Wabakimi Maps

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About Wabakimi

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Wabakimi Provincial Park 

Canoe the amazing Wabakimi Region

 

WHY WABAKIMI?

 

Have you ever yearned for a canoe trip where you aren't going to bump into fellow canoeists on every other portage? Or felt the need to explore more remote regions untouched by the modern world? That's Wabakimi: Where you can actually feel what it was like to be an early explorer or voyageur; where you can see the dramatic scenery of the Canadian Shield; and experience the natural state of a boreal forest.

The discovery of rare pictographs, ancient campsites and recovered artifacts suggest that earlier peoples have lived in Wabakimi for 7000 years.

The Wabakimi region is a pristine wilderness, remote, relatively unknown and very much underutilized, yet easily accessible. It is truly a canoe tripping paradise. Wabakimi Provincial Park is actually the core of the world's largest wilderness canoeing area. The whole region is well over 20,000 square miles - larger than Connecticut and Massachusetts combined. Wabakimi itself borders and is situated in the centre of several other parks and waterways: The Albany River to the north that runs all the way to Hudson Bay; The challenging Kopka River to the south; and the scenic Brightsands River that joins Wabakimi at its southwest corner.

Many other rivers also thread their way through the region including the Flindt River, Allanwater River, Ogoki River, Misehkow, Palisades and Pikitigushi Rivers. Linking thousands of lakes, they provide an endless variety of canoe routes.

 

 

 

                         




 

HOW TO GET THERE

 The town of Armstrong is the main staging point for most trips into the Wabakimi region. It lies at the northern termination of highway 527, a two and a half hour drive north from Thunder Bay and Lake Superior.

From there you can enter the Park by canoe, train or float plane. The main line of the Canadian National Railway skirts the south end of the park and VIA Rail provides passenger service twice a week in each direction. 

Taking the train to the selected put-in point is a great choice as it provides access to many of the regions rivers and lakes that are otherwise inaccessible. And, of course, its less expensive than flying in and quicker than paddling in. Book on-line or by phone to the next official stop (Collins, Allanwater Bridge or Savant Lake) and tell the conductor when you board the exact mileage point where you want to be dropped. Our map sets include the RR milemarker points for each put-in. You can also end a trip at the rail line but the train will only stop if you have booked in advance.The baggage car typically has plenty of room for canoes and gear.

Check-out the complete list of train stops and mileage points here

Our choice has often been to take the train in and paddle out to the bridge on Little Caribou Lake (5 km from Armstrong). This allows access from the CN rail line to the nine or so river or lake entries to Wabakimi, the Kopka River to the south and even the downstream end of Brightsands Provincial Park to the west. The main  entry routes from the rail line into the centre of Wabakimi are the Allanwater River, the Flindt River, Nemo River, Lookout River from Schultz's Landing on Onamakawash Lake and Bath Lake to the Boiling Sand River.

If you are arriving from the West and planning a train-in and train-out route, the town of Savant Lake may be a preferable access point.

Via Rail westbound runs on Monday and Thursday leaving Armstrong at 9:17am and arriving at Flindt Lake an hour and a half later. Eastbound service also runs on Monday and Thursday, leaving Savant Lake at 8:14am (central) and arriving in Armstrong at 10:57am (eastern).

Paddle in Routes offer three options to drive or shuttle to the put-in from Armstrong:

  • The bridge at Little Caribou Lake is the shortest at only 5kms from Armstrong, from where you can paddle into the Park via the Caribou River;

  •  A shuttle along the Tamarack Road from Armstrong takes you to Tamarack Lake and Boiling Sand River;

  • and finally, the Obonga Lake Road from Highway 527 to Magotte Lake, from where you can paddle to Kenakskaniss Lake and the downstream section of the Kopka River or north from Kenakskaniss to Boulder, Shawanabis or Collins Lakes with a choice of routes from there.

From the West we have included three routes that access the Park from Highway 599:

  • a new start for the Flindt River with a short drive or shuttle from highway 599, south of  Savant Lake, along Vista Road  to the Flindt River 

  • a loop trip from Pashkokogan Lake;

  • or paddle part of the Albany River from its headwaters at Lake Osnaburgh. .

A fly-in or fly-out can be arranged for any interior routes, if you are short of time or just prefer the luxury. Several outfitters, located off Highway 527, south of the town of Armstrong or in Savant Lake provide float plane services.



Beaver loading at Mattice Lake Outfitters
 
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©2011 Thursday, October 3, 2024