Nabakwasi River Canoe Trip

62 km/ 4 days  August 9 – 12, 2015

Our objectives for this trip were to do: a more challenging trip, a trip that is disappearing due to lack of MNR funding, and a trip that was remote (i.e. no people). The Nabakwasi River loop seemed like a good fit to meet these objectives.

Since it was only my wife, Cathy and I going, being a loop had the advantage of not having to worry about a car shuttle. We paddled an ABS Evergreen Starburst which is heavy but definitely required for this route.

Day 1 – August 9 : 13 km

We set off from Mississauga for Gogama at 7 am, made a few stops along the way, and arrived in Gogama at 1:30 pm. The boat launch to Minisinakwa Lake is signed and is right beside the MNR buildings. (FYI, the MNR office in Gogama closed this year and is now based out of Timmins.) 

There is parking right at the boat launch and we were on the water by 2 pm. We saw one fishing boat on Minisinakwa Lake and within the hour we were turning right and heading south on Nobel River. The prevailing wind was now in our face.

The Nobel River is really a series of connected lakes obvious following a fault line. The parallel running Nabakwasi River is running down its own fault line.

Though we didn’t stop to investigate, the campsite at the far end of Duckbreast Lake seems decent, but we had just gotten started.

Though unsigned, P1-160m is easy to find. It was quite evident that no maintenance had been done on this route or that many people paddle it each year. We wondered if we were the first (and only) paddlers this season. The portage is very rocky and very overgrown. The marsh had grown out quite a bit from the portage making landing difficult. The creek itself had no water in it, making the portage mandatory.

Just after is P2-180m, again unsigned. Here we had some luck and paddled/waded down the creek to the last 20 m, which is a small falls. We carried over on the right the last 20 metres around the falls.

We made it to camp by 5:30, a good island site on the south end of Groves Lake. There was no sign anymore marking this as a campsite. This lack of signs seemed to be the theme for this trip. We were pleased with the site since we assumed all the camp sites would be overgrown and we would have to make bush sites.

Today was a very long day with the drive up, but the paddle to camp had been easy and enjoyable. We even saw two moose on our journey in.

Day 2 – August 10: 13 km

A typical day started; up at 7 am and on the water at 9 am. It started to rain this morning just after we woke up. We were able to get the tent packed away dry. The rain stopped just as we were getting ready to get on the water. Though it was mostly cloudy all day, it never did rain. We set off and immediately did P3-115m into Hanover Lake. As before, the portage was very over grown and rough, with numerous deadfalls making it a difficult portage. The takeout and put-in were very small.

There is a campsite halfway down Hannover Lake that seemed small but ok, though we didn’t stop and check it out.

Next was P4-50m to Londonderry Lake which was pretty much as excepted. We did not see the campsite on Londonderry Lake marked on the MNR map but did see an island that could work as a site. We paddled down Londonderry Lake and had lunch at the old fishing camp on the left shore just before Hanover Creek.

The creek was VERY low. We had to get out and wade almost immediately. This could be a long afternoon! A little more water was added when Aragon Creek joins in and we were able to paddle again. Though the MNR map has 5 portages listed, these portages and portage signs were nonexistent. With water levels very low, we ended up dragging the canoe down very boulder rapids. There was not enough water to even float the boat. Numerous cedar trees were down blocking the way, as well as frequent log jams and beaver dams.

The only trail we found was a bit of a trail, 20 m long around a huge log jam. Be prepared for a lot of work and to get wet! We waded, pushed, and hauled our boat down this creek for 3 hours. It was very tiring and very frustrating. With a little more water, this could have been fun (maybe!).

Though only a few km long as the crow flies, with all the switch back we must have paddled kilometres that afternoon.  There is a campsite towards the end of Hanover Creek on the right, which would definitely be a desperation camp.

We finally came out at Donnegana River. At this point the sun started to break through the clouds. The end of a very long, hard day was ending with promise. We turned left onto Donnegana River (it may seem confusing but trust your instinct and just turn left) and paddled 3 km to a large camp site. We arrived at 4 pm and were exhausted. The campsite was quite large and flat and up the bank on the right. I had read somewhere this was an old Junior Ranger camp. There were hardly any mosquitoes again today. We didn’t even need the bug tent in camp.

This area is still very marsh and the river is still fairly narrow. The scenery is not too exciting. The skies cleared and the sun came out making for a very enjoyable evening.

Day 3 – August 11: 21 km

A cold front came through during the night bringing thunder, lightening, and heavy rains for a few hours. The winds had now turned around and were blowing from the north, in our faces again!  The rain had stopped by morning but it remained overcast all day.

