Temagami Trip 2 Planning
This is our plan for our second Temagami Trip. We are planning on doing the “Anima Nipissing, Montreal River Loop” from Hap Wilson’s book on Temagami.
Overall Distance: 119 Km (plus 30+km of exploring Lady Evelyn River north and south channels).
Time: 6 nights; 7 days (But we have an extra day at the end in case we get windbound).
Portages: 9 total. 7.5 km of portaging. Guide book says: 7 (total 5.8 km) Plus more portaging on Lady Evelyn River exploring.
Day 1/Night 1 Bay Lake:
Put in at Mowat Landing Access Point to Bay Lake
We will start from Mowat Landing and head South-East on the Montreal River. There used to be a set of rapids at the end of Montreal River before entering Bay Lake called “Pork Rapids” but a dam build near Latchford has mostly flooded them out now. This is also the location of the first campsite along the way, but our objective is to get close to our portage for the next morning. One of the sites near the portage is also the trail head for the Edison Mountain Trail. This leads to the historic Edison Mine which was creatively covered with cages to allow the bats to keep living their best lives in the old mine shafts. Check it out here. Maybe we will take a look if we get in early enough on day 1.
Day 1 Distance:
13 km approx. to first campsite at Pork Rapids (3 hours padding)
20 km approx. to campsite on the Edison Mountain Trail (5 hours padding)
21 km approx. to campsites near the portage (5+ hours padding)
Day 2/Night 2 Anima-Nipissing Lake:
Bay Lake to south-west end of Anima Nipissing Lake
We hope to get an early morning crack at the 2600m portage. At the end of the portage is a campsite and the trail head for the historic Burns trail. Maybe we will check it out, since our day shouldn’t be that long. Although we are planning on treating ourselves to a hot lunch on this day, so who knows.
Apparently there is also an LCBO sign and possibly an actual LCBO at one end of the portage. We will camp somewhere in the South-West part of Anima-Nipissing Lake.
Day 2 Distance:
2,865 meter portage Bay Lake to Anima-Nipissing Lake (40–60 minutes)
19 km approx. paddling from Crowrock Bay at the North-East end of Anima-Nipissing Lake to the rocky swifts that lead into McLean Lake (5 hours padding)
Day 3/Night 3 Diamond Lake:
Anima Nipissing Lake to Diamond Lake
It should be an interesting morning beginning with some small rapids leading into McLean Lake. Maybe we will get to line our canoe for the first time? From McLean to Carrying Lake is a portage 670m to 710 m depending on which map you believe. Then it’s 1000m into Red Squirrel Lake. Then from Red Squirrel into Sandy Inlet is another 640m-780m along the Anima Nipissing River. Hopefully it’s not too windy on Sandy Inlet. If we have time, we will want to check out the portage (275m-330m) to an access point that might be useful for future trips if the road in looks okay. There is a hike on Ferguson Trails too if we haven’t had enough time to stretch our legs on all the portages. The Ferguson trail is 24km out and back. This is highly doubtful.
We will paddle to the next portage linking Ferguson Bay to the North Arm and on to Sandy Inlet. The Napoleon portage seems to confuse people. There may actually be two of them: one easy and one awful. It might be worth putting the canoes down and wandering up towards the viewpoint, which according to some maps is also a campsite (like the one posted above). We will pass through the Upper Narrows. I hope to see the Lady Evelyn Hotel ruins.
We will head past our night 2 campsite from our first trip and portage into Diamond Lake. The portage to Diamond is a flat and short 100m.
Day 3 Distance:
Total Portage: 3160m — 3385m (50–70 minutes)
Portages: McLean Lake to Carrying Lake 710 m; Carrying Lake to Red Squirrel Lake 1000m; Red Squirrel to Sandy Inlet 780m; Napolean Lookout Portage 795m; Sharp Rock Inlet to Diamond 100m. Swift/Rapid Anima-Nipissing Lake to McLean Lake may require a portage or lining
22 km approx. paddling from south end of Anima-Nipissing Lake to the put in at Diamond Lake. (5.5 hours paddling)
Day 4/Night 4 south Willow Island Lake:
We will paddle north up Diamond Lake while trying to spot the pictos on the west shoreline. A 30 m portage takes us into the very southern end of Lady Evelyn Lake, or we may again have a chance to line the canoe through old falls. We will paddle up and around doing a 310m and 420m portage into Willow Island.
Hopefully we will have a hot lunch and then paddle up the south channel of lady Evelyn River. Our goal is to paddle up to around Cabin Falls where we think Hap Wilson and Andrea Wilson have their ecolodge.
Day 4 Distance:
760m of portaging (20 minutes)
17 km approx. paddling from Diamond Lake to south Willow Island Lake. (4+ hours)
16 km of exploration on the south channel of lady Evelyn River. (4 hours)
Day 5/Night 5 north Willow Island Lake:
We will break down camp and paddle 8km north to allow us to explore the north channel of Lady Evelyn River on Day 5.
Day 5 Distance:
0 Portaging (except fun exploring time!)
8 km approx. paddling from south Willow Island Lake to a more northern campsite. (2 hours)
16 km of exploration on the south channel of lady Evelyn River. (4 hours)
Day 6/Night 6 Lady Evelyn Lake:
We will head north and aim to do the portage to just change things up a bit as we come out of Sucker Gut Lake.
Day 6 Distance:
120m Portaging (less than 10 mintues)
12 km —22 approx. paddling from north Willow Island Lake to a campsite on Lady Evelyn Lake. (3 hours to 5+ hours)
Day 7 Lady Evelyn
Last day! We paddle from our night 6 campsite back to the car at Mowat Landing.
Day 7 Distance:
340 Portaging around Matawapika Dam
10 km — 20 km approx. paddling from our last night campsite on Lady Evelyn Lake to our car. (2.5 hours to 5 hours)
