neves@uwai.UUCP (08/06/85)
What I did on my summer vacation.
Last Spring I asked usenet about good places to canoe. My wife and I
had done some river (the lower Wisconsin) and small lake canoeing and
wanted to try something more isolated. We received several
suggestions, among them information about Quetico Provincial Park in
Ontario Canada.
Quetico Park is just north of the Boundary Waters Canoe area in Minn.
Together they make up one of the best canoeing areas in North America.
Both areas are free of motor traffic. Canoes only! My wife and I
eventually went to Quetico for 5 days.
It took us a while (once we found out about the existence of Quetico)
to get more information about it. Every time we wrote to the Canadian
tourist bureau we got some information, then pointers to others to
write to. To canoe in Quetico you need a permit. They work permits
as follows:
I believe there are about 5-6 entry points into the park. At least 2
are on the American side, the others are on the Canadian side. Each
entry point lets in 5 canoes per day. For each entry point there are
several (4-5) destination points. Two canoes per day are allowed to
take off for each destination point from each entry point. You can
see that not many canoes are allowed in the park so you have to get
your permit reservation form in early. We later found out that our
outfitter would have taken care of this for us.
We decided to enter the park through the Cache Bay entry point. There
is a ranger station at the entrance of the bay that makes sure that
you have a permit. Our outfitter (Tip of the Trail) is located at the
end of the Gunflint Trail (Grand Marais, Minn.). (There are several
public campgrounds along the Gunflint Trail.) We just rented a 50 lb
canoe from the outfitters but they also provide full outfitting for
about $30 per day per person. I highly recommend these outfitters.
We bought some maps from them and they spent a good deal of time going
over camp sites, scenic diversions (like eagle's nests), portages,
etc.
The trip from the outfitter to the ranger station is quite long
because you must first go through Candian Customs at the other end of
Saganaga Lake (which is quite large). To save time, outfitters
provide a shuttle service to Customs, and then to American Point
(motor boats are not allowed beyond the point).
The first day was a bit of a waste as we got to the ranger station in the
early afternoon and then had to wait an hour and a half when his
supply plane came in. (It also brought in a Canadian IRS official
which might also account for the long wait.) In midaftertoon we took
off for our first portage, Silver Falls. Unfortunately the channel to
the Falls is quite small and we missed it. Thus we spent our first
night in the bay. I should emphasize that you *must* bring a compass
and you *must* use it often if you do not want to get lost. After
getting us lost twice I learned.
I will not go into the entire trip (or I would use up several
screenfuls). I will just mention a few things about the Park and
about canoeing in it.
Portaging. There are several portages you will encounter. If you are
smart you will not carry many objects with you. We had two packs and
a duffle bag. You should plan 1 trip for the canoe and another for
the rest (i.e. packs). The best way to transport the canoes is on the
shoulders (with you wearing a life vest). You get used to it.
Portages are rocky, hilly, and can be quite muddy if it has been
raining. Bring boots to traverse portages.
Nature. The lakes were dug out by glaciers. The soil is not very
deep -- just a few inches in most places. We camped on several
islands that were made up of quite a bit of exposed Quartz rock. We
also ate lunch on an island that had a lot of shale rock. We
didn't see many animals. In one isolated lake we saw an otter. We
saw several Eagles and of course Loons and ducks. We went into a bay
that is visited by moose but didn't see any.
Bugs. There were plenty of mosquitos but we were not bothered too
much by them. You must bring mosquito repellent (DEET). Mosquitos seem
to be the most agitated at portages around falls (where they can suck
on defenseless canoe-carrying people). We camped on islands and so
saw fewer than we might otherwise. We really saw a lot more mosquitos
when we we canoed back into the Boundary Waters (USA). I wore long
sleeved shirts and long pants to keep out the bugs. Besides mosquitos
there are deer (or ankle) flies which are annoying. These flies go
for the ankle and bite for blood. The solution is to wear 2 pairs of
socks as they can get past a single pair. Hint: If you do not want
angry stares from your wife do not swipe at flies with your paddle while
on the water.
Difficulties. Our eventual destination was the Falls Chain area (of
course we visited other areas as I got us lost the second day as
well). An area of waterfalls sounds very pretty. Unfortunately we
didn't also think of the many portages around the falls. You want to
be careful when you come up to a falls. If you miss the portage and
go over the falls you die. The ranger told us that each of the falls
has claimed a life over the years. A portage entrance is a clearing
marked with stones just before the falls. We scouted most of them to
make sure we didn't miss any. The current was quite swift. Coming
back, and paddling against the current, we barely made headway in a
couple of places.
Conclusion. We had a good time. We are not very good canoeists, but
by being careful and working hard we made it. The water is pristine
and the area very wild. I don't know that I would go to Falls Chain
again. We might try the Man Chain Lakes if we go again. Fishing
seems to be good (although we don't fish). If you want wilderness
canoeing and camping I recommend Quetico.
Any other suggests for good canoeing areas in North America? We are
not looking for rapids, but for scenery and isolation.
-David Neves
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I received the following two messages about Quetico.
I highly recommend Quetico park in Ontario. We went canoeing
for a couple weeks there 10 years ago and I hope to return
in the next year or two. As I recall, canoe outfitters lived
in Atikoken (sp?)
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I go to Quetico Provincial Park in the Boundary Waters Canoe area. This
is just north of Minnesota, so you are well-positioned to go there. The
Canadian side of Boundary Waters is MUCH better than the U.S. side; much
less crowded. There are basically two or three places to enter Quetico
from stateside, though I tend to use the Gunflint Trail route. Gunflint
has many canoe outfitters down its length, but I tend to use "Tip of the
Trail" outfitters. I, and a few friends will be going up this year in
either mid-May or mid-June. Much later than that and the bugs will drain
you dry of blood, and whatever else they can make off with. Get your
reservations in early! (read immediately). One additional note. There is
a place about half way up the Gunflint called the Windigo Lodge. Rooms
are very cheap, the atmosphere is friendly, and they own one of the only
two liquor permits on the trail. This place is a great spot to decompress
after a hard 6 days in the bush.
About the area: About 20,000 years ago, a glacier scraped all of the
topsoil off of this land (it ended up in Wisconsin). The mean soil depth
is around 4 to 6 inches. Nevertheless, 60 foot trees are common. The
area has hundreds of lakes connected by streams. You will need to portage
about 2-6 times per day of travel. The portages are normally in the
100 yard range. The fishing in mid-May is outstanding. You drink the water
right out of the lake.
--
David Neves
Computer Sciences Department
University of Wisconsin-Madison
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