...said everyone who has ever been there. If a person were to start a discussion about top canoeing destinations in Canada, it wouldn't be long before you'd hear the name Quetico pop up. Quetico Provincial Park has for a long time been at the top of most paddlers' bucket lists, and so we were excited to find that it was included as a section in our Path of the Paddle route. Finally a chance for us to check out what all of the fuss was about.
Not long before we finished the Omimi trail section, word reached us that we would be taking a different route through the park from what Carrie and Jon had just done. Instead of paddling and portaging up the gruelling Cache River/Baptism Lake/Mackenzie Lake section we were told to try out the more heavily travelled Kawnipi/Shelley/Russell/Sturgeon/Dore to Batchewaung Lake route. (We have sure appreciated Carrie and Jon's advice as they travel two weeks ahead of us, but it sure doesn't seem very fair to them to have to be our guinea pigs...)
We were welcomed into the park at the Cache Bay ranger station by Hannah who helped us get all set up with park registration and thankfully gave us the forewarning of a giant storm that was to pass through later in the day. With that we set off into Quetico in a bit of a frenzy to beat the upcoming storm said to be containing torrential downpour rain and 50 km/hr winds. Despite our hurry we still had time to ogle the majestic Silver Falls, only to arrive in the Falls Chain soon after and then feel compelled to stop and stare at each waterfall in amazement as we portaged by. It was a good first impression to say the least. We got all the way to Bald Rock Falls that night and ended up at the most incredible site overlooking the falls with room enough for 30 more people to camp with us. We must have had some good karma going our way that day because not 20 minutes after we set up camp and started cooking dinner under the shelter tarp, that ugly, dark, and ominous storm rolled into town. Boy were we glad to not be out on the water when it hit. It rained, and it poured, and the boom-crack of thunder and lightning bolted us awake throughout the night, but at least we had made it to our site to be safe and sound in our cozy tent.
That would prove to be the end of the inclement weather as we were treated to scorching sunny days for the rest of our weeklong stay in the park. We had an absolute blast during this time and it seemed like Quetico had everything to offer us. Whether it was the vivid pictographs at Kawnipi and Dore Lake, the wild rapids we shot between Kawnipi and Shelley, or the jaw-droppingly gorgeous campsites seemingly around every corner, the park had it all. We could go on for hours naming our favourite spots such as Keats Lake, Snake Falls, our 5-acre Russell Lake campsite, Batchewaung Lake, and many more, yet we barely saw a fraction of what the park has to offer. This is the beauty of Quetico Provincial Park. With countless route options ranging in distance and length of trip, you could come to the park dozens of times and experience something new every time. It's accessible for people of all skill levels, and remote enough to provide the true outdoors experience for those of you looking to get away from the city lights. We would come back in a heartbeat--don't be surprised if you run into us in the park, as it's definitely carved a special place in our hearts.
To top it all off, the POPA team has been working very hard to connect the route with the town of Atikokan via the Atikokan River. Although outside of the park borders, it is still part of the Quetico Trail and offers some top-notch whitewater and the possibility to be a great day tripping destination in the future when all the portage trails are completed.
We would also like to give a GIGANTIC shout out and thank you to POPA member, Quetico park ranger, and route designer Lise Sorensen. Not only has she toiled away at flagging and creating connections between Quetico, Atikokan, and Clearwater Lake, but she took time out of her very busy schedule to meet with us multiple times to give us route advice and share her vast knowledge of the area.
We could not have done it without her. Thanks Lise!