See Erik's Blog Post here for in-depth report and photos. 

Completed: August 2021

Difficulty: Advanced due to wind/waves on large lakes, technical rapids and isolation

Method of Travel: Canoe

Region/Location: Northwestern Ontario; Wabakimi Provincial Park

Trip Duration: 11 days

Distance: ~252km total

Loop: No

Fees/Logistics: Operating park (permits require); access via floatplane or CN Rail line necessary

Prologue

Grey vapours loomed above us as we stood on the edge of Mattice Lake in Armstrong, Ontario. The cool, early morning air held a faint scent of smoke; a manifestation of record-breaking wildfires raging just to our west that would claim some 800,000 hectares of boreal forest by the end of summer, 2021. Under the hazy, overcast sky, a slight breeze tickled the surface of the lake. The water was cold and dark and the forest was dark too. The scene held a magnetic gloominess that stoked my sense of anticipation. We were about to begin an adventure through the heart of Wabakimi Provincial Park – a land of some 10,000 lakes and 2,000 kilometres of canoe routes.

Our group – Jono Kuketz, Kevin Groombridge, Lachlan McVie and myself – had just finished pulling the last of our gear onto the dock along side our two 16-foot prospector canoes. We were equipped to spend two weeks in the backcountry and now eagerly awaited the arrival of the floatplane that would be our vessel to the interior.

In 2017, we had paddled Wabakimi’s Kopka River system – a trip that I remember with great fondness for its solitude, its broad expanses of rugged and unblemished taiga, its impeccable weather, its thrilling rapids and mighty waterfalls. We now sought to rediscover a measure of the challenge, exhilaration and wonder of that unforgettable journey in this new Wabakimi experience. 

In consultation with Bruce Hyer, operator of Wabakimi Outfitters and wilderness advocate whose efforts were pivotal to the park’s creation in 1983, we settled on a 250 kilometre, three-stage route through the park. First, we would take a floatplane to the northeast end of McEwen Lake (just south of Allanwater Bridge) and travel north on the Allanwater River to Wabakimi Lake via Brennan Lake and Granite Lake. Next, we would continue to follow the Allanwater north to Whitewater Lake via Kenoji Lake and the western end of the Ogoki River. Finally, after paddling the entire breadth of Whitewater Lake from west to east, we would travel south and exit at Little Caribou Lake via Lonebreast Bay, the Caribou River and Caribou Lake.