Paddling — Flatwater.
The Frost Centre canoe routes inside the Haliburton Highlands Water Trails cover 26,500 hectares of Crown land south and west of Algonquin Provincial Park, with 60+ shield lakes, 70 portages, and 11 marked access points strung along Highway 35 N. The smaller Poker Lakes unit adds 1,800 ha and 12 lakes.
From an Oxtongue Lake launch, paddlers can reach the base of Ragged Falls in 3–4 hours without lifting a canoe.
The brief.
HHWT is municipally managed by the Township of Algonquin Highlands rather than Ontario Parks, and the booking domain (ahtrails.ca) is the canonical reservation portal — the Township's own backcountry pages are the readable substitute. The Frost Centre routes are classic shield lake-and-portage tripping; Poker Lakes is the smaller, quieter unit at 5128 Highway 118.
Day-trippers can paddle Oxtongue Lake to Ragged Falls round-trip with no portages, or work flatwater on Big Hawk Lake (4.7 × 3.7 km on the Kennisis system) and Kawagama Lake (~32 km², the largest in Haliburton County). May through October is the working window; deep-lake thermoclines linger into July.
5. places.
- 01
Frost Centre canoe routes (Haliburton Highlands Water Trails)
26,500 ha, 60+ lakes, 70 portages, 171 interior campsites, and 11 access points off Highway 35 N — the headline multi-day route system.
- 02
Poker Lakes canoe routes
1,800 ha, 12 lakes, 10 portages, 47 campsites; access at 5128 Highway 118 and the Cinder Lake access road off Black River Road.
- 03
Oxtongue Lake
Flatwater paddling at the foot of Algonquin PP's West Gate; standard launch for the 3–4 hour Oxtongue River paddle to the base of Ragged Falls, no portages.
- 04
Big Hawk Lake
4.7 × 3.7 km lake on the Kennisis River system, controlled by the Big Hawk Lake Dam.
- 05
Kawagama Lake
~32 km², 83.5 km of shoreline, max depth 67 m; Haliburton County's largest lake, north shore in Algonquin Highlands / Dorset.
Today's read.
Temperature (3.0°C) below the typical range.
By the book.
- 01HHWT backcountry permits are site- and date-specific, bookable online or via 1-866-364-4498; party caps are 4, 6, or 10 per site, and the booking number serves as the camping permitSource ↗
- 02HHWT backcountry permit window runs January 2 – December 18 annually across both Frost Centre and Poker Lakes unitsSource ↗
- 03Oxtongue River-Ragged Falls Provincial Park is day-use only with motor-boat restrictions; canoeing is permitted within the May 8 – October 18, 2026 access windowSource ↗