Algonquin Provincial Park at the immediate east of Muskoka in Ontario
Algonquin's
Provincial Park in Ontario encompasses 7,725 sq km (4,800 sq miles) of
forests, lakes and rivers, reminiscent of wilderness from a vanishing
past. The park is set in a transition zone amid both deciduous and
coniferous forests, with a lush landscape of maples, spruce bogs, beaver
ponds, lakes and wildflower-strewn cliffs, each of which provides ample
opportunities to see a wide array of plants and wildlife not commonly
found together.
Within the park's boundaries you will find 53 species of mammals, 272
species of birds, 31 species of reptiles and amphibians, 54 species of
fish and roughly 7,000 species of insects! More than 1,000 species of
plants, as well as more than 1,000 species of fungi are also found here.
Originally inhabited by aboriginals who came here to fish, hunt and pick
berries, the rugged Algonquin highlands were not settled by pioneers
until the nineteenth century when loggers arrived from the Ottawa Valley
in search of white pines whose wood was increasingly in demand by a
growing British economy.
Algonquin Provincial Park was established in 1893 as a wildlife sanctuary
to protect the headwaters of the five major rivers that flow from the
park. Eventually this area of majestic beauty was 'discovered' by
adventurous fishermen, then by Tom Thomson and the famous Canadian
landscape painters, the Group of Seven, and a host of other visitors.
People travel from around the world to hear the howls of wolves echoing
in the beautiful area, as well as to catch sight of the moose that
inhabit the park in large numbers.
