View topic - The Broadleaf By-Pass

The bypass begins on the north west shore and is well marked with ribbons and a cairn. This take out is fairly easy and goes uphill into the bush at a decent angle. It is 1000 paces and is only wet as you approach the middle of it at the lake where you have to walk through the marshy area to get back on the rock. A wee bit of reworking may eliminate that wet section. When we walked it, the water was about knee deep with deeper holes.

The lake in the middle is nowhere near as big as it appears on the Topo map, the west end is fully filled in with marsh from the point on the south side as indicated on the map.

We were surprised to find the take out for the second section on the same side of the lake as we thought it was on the opposite. The take out itself is an extreme angle up a rock face about 30 feet before it flattens out enough to keep gear from rolling back down to the lake. The photo’s don’t do the angle justice.

The second section was again 1000 paces and mostly follows the ridge likely just because it was easiest to do so. There is a point where you need to cross a small section where the trail may be 3 feet wide and the left side is a cliff face likely 30 feet or more high. Rather intimidating when moving a 18 foot canoe. This section is definitely the more difficult of the two but eventually drops down into the bush on a nice path that ends right on the Broadleaf River proper. When wet the last 200 paces can be a muddy otter slide to the water’s edge.

We found it to be a difficult portage physically, but we are middle aged and I am a pack a day smoker. It does however cut out 5 portages when taking the much longer river route.

There is a little creek that comes out the west side of that little lake and there was a cairn on the rocks on that side that may be another portage route from the middle lake, although it wasn’t marked on the opposite side of the lake mid-point in the route. Perhaps another member can fill in the info on that?

More photo's...

This is a route that has intrigued us for quite a while and I am glad we did it this year. It did cut a lot of time off for us. In years where the water is really low or really high, ( like this year) this would be a great way to avoid the upper reaches of the Broadleaf.

The only caveat that I have is the slipperiness of the rock along the high ridge. There is a lot of moss and the rock is sloped, making for some tricky footing. The takeout is very steep also. The last picture is of me starting up from the bottom, so that gives you some idea.

I am hoping to head up there this fall and do some maintenance on the two portages between this one and Leaf Lake, along the Broadleaf. If so I will look for the existence of a route along the south side of the lake instead of the one we used on the north side.

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It seems like good intentions and dollar will still get you a cup of cofffee. I never did make it back up the Broadleaf this fall. In fact I didn't get back out at all due to other obligations and lack of a ride.

So this one goes on the spring trip list. I was thinking I might just go camp at the little lake for a few days and see what kind of fishies it holds whilst doing some exploring.

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Thanks for this report. I must have missed it during my travels during the summer.

We too,found this section, small lake to Broadleaf(west/downstream end), to be dicey because it was raining. The side slope gave us pause in a few spots. We did a bit of pruning to keep us on flatter sections or at least to allow us to be further away from the slope especially while carrying a canoe!
Thanks for the report as now this should end speculation on the portage's existence.
I'm looking forward to your report on the rapids and crappy portages downstream from the putin on the Broadleaf.
Hugh

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"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
M Twai

The two rapids/portages below the by-pass on the way to Leaf Lake need some serious work. We want to cut an entirely new port on the right hand side going downstream for the first one, which is where you port over the rock into the pool then cross to the left side and port again. I would like to cut it through the bush on the right side as one full length walk.

The next one down needs a total recut as well, pushed further inland as the trail now is being washed out by the river. The pruning we did in June allowed some further erosion which we found on our way out a week later, when the bank gave out under foot and we were waist deep in the river. In low water it wouldn't be an issue, but we have had two summers of high water and it doesn't seem to want to change.

If I could find someone who would spot me $10K I would take the entire summer off and go do all the work those two rivers need done, as well as pretty much spend June-October in the bush. 2011 will also be the start of solo'ing for me.