The Opeongo water taxi literally saved our lives on the first day of our back country canoe trip on Lake Opeongo. We arrived to treacherous waters (whitecaps and a report of a capsized canoe) and decided to pay the $65 for the taxi to take the two of us (plus our dog) to our site. We had no idea how big the lake was! Our driver patiently took us all over the south arm of the lake, but we couldn't find a vacant camp site despite having a reservation.
She even more patiently provided first aid to my foot when I cut it while we stopped to pick up other passengers! She didn't give up trying to find us a campsite after this pickup and finally found one for us to stay on en route back to the Outfitters. I just wished I remembered her name! Additionally, all other staff we encountered at the Outfitters were just as pleasant and efficient as she was. Thanks guys!
Be mindful that the weather on this lake can change quickly & dramatically - know the sheer size of this lake and plan a back country trip that matches your abilities and time available. It may not be a bad idea to plan for an extra day on your Lake Opeongo back country route in case you have bad weather. Trust me, you don't want to be canoeing on this lake if that happens! Weather withstanding, expect an amazing experience that you will always remember. And don't forget to have a delicious (and generous!) scoop of Kawartha dairy ice cream from the Outfitters store when you return from your adventure!

Attempted canoeing with my young toddler (big mistake). You have to pay a full day rental when you rent the canoe. I was gone maybe 20 minutes because it was impossible to canoe alone with my baby. I was still charged for the entire day. $50 waste of money with no consideration for the fact that I didn't even get to use the canoe for even a half hour.

My eight year old daughter and I flew from Vancouver Island (where there are no moose) to Ottawa for a week of Canada Day festivities, with a three day trip to Algonquin Park in the middle with the specific goal of seeing moose, our favourite animal, which neither of us had ever seen aside from one that I'd seen briefly in Quebec when I was a child. As we were coming across the country, travelling light, we couldn't camp, so rather than an overnight canoe trip, I did some research and determined a guided canoe day trip with Algonquin Outfitters was our best bet. Thankfully, on our way to meet our guide at the Opeongo Lake store at 6:45 AM, we saw a beautiful cow moose in a wooded marsh, and took some beautiful photos. The pressure was off! However, I can't say enough wonderful things about our guided trip through the marshy creek at the end of Opeongo Lake. We went in to two canoes, with our guide Emily in one canoe with another guest, and my daughter and me in a second canoe (I'm very experienced). After a 20 minute ride across the lake in a water taxi (motor boat with canoes on top), we entered the marshy creek. We paddled for about 90 minutes, seeing no moose, but Emily pointed out turtles, hawks, and we saw countless active beaver lodges. On our way back to the meet-up point, we saw something far up creek, and we all thought it might be another large beaver lodge, until we saw it move, and up out of the marsh came a large set of antlers. We paddled like Olympians to get close, and we ended up viewing this huge bull moose from about 50 meters away for about five minutes. For my daughter and me, it was a dream come true to see a bull moose, in a marsh, eating lily pads, two days before Canada Day. Emily knew where the moose might be, and got us to that spot. It was perfect. It really could not have been a more perfect trip. If your time is limited, or you're not an expert paddler, and if you want to put yourself in the best position to see moose, definitely do a guided day trip with Algonquin Outfitters. Emily helped create memories that will truly last a lifetime.