Wondering if anyone knows if the portage off