Ontario trails · Highland Backpacking Trail
Highland Backpacking Trail
A 24.2-mile network in Ontario, with 301 ft of climbing. Reaches Pewee Lake and other lake/viewpoint destinations. Managed by Algonquin Provincial Park.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 2,939 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
NRCAN MRDEM ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Pewee Lake (lake)
- Faya Lake (lake)
- Fly Lake (lake)
- Starling Lake (lake)
- Harness Lake (lake)
- Provoking Lake (lake)
- Starling Lake Lookout (viewpoint)
Getting there
Highland Backpacking Trail access — parking nearby. 45.57267, -78.52521 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:58 a.m., the sun rises at 7:28 a.m. and sets at 6:30 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:00 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 02 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 24.2-mile route takes roughly 9 h 07 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 4:36 p.m. — 1 h 54 min before sunset.
Nearby trails
- Sunday Lake Dogsled Trail — 3.5 mi
- Mizzy Lake Trail — 7.7 mi
- Leaf Lake Ski Trail — 12.9 mi
- Western Uplands Backpacking Trail — 15.2 mi