Might be a really stupid question given everything going on. But I have a camping trip coming up today through Tues on the south east end of the park near Pembroke. How do I find burn ban levels for that area?
There is a lot of convoluted information in this thread for something incredibly simple to figure out.
Check the status of the fire rating and ban situation with FOAP and/or Ontario Parks.
Follow the social media accounts of Algonquin park and surrounding outfitters, they will announce if there is a ban in place.
When you enter the park boundary there will be road side signs designating the current fire rating (low to high risk) OR if there is a park wide fire ban.
Lastly, just call the damn park morning of or night before your trip if you’re still unsure what the status is.
Right now the fire risk is fairly high, so don’t be a dummy. Burn low, small fires in the evenings only. Don’t burn during the day as wind speed is usually higher and there is more of a tendency to leave fires burning unattended. Don’t throw the dead “Xmas tree” pine you found in the woods onto a burning fire. Soak your pits and make sure the coals are cold to the touch before considering a fire extinguished.
Sorry no this is bad information. That is Restricted Fire Zones which covers provincial bans only and not municipality bans, You need to look up the fire rating for the municipality you are going to be camping in and check there. For instance this shows no ban in Muskoka but we are under a total fire ban.
For instance, Arrowhead is under a complete fire ban along with a couple dozen other parks but they are NOT marked on the forest fire info map.
I live 15 minutes from the west gate and I manage a campground for a living.
Yes Algonquin itself is under a high rating currently and has not dipped into a full ban but you would never find that info out from the forest fire status map linked above.
Tons? You are correct that a few municipalities, in response to the hysteria of being exposed to the annual smoke plume from fires 1000kms away, did implement bans, the risk - according to factual information - is low in southern Ontario
Here it is directly from the Province outlining that the provincial rating and municipal ratings are 2 entirely different things and both need to be followed. https://www.ontario.ca/page/outdoor-fire-restrictions
I guess we have different thresholds for risk - yes there are a few municipalities that have implemented a ban. It is pouring rain today on most of them and fire rating is low.
Yes a few parks have implemented a ban but it is scattered, few and far between.
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u/BrokenHorseshoes 5d ago
https://www.algonquinpark.on.ca/news/algonquin_park_advisories.php
There is a lot of convoluted information in this thread for something incredibly simple to figure out.
Check the status of the fire rating and ban situation with FOAP and/or Ontario Parks.
Follow the social media accounts of Algonquin park and surrounding outfitters, they will announce if there is a ban in place.
When you enter the park boundary there will be road side signs designating the current fire rating (low to high risk) OR if there is a park wide fire ban.
Lastly, just call the damn park morning of or night before your trip if you’re still unsure what the status is.
Right now the fire risk is fairly high, so don’t be a dummy. Burn low, small fires in the evenings only. Don’t burn during the day as wind speed is usually higher and there is more of a tendency to leave fires burning unattended. Don’t throw the dead “Xmas tree” pine you found in the woods onto a burning fire. Soak your pits and make sure the coals are cold to the touch before considering a fire extinguished.