Parking
Use the Bat Lake Trail parking area on Highway 60 near km 30. A valid Algonquin Park permit is required for trail use.
Overview
About Bat Lake Trail
Why go
- A full loop connects a hemlock stand, a lookout and an acidic lake
- A varied forest walk with a distinct ecology focus
Heads up
- Uneven ground can turn muddy and slippery
- The lookout may feel modest or partly screened by trees
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Algonquin map
Full mapElevation406–471 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
4 active Algonquin alerts
- ClosureProvoking Falls Bridge ClosedThe Provoking Falls bridge on the Highland Backpacking Trail is closed because of safety concerns; the bridge has been removed. - Use the posted reroute, which adds 2.5 km.Official details
- CautionLow Water on Backcountry Canoe RoutesOntario Parks currently lists low-water alerts for six backcountry canoe-route sections: - Varley Lake from Carl Wilson Lake - Latour Creek north of Rosebary Lake - Carcajou Creek north towards…Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Algonquin Tour Guide
Your drive to Bat Lake Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Algonquin Provincial Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Algonquin audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Bat Lake Trail0:00 / 0:25
“Bat Lake Trail is ahead, a good choice if you want a varied forest walk rather than one big panorama.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Algonquin Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Highland Backpacking Trail
- Lake of Two Rivers Store and Cafe
- Hemlock Bluff Trail
- Killarney Lodge
- 107 audio storiesacross Algonquin’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Moose, Eastern Wolf, Black Bear, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 39 trails, 66 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Bat Lake Trail
What this loop offersBat Lake Trail is a moderate 5.
Bat Lake Trail is a moderate 5.8 km loop from Highway 60 at km 30, linking an eastern hemlock stand, a lookout and acidic Bat Lake. Choose it for a substantial forest walk with a few different natural features, rather than for one dramatic viewpoint.
Give yourself timePlan around three hours.
Plan around three hours. Published estimates range from about 2½ to 3½ hours; use the long end if you want to pause at the lake or the ground is wet. The natural tread is uneven, with several climbs and descents. Mud and slick footing recur after rain, so shoes with good grip are useful.
The forest, lookout and lakeThe stand of eastern hemlock and the unusually acidic lake are the trail's distinctive ecology…
The stand of eastern hemlock and the unusually acidic lake are the trail's distinctive ecology stops. The route also reaches a lookout, but keep expectations modest: visitors disagree about the view, and trees can screen part of it. At the lake, frame the wooded opposite shore with some water so the scene reads as a small forest lake rather than an open panorama.
Start and accessBegin at the Bat Lake Trail parking area on Highway 60 near km 30.
Begin at the Bat Lake Trail parking area on Highway 60 near km 30. A valid Algonquin Park permit is required. Dogs are allowed on this trail but must stay under control and on a leash no longer than two metres.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Algonquin
1,237 sightingsMooseMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
245 sightingsEastern WolfMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
331 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
604 sightingsLoonMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
110 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
192 sightingsRiver OtterMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Algonquin. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
