Peck Lake Trail

We first did the Peck Lake Trail on our first visit to Algonquin Provincial Park, back in fall 2023.

We were staying at the Canisbay Lake Campground, and it was one of the closest trails to that campground.

It was a nice, relatively short trail that went the entire way along Peck Lake, with several sections of boardwalks along the way.

We did the trail earlyish in the morning, so there weren’t too many people - we were shocked at how busy the trails all got in the afternoon, especially considering it was cold, rainy, and the bulk of the campgrounds were closed at the time!

Anyway, we loved the variety of terrain - the boardwalks, the root-heavy jaunts through deciduous forests, some stairs, etc.

There were beautiful views out over the lake, some marshy area, and the surrounding environment seemed to change every few minutes.

It was the PERFECT trail for those lacking an attention span, like me. A very ADHD friendly trail!

Anyway, it took us 1:15 to do, but we did stop to take a lot of photos along the way.

We’ve since been back, and we’re ready to tell you all about it!

The Basics:

Name: Peck Lake Trail
Algonquin Park Section: Highway 60 Corridor
Kilometre Marker: km 19.2
Season: Year-Round... Sort of.
Trail Length: 2.3 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Suggested Completion Time: 1.5 hours

Logistics

Some basic information to help you plan your hike on the Peck Lake Trail in Algonquin Provincial Park:

Registration and Check In

All hiking trails in Algonquin Provincial Park require a valid permit to be within the park in the first place. There are a few different ways you can do this, depending on how you’re visiting the trail.

1. If you’re currently camping in Algonquin

If you have a current, valid camping permit for a campground in Algonquin Provincial Park - you just show up to the trail. Your license plate number is already registered with the park, and you’re good to go.

2. If you’re currently camping in a DIFFERENT Provincial Park

If you’re driving in for a day trip from somewhere like nearby Arrowhead Provincial Park, Bonnechere Provincial Park, Lake St Peter Provincial Park, or Silent Lake Provincial Park - you can take advantage of the reciprocal program.

With a few exceptions, a current and valid camping permit from one Ontario Provincial Park will act as a daily vehicle permit at another.

You just need to show up at one of the gates on the way in (East Gate and West Gate are the ones on either end of Highway 60), and show proof of that permit - a paper permit if your campground has it, or your email confirmation.

They will register your license plate number and you’re free to go - no additional fees required!

3. If you have an annual Ontario Parks Pass

Generally speaking, all you have to do is show up at one of the gates, present your pass, and have your license plate noted.

Note: Sometimes you’ll need to reserve a daily vehicle permit ahead of time. This is usually during peak fall colours season, when certain areas of the park reach capacity.

4. If you don’t have any sort of camping permit or Parks Pass in place

You can book your Daily Vehicle Permit online at Ontario Parks Reservations - up to 5 days in advance of your visit.

If you’re planning your visit for October... you might want to be ready to do so right when that 5 day window opens up, to ensure availability!

Otherwise, you can pay for a DVP at any one of the Algonquin Provincial Park gates.

Note: Some of the trailheads have QR codes for booking your DVP, but with such spotty internet throughout the park ... I really recommend doing it ahead of time.

Parking

There is a smallish parking lot at the trailhead - it’s right off Highway 60, but up a steep incline.

This is one of the traihead parking lots where there’s a sign indicating that RVs, trailers, and buses aren’t allowed.

Makes sense - you can’t see the parking lot for the road. If anyone’s parked there at all, any kind of larger vehicle stands a good chance of ended up stuck - not a lot of room to turn around up there, even if not busy.

Washrooms

There are no washrooms right at the trail, so you may want to plan ahead!

The closest washrooms are in the parking lot of Mizzy Lake, and in the Canisbay Lake Campground.

The Mizzy Lake trailhead outhouse is quicker and easier to access from Peck Lake, but Canisbay Lake has comfort stations with flush toilets.

Maps and Signage

There is a rough map at the trailhead, more of a general overview than anything. There are no distances marked, etc.

For a MUCH better map, grab one of the trail guides. It has a much more detailed map, points of interest marked, and even a graph showing the elevation changes.

The elevation change chart also gives roughly segmented distance information, via the sign post numbers.

One thing to note - the trailhead sign says the trail is 1.9 km long, the trail guide/website/park map says 2.3 km long. We clocked it at 2.23 km, via MapMyRun.

