Algonquin in the Fall

The day was calling for overcast and rainy weather, not uncommon for October in southern Ontario, but not ideal for grand landscapes. Due of the weather I tried to focus more on landscape details, like individual trees along the shores of the lakes, reflections in the water and small waterfalls in various streams. I started my adventure by revisiting Ragged Falls just to the west of Algonquin Park. The water level this time around was a fair bit higher due to the rains, making the falls more chaotic, but the river was surrounded by a variety of colourful trees leading to the following composition:

Once I got into Algonquin Park itself, I stopped at several roadside pullouts to shoot any small scenes that caught my eye.

Next, I decided to tackle the Track and Tower trail, a 2.5 - 3 hour hike in total (unless you are like me and constantly stopping to take pictures). As the trail progresses it passes by some small creeks and ponds which were looking nice surrounded by some colourful trees and fallen leaves.

At the end of the trail loop is a rocky overlook, an amazing vista that is difficult to truly capture in photographs. The crowns of the maple trees are typically the first to change colour, so even in the early stages of colour development, the view from above is breathtaking.

Perhaps the highlight of the trip, rather than the colourful leaves, was the sighting of a female moose close to the edge of highway 60. A number of cars were starting to stop along the edges of the road, and soon a park warden came along to warn people away before the animal became too stressed out.

There were nice views along highway 60 as well, but traffic was a bit crazy. I arrived early enough to miss a lot of the crowds and lineups in the morning but leaving the park was a bit slow.