on orchids I noticed that the Rose Pogonia is another variety of orchid found in the Park. Perhaps Pogonia Lake, just to the southwest of Grass-pink, is named after this particular orchid.
For the return journey from Grass-pink we stayed pretty much to the route we took coming in. However, there were a couple of places where we left that route either to search for signs of the old portage trail or because we felt the terrain would provide easier walking. This meant crossing a couple of smaller streams such as the one shown in the picture below.
Stream flowing to Zigzag Creek
Reaching the area closer to Upper Pine Lake there is a stretch of land marked by huge boulders and rocky hillsides. Here we saw places where animals had dug away the earth beneath the rocks, likely to create a den or shelter (see photo below).
Signs of animal dens below the rocks.
When we got back to Upper Pine Lake we took some time to explore the site of the ranger cabin that was once along the shore of the lake. The foundation is still in place (see photo below).
Also provided below is a photo of the ranger cabin around 1984, in its original location, and a second photo of the cabin in its current location at Bonnechere Provincial Park. I took this second photo a few days prior to our hike. The cabin was moved to the park and restored in the early 1990s.
Foundation of the ranger cabin on Upper Pine Lake
The ranger cabin ca 1984
Algonquin Provincial Park Archives & Collection, APM 6055, Photographed by S.R. Gage
- used with permission
The cabin in its current location at Bonnechere Provincial Park, Round Lake
In this photo we are back close to where we started the hike. Again, we will have to wade across Pine River. It's close to 5 PM and the end of a memorable day.
Our route – map courtesy of Maps by Jeff
Notes
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The time – 10 hrs – to cover the distance involved provides a sense of how challenging this hike is. The 10 hrs includes time spent searching for the historic portage route.
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We did flag our route going in, but removed flagging tape on our way out.