Western Uplands Trail, First Loop - September 29 to October 1, 2026

 Prelude

I typically try to get one solo hike in each year, but figured that 2026 was not to be. I had planned a three night trek along the first and second loops of the Western Uplands Trail (WUT) in August, but an unexpected event occurred and I had to cancel. And then… I was sitting on the couch one Saturday evening (Sept. 26) and saw a warm, dry forecast for the following week. I couldn’t resist. Fortunately, I had no set work commitments that week, and decided to book a leisurely two night trek on the first loop of the WUT. My plan was to camp at Eu Lake on the Tuesday and Steeprise 02 on Wednesday. I also planned to hike the section of trail circumventing Maggie Lake as it was the only part that I had never traversed. Fun! I dug out and organized my backpacking gear on Sunday and picked up some last minute food items the next day.

 

Tuesday, Sept. 29

It was a beautiful morning, and I hit the road by 6:30. I had a relatively short hike of just over 11km to Eu, so I was under no time pressure. I hadn’t printed out my emailed permit as I figured I would say hello and just pick one up at the West Gate (and besides, the yellow parks garbage bags are always great). The drive up was fantastic, and the fall colours were in full swing along sections of the highway leading to the park. The sun was fully out and it felt great knowing I’d be on the trail soon. When I pulled into the Western Gate lot, I was taken aback by the amount of vehicles as it was practically full. And then it hit me – ‘oh yeah, it’s peak colours on a warm, sunny day’. Brilliant. When I went into the building, I was surprised to see only one person working aside three other empty kiosks. Really? After waiting about 15-20 minutes in a long line, I learned that dash permits are no longer required provided one’s license plate is registered on the permit. Oh well, at least I got my garbage bag J.

The WUT parking lot also had many vehicles parked, which wasn’t surprising given most of the sites had been reserved. I laced up and hit the trail, and it felt good to be in familiar trekking territory once again. I encountered a couple of solo trekkers and smaller groups of 2+ as I made my way toward Eu. As I neared Ramona Lake, I briefly chatted with three young hikers heading the opposite way. Upon asking where I was staying, they informed me that they had just come from Eu Lake and that it was quite beautiful. I mentioned that I had been there 10+ years back, but didn’t have vivid memories of it (likely because it was really bad weather that time). I was definitely looking forward to seeing it in nicer conditions, and when I arrived I was not disappointed.

The lake was smaller than I remembered, not that this was a bad thing. The water was calm, and a smattering of colours provided a beautiful backdrop. I had planned to take a quick swim, and figured I’d best do it immediately while I was still quite warm from backpacking. Needless to say, the water was quite cold but tolerable and refreshing. After getting out, I sat on the bench overlooking the lake and admired the scenery for some time. The previous occupants had left a very tidy site, including the firepit, which I was thankful for. After setting up my tent and locating a tree to later hang my food, I went hunting for firewood. As this is a highly used site (although, which ones aren’t these days?), I had to venture a fair piece to scrounge some old maple downfall. Fortunately, time was still on my side and I didn’t have to rush with any of my chores. I had brought along my fishing rod and tried my luck. Aside from a few nibbles, likely from very small fish, there was nothing.

And then it was dinner time – Kraft Dinner time to be precise. It’s the ultimate cheap backpacking dinner, and my favourite way to cook it is to use the amount of water noted for microwave directions plus a touch. Once the KD starts to boil down, I add in the cheese mix and some powdered milk and voila! No draining required. I started the campfire afterwards and enjoyed a couple of bevies, thinking how lucky I was to have such great weather at the end of September. Fantastic.

  

Fall colours getting close to the Park

Guskewau Lake

 

View from my campsite on Eu Lake

Wednesday

The sky was dull, as forecasted, but the air remained pleasantly warm. After a leisurely morning with a breakfast of oatmeal and dates, I broke camp and hit the trail. I encountered two more solo hikers early on, one of whom had stayed on Oak Lake the previous day. I have never been to that site, and it sounds like one I should check out. I was surprised how quiet the trail seemed given the volume of bookings, and observed how thinned out the tree canopy was given we weren’t into October yet. When I hit the junction by Maggie Lake, I looked forward to heading to the right instead of the usual left. This would afford me the chance to hike around the lake after many trips of not doing so. It was a pleasant trek with only minor elevation changes, although decent views of the lake were rare. The sites I trekked past were all vacant, save for one, and I wondered if the impending wet weather impacted this. I really enjoyed the different perspectives of the lake, and took a long snack break on a flat rock near the north end. The sky was grey, but the rain was holding off. I arrived at Steeprise 02 mid-afternoon after a 13+ km trek and once again decided to immediately take a swim. Refreshing.

I had stopped at this site a couple of times in the past, and remembered it being a quaint, peaceful spot. It didn’t appear to be as nice as in my memory, but then I noticed how low the water was based on the rock markings and how this may transform the landscape. The grey sky and tree debris within the shallow water didn’t help either. Oh well, not a great view but pleasant enough.The sky was looking more threatening and I setup a rain tarp to be safe. After putting up the tent and hanging a food rope, I went for firewood. As this site is less frequented, I didn’t have to venture far to find some of the coveted maple downfall. I tried my luck with fishing, but there wasn’t even a nibble. The late afternoon was eerily calm and noiseless, and it felt like nature itself was in limbo. A fire was struck after dinner, and a slight drizzle started immediately afterwards. Aside from some very light rain on and off, it stayed relatively dry and I was able to enjoy the warmth of the flames before retiring to bed.

View from my snack spot on Maggie Lake

 

An island at the north end of Maggie

 

A view from my campsite on Steeprise Lake

Thursday

I was greeted by another relatively mild morning, and was happy to see that my tent was nearly dry thanks to the large evergreens which caught most of the light rain. I really hate packing a wet tent (although who doesn’t), so this was a nice bonus. It lightly rained on and off as I had breakfast and disassembled camp and I hit the trail with plans to be back at my vehicle around noon after a 10.5 km hike. The light rain persisted throughout my trek, but it never got to the point where I became overly wet. As I passed by Little Hardy Lake, I remembered camping at the site with a friend about 10 years back and kind of wished I had stayed here instead as it was surprisingly available when I booked it. Passing through scenic Hardy Creek, I thought of the time we had a family trip on Maple Leaf Lake and day tripped up to this point. I have difficulty believing that was nine years ago. Striding past South Leach Lake, I recalled scoping out the decommissioned site on that same trip and wondered how much of it was still visible. I was tempted to look for it again, but decided not to. I was back at the car by 11:30 and stopped for some delicious fish and chips at the highway side truck in Huntsville. I still had one more trip highlight in Bracebridge, which was to see my new grand-niece born the previous week. Then it was back to home where a warm a shower and a cold beer beckoned.

Until next time!