Spruce Bog Boardwalk is a quick and easy hike along the Highway 60 corridor in Algonquin Provincial Park. The trail is 1.5 km and made up mostly of boardwalk, and is a leaisurley path with even terrain.
We visited the trail on a Saturday in Late October in the early afternoon, and the parking lot was nearly full. We took our time to enjoy the scenery and take photos, and our hike still remained under an hour. Although not a hot spot for seeing the leaves change colour, there were a few bright yellow tamarack trees that wonderfully contrasted the dark black spruce.
The trail weaves through two black spruce bogs, Sunday Creek Bog and another small kettle bog. Bogs in Algonquin are formed from melting glacier remains retreating from the area over 10,000 years ago, leaving bodies of water. The water is acidic due to lack of movement and circulation, leaving plant matter unable to fully decompose. A film of special plant encroaches from the edges on the surface of the water and the dead plant matter builds up over time to form a bog mat. Eventually, the bog mat is strong enough to support trees like black spruce and tamarack that can be found along this trail.
The Algonquin First Nations have inhabited the Algonquin Park region for thousands of years, prior to European settlement. Logging occurred in the park in the early 1800’s, where mostly pine (especially the Eastern White Pine) were most sought after. The provincial park was established in 1893 to dedicate a region for conservation and wildlife protection.
You can access the trail by a medium sized parking lot off Highway 60. You are required to reserve a Daily Vehicle Permit (DVP) through Ontario Parks Reservations, and you’re able to reserve up to 5 days in advance. Reserve along the “Hwy 60 Corridor” to park here.
Although it was a brief walk, we would absolutely return when passing through Algonquin!
Have you visited Black Spruce Bog Trail in Algonquin Provincial Park? Let us know about your experience in the comments below.
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Even though it’s a short trail, it’s one of my favourites in Algonquin. I’m such a fan of bogs and boardwalks. Looks like you had such lovely weather when you visited.
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Thanks for your comment! We definitely lucked out on the weather it was a warm weekend. I hope you enjoyed your weekend staying at the yurt.
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It was a neat experience to stay in a yurt in Algonquin. It’s too bad that we missed out on the fall colours, but the park was super quiet when we visited so we had the trails mostly all to ourselves.
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Sounds lovely, glad to hear you enjoyed your time.
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The animal pics!! So cute :’)
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