Beaver Pond Trail

Porter first hiked the Algonquin’s Beaver Pond Trail in 2023 or 2024.

The weather had been threatening rain, but that held off for longer than we thought it would. So, we decided to check it out.

Well, one of us did, anyway - I didn’t think my knees could handle another walk after the first two we’d done that day, so I waited it out while Porter did it.

This one is 2 km long, rated moderate, with an estimated time of 1.5 hours to complete it. Without me slowing him down, he did it in 30 minutes, LOL.

Anyway, Porter revisited it in 2026, to be able to do a much more in-depth trail guide. He had a blast - and had managed to forget how much he enjoyed this trail!

So, let’s tell you all about it!

The Basics:

Name: Beaver Pond Trail
Algonquin Park Section: Highway 60 Corridor
Kilometre Marker: km 45.2
Season: Year-round - Sort of.
Trail Length: 2 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Suggested Completion Time: 1.5 hours

Logistics

Some basic information to help you plan your hike on the Beaver Pond 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

The parking lot at Beaver Pond Trail is kind of deceptive!

It LOOKS like it’s got 2 access points - like a half loop, on the side of the road. This gets us, every time - it’s actually a longish parking lot that ends in a bit of a turnaround loop - it doesn’t actually exit out onto the highway there.

That said, it’s a large parking lot, and you can see how busy it is, before even entering. It should be pretty easy to avoid getting a larger vehicle - like an RV or trailer - stuck in there.

Washrooms

There are no washrooms at the Beaver Pond Trail.

The closest washroom facilities are about 2.5 km to the west, at either the Spruce Bog Boardwalk Trail (Outhouse in parking lot), or the Visitor Centre.

The Visitor Centre has flush toilets, but access is subject to their open hours.

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 details map, with points of interest marked, and even a graph showing the elevation changes.

The elevation chart has the added bonus of showing approximate trail segment distances, between the numbered posts / data points.

In terms of signage, the Beaver Pond Trail has the standard Algonquin blue blazes for the forward direction, with white blazes to let you know you're going backwards.

There's a sign with an arrow directing you at the split of the loop, and another further in where the trail turns sharply.

That's really all the signage you need - the trail is well established and you're not going to get lost.

Accessibility

The biggest obstacles along the Beaver Pond Trail are the several large steps up with landscape timber steps, and a short rocky moderately steep sloped section up.

Those with mobility aids like a cane or walking boot might have a bit of a tough time in those two spots, but should be good otherwise.

There are few benches on this trail and they're located at scenic locations, not specifically after the difficult sections described above, where you might need a break.

Pets

I think this is a fantastic and safe trail for medium to large dogs that can handle stairs, and I did see one group with a dog while I was hiking this time around.

Dogs should definitely be kept close and under control on this trail, as there’s an unfenced cliff involved.

Also, that’s one of the standard Ontario Provincial Parks rules that apply to dogs.

Other than that, 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 a couple memorial benches on one of the boardwalk sections, but no actual picnic tables anywhere along the trail or at the parking lot.

If you’re looking to do a post-hike picnic, your best bet is to go up Opeongo Rd (Around 1km to the East), to the Costello Creek Day Use area.

It’s a cute, secluded picnic area that never seems to be busy - and there are some great views and wildlife viewing opportunities in that general area!

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.

That said, I didn't have any reception in the parking lot or on the trail anywhere I checked - either time I did this trail.

That said, which carrier you use, how busy the area is, elevation, and the weather all seem to play a part in whether or not you’ll have cell service.

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.

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.

Activities

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

Hiking

Here’s what Porter had to say about hiking the Beaver Pond Trail.

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 starts off with a short boardwalk bridge section, before the trail splits off into the trail loop. An arrow directs you to take the lefthand branch.

The path is wide and well-packed, with somewhat rough footing due to rocks and roots in the path.

There are only modest inclines and declines in the early part of the trail. There are some stretches with large rocks in the trail where you definitely need to watch your step.

At 290 meters into the trail, you're at signpost 2, a nice view over the water with one beaver lodge off in the distance.

From here the trail follows close to the water's edge but there are trees that mostly obscure the view.

