Chapleau Tourist Association

The Chapleau District is 23,960 square kilometres (9,215 squaremiles) of wilderness canoe country. It is situated on the Canadian Shield within two watersheds. The Atlantic and the James Bay and isin the heart of the Boreal Forest. The connecting waterways provides for an infinite number of canoe routes. The exciting white water, the large deep lakes and the slow meandering rivers offer hours of undisturbed paddling for everyone from the beginner to the most experienced canoist.

The Chain of Lakes
(Prairie Bee, Windermere, Kathleen, Goldie and DelmageLakes)
1-5 days
Lake to lake family canoeing.
Start: Prairie Bee Day Use Area in the Shoals Provincial Parknorth of Highway 101 or take the train from Chapleau. Between the Shoals Provincial Park and the southern boundary of the Chapleau Crown Game Preserve is a remote recreation area most noted for them ride of lakes and scenic lake to lake canoeing. Good wildlife viewing, excellent fishing, remote sand beaches, short portages and Rock Island campsites, is all part of this canoeing experience. The routes to choose from are many, remote, but easy to access from the Shoals Provincial Park.

The Shoals - North Loop
40 kilometres/2-3 days/8 portages
Beginners
Start: Prairie Bee Lake Day Use Area in the Shoals Provincial Park north of highway 101. Traverse the large Prairie Bee and Windermere Lakes follow the Grazing River south to finish at Little Wawa Lake campground in the Shoals Provincial Park. Along the entire route there is evidence of logging that flourished from 1901 to 1956. Onthe north shore of Windermere Lake, explore Nicholson, a ghost town today, but once a booming town. This route can also be access by train from Chapleau.

The Shoals - South Loop
16 kilometres/1 day/7 portages
Beginners
Start: Little Wawa Lake campground in the Shoals Provincial Parksouth of Highway 101. Paddle through a chain of small lakes with good northern pike fishing. This one-day loop begins and ends at the campground. In low water, portions of this route may be too shallow for canoe travel.

Chapleau Nemogosenda Provincial Waterway Park.
236 kilometres/10-12 days/20-33 portages

Experienced Canoeists
Start: Chapleau or Racine Lake - Chapleau is at the junction of Highway 101 and 129. Most of these routes lie within Chapleau-Nemogosenda River Provincial Park, the only waterway park in Ontario that is part of circle route. Paddle downstream on the Chapleau River. It forms the eastern boundary of the Chapleau CrownGame Preserve, the largest crown game preserve in the world. Wildlifeviewing on both rivers is excellent. Walleye fishing is the best in the area. Travel through Henderson, D'Arcy, Schewabik and Kapuskasing Lakes to Elsas. Dozens of rapids along this stretch are very fast and narrow. Return upstream through significant wetlands on the wide Nemogosenda River. Continue through Nemogosenda Mate and Westover Lakes to Highway 101. Conclude your trip here or continue to Chapleau through Borden Lake. From Elsas this route may be continued north toJames Bay via the Kapuskasing, Mattagami and moose Rivers. A 6-7 day trip can be taken on the Chapleau River, ending at Elsas and taking the CNR to Foleyet.

Aubinadong
98 kilometres/5 days/16 portages
Moderately experienced wilderness canoeist.
Start: Five-Mile Lake, Highway 129, south of Chapleau. Access the canoe route from Five-Mile Lake. Canoe up Kindogan Creek crossing several lakes before reaching the Aubinadong River. Paddle downstream in a valley surrounded by rolling wooded hills. This area still shows evidence of the great 1948 Mississagi fire and of the logging industry. River travel varies from wide, slow moving stretches to narrow channels of fast water. The Aubinadong is within the new Algoma Highlands Park. In low water, portions of the river may be impassable. Since the route sees little use by paddlers, there may be fallen trees on trails and across the river. Portages may be poorly signed and hard to find. The trip concludes at the bridge on the Ranger Lake Road, 1 kilometre west of highway 129 or at the bridge over the Mississagi River or continue to Lake Huron.

