Wabakimi info

[Art D]

I will have all of next summer free and have a wild dream of circumnavigating Wabakimi. This would be a solo trip. Is this even possible? Does anyone with Wabakimi experience have any idea how long this might take?

Like I said, it’s a wild dream and I haven’t yet started to plan this trip. Just looking for feedback.

Thanks.
Art

 

[Gamma1214]

I haven't been there yet but don't see any reason that it wouldn't be possible to spend a summer out there.

Friends of Wabakimi has maps, campsite and portage info and Paddleplanner has the same info (as in: literally the same info- I'm pretty sure most of the mapping was done by FOW regardless of who provides the maps). PP also allows you to save your route and download it.

PP also calculates travel time (in answer to your "how long will it take" question). You can change parameters such as paddling speed, single vs double portages, etc and it calculates daily travel. I'm taking that with a grain of salt as I expect portages in the lesser-traveled areas to be a bit more sketchy than, say, the BWCA.

What I've done is combine info from both FOW & PP to build my route maps for my trip this coming August. I mapped it out on Garmin's mapshare so that I'll have all of the details on the inReach and then transferred those maps to caltopo for printing in pdf format. (I prefer paper maps for navigation and the Garmin is intended to be back-up only).

I've watched quite a few YouTube videos while following along on the maps and have identified a few additional campsites and some portage info (including one portage that I will not attempt if it's raining as the footing would be poor and a fall would dump me into a deep ravine)

Another thing to consider is exit strategy in the event that you need an extraction. On the West side of the park, there's a First Nations guy named Jonah that runs shuttles and might be able to pick you up at a parking area if you can get there. He's a bit hard to reach, however.

On the East side, Clem Quenville does shuttles and can provide extraction from access points.

Within the park, extraction could be arranged through Don Elliot from Mattice Lake Outfitters. You'd just have to coordinate which lakes his plane could land on and get yourself there. Don also provides outfitting and is willing to provide as much or as little as you need. I've found him to be very helpful in my planning and highly recommend contacting him if you need outfitting for this area.

I'll have contact info for all 3 in my inReach when I push off from the launch.

If you've not yet done it, check with FOW (and consider joining). They have several people who can provide insight into various areas of the park depending on where you're planning to go.

And, finally, remember that Crown Land surrounding the park is about 1/3 the price per day of camping within the park (if that matters).

 

[Art D]

I haven't been there yet but don't see any reason that it wouldn't be possible to spend a summer out there.

Friends of Wabakimi has maps, campsite and portage info and Paddleplanner has the same info (as in: literally the same info- I'm pretty sure most of the mapping was done by FOW regardless of who provides the maps). PP also allows you to save your route and download it.

PP also calculates travel time (in answer to your "how long will it take" question). You can change parameters such as paddling speed, single vs double portages, etc and it calculates daily travel. I'm taking that with a grain of salt as I expect portages in the lesser-traveled areas to be a bit more sketchy than, say, the BWCA.

What I've done is combine info from both FOW & PP to build my route maps for my trip this coming August. I mapped it out on Garmin's mapshare so that I'll have all of the details on the inReach and then transferred those maps to caltopo for printing in pdf format. (I prefer paper maps for navigation and the Garmin is intended to be back-up only).

I've watched quite a few YouTube videos while following along on the maps and have identified a few additional campsites and some portage info (including one portage that I will not attempt if it's raining as the footing would be poor and a fall would dump me into a deep ravine)

Another thing to consider is exit strategy in the event that you need an extraction. On the West side of the park, there's a First Nations guy named Jonah that runs shuttles and might be able to pick you up at a parking area if you can get there. He's a bit hard to reach, however.

On the East side, Clem Quenville does shuttles and can provide extraction from access points.

Within the park, extraction could be arranged through Don Elliot from Mattice Lake Outfitters. You'd just have to coordinate which lakes his plane could land on and get yourself there. Don also provides outfitting and is willing to provide as much or as little as you need. I've found him to be very helpful in my planning and highly recommend contacting him if you need outfitting for this area.

I'll have contact info for all 3 in my inReach when I push off from the launch.

If you've not yet done it, check with FOW (and consider joining). They have several people who can provide insight into various areas of the park depending on where you're planning to go.

And, finally, remember that Crown Land surrounding the park is about 1/3 the price per day of camping within the park (if that matters).

Awesome info. Would you be able to share contact info for Clem, Don and the First Nation shuttle guy? Maybe message me if you don’t want to share publicly. Thanks so much.

 

[jdeerfoot]

As Gamma pointed out, it is highly recommended that you join FOW. The cost is minimal and their trip advisors can answer questions about areas they are familiar with.

The scope of your proposed trip is massive, the park itself is huge and the greater Wabakimi area is very huge. FOW, the successor to the Wabakimi Project, which covered most of the greater Wabakimi area in terms of mapping, campsite and portage locations, etc completed its 15 years of field work in 2018. The greater Wabakimi area is considered to be Hwy 599 on the west, the Albany Rv on the north, the Opichuan Rv on the east and the Kopka Rv on the south. And again as Gamma pointed out, traveling outside the park boundaries on Crown Land is less costly than travel within the park. Non-Canadians will need camping permits in both areas.