380 meters into the trail, you walk on a long boardwalk over a marshy area. There are two benches and signpost 3 on the boardwalk.

You can see a beaver dam and the same beaver lodge you saw earlier, off to the right side.

One short part of the boardwalk appears to be a floating dock section, which is barely above the water. It actually gets a bit wet as you walk past it, but it's very stable.

After the boardwalk, the trail continues to follow along the waterline. At 560 meters in, there's a bit of an opening at the water and this offers the best (closest) view of this particular beaver lodge.

Just a note here, voices carry very well over the pond. I could hear a loud group ahead of me for quite a bit of my hike, and it was rather disruptive.

The elevation changes on the trail have been modest to this point... but at 670 meters in, you ascend 29 steps up a wooden staircase.

The trail is still following the waterline but now you're elevated, with a steep slope down to your right side. It's pretty heavily forested so you don't get great water views here, at least for photos.

At 760 meters you pass by a large moss and lichen-covered boulder at a short but moderate incline in the trail.

A bit further at 840 meters you go down a large wooden stairway with 46 steps, leading to a boardwalk bridge over a little stream.

The trail follows along this creek, giving some lovely rocky water views. A couple of short sections were a bit muddy, but it had rained the day before so that probably made it worse than normal.

At 1.05km into the trail you arrive at the dam at signpost 5.

This is a very large beaver dam on your left, it's quite impressive.

During my hike the water was glassy smooth, making for great photos here. Immediately after the dam you ascend up about thirty log stairs.

At 1.21 km you reach sign post 6 with another great view over the water at the end of a little peninsula, so you get a very wide view. I did see multiple beaver lodges here, but didn't see any sign of beavers.

The trail still follows along the waterline, with large rocks and roots still in the path.

At 1.34km there are several large steps to ascend, with landscape beams as steps. Heads-up, these are quite large steps.

After those large steps up, you descend 31 steps down another wooden staircase.

1.53 km in you reach signpost 8 which has the closest view of a beaver lodge that you'll see on this trail, but it's still off in the distance - you'll want a camera with fairly high magnification if you want a detailed view.

After this you break away from the water as you ascend a moderate incline with large rocks in the trail, which transitions to more modest slopes in the dense pine forest.

1.93km in you pass a very narrow spot in the trail as you walk by a large boulder, and there are lots of mushrooms in this area.

2.0km in you'll see sign post 9, with a lovely overlook and a bench.

I measured the total trail length as 2.18km using MapMyRun.

As for difficulty, I'm putting this as midway into the moderate difficulty since there are several areas of moderate elevation changes and generally somewhat rough footing for most of the trail.

Birding, Wildlife, and Nature

I didn't see any large wildlife on this hike, and no sign of recent beaver activity (no chewed trees by the shoreline).

I only heard Blue Jays and Red-Breasted Nuthatches on this trip.

The real star of the hike, here was the fungi. SO MUCH FUNGI! This was in late August - during a bit of a rainy spell - so it was a particularly great time to see all manner of mushrooms and other fungus.

Educational & Cultural Opportunities

While there are no educational signs on the Beaver Pond 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!

Anyway, this trail guide was PACKED with information about beavers and dams, but read like it was written by someone that really doesn’t like beavers. It was kind of funny!

Winter Activities

Beaver Pond Trail is listed in the “Additional Trails - Parking Lot Conditions Permitting” section of the Algonquin Winter Guide.

This basically means that a trail is available for use if you can get to it, but they’re not necessarily going to plow the lot.

These trails are generally a lot less popular than the “recommended” / plowed parking lot trails, so the trails aren’t usually anywhere near as well packed.

That said, the trail is available for winter hiking and snowshoeing.

Final Thoughts

This is a really great hike with lots of water views, overlooks, and one of my favorite things to see - a closeup view of a beaver dam.

It has fantastic payoff for the effort, there's something cool to see every couple hundred meters.

I like that it's a short hike with great payoff, many of the Algonquin trails with great views are extremely long and time-consuming.

I will definitely do this trail again - I bet it would be really nice in the fall, or at sunrise / sunset.

More Algonquin Provincial Park Trail and Campground Reviews

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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.

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