Tom Thomson Memorial Cairn

The Tom Thomson Memorial Cairn is a stone monument and plaque at Hayhurst Point on Canoe Lake, paired with a carved memorial pole. It commemorates the artist who died on Canoe Lake in 1917, making this a meaningful stop for paddlers interested in Algonquin art history. Reach it from Canoe Lake Access Point #5 off Highway 60; this is a substantial canoe outing, not a roadside stop.

Paddle north up Canoe Lake from Access Point #5, at Highway 60 km 14.1. Reported paddle times vary from about 30 to 90 minutes each way, depending on conditions and pace. At Hayhurst Point, the reported landing is a small rocky shore and dock below the cairn; a short, steep path climbs from shore. Current landing conditions haven't been confirmed, so allow for uneven footing and time to assess the shore.

The plaque records that Thomson died on Canoe Lake on July 8, 1917. Its inscription, dated that fall and written by J. E. H. MacDonald, describes him as an artist, woodsman and guide. It gives this modest stone monument a direct connection to Thomson's life in the park.

Thomson travelled Algonquin's lakes, rivers and portages from 1912 through 1917, often spending as much as six months a year in the park. Canoe Lake was his base camp. He made sketches and studies around the park, then developed them into paintings in his Toronto studio.

Camp Ahmek erected the pole beside the cairn in Thomson's memory. Its carved scenes symbolize his life, so take a moment to see both parts of the memorial rather than stopping at the plaque. Tall red pines, spruce and poplars frame the clearing around them.

The cairn and carved pole make the strongest photograph together, with the surrounding pines and the lake-side setting in view. That shows both the memorial and the quiet, wooded point where paddlers reach it.