Wenebegon
104 kilometres/5 days/10 portages
Moderately experienced canoeist.
Start: Burying Creek at Highway 129. Follow Burying Creek east to Wenebegon Lake by way of Chene Lake and Wenebegon River. Continue down the Wenebegon Riever to the end of the route at Aubrey Falls,just off Highway 129. The terrain varies from lowlands to rolling hills and high rocky bluffs where much of the wilderness still show signs of the 1948 Mississagi fire. Several stretches of rapids offer a whitewater challenge to experienced canoeists. For the less experienced rapids may be by passed. The route may be extended south down the Mississagi River to Lake Huron, The Wenebegon Rivver is within the Mississagi River Waterway Park

Wakami Loop
56 kilometres/3 days/8 portages
Beginner to immediate canoeist.
Start: Wakami Lake Provincial Park campground, 65-kilometres southeast of Chapleau off Highway 667. Much of this route lies within Wakami Lake Provincial Park, providing the visitor with excellent camping and day use facilities. The logging industry has left it mark on the entire area. The outdoors Historic Lumbering Museum will be of special interest to the canoeist. Leave the campground canoe southdown Wakami Lake. Paddle and portage over a series of small lakes to East Wakami and Little Wakami Lakes. Wind your way through excellent moose habitat on the narrow meandering Little Wakami River. Canoe upstream on the Wakami River, line up stretches of shallow rapids, tothe Wakami dam. Cross over into Wakami Lake and return to the campground.

Wakami River
124 kilometres/5-7 days/35 portages
Intermediate to experienced canoeist.
Start: Wakami Lake Provincial Park campground (see Wakami Loop) or Sultan, Highway 667 and the Eddy Forest Road meet at this small town on the C.P.R. line. Travel downstream on the swift flowing Wakami River where you'll be challenged by treacherous rapids and rocky shallows. The current slows as the river widens approaching Ridout Lake. Continue downstream on the Woman River portaging around the falls and steep rapids. Conclude your trip on large Horwood Lake, or continue on the Groundhog River to the CNR trestle or to highway 101.This route can be extended to James Bay via the Groundhog, Mattagami and Moose Rivers.

Pishkanogami Waterway Park
105 kilometres/4 days/16 portages
Start: Former lumber town of Kormak 10 kilometres north of highway 667 on the old Kormak Road or the C.P.R. Kormak stop. Pishkanogami is an Indian word meaning "further still". This route offers a diversity of quiet river, lake and whitewater travel. From Kormak travel downstream on the Kinogami River. The 9-metre waterfall north of ViceLake is dramatic sight. Continue on the Ivanhoe River to Ivanhoe Lake Provincial Park where you conclude your trip. Enjoy camping, anatural sand beach and hot showers at the park campground or continue on downstream on the Ivanhoe River to Foleyet.

Sakatawi
120 kilometre/3 days/8 portages
Immediate canoeist.
Start: Begin at the old gold mining town of Lerone on Opeepeesway Lake. Paddle through Rush Lake to the Woman River. The rapids on the Woman River are often violent but beautiful, especially where the Woman River plunges into Horwood Lake or where the C.N.R. line crosses the Groundhog River. This route can be extended to James Bay via the Groundhog, Mattagami and Moose Rivers or done as a loop route back to Opeepeesway Lake.

Groudhog River Waterway Park
167 Kilometre/6-8 days/18 portages
Experienced wilderness canoeist.
Start: By road take old highway 101 at the Groundhog River. The Groundhog River is a fine canoeing river with swift currents and numerous short stretches of fast water. Heading north, downstream,paddle and portage your way to Six-Mile Rapids. The experienced whitewater canoeist can run most of them, however, the canoe must be carried over a few small falls. 50 kilometres downstream you will approach a similar stretch called Ten Mile Rapids which runs through the 72,000 ha Northern Claybelt Forest Preserve. The river calms and widens as it passes between clay banks and rock cliffs. Conclude your trip at the town of Fauquier on Highway 11 or continue north to JamesBay via the Mattagami and Moose Rivers.

Missinaibi River ProvincialPark
Missinaibi, part of the Canadian Heritage River System, is wild, beautiful, and unspoiled. Flowing unchecked from the height of land to James Bay, it meanders between banks with overhanging cedars,churns over and around Precambrian granite rock, rushes through passages as naroow as 8 feet and cascades over falls. This route has a rich cultural heritage, including ancient Indian pictographs,abandoned fur trade posts, and portage trails blazed by voyageurs over 200 years ago.

The Missinaibi Canoe Route is divided into 3 sections:
Shumka to Missinaibie
Missinaibi Lake to Mattice
Mattice to Moosonee