On the water at 9 am, we paddled for 1 km to where the Donnegana River and Nabakwasi River join, though there was no extra volume or current in the river once they join.

Another 3 km found us at P10-750m. Although the portage is 750 m, we were able to carry the first half around the falls and then put in and paddle and easy swift washout. The falls is quite impressive.

Next we came to an island with unrunnable rapids on both sides. With low water, lining also wasn’t an option. P11-430m is located on the right branch of the river, on the right side of the island. Again, we were able to put in below the worst of the rapid and run an easy washout to the end.

There is an unmarked, easy swift between P11 and P12. This was fun to run.

P12-325 has a very easy approach but ends in a large waterfall. We ran the easy C1 to the falls and then had to haul the gear and the boat up a steep embankment, 20 m to the main portage trail. This was hard work but probably just as hard as doing the overgrown portage from the beginning. We got the added bonus of running some whitewater.  The falls here is quite a spectacular, multi drop falls. Cathy thought it should have a name given its size instead of remaining unnamed.

The campsite after P10 is quite small and hilly. This was our original destination for the previous night. We were very glad we had stopped at the big campsite we found yesterday.

At the bottom of P12 there is a small campsite. The bugs had been virtually nonexistent for the trip, except here. We stopped for lunch here but quickly were chased back into our canoe by the mosquitoes. We finished our lunch out on the water. Floating is better.

Portages P10, P11, and P12 are the only portages with signs that we saw. These looked like fairly new signs. No campsites signs were ever seen.

The campsite marked on the Nabakwasi River seems flat, but small with pine needles lining the ground. We didn’t stop to check it out. We just paddled by.

The day had remained overcast and very windy. We now had a 3 hour/12 km paddle to Mattagami Lake and the wind was hard in our face the entire time.

There is nothing left of an old lumber mill located where the Nabakwasi River enters Mattagmi Lake except an overgrown spit of land and a bunch of lumber out in the lake. Once on Mattagami Lake, we paddled toward Togo Rapids. On our way we passed a camp on our left. Just passed the camp there is a flat field, very large, but also overgrown with saplings, blueberry bushed, golden rod, and ferns. This was our worst campsite of the trip. We flattened things down as best we could and set up our tent and tarp. For the first time this trip we put up the bug tent as well. The rain, cooler temperatures, and all this vegetation made the mosquitoes quite the nuisance.

We paddled over to try and find the 900 m portage around Togo rapids on the right, but could not find any evidence of it. We then paddled to the start of the 1500 m portage on the left. This we found, though there is no sign. Wanting to know what we were in for the next day, I walked the 200 m up the hill until I came to flatter section that was supposedly a logging road. The hill up was quite steep, very over grown, and had some trees down. Once reaching the top, the portage looked flat but just more of the same: overgrown with trees down. This could be quite a haul tomorrow.

Day 4 – August 12: 12 km

We woke early at 6:30, maybe because of the anticipation of the Togo Rapids portage. It had rained during the night and the temperature had dropped to 10 c. The morning was quite foggy but the ski was clear and the winds had finally died down. We wouldn’t mind the cooler weather on the portage.

Packed and on the water by 8:30, we were unloaded at the portage 15 minutes later. We carried the boat and the gear up the hill to where the flat section began. We then started to make out way down the old logging road. About 100 m down the road it opened up just a little, giving us hope. The portage ended up being quite easy. It was flat, there were hardly any trees down and the vegetation wasn’t as grown in as the other portages. With the rain the night before, the vegetation was very wet and in no time we were soaked to our armpits. There were hardly any bugs and with the cooler temperatures, we moved along the portage at a good pace. We finished the portage by 10:15, 1 ½ hours. Not bad in my books.

The rest of the paddle out was an easy, enjoyable paddle. P14-30m around the dam was straight forward. We stopped for lunch on a rock outcrop on Minisinakwa Lake and arrived at the takeout by 1:30. It had been a good day and a good way to end the trip.

This is a tough route, especially in 4 days. On the water by 9 am and off by 4 – 5 o’clock. Hanover Creek is a long half a day of slugging it out. Higher water, if it ever gets that, would make it a little easier but there are still numerous log jams and beaver dams. The campsites are few and far between, though a couple of good ones exist. For the most part, they are 1 or 2 tent sites. One good campsite at Togo Rapids would have been nice.

We were glad we did this route before it disappears and would recommend doing it if your objectives match the route. For us, the work:reward ratio isn’t there for us to do it again.

Slide show of the Nabakwasi Canoe Trip

Wayne Gignac