Hemlock Bluff Trail

Next up in our tour of the hiking trails in Algonquin Provincial Park, we’ve got Hemlock Bluff Trail.

This one is pretty centrally located along the Highway 60 corridor - at km 27.2 - and it’s particularly conveniently located for those staying in the Mew Lake Campground.

It took us a few years of camping at Algonquin before we - well, Porter - did this trail.

We’d always assumed the trail to be on the south side of the highway, where there’s a sort of meadow-looking area... but nope! This is the one trail along the Highway 60 section of Algonquin that requires you to walk across the highway to get to the trailhead.

Anyway, Porter did this one in August, 2026. Let us - mostly him! - tell you all about it.

The Basics:

Name: Hemlock Bluff Trail
Algonquin Park Section: Highway 60 Corridor
Kilometre Marker: km 27.2
Season: Year-round.
Trail Length: 3.5 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Suggested Completion Time: 2 hours

Logistics

Some basic information to help you plan your hike on the Hemlock Bluff 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

As previously mentioned, the parking lot for the Hemlock Bluff Trail is on the opposite side of the highway from the trailhead.

This is a relatively large parking lot, with 2 access points, and a clear view of the whole thing from either approach. If it’s not too busy, you’ll definitely be able to safely get an RV or trailer parked in there.

Now, a caveat - “if it’s not too busy” is key here. Probably due to its proximity to campgrounds, this tends to be a popular trail, especially in the fall.

We often see the parking lot full or almost full.

Washrooms

There are no washroom facilities at the Hemlock Bluff Trail.

Your closest options are the vault toilets and comfort stations at the Mew Lake Campground, just a few kilometres to the east.

Maps and Signage

There is a rough map at the trailhead, more of a general overview of the layout, 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, with segmented distances, points of interest marked, and even a graph showing the elevation changes.

In terms of signage, the beginning of the trail could be signed better.

When he went to do the trail, Porter didn’t see any signs in the parking lot indicating the trail to be on the other side of the road. We knew there were signs - we’d seen them before - but they must have been blocked by other cars.

From there, looking across the road - there’s an opening in the woods to get up to the trail, but you have to walk up some rock and out of view of the road, before you get to any trail signage.

The trail itself is blazed well, but it’s also so well-worn that you really don’t need them. You’re definitely not going to get lost on this trail!

Accessibility

If you have knee or ankle issues, this trail could be a nonstarter - literally!

Due to my tendon issues - mostly in my ankles and knees - I took one look at the entrance of this trail and noped out. To get up to the trail head, you have to walk up a fairly steep rock face.

The trail is rated moderate, and Porter says that there are a lot of roots and such along the way that make for uneven footing.

There are enough moderate inclines and declines that he thinks it would be pretty difficult for anyone with mobility issues.

Pets

Dogs are allowed on the Hemlock Bluff Trail, with the caveat that this trail visits a cliff edge, so you’ll want to have them close and definitely under your control.

Beyond that, 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 at the trailhead, nor along the Hemlock Bluff Trail itself. There IS a single bench though, about 1 km in, at an overlook.

If you’re looking to picnic after your hike, your best bet is to drive a few km east, to the Lake of Two Rivers Day Use Area - it’s right on the side of the highway.

This area has picnic tables scattered over a grassy lawn, overlooking Lake of Two Rivers. There are also washrooms right on site.

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.

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 Hemlock Bluff Trail at Algonquin Provincial Park:

Hiking

Here’s what Porter had to say about the trail itself.

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!

As previously mentioned, if the parking lot is full, it's not necessarily obvious that you need to cross Highway 60 to reach the start of this trail.

After you cross the highway, it's not even obvious where to go since there isn't a sign right there, and there's no worn trail heading into the forest.

The reason why there isn't a worn trail is because you walk up a moderately inclined rock face to get to the trailhead.

Really it's the only reasonable way into the forest there, but I do feel that a sign on that side of the highway would be nice.

It feels like I start out all of the Algonquin trail descriptions as "wide and well-packed". Well that's true of the Hemlock trail as well, this is a popular park so it sees a lot of traffic.

There are trail blazes, but since the trail is so well established, you won't need to rely on them. The trail is moderate due to somewhat rough footing with roots and rocks, as well as multiple short elevation changes.

The forest is mature pines, with pine needles blanketing the ground.

At 1 km you reach signpost 5, with a bench and a really nice overlook. You can see water and forest in the distance, I can imagine this being a great view during fall tree color season.

During my hike in late August, there were tons of mushrooms all around. Not only many of each type, but so, so many different types of mushrooms. It was really fun to look around and try to get photos of each type.

After the cliff view at signpost 5 the trail follows along near the cliff edge for a while, but there are enough trees that photos don't really do it justice.

It still looks nice in person, it's easier to look through the trees in person that in a photo.