Hi Wabakimi Canoe Trippers,

I had my first trip in Wabakimi last summer and like so many others, I fell in love with the area and wish to return.

I'm planning a trip that would involve heading downstream on both the Allen Water River and the Kopka.
I'm thinking of starting at Allen Water Bridge, heading downriver into Brennan Lake, south on Granite Lake, doing the 1558m portage into a smallish lake that looks like the number 7, and another 370-meter port into Van Ness.
We would be exiting the east end of Van Ness and into a creek with a series of short portages leading to the northwest end of Cache Lake. From there we would be heading up the Lookout River and into Beagle Lake, heading south and into the Kopka.

It's the section from Granite to Cache Lake that I'm concerned about. Of course, we expect deadfall and probably having to do a little clearing work since it seems to be off the beaten track, but we wouldn't want to have to bushwhack or muck-walk large or many parts of that section.

Ambitious? Yes, I know, but doable providing the link from the south end of Granite Lake into Van Ness and then into Cache Lake is somewhat clear. I have located one online report of people doing that section in the last couple of years but with no real details on the condition of ports or creeks. Other than that, I can't seem to find much.

Has anyone been through that section in the last year or two, or know of the conditions there? Any information would be helpful! Thanks in advance!

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“A day without canoeing probably wouldn’t kill me, but why risk it?”

In August 2018 The Wabakimi Project sent two teams into that area to do reconnaissance, portage clearing and campsite ID.

My team was the first week. We camped at the beach near the bottom Granite and did daily trips into the route to Van Ness. One of my team did some searching on our first drizzly afternoon while we set up camp. He came back with a blaze siting for the portage from Granite Lake to the 7 shaped pond. Next morning we set off and sure enough found the blaze. There was evidence of a portage that headed off through a 300m marsh and then climbed up a rocky area into the woods beyond. Another scan of the shore in both directions for other blazes and trails revealed nothing, so we got out the saws and the Husqvarna and we started cutting our way to the 7 pond. It took five days of intense plotting, taping, cutting, searching and more cutting to get through the measured 2500m+ to the pond. We came out at a 200m wide marsh and across there, next to a scraggly pine was the landing. You can see the rock outcrop halfway down the upstroke to the top of the 7 on aerial photos.

From there we crossed the 7 pond to the far end at the bottom of the seven where there's a small rivulet and a landing and a 145m portage to Van Ness. We cleared and measured that, then two of us headed down Van Ness to do some searching for campsites. We spotted one potential site on the south shore about 1 km short of the creek to Cache lake. On the way back we located a big campsite about 300m down the right shore from our 145m portage. Upon exploring that expansive site we found a trail out back that ran for about 300+m and crossed a narrow marsh to a landing near a dead pine on 7 pond. That was the extent of my team's explorations. We headed back to the portage out of 7 to Granite. As we reached the 7 end of our newly cut 2500m portage we met a party of 6 from Toronto. They were amazed at the condition of the beautiful portage ... it was like it was freshly cut. We explained that we'd just finshed it 5 hours earlier. I had earlier thought to myself that no one would ever use this portage...ha. It goes to show you.

Anyways, as two Dick and John took the equipment back to the campsite, Marty and I explored the shore about 200m to the north of our portage...and lo and behold, we found the blaze for the real portage, high on a birch tree and out of sight behind some branches. We took an hour to explore this portage. It's about the same length as the one we cut. It's uphill, rocky and wet for the first 400m or so, but after that it levels off for a long distance on beautiful flat rock. It's wide and spacious and required little cleaning. Clearly a long used native portage. At the 7 pond it comes out near the island and there's about 400-500m of slogging through the marsh to get to the same landing we had found. We had spent 5 days clearing a portage that wasn't necessary but already had some use.

So there are two portages out of Granite Lake to 7 pond, and two portages from 7 pond to Van Ness Lake.

The next week John Holmes led a team in through Van Ness Lake, down the creek to Cache Lake.

It has been 4 years since we went through there. It's the boreal. Conditions of the portages change over time. Email me if you need more info. If you can find more recent info from the park office, go for it.

Thank you, so much, Wabakimi Guy. And thanks for responding so quickly and in such detail. That was some great information and it seems like we may have a choice of portages to get to Van Ness. I think I can speak on behalf of all canoe trippers who have been to Wabakimi that we are incredibly grateful for the work that the good people of the Wabakimi Project have done to maintain trails and make the park accessible.

I'm also relieved to hear that there are camping possibilities on Van Ness, as well. It would be a long day to get from Granite to a site on Cache in one go, especially if the ports will undoubtedly need some work.

This information is very useful and I think I can pinpoint the places you are referring to on my topos. Thanks so much!

_________________
“A day without canoeing probably wouldn’t kill me, but why risk it?”

Looking at the same route for late August 2023. Will just be my son and me. We did a 2-week Burntrock to Tamarack Lake in 2022 and decided to come back again. We're looking to exit Bukemiga Lake. Love to share info with you on the route or any other info. I was able to get some maps on the rapids on Allen water, but that all depends on water levels. So a class I may be a II and vis versa. I know last August, the Ogoki River was moving quickly. Water levels were very high in August 2022.