For planning the trip, my primary map was the official Wabakimi Provincial Park map produced by Ontario Parks. Although I had my doubts, it turned out to be quite accurate though not at a scale that was usable in the field.
For the maps I used in the field, I relied on 1:50,000 topo maps which I downloaded, printed, and laminated myself from Caltopo.com. To these I transfered portage and campsite locations from the official park map and trip reports posted on the internet. (the Canadian Canoe Routes website was most helpful). I also printed the pertinent set of 1:50,000 topo maps from Ken Kokanee's website which were helpful, especially on the Kopka River.
Below are screenshots of the actual tracks from my GPS.
 |
| Overview |
 |
| Day 1. Little Caribou to Caribou |
 |
| Day 2. Caribou to Smoothrock |
 |
| Day 3. Smoothrock |
 |
| Day 4. Smoothrock |
 |
| Day 5. Smoothrock to Berg River |
 |
| Day 6. Berg River to Whitewater |
 |
| Day 7. Whitewater to Greyson |
 |
| Day 8. Greyson to Arril |
 |
| Day 9. Arril to Scrag |
 |
| Day 10. Scrag to Kenoji |
 |
| Day 11. Kenoji to Wabakimi |
 |
| Day 12. Wabakimi to Lower Wabakimi |
 |
| Day 13. Lower Wabakimi to Smoothrock |
 |
| Day 14. Smoothrock to Lookout River |
 |
| Day 15. Lookout River to Onamakawash |
 |
| Day 16. Onamakawash to Boulder |
 |
| Day 17. Boulder to Kopka River4 |
 |
| Day 18. Kopka River to Wigwasan |
 |
| Day 19. Wigwasan to takeout on Bukemiga |
Great trip report. I've paddled brief trips but on the west side of the park this past summer. One was the last week of Aug/early Sep.
ReplyDeleteAlso, next time you go back to Wabakimi, be sure call park headquarters in Thunderbay about a week or two in advance and get your permits by phone and they email the permit to you the same day. They give you good advice, they are pleasant, personable, and professional. You can avoid the hassle you experienced at the outfitter you visited. Thank you for the trip report! Ken
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words, Ken. I did call the park the week before, and had a good conversation with the park manager. He told me to get my permit from an outfitter. Really don't want to knock the outfitter as they were nice people, I just think they are not used to dealing with self-outfitting canoeists who have a lot of canoeing experience.
ReplyDeleteI heard somewhere that online permits were going to be available soon.
Last August I spoke with Shannon Lawr, Acting Park Super.
ReplyDeleteHe is a nice guy. He told me they hope to have the permits available online this canoeing season.
His Contact Info:
807-475-1634 / shannon.lawr@ontario.ca
Ontario Parks
435 James St. South, Suite 221d
Thunder Bay, ON, P7E 6S7