The Migizi Trail stretches 225 km from Kenora and Lake of the Woods in the west through the Experimental Lakes Area and Eagle Lake to Wabigoon Lake and Dryden in the east. The trailhead signs that have been erected at Dryden and Rushing River have a key bit of advice for paddlers, advice that Hadley and I wholeheartedly support after having travelled the route from Dryden to Kenora. Path of the Paddle generally recommends that the route be travelled from west to east due to the prevailing westerly winds, and boy did we learn why. The Migizi has many large, open lakes, with the largest being Eagle Lake that we spent five days on just south of Vermillion Bay. We battled strong headwinds for approximately ten days straight and all five on Eagle Lake which obviously made paddling more difficult, but it was nothing that couldn’t be counteracted by taking advantage of calmer waters early in the morning. By the time that we reached the Experimental Lake Area just west of Vermillion Bay the wind became a non-issue as there are less wide open lake stretches and plenty of ways to stay on the leeward side of islands and shoreline.
Despite the windy conditions, we absolutely fell in love with this section of the Path of the Paddle. It has some the clearest, cleanest, and most beautiful lakes that we have encountered during our ten-week journey and the well-developed portages make this section very accessible for all paddlers. The Experimental Lake Area in particular has a wonderful balance of enough road access points that there are many route options that can vary in length and destination, but it is still remote enough that the only other people you will encounter are fellow paddlers. Not only are these lakes gorgeous with beautifully maintained trails in-between, but they boast some of the best campsites we have stayed at. Whether you like huge flat rocky sites, or would prefer your own personal beach site, you will have your choice of an amazing site that more likely than not will have an excellent view of the soaring shoreline cliffs that are numerous in this area.
I also caught my first fish during this section! YIPPEE!!! It only took me 48 days!
The following are some possible trip options that we would recommend:
Experimental Lake Area: (3-7 days) Starting at Rushing River, northern Dogtooth Lake, or Upper Stewart Lake, there are any number of routes that can be done in this beautiful region. Make sure to check out the beach sites on Winnange and Gale Lake, and the crystal clear waters/enormous cliffs of Teggau Lake!
Gale Lake (weekend getaway) Only 20 km from Rushing River, you can have your own private lake with an amazing beach site as well. Perfect for small or large groups to get away from the large crowds of people that are usually around on the summer weekends.
Winnange & Manomin Lake (2-4 days) So many campsites and places to explore on these two lakes! There are towering cliffs around every corner and quite possibly the most beautiful portage we have ever done that connects Winnange and Manomin.