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PostPosted: January 20th, 2021, 4:51 pm 
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Location: Marathon/Superior
Any personal feedback or resources out there for paddling around and within St. Ignace Island?
(Here: https://goo.gl/maps/YwzWDeD5pyA2cVgPA)

Planning to paddle around it by canoe (don't worry I'm fully aware of Superior's claws and I'll have ample time) from either Red Rock or Rossport. I know it sees traffic but in terms of resources there are only breadcrumbs here and there.

By "within" I mean the inland lakes...there are a lot and I'd love to make some side trips into them. On satellite I believe I see a trail to McEachan Lake on the north side, but that's all I'm making out.

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PostPosted: January 21st, 2021, 1:35 pm 
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quick search

https://www.myccr.com/phpbbforum/search ... mit=Search

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PostPosted: January 21st, 2021, 1:46 pm 
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Yeah I searched the forums...didn't find anything/don't see anything relevant in the results from the link.

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PostPosted: January 21st, 2021, 11:48 pm 
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There is a 17 page section on the St.Ignace Island group in:
“A Paddler’s Guide to the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area”
ISBN# 978-0-9880483-0-0
Authors: Zack Kruzins and Darryl Makin


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PostPosted: January 22nd, 2021, 7:40 am 
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Thanks a lot Peter! Was hoping for something online but it's a local author and only $25 so that's a no-brainer.

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PostPosted: January 25th, 2021, 9:48 pm 
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Funny, last winter I went down the rabbit hole of planning a hypothetical trip from Red Rock out to St Ignace, then hopping around some of the interior lakes. Seem to recall reading that there might be a shack or small cabin on one of the bigger interior lakes, but I could be wrong.
Some of the bushwhacking might be reasonable, some of the lakes may be too isolated to be worth it...but fun to consider for sure and a real adventure. Go get 'em!


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PostPosted: January 26th, 2021, 1:56 pm 
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Another resource:
https://bowmanislandcharters.com/

You may have spotted them already but their site talks about trails and canoeing...who knows.

The aerials seem to show a couple small structures on the north side of the island, maybe 100m in from Superior, pretty much straight north from Antler Lake, and some of the aerials show what could be a trail starting at the clearing around those structures...partly visible most of the way up to Antler Lake. That's a 90m elevation climb, not too bad.

From there it would seem that McEachan & the others in the immediate area would be not a bad bushwhack.

It's a really intriguing island, for sure. The open water crossing could be as little at 1.5km, but that is certainly enough to make me think twice!


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PostPosted: April 13th, 2021, 5:30 pm 
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Hi, sorry this is late. I haven't snooped through this website in dog's ages. I've paddled around St. Ignace a couple of times, but much prefer the south shore of it over the north shore.
The north shore doesn't have a lot of landing/camping opportunities and is primairly grass/trees to within 5feet of the water's edge. There is a 'sauna'/safe haven at Caribou Point. These are old buildings, some in rough shape, a dock, and space to pitch a few tents around the back of a hook of land. Neat to explore, just don't expect a jaccuzzi there!
Be extremly careful crossing the channels between islands and especially the channel between St.Ignace Island and the mainland. It gets very rough with lake water ploughing out while the lake is cranking waves from the open lake. The south side is beautiful.


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PostPosted: April 13th, 2021, 6:10 pm 
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Thanks sns & Melissa!

Great to hear that confirmation for north side vs. south. I connected with the authors that Peter mentioned and they're very knowledgeable. Based on their feedback I was thinking a linear route along the south side. Plenty of lakes to be bushwhacked into on the south side. Either from Red Rock or Silver Islet, to either Rossport or Marathon depending on how cooperative conditions are. I can certainly imagine that channel getting nasty. Might be worse than some of the longer open water crossings because of the reflection waves.

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PostPosted: April 14th, 2021, 6:05 am 
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In 2015 I did a solo kayak trip from Sleeping Giant to Wawa. Unfortunately kayaks aren’t conducive to shwacking into interior lakes, so I just stayed on the coast. That said, the whole St. Ignace section is beautiful. While Superior can be quite intimidating, when you get a day or two of calm and you’re able to explore the area with ease, it’s absolutely magical.

Looking forward to the film!

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PostPosted: April 14th, 2021, 6:58 am 
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Thanks CG! Can't wait. The bushwhacks look pretty rough so who knows what'll actually get accomplished, but I've previously found at least one port on Simpson Island. In lieu of portage signs, I just look for the cached tinners lol

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PostPosted: April 14th, 2021, 1:51 pm 
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I did hike up and into a few of the inland lakes, but did not take my kayak. The trails were largely game trails from the tracks. That being said, the locals to have a trail network on the islands out there. If you manage to fin the "Hilton" sauna, or any saunas for that matter, go in and read the writing on the walls. The Hilton in particular had a map of the trails on some of the islands.


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PostPosted: August 27th, 2021, 7:03 pm 
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Just saw that you did it! Very cool. Must paddle Superior...


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PostPosted: September 3rd, 2021, 6:30 pm 
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Had to be one of the top 5 routes I've ever paddled. Scenery is top notch, no ports, barely saw anyone except at either end of the route (might be busier if the border is open as I hear American sailboaters come up), and even though the fishing was tougher than expected, it was still better trout fishing than one is likely to get on most routes. Didn't end up bushwhacking into interior lakes because there was so much to do already, but planning a return visit for that purpose.

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