In terms of how long your proposed trip would take, in 2017 a buddy and I traveled from the railroad south on the Allanwater Rv to the Kopka Rv and on to Lake Nipigon taking 19 days with 2 of those being layover days at nice campsites. We were also mapping all campsites and portage locations as well as measuring each portage. So I would guess traveling solo it may take you 1-1/2 to 2 weeks to get from Redsand Lk (headwaters of the Kopka Rv) to Lake Nipigon, representing much of the southern boundary of the greater Wabakimi area. So I suppose you could do this trip but the distances involved and the lack of any maintenance on much of the area would likely really slow you down well as wear you out. It would definitely be an epic trip.

The shuttle contact on the west side of the park on Hwy 599 is Jonah Belmore. Contact info for him as well as Clem Quenville, good guy for Armstrong ON area shuttles/info and for Don Elliot - Mattice Lake Outfitters, also of Armstrong is available on the Friends of Wabakimi website. Don has many decades of flying experience and in depth knowledge of the greater Wabakimi area.

 

[Gamma1214]

Outstanding that FOW publishes contact info for Jonah & Clem. I contacted both to be sure that it was OK to share publicly but, if FOW already lists it, that will suffice IMO. (Don, of course, is easily contacted through his website which I've already linked above.

I would think that Don would also be able to coordinate resupply if you wanted to stay out longer without packing all of the food from the start.

 

[jdeerfoot]

Jonah and Clem are happy that their contact info is shared. What we really appreciated in 2024 was Jonah securely storing our vehicles at his house during our trip. And he arranged for us to camp the night before our trip on the reserve.

 

[Black_Fly]

Get the planning map, learn the railroad rules. I’ve been planning for a couple years. There are trips you can do from Armstrong, but you might as well do Quetico IMO. If you want to see the rivers and other features that make it unique, gotta take the train. (Although heading north from caribou through Raymond back through cliff lake is a non train trip.

I’m looking into getting my dog on the train, but it’s not looking good. Only other option is do it truly solo. There are some trip reports on Wabakimi.com, some with technical information about hazards.

Good luck.

 

[PortageW/Cerberus]

I’m looking into getting my dog on the train, but it’s not looking good.

I've looked at this too - my suspicion is that if one showed up with a ticket, a canoe w/train fee paid, and had a dog...they would probably find a way to make it work for the short ride.

But the penalty for being wrong is high.

Would love to have a conversation with the Via Rail employee there in Armstrong to find out how flexible they might or might not be...

The relevant section from Via Rail's site: "Baggage cars are heated, but most are not air-conditioned, which means your pet may be exposed to high temperatures. From May 1st to September 30th, baggage cars will not be able to transport animals due to a lack of proper ventilation. VIA reserves the right to modify these dates based on weather conditions to ensure your pet's comfort. Please take this into serious consideration when planning your travel." [emphasis theirs not mine]

I'd like to think the underlined part allows discretion for them to take dogs in the summer. However my wife tells me I am often wrong about everything, so there's that.

 

[Black_Fly]

But there is no station in Armstrong, and getting clarification from a call center is wasted time. Like you say, too high a risk.

 

[Aslowhand]

There is a stop in Armstrong, but no railway company employees are present. The employees travel on the train. I think they have some discretion in the matter. However, I wouldn't rely on them simply allowing a dog to travel. And even if they did, the animal would have to travel in the luggage car in a carrier that you bring yourself.


The picture shows a party of canoetrippers waiting for the train.

 

[jdeerfoot]

While there is no station at the Armstrong stop, there is a motel-like building owned by the railroad. Armstrong is a stop where the train crews change out so there is always train crew members around. At times we have asked them questions, such how late the train is running, etc and they have gone online to check for us.

 

[billconner]

If returning by train from the Allanwater Bridge, how do you adjust for one itable delays? All I could figure was a two way satellite communicator and someone watching and communicating with you.

 

[jdeerfoot]

Bill, I understand that what you suggest is what some friends have done - contact their guardian angel at home via sat communicator who goes online to look up the pertinent information.

 

[billconner]

I also wondered if I could get a shower at the fishing camp very near Allanwater Bridge? I have in mind to travel from Toronto by rail.

 

[Keeled Over]

If returning by train from the Allanwater Bridge, how do you adjust for one itable delays? All I could figure was a two way satellite communicator and someone watching and communicating with you.

inReached all over for 2 weeks up there with no issues. Chick watched arrivals/departures, arranged shuttle drivers, tow trucks, hotels, rescue outfits, police activities, liquor stores................. helps to be retired.

 

[jdeerfoot]

Showers are probably available at Allanwater Bridge Resort operated by Johnny Jelinski. We stayed in one of his cabins for a few hours sleep after being dropped off by the train early am before departing on a Kopka Rv trip in 2017.

 

[Gamma1214]

Did the train schedule change since 2017? I've seen other reports of being dropped off in the middle of the night but the schedule says it leaves Armstrong around 9 am & arrives in Savant Lake (my nearest scheduled stop if I jump ship at Chivelston) around 2 hours later.

I know the rail schedule is variable but how often is it likely to be off by 12 hours?