• Happy Weed Appreciation Day! 🌱🌿🌻

Marshall Lake 2015

Joined
Feb 1, 2013
Messages
4,086
Reaction score
1,999
Location
Geraldton, Ontario
I've has some people express interest in possibly coming up here to do the Marshall lake loop next summer. I would be available in August to go on a group trip, anyone interested could send me a PM and I'll compile a list, and then we could discuss logistics.
 
A couple questions:

From NY, what is the best route? 17 or 11?

Anywhere suggested to stay along the way? Looks like about 950 miles for me - I'd probably have to do that over two days.

The trip itself you say 7 or 8 days?

Whew... I don't know if I want to use that much vacation for one trip. I'd be looking at 12-13 days. Spanning two weekends would knock me down to 8-9 vaca days, but that's a lot. Sometimes I wish I was a teacher...

I'll run it past the wife but realistically it's probably not in the cards.
 
Yes it's quite a commitment to come up here, we really are at the end of the road, so to speak. Length of the trip will vary,depending on abilities. It usually takes around 9 days, if the weather cooperates, when we do it with 14 to 18 year old kids.
 
You do know we are interested but it is a long way off and we could not commit until sometime next year. The usual health issues, surviving the Winter and other planned trips all fall into the fray. It is only 1000km (600 miles) one way for us though.

Robin would be the best to help those interested coming from down east as for route idea's.

l'oiseau: just fly up and use one of Mem's many boats, saves a couple of days.
 
I had only a vague idea where Geraldton was, and so when M asked "Where is this trip we're going on, and how long a drive to get there?" I told her "Oh, it's a bit north of Elliot Lake. It'll take us maybe 8 hours to get there, including coffee stops." After checking a map, it seems my idea wasn't even vaguely close to reality. Forget the coffee stops. From home here in S. Ontario it'll take us 16 hours to drive. Thats 2 days there and 2 days back. We've done 16 hour drives before ( NC). Adding maybe 4 days onto a 10 day trip (Adding an extra day waiting for Brad to learn how to catch a fish) that leaves us with a 14 day holiday. M will fight for a 14 day holiday window when her office starts taking holiday schedule requests in January. M says "We've never taken 14 days before. We've never tripped for more than a week before." I told her this will be a trip of many "firsts". We're excited and looking forward to it.
 
Brad,

I'm probably about 2hrs from you (unless I took the now defunct ferry across the lake) because my estimate was like 18hrs.

I'm glad you are planning on going. The temptation was there, especially for the guide fee of carrying two beers, but I really think it's a pipe dream for me.

Too much to do that is much closer.
 
Brad,

I'm probably about 2hrs from you (unless I took the now defunct ferry across the lake) because my estimate was like 18hrs.

I'm glad you are planning on going. The temptation was there, especially for the guide fee of carrying two beers, but I really think it's a pipe dream for me.

Too much to do that is much closer.

Considering you are a young'un, you can do "closer" anytime. This could be the once in a lifetime trip in an area that may disappear as commerce takes over. Besides, wouldn't you enjoy tripping with others from here you may not otherwise never meet? :cool:
 
I would... but I have to be quite honest, tripping to me is as much about spending time with my wife as it is being outdoors. If she would be willing to go for it, then I would too. She has the time off during the summer (teacher) but it's tough for us to commit to two weeks which is basically my whole summer vacation.

Like I say, I'll pitch it to her... but I'm not expecting a yes.

When I'm an old man and no one wants to go with me and I have to do solo trips, then I'd be more apt to do something like this.
 
23 hours of driving is a long commitment. Did it this year as I have many other years... Kinda tired of rt 11.. Think the first time I did it was 1973 Watch your fuel..limited opportunities to buy it and don't try to stay in a motel Hearst on a festival weekend

The Goldfields highway out of Terrace Bay is nice ( if you decide to use rt 17)
 
I'm not sure where you are located Brad, but I made it from Toronto in slightly less than 12 hours, didn't speed much either. Go straight up to North Bay, and then follow highway 11 all the way to G Town. One thing I caution against is don't drive at night once you make it to Kap. Had one poor guy coming up to do the Marshall Loop this year in June hit a moose 10 minutes out of Longlac. Highway 17 is for tourists, if you want spectacular scenery, but tough driving. Highway 11 is this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKwFUSpQObc
 
Google maps quotes almost 15hrs that way (Toronto to Geraldton). Who knows how they calculate that...
 
Its an estimate. Occasionally two people or more make bad driving errors and crashes shut down the highway entirely for hours. There is no alternate route usually
 
Google maps quotes almost 15hrs that way (Toronto to Geraldton). Who knows how they calculate that...

You know, to shorten the trip you could arrange a take out at the bridge about half way through, that would make it more viable for you...
 
I'll leave that for Mem to answer properly, but I believe that is where they get their replenish of supplies on school trips. So, yes, it is on the route.
 
OK - that sounds like an option. I was just looking at the maps. Is that MP10 & MC6?
 
I'm looking at Google Earth and there is a bridge at the beginning of the Sedgman Lake Nature Reserve. That is what I was thinking. Mind you, I have no idea if a shuttle could be arranged from there, but Mem would know for sure. Just trying to help, or, not help, as the case may be.
 
I see it.

Are all those things I see from the sky that look like farms clear cuts? Sorry for the drift, just curious.

Yeah if we could cut it to 5 days tripping and 4 days traveling that might do it for me. The problem would be for everyone else. I'd want to have two weekends so probably screw everyone else's scheduling who would want to do the whole thing.
 
Last edited:
The bridge is always an option for getting out. I usually take a run up to it before I start a trip with adults anyway, to stash beer, upstream, in the water. So it's not a problem to arrange a shuttle there. It's 30 k from the Marshall Lake entrance, or roughly 18 miles if you're non-metric-fied. On a trip with a lot of people, it might be a good option to leave a vehicle there, in case of medical emergency, or if delays occur. One can travel all the way from Stone Lake back up to the bridge in a couple of days. The current on the Kap at that point is sedate. In case anyone wonders, I carry a Sat phone on most trips, just in case.
 
Thanks memaquay, I know #11 well, as far as Temagami. Not much further though. My brother says "Yeah, I like #11. Flat and fast." I spoke to a family member at a party in the Soo, who told me about driving through Michigan to the Soo. I was considering taking #17 from there. Google says 15-16 hours. I was thinking of sleeping in our van at Neys PP or maybe L.Sup.PP. Maybe #11 could be our route of choice if 12 hours driving is the norm.
L'oiseau, everything you say really rings true to me. Holiday time is precious. M has a generous 4 weeks, but some of that is always set aside for family time around Christmas etc. Being self employed means I have as much time off as I can afford. I can't afford much. When we scrape our pennies together and get away, I can't think of a better way to spend time with my wife than to canoe trip. If I can add friends to the mix…well, it can't get much better than that. We've travelled a tiny bit at home and abroad, and we continue to plan, dream and hope. But tripping is relatively inexpensive, easy, and guilt free. There are plenty of places to canoe closer to home, but some of my biggest and best dreams are of North Western Ontario. Marshall loop has just drifted into this realm, and if I get the chance to get there AND spend our time there with my canoe tripping friends, well, I wanna do it while I can. I never know when an opportunity like this will come along again. Not preaching l'oiseau, this is just my own view. You know your own situation best. I'm hoping you and your darling can do this.
 
Back
Top