Parking
Whiskey Rapids Trail parking lot on Highway 60 at km 7.2. Park entry permit required.
Overview
About Whiskey Rapids Trail
Why go
- A short loop reaches the Oxtongue River and rapids.
- Numbered posts add a river-ecology layer to the walk.
Heads up
- The rooty return includes a steep uphill section.
- The rapids can be low or partly screened by trees.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Algonquin map
Full mapElevation413–445 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 Whiskey Rapids 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
Whiskey Rapids Trail0:00 / 0:24
“You're approaching Whiskey Rapids Trail, a short forest walk down to the Oxtongue River. The two-point-one-kilometre loop takes about an hour and a half if you stop at the numbered posts to learn about the river.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Algonquin Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Tea Lake Dam Picnic Ground
- From Woodland Sketch to Canvas
- Who Made Those Tree Holes?
- 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 Whiskey Rapids Trail
Is this the short hike you want?Whiskey Rapids Trail is a 2.1 km (1.3 mi) loop from the Highway 60 km 7.
Whiskey Rapids Trail is a 2.1 km (1.3 mi) loop from the Highway 60 km 7.2 parking area down to the Oxtongue River and back. It is a good short outing if you want forest and a riverside stop without giving up half a day. It is not flat: the route drops to the water, then climbs steeply to finish.
Follow the river loopThe trail descends through forest to a mostly level stretch beside the river, then turns uphill…
The trail descends through forest to a mostly level stretch beside the river, then turns uphill toward the lot. The numbered posts make it worth pausing; allow about 1.5 hours if you read and look around, though steady walkers often finish sooner. Exposed roots and uneven ground make the return climb the part to take seriously.
The rapids can be modestThe Oxtongue River is the payoff, but do not count on roaring whitewater every time.
The Oxtongue River is the payoff, but do not count on roaring whitewater every time. River levels change, and several late-summer and fall visitors found the flow low; trees also screen parts of the water from the path. The trail's interpretive theme is river ecology and history, so there is still more to notice than the rapids alone.
Access, permits, and dogsStart at the Whiskey Rapids Trail parking lot on Highway 60 at km 7.2.
Start at the Whiskey Rapids Trail parking lot on Highway 60 at km 7.2. Algonquin entry requires a park permit. Dogs are allowed on a leash no longer than 2 m. Spring melt or extended heavy rain can flood the trail; the access gate and lot may be locked when high water is unsafe, so check current advisories before setting out in wet periods.
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.
