The Mad Musher Restaurant & Riverside Rooms is located on Highway 60 beside the Madawaska River in Whitney, Ontario, just minutes from the East Gate of Algonquin Provincial Park. In July of 2003, Steve Dunsford opened the doors of The Mad Musher with the hopes of providing Whitney residents, adventure-seekers, and passers-by a place to feed their bodies, lay their weary heads, and nourish their creativity.
A former dogsledding guide, Steve was intimately familiar with the possibilities the seemingly sleepy town at the entrance of Algonquin Park held.
A former dogsledding guide, Steve was intimately familiar with the possibilities the seemingly sleepy town at the entrance of Algonquin Park held.
Services
The Yukon Quest is a 1,000 mile race run between Whitehorse, Yukon and Fairbanks, Alaska. It follows an historic Gold rush and mail delivery route from the early 1900's. It is considered a more difficult race than the Iditarod as all mushers must carry their own food, mandatory equipment and supplies.
Helen is a professional photographer who lives on a farm in Muskoka an hour away from the west gate of Algonquin. She has been going to Algonquin Park for years and has experienced some incredible moments with many of the park's famous residents - moose, foxes, wolves, bears and beavers.
She will take you to some of her favourite places and provide you with information that will help increase your chances of finding and photographing wildlife, safely and ethically.Helen's images have been published around the globe and she's often been described as an animal whisperer. Currently, Helen teaches nature and landscape photography at Georgian College and prides herself on using simple, easy to understand language.
She will take you to some of her favourite places and provide you with information that will help increase your chances of finding and photographing wildlife, safely and ethically.Helen's images have been published around the globe and she's often been described as an animal whisperer. Currently, Helen teaches nature and landscape photography at Georgian College and prides herself on using simple, easy to understand language.
Our accommodations consist of four bedrooms that share two washrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, and a TV room. A clean, comfortable private bedroom with fresh linens, bath and hand towels, a face cloth and a bar of soap. A fully equipped kitchen and dining area, including coffee maker, kettle, toaster, fridge & freezer, stove & oven, pots & pans, and kitchen wares.
Reviews (20)
Allison Wilson
Oct 11, 2021
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It was our first and last time visiting that restaurant. The lady who took orders didn't bother to hide her racism toward us, a ground of Asian. She didn't allow us to step into the restaurant to order until one of our friends addressed that we were together. And her attitude was way out of the league. Too bad, we couldn't find another place to dine in that night.
Madi B.
Sep 26, 2021
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Bacon mac and cheese and the alfredo was great although, it was very overpriced. the restaurant is gross, it’s dirty, full of bugs and not to mention, the owner is disgusting and smelly. I’ve had friends that worked at the Musher, and they said the owner of the restaurant is fairly rude with the staff. unless you want to pay crazy prices for food or be creeped out by spiders and other bugs in the restaurant.. i don’t recommend! sorry
Matt Bruce
Sep 22, 2021
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Angelica Sweet
Sep 16, 2021
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Scott Ka
Sep 13, 2021
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Laurette Blake
Sep 13, 2021
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Gaston Perez
Aug 16, 2021
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Carole Russo
Jul 26, 2021
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Stephanie S.
Jul 18, 2021
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Rebeca F.
Jul 15, 2021
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Hayley B.
Jul 21, 2018
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My boyfriend and I were staying in the inn underneath the restaurant and decided to go on in for a bite. The food was great! I ordered the venison burger and my boyfriend ordered the Algonquin burger. The service was decent, however our water was never refilled by the waitress. (which is important to me) the prices are also quite high. We ended up spending $36 on 2 burgers including a 15% tip. The restaurant is located right next to a beautiful river, which is visible from the patio portion of the dining room; this adds a serene atmosphere to the experience.
Jun 11, 2018
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Given that there are only maybe two other eateries in town, The Mad Musher is a good choice. It's the closest restaurant to Algonquin East Gate, so it's a great place to stop if you're on your way out of the park. We were overall pleased with the quality of the food, which ranged from average to surprisingly tasty. Our server was extremely cheerful and very agile for a guy in a leg cast (seriously), but he was the only server in a fairly busy restaurant, so it took him a while to make his rounds. We sat on the side of the restaurant facing the Madawaska River, so we had a nice view
Kin K.
Jun 09, 2018
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As far as I know, it is the only restaurant that you could go in Whitney when you enter Algonquin from the east (there is another one but it is closed at night). The Mad Musher is a typical Motel restaurant. They serve typical food - burger, chicken, fish fillet, onion soup, etc. The food is ok but the service is super slow, we waited more than 1 hour to get our food. In the end, the waiter felt sorry and gave us 10% discount. Again, this is the only restaurant you could go at the east gate. You really have no choice unless you bring your own food. People should enter Algonquin from the west, which
Ct M.
Aug 17, 2017
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Decent Service. Decent Food.
In the town of Whitney, there is only one other restaurant, and it's more of a diner/gas station, so The Mad Musher essentially suffers from a lack of competition.
Essentially, everything about it *feels like a family restaurant that only really does much business during tourist season -- which is fine, but also has an impact on the atmosphere, service, and food quality.
So if you're camping at Algonquin Park (or nearby), and need a place to get out of the elements and mosquitoes for a hot meal, then by all means drop in. However, if you happen to be just
In the town of Whitney, there is only one other restaurant, and it's more of a diner/gas station, so The Mad Musher essentially suffers from a lack of competition.
Essentially, everything about it *feels like a family restaurant that only really does much business during tourist season -- which is fine, but also has an impact on the atmosphere, service, and food quality.
So if you're camping at Algonquin Park (or nearby), and need a place to get out of the elements and mosquitoes for a hot meal, then by all means drop in. However, if you happen to be just
Bernd F.
Jul 21, 2017
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Rohit A.
Oct 14, 2016
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God bless, if you have to bear the agony to eat here. This is one of a couple of options available to eat in Whitney.
We drove to Algonquin last Sunday, were hungry and wanted to grab a bite before we head to one of the trails in Algonquin.
Service
The service was super slow. There were hardly 10 patrons in the restaurant and 2 servers. But we waited for 20-25 mins to be seated. We kept waiting because we thought they are the only game in town.
Once we were done with the food, we waited for 20 mins to get the bill. Then again for 15 mins before we gave up, left the cash and walked out.
Food
We drove to Algonquin last Sunday, were hungry and wanted to grab a bite before we head to one of the trails in Algonquin.
Service
The service was super slow. There were hardly 10 patrons in the restaurant and 2 servers. But we waited for 20-25 mins to be seated. We kept waiting because we thought they are the only game in town.
Once we were done with the food, we waited for 20 mins to get the bill. Then again for 15 mins before we gave up, left the cash and walked out.
Food
Isaac J.
Feb 17, 2016
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Decent spot to stop at if you're passing through the area for whatever reason or heading off to Algonquin Park, which was exactly why I happened upon this place for lunch. There are actually a good number of options on the menu -- burgers, stews/soups, wraps, salads, etc. Food was nothing spectacular but was good enough to hit the spot, especially if you're on the road or adventuring out in that area. Service was pleasant and courteous, perhaps just a touch on the slower side (the same can be said of the kitchen as well). Bonus points for offering a few vegetarian and vegan options.
Jenny N.
Sep 15, 2013
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On our way to Algonquin Park we stopped off for lunch at The Mad Musher. The river view from the outside room was really nice and the service was great. Our server had a really pleasant attitude and was good at her job. That's where the stars end.
Since it was almost below zero on this cloudy mid-September day, I though that the French Onion Soup would be the perfect thing to warm me up. This was easily the worst French Onion Soup that I've ever had. It was so bad that I couldn't tell our nice server what I actually thought.
Where to start with the failure? Firstly, French Onion
Since it was almost below zero on this cloudy mid-September day, I though that the French Onion Soup would be the perfect thing to warm me up. This was easily the worst French Onion Soup that I've ever had. It was so bad that I couldn't tell our nice server what I actually thought.
Where to start with the failure? Firstly, French Onion
Darlene O.
Jan 29, 2010
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Since I live in the area. I could not resist adding my opinion of the Musher. The Musher Burger is a real homemade burger. You just don't get that everyday! If you are really hungry then by all means go for the Yukon! Good luck with that one. Too Big for me! The atmosphere is small town relaxed. Sit down, have a draft and a burger. They also offer wireless so you can check your email and keep up with things while you enjoy Algonquin. Add to all of this the hostel rooms below, the Musher has everything one needs in a small town.
Mozart A.
Jan 24, 2010
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I find it amusing how people can live a normal life in those remote places, like this little town of Whitney, near the east entrance of the Algonquin Park. I decided to escape for a few days and had the chance to try the food of this place.
I think the proper rating for this place would be 3.5, since I had a good time and the food was good. However, the dishes took more than a reasonable time to be delivered, and they simply didn't come to hand us the bill, we were fed up of waiting and decided to get up and pay at the cashier. This, for me, was not a mortal sin, but my wife was a little
I think the proper rating for this place would be 3.5, since I had a good time and the food was good. However, the dishes took more than a reasonable time to be delivered, and they simply didn't come to hand us the bill, we were fed up of waiting and decided to get up and pay at the cashier. This, for me, was not a mortal sin, but my wife was a little