In terms of signage, there are some blazes... but you won’t really need them. The trail is obvious and well-defined the whole way. You won’t get lost on the Peck Lake Trail!

Accessibility

This trail is not wheelchair accessible, but - speaking from personal experience - MAY be ok for those with mobility issues.

I’ve done the trail while having tendon flaring / low mobility day. It was a challenge, but doable - and super worth it.

The inclines and declines are relatively small, and most are relatively gradual and have roots, etc acting as steps / grip.

Because of the roots, though, I wouldn’t recommend doing Peck Lake Trail while wearing a walking boot, or using crutches. A cane would be fine if you’re otherwise in good shape, and have decent balance.

One other thing to note is that there are a couple sets of stairs, near the end of the trail. I found these to be a bigger challenge than the roots and small hills, personally.

Pets

Dogs are allowed on the Peck Lake Trail - in fact, this might be one of the more popular trails for dog walking, given how many dogs we tend to see on it!

As always, all the standard Ontario Provincial Parks rules apply.

They must be leashed at all times, and aren’t allowed to harass other hikers, wildlife, or plants.

They can’t be left unsupervised, and aren’t allowed to make excessive noise.

Owners must pick up after their dogs, and properly dispose of the droppings.

On that note, there are no poop baggie dispensers on site, and no garbage can at the trail head. Plan ahead!

Day Use Area

There are no picnic tables near the parking lot or along the trail.

That said, there’s a bench right where the trail first meets the water, and a few large boulders on the shore - about ⅓ of the way in - that could make nice, rustic picnic spots.

If you want a more formal picnic area, your closest option is the day use area at the Canisbay Lake Campground.

Personally, I’d drive a bit further - in the other direction - and go to the Tea Lake Day Use Area. It’s probably my favourite in the park, with picnic tables set above Oxtongue River.

Several of them have great views of the rapids, under Tea Lake Dam!

Connectivity

Cell phone coverage varies wildly in Algonquin Provincial Park, far more so than anywhere else we’ve been.

A spot may have fantastic coverage one day, then none the next. You may have fantastic coverage at one point on a trail, then none just ten metres later.

Carrier, how busy the area is, elevation, and the weather all seem to play a part.

We can’t reliably tell you what the cell coverage will be like on this trail, as a result. Our best advice is to assume there will be no cellular coverage, and plan accordingly.

All that said, we’ve had pretty decent cell reception on this trail, both times we’ve done it.

Note: We can say that the most reliable place we’ve found for cell coverage in Algonquin PP has been the Visitor Center Parking lot. Also, there is wifi available inside the Visitor Centre itself.

Miscellaneous

The Peck Lake Trail would be gorgeous any time of year - we’ve seen it lush in the spring and summer, and colourful in the fall.

Getting to it in the winter might be a bit of an issue, though we’re sure it would be a gorgeous trail.

The thing is, this trail isn’t listed under the “recommended winter trails”, it’s under the “additional trails” section, with a note of “parking lot conditions permitting”.

That is to say, they generally don’t seem to plow it. We’ve seen times where there’s a small amount of snow pack, and tracks up the road to the parking lot.

More often than not, though, there’s usually a big snow bank plowed across the base of the road to the parking lot. So, we’ve never done this trail in winter.

Activities

Some information on the various things you can do, while hiking the Peck Lake Trail at Algonquin Provincial Park:

Hiking

We’ve done the trail twice now, here’s what we can tell you about it!

As a note, the photo sets are all done chronologically, but don’t necessarily line up with Porter’s commentary, below. WAY too much effort to try and fit the photos to the text!

This trail gives almost instant gratification - after a short walk from the parking lot, you come to a really nice view over Peck Lake.

After admiring the view a bit, you go down to the right, over some roots. At this point, it’s a fairly wide-ish trail, and well packed - there are some roots to step up over, though.

From here, you basically follow along the outside of the lake, with fairly frequent openings to views over the lake.

I’m going to be honest, the photos do more justice to the trail, than my words will.

Just over 500 metres in, you come to a bit of a split, where the trail can either go to the front or off to the right.

Going forward is more of an offshoot trail, that gives a nice view of the lake. You CAN continue through to the main trail again, but it’s a super rustic little cut-through - we usually just backtrack.

Shortly after that point - about 600 metres in - there is a cute little wooden boardwalk over some marshy area, and it's also got a great view of the lake beyond that area.

Overall, there's a lot of short sections of inclines and declines, and some areas with roots and rocks to walk over. Those are usually interspersed with sections of wide, mostly flat areas that are pretty well-packed and a little bit easier to walk on.

Along the way, the vibe is just constantly changing - different types of forests, different types of views, and the odd boardwalk section thrown in, for good measure.

About a kilometer in, there's another very short boardwalk with some marshy area off to the right. From there, you walk around along a little stream, past some pretty rock face, and uphill again.

As a note, the second half of the trail is generally easier than the first, with a lot more boardwalk sections - fairly long boardwalk sections, at that.

On average the ground is a lot more level, and there's less in the way of roots and rocks. There are two sets of staircases though - 24 steps over the two of them.

The trail gradually proceeds mostly slightly upwards, until the end. As you approach the end of the trail, there's another set of stairs and then some uphill climb, until you come back to the bench at the start of the trail.

From there, it’s just a short, easy walk back to the parking lot.

Overall, we clocked in at 2.23 - which is at least a couple hundred meters difference from the trail head information.

Birding, Wildlife, and Nature

We haven’t had a lot of luck with wildlife on this trail! Both times were pretty quiet in terms of birding - maybe the odd Black-Capped Chickadee in the distance.

We also haven’t lucked in to seeing any land or water animals - maybe next time?

Fishing

While we’ve never seen a canoe on Peck Lake, we have seen a LOT of people fishing from shore.

I’d assumed they were going for Lake Trout, but when I did a bit of research online, it looks like it’s Pumpkinseed, Splake, White Perch, and Yellow Perch in that lake.

Educational & Cultural Opportunities

While there are no educational signs on the Peck Lake Trail, you can pick up a Friends of Algonquin trail guide at the trailhead.

It’s free to use and return, or you can keep it for $0.50 - there’s a coin collection pay tube thing at the trailhead.

Alternately, the guides are available for purchase at the visitor centre, and at the gates.

These guides are amazing educational accompaniments to the trails in Algonquin Provincial Park, teaching about the geology, flora, and fauna you might see on your hike, as well as some of the history of the area.

They also tend to include information about the elevation changes throughout each trail.

All around, a great resource to refer to while you’re on the trail!

In the case of Peck Lake Trail specifically, there is a LOT of focus on the lake itself. There’s a lot of interesting information about the way the lake is laid out, the currents and “breathing” of the lake, microbes, and more

Winter Activities

As previously mentioned, the Peck Lake Trail parking lot - and, more importantly, the short road up to it - don’t tend to be plowed in the winter.

That said, if the parking lot conditions DO permit, the trail is recommended for winter hiking, and as an intermediate snowshoeing trail.

Final Thoughts

We love this trail - there’s a LOT packed into a relatively short trail. Yes, it’s “moderate” - but it’s an easy moderate.

Even beyond being what we call “ADD Friendly”, this trail is also one with a really great return on effort. The views come immediately, and pretty much don’t let up, the whole way!

We’ve now done it in spring and fall - and we’d do it those times of year again - but we’re REALLY hoping to get to do it in winter, some time!

More Algonquin Provincial Park Trail and Campground Reviews

Want to read some more of what we have to say about the campgrounds and attractions in Algonquin Park?

Check out our Algonquin Provincial Park Mega Post, or any of the links below for even more in-depth info:

Algonquin Provincial Park Campground Guides / Reviews

Achray Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
< a href="https://2nerdsinatruck.com/brent-campground/">Brent Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Canisbay Lake Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Kearney Lake Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Kiosk Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Lake of Two Rivers Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Mew Lake Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Pog Lake Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Raccoon Lake Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Rock Lake Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Tea Lake Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park
Whitefish Lake Campground, Algonquin Provincial Park

Algonquin Provincial Park Trail Guides / Reviews

Barron Canyon Trail, Algonquin Provincial Park
High Falls on York, Algonquin Provincial Park
Provoking Falls, Algonquin Provincial Park

Interested in exploring campgrounds beyond Algonquin Park? We've got a huge - and ever-growing! - list of them here: 2 Nerds in a Truck Campground Reviews.

We also have posts on Ontario Waterfalls, other Places to See, and a ton of Camping Recipes to cook up, while on your adventures!