Algonquin Park Guide

The park was established in 1893 by a Royal Commission whose members were concerned that logging would destroy the area’s forests. The goal was to make Algonquin Park an example of good forestry stewardship. Although it was deemed a national park, the province of Ontario has nonetheless remained responsible for managing it since its inception.

Algonquin originally covered an area of 3,797 square kilometers that spanned more than 18 townships. However, numerous expansions over the years have more than doubled the park in size. In fact, the year after its inception, Algonquin was expanded to cover six additional townships. Today, the park is larger than both Prince Edward Island and the U.S. State of Delaware.

Railroad expansion during the late 19th Century allowed more people to access the park. It also brought lumberjacks and railroad workers, who were among the few allowed to settle inside the boundaries. In 1908, the first hotel opened inside the park, and many campgrounds and vacation cottages soon followed. In 1992, it was named a National Historic Site of Canada by the country’s Minister of the Environment. That same year, the logging museum was opened to preserve the park’s logging heritage.

Although it was formed primarily to protect forests, some logging has nonetheless been permitted over the years. In 2013, changes were made to the park’s management plan that allowed logging over nearly 500,000 hectares of recreational area. The management plan is constantly under review to allow a balance between responsible logging and forest preservation. Currently, it is Ontario’s only provincial park that allows for any form of logging.