In our everyday lives we use various methods of transportation throughout the day to get us where we need to be. Whether it’s a car, bike or even public transportation they all serve the same purpose. Once you step out of the city boundaries, there is one method of transportation that is very unique and brings one back to nature. At the Taylor Statten Camps we pride ourselves at being one of the premier canoe tripping camps in Ontario.

With none of this being possible without the canoe. It is your method of transportation, can serve as a shelter, work as a table and the way to reach some regions that are inaccessible by any other means.

At The Taylor Statten camps, we have one of the largest collections of cedar strip canvas canoes in Canada and a pair of 42 feet long war canoes that were made back in 1926 for the founder of the camp, Taylor Statten the first.

The canoe has a special meaning to our camp, with our campers learning the fundamentals of the canoe from the age of 7 and perfecting the art of paddling throughout their years as campers and staff. In order to keep the fleet of boats in working order, there is a canoe shop on site.

This is where all of the canoes will get repaired and the Algonquin Special is built. This specific canoe is built at the Taylor Statten Camps and is specifically designed for use and travel through the region of Algonquin Park. The Algonquin Special is made every year, being the prides of our fleet of canoes. In addition, the canoe shop offers a unique experience to our older campers, where they can learn how a canoe is built and repaired.

Many of the Algonquin Specials that are made at the shop were made with the help of the senior campers that were there in that particular summer. With this opportunity that they took part in, it offers them the unique experience of being able to be a part of making something that will be with the camp for many years to come. Seeing the canoe that they made being paddled off by a new generation of campers, is one that will stick with them forever.