3-4 weeks next summer: where to go?

[Art D]

I’m looking for suggestions for a three to four week paddle next summer. I live in New England and would prefer to keep my driving time to four days or less one way.

 

[recped]

With driving distance as the only qualifier I can think of hundreds of possible trips in Labrador, Quebec and Ontario!

Mostly lakes?
Mostly rivers?
A mix of both?
Portaging - none, some, lots?
Rapids - none, some. lots?
Scenic values?
Cost/difficulty of access/egress?

 

[Art D]

This would be a solo trip. Lakes and/or rivers (but definitely not The BWCA). I’d paddle up to Class II rivers and portage everything above that. I don’t have any other constraints so am open to all suggestions. What have you got?

 

[memaquay]

I would suggest breaking it up into a couple of trips. Northern Ontario is certainly within your driving time allocation. Have a look at the Steel Loop and the Marshall Lake Loop, both of which are well documented on this site. If you take time to sniff the flowers and do some fishing, each trip could take you around ten days. If you travel fast, six to seven days each, and then you could throw in another trip, or extend the Marshall loop. Neither of these are maintained routes at the moment, so you could expect some challenges.

 

[Gamma1214]

I'll second the "do two trips" idea. I've done both the Steel River & the Marshall Lake Loop in the past 3 years and plan to do the extended version of Marshall in 2027.

The difference between the two trips is remarkable and I honestly can't pick a favorite. I know that I'd do both again without hesitation.