Track and Tower - Algonquin Provincial Park

The Track and Tower trail is located at km 25 of Highway 60 in Algonquin Provincial Park. It consists of a 7.7km loop and a 5.5km side trail that leads from the loop to the Mew Lake Airfield.

The dam on the Madawaska.

The trail begins by following a stream that you often hear but can rarely see as the undergrowth is so thick. A beaver meadow will be passed about 1km into the walk. There are multiple elevation changes but nothing too strenuous, trail footing is tricky, especially after a rainfall which will make the rocks slippery. After 1.2km the trail comes across Cache Lake. Several private cottages are visible along the shoreline, as is the remains of an old, now dismantled, trestle bridge. Some wood is apparent on the far shoreline.

Re-entering the forest the trail will come across a portage trail and eventually a dam that controls water levels in the Madawaska River. Following the river for a bit the path crosses the river at a bridge before climbing a small ridge. Descending the other side the trail soon interacts with the river again at a very pleasant, if not small, waterfall.

At this point there is a decision to be made: you can either climb a ridge for a fantastic view of Cache Lake or not. There is a long staircase to take you to the top of the ridge, but it is a difficult and lengthy climb. After the view the trail returns to the decision point and continues along the old railbed which it follows for some time. You soon come across the Madawaska River again. When the train tracks were being used there was a high trestle bridge that crossed the river here. It has long been disassembled but the abutments are still visible below. The trail descends to river level and crosses a bridge (which uses one of the trestle abutments for support) before climbing out of the steep river valley on the other side.

The stairs to the ridge.

The view of Cache Lake from the ridge.

The path continues along the old railbed for sometime until another decision point is encountered. You can continue along the rail trail to the Mew Lake Airfield (5.5km away) or you can continue the loop. Since we only had 1 car we opted to complete the loop. The trail soon descends back into deep forest before coming across very pretty Grant Lake. This is a small quiet lake that offers a great place for a short rest before heading back into the forest for the final section.

The last portion of the trail is similar to the first with the trail with short ascents and descents through the woods before returning to the parking lot.

For more photos from the Track and Tower Trail click here.




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