Camping in Upper Brush Lake (Mississagi Provincial Park)

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Marcela informed us (there's no better way to put it) that the only weekend she could go camping with us was the long weekend from August first to the third. By the time we got her notification, everyone planning to book a campsite in Ontario had already done so, especially those wanting to take advantage of the long weekend, which, as you can imagine, is in much higher demand than regular ones. Even the back-country campsites at Algonquin—a park whose sheer size usually leaves options open for those of us who rest on our laurels—were completely full.

We had to, as has happened to us before, look for options farther away from Toronto, and we found a provincial park with backcountry campsites available for the dates Marcela gave us (...and for many other dates, in case we wanted to extend or repeat the visit). In fact, the park, which is called Mississagi to say it outright, offers backcountry camping in two modes: canoe-access and hike-in only. The drawback of the park is that it's about 6 hours from home, which meant 12 hours of our 3-day trip would be spent inside the car.

Still, we signed up for the plan, and on Saturday, August 1, 2026, at 5:00 AM, we woke up, showered, dressed, brewed coffee, packed the food into Eduardino's backpack, loaded it into the trunk—where the other three backpacks were already waiting—and left at 5:40 AM to pick up my nephew, who was waiting for us with breakfast ready and more coffee. We ate breakfast in the car, chatted, made a biological stop and another one to get gas, and shortly before 1:00 PM, we registered at the park office. We were assisted by three university students in what was likely their summer job. All three knew the details of the script, but none had ventured out to see the park's backcountry campsites (or trails), so they couldn't provide any additional information beyond what I already had from the website. However, they did confirm that trail conditions were poor because recent storms had knocked down many trees.

We parked the car where the rangers told us to and started hiking at 1:35 PM. Half an hour later, we reached the intersection of three park trails: Helenbar Lookout Trail, Semiwite Creek Trail, and MacKenzie Trail, which converge at a fairly nice sandy beach where a mixed couple—he Mexican, she Canadian—were swimming. Upon hearing us speak Spanish, they struck up a conversation with us. They were staying at the car-access campsites and had done the Helenbar Lookout Trail that day.

We left them at the beach and continued our way. We soon discovered the challenges of the trail: not only were there fallen trees, but the underbrush had grown, erasing parts of the trail. As the crow flies, I'd dare say the combination of low traffic and lack of trail maintenance goes hand in hand with the strong winds that have knocked down the trees.

For our purposes, the result was that we got lost about 4 times on the way there and a couple of times on the way back. We had to backtrack to previous trail markers (safe ground), carefully check the map and GPS (the model I have doesn't display a map interface), look for ground clues again, and set off on a new route. In one moment of desperation, we had to rely on the map from the 'AllTrails' app, which really makes your life so much easier. This is a good time to mention two new details: the terrain is a dense forest where GPS signal gets lost at times, and a good portion of the park has no cell service.

An additional detail that seasoned the hike was that the soles of Eduardino's boots began divorce proceedings, separating from the rest of the footwear. We resorted to a bit of lead tape we had brought along and a pair of rubber bands to try and maintain the marital arrangement, but we weren't very successful, and the boots looked like duck bills. Nevertheless, we reached camp before 6:00 PM, completing the trek in a little over 4 hours (which had been the estimated time). The return trip was faster, largely because my GPS had already recorded the route, plus going back involves more downhill than uphill hiking. The campsite at Brush Lakes, where we spent both nights, sits at 410 meters above sea level (masl), while Lake Semiwite, where we started our journey, is at 370 masl. The printed map I brought (taken from the AllTrails app) indicated an elevation gain of 235 m plus a loss of 291 m on the return route. That is to say, upon leaving the Brush Lake campsite, you climb a rather steep hill until reaching the lookout point (marked with the letter M on the map attached below), and after that, the trail is mostly downhill.

We spent both nights at the same campsite on the shores of a lake, being its sole beneficiaries and probably among the very few visitors it has had this year, judging by how faint the trail is. Both at the campsite and along a large portion of the trail, moose droppings can be found, pointing to a healthy population of them nearby, but we weren't lucky enough to spot any. One of the plans I initially had for our rest day at camp was to hike around the lake to reach a second campsite in the Brush Lakes area. Brush Lakes are two twin lakes connected by a small stream that we didn't get to see. Each campsite enjoys its own lake. The plan to explore the second one fell through for two reasons: the trail conditions were quite poor (they seemed in worse shape than the section we had already hiked), and Eduardino was without boots.

We spent Sunday dedicated to recharging our batteries for Monday. Around 10:00 AM, before breakfast, Marcela and I swam around our lake. Hours later, near 2:00 PM, Marcela swam around it a second time by herself, without inviting me because she thinks I go too slow. The rest of the day was spent cooking the three meals, repairing the boy's boots with cordage and medical tape, clearing a bit of the brush at the camp entrance, replacing a couple of fallen trail markers we found, removing some logs blocking the path, and getting the campfire ready.

The experience itself earned a mixed review. While the lake is beautiful, it lacks the sandy beach described in the campsite details on the park website. The trail conditions were quite bad, and there were plenty of mosquitoes, which seems to be a particular issue this year. On the bright side, our ability to navigate, read maps, and spot trail clues improved. We only had one downpour early Sunday morning while we slept, enjoying good weather for the rest of the camping trip. The food was just the right amount we needed and was tasty, and we managed to solve every challenge that came our way in good spirits. Special mention goes to the sandy beach at the three-trail intersection, and the lookout point over the twin lakes.

It is a park worth visiting and one that would greatly benefit from proper trail maintenance. A reflection I had while there is how easy it is to get lost in a forest when the trail isn't marked, and I felt tremendous gratitude for all the hikers who have taken the trouble to place blazes along the way to make navigation easier for those of us following behind. With this trip, my admiration grows for the pioneers who forged these paths, as well as for those who have established and maintain the infinite trails of Ontario's provincial parks. My thanks to all of them for opening up the possibility for us to enjoy the natural beauty of the province. 

Map of the trail:

Video: