bush plane insertion and 220 miles of paddling and portaging
In the summer of 2013, my brother Max and I set off on one of our longer canoe trips. After our drive up to Armstrong Station from southern Ontario, Mattice Lake Air flew us to Rockcliff Lake at the start of the Misehkow River system.
our gear on the shore as the Beaver heads back to to Mattice Lake
The 350-kilometre journey began there. It ended 17 days later on the Pikitigushi River, where the logging road from Armstrong Station crosses the river. It remains my brother’s favourite canoe trip! (I am still leaning towards our Bloodvein trip the following summer!)
Click here for the “live” Google map – you can zoom in and out for more detail.
See the individual posts below for details on the route, as well as some pix and links to the Canadian Federal Government. 1:50000 topographic maps are also listed below. You can download them and print them yourself. Professionally produced maps on the new tear-proof/waterproof plastic material cost $20 per sheet.
Canoeing Wabakimi’s Misehkow River
Paddling the Albany (From the Mouth of the Misehkow to Petawanga L.)
Paddling The Albany River (From the Mouth of the Misehkow to Petawanga Lake)
Up Wabakimi’s Petawa Creek Without A Paddle
Paddling From Auger L. to Felsia L. (The Mouth of the Witchwood R.)
Paddling From Auger Lake to Felsia Lake (The Mouth of The Witchwood River System)
A Two-Day Paddle Up Wabakimi’s Witchwood River System
Up Wabakimi’s Raymond River to Cliff Lake
Down Wabakimi’s Pikitigushi River From Cliff Lake
The Topo Maps Needed For The Trip:
The 1:50,000 Natural Resources Canada topographical maps below cover the entire route. While they date back to the 1990s, they are still worth it for the level of detail they provide.
The maps below are listed in the order you would need them. They can be accessed at the Federal Government’s Natural Resources Canada map website in the maps.canada.ca 052 folder –
- Burntrock Lake 052 I 13
- Coles Lake 052 P 04
- Greenmantle Lake 052 P 03
- Pruner Lake 052 P 06
- Crerar Lake 052 P 11
- Grace Lake 052 P 07
- Miminiska Pen. 052 P 10
- Opikeigen Lake 052 P 09
- Kawitos Lake 052 P 08
- Sim Lake 052 P 01
- Bilberry Lake 052 P 02
- Whiteclay Lake 052 I 15
- Linklater Lake 052 I 10
- Pikitigushi Lake 052 I 07
David Crawshay’s Topo Canada App
The Topo Canada app for both iOS and Mac OS is an easy way to download all of the above to your iPhone or iPad – and it is free! You can either choose the archived maps listed above or Toporama, the more up-to-date map source.
Toporama Canada Online Map:
Toporama is NRC’s modern version of the archived topo sheets. It is a seamless map of the entire country and allows you to extract additional information and features from the map.
Access the Toporama website here. Note that in Crawshay’s Topo Canada app mentioned above, you can choose the Toporama option instead of the archived sheets.
ATLOGIS Canada Topo Maps for Android OS
There is an Android OS app from a German app developer similar to Crawshay’s Topo Canada iOS app. However, it costs US$14. Given its usefulness, the one-time cost is a worthwhile investment that will save you time and aggravation. Click here to access the Google App Store page –
Note: The free version of the app may be enough for your purpose.
None of the above map sources has information on portages and campsites.
Info on Rapids and Portages – Wabakimi Project Maps
If you’re new to Wabakimi, the Friends website is a comprehensive resource which should answer most of your questions and provide you with the contact info to get answers to the rest! This Wabakimi Park page introduces the area; the Resource Links page points you to useful contacts in planning your own trip. It is definitely worth checking out.
If you’re new to Wabakimi, the Friends website is a comprehensive resource which should answer most of your questions and provide you with the contact info to get answers to the rest! This Wabakimi Park page introduces the area; the Resource Links page points you to useful contacts in planning your own trip. It is definitely worth checking out.
Paddle Planner
The Paddle Planner website (see here for access levels, ranging from free to outfitter) has portage information, campsite and outpost locations, access points, and points of interest. For the Wabakimi area, much of it comes from the Wabakimi Project maps, though it will also have data from paddlers who have contributed trip reports.
