Parking
Use the shared Hardwood Lookout parking lot at Highway 60 km 13.8. Red Spruce Side Trail starts from the far side of the lot, separate from the main lookout route.
Overview
About Red Spruce Side Trail
Why go
- Tree labels make this a compact, hands-on conifer walk.
Heads up
- Narrow, rooty and rocky tread makes it less smooth than its short length suggests.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Algonquin map
Full mapElevation463–475 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 Red Spruce Side 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
Hardwood Lookout and Red Spruce0:00 / 0:25
“Hardwood Lookout's trailhead is ahead, for a short forest walk to a tree-framed view over Smoke Lake. Allow thirty to forty-five minutes for the one-kilometre loop, with roots, rocks and a brief climb.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Algonquin Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Smoke Lake Canoe Launch
- Canoe Lake and the Portage Store
- Mizzy Lake's Ponds and Wildlife
- Tea Lake Campground
- 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 Red Spruce Side Trail
A quick extra loopRed Spruce Side Trail is a separate 0.3-mile loop from the Highway 60 km 13.
Red Spruce Side Trail is a separate 0.3-mile loop from the Highway 60 km 13.8 parking area, reached from the other side of the lot from Hardwood Lookout. Its payoff is a closer look at Algonquin’s marked trees, not a Smoke Lake viewpoint. Allow about 30 minutes if you plan to stop at the labels; a valid park permit is required.
Read the conifer labelsFollow the short loop to compare trees including white pine, black spruce, red spruce, eastern…
Follow the short loop to compare trees including white pine, black spruce, red spruce, eastern hemlock and balsam fir. The signs turn an ordinary forest walk into a simple tree-identification exercise. If you want the overlook across Smoke Lake, take the separate Hardwood Lookout Trail from the same lot.
Short, but unevenThe tread is narrow and twisty, with roots, rocks and some short elevation changes.
The tread is narrow and twisty, with roots, rocks and some short elevation changes. It is a rougher walk than the distance suggests, so take your time over the uneven spots. Dogs are allowed under the park’s usual rules and must stay 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.
