Parking
Start at the Algonquin Visitor Centre entrance on Highway 60 at km 43; parking and toilets are there.
Overview
About Fire Tower Trail
Why go
- Fully accessible boardwalk to a Sunday Creek valley view
- Fire-history panels and a replica tower cupola
Heads up
- Very short: the complete out-and-back is about 200 m
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Algonquin map
Full mapElevation448–449 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 Fire Tower 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
Algonquin Visitor Centre0:00 / 0:32
“You're approaching the Algonquin Visitor Centre, a good stop for understanding the landscape beyond the highway.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Algonquin Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Spruce Bog Boardwalk
- Beaver Pond Trail
- Costello Creek Picnic Ground
- Big Pines Trail
- 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 Fire Tower Trail
A quick accessible lookoutFire Tower Trail is a fully accessible 200 m round-trip out-and-back from the entrance to the…
Fire Tower Trail is a fully accessible 200 m round-trip out-and-back from the entrance to the Algonquin Visitor Centre at Highway 60 km 43. The short boardwalk leads to a viewpoint over Sunday Creek valley, where a replica wooden cupola recalls the lookout structures once mounted on Algonquin's steel fire towers. Allow about 15 minutes to walk out and back and read a few panels; a valid Park permit is required. This is the Visitor Centre walk, separate from the Old Fire Tower Trail at Big Crow Lake.
What to noticeExhibit panels along the route explain fire and fire towers in Algonquin.
Exhibit panels along the route explain fire and fire towers in Algonquin. At the end, the open valley view is the payoff; the cupola is a replica, not one of the park's original towers. It is a brief interpretive stop rather than a substantial hike.
Starting point and accessStart at the Algonquin Visitor Centre entrance.
Start at the Algonquin Visitor Centre entrance. Parking and toilets are at the centre, and the panels provide the self-guided interpretation. Dogs are allowed on this route on leash, up to 2 m long.
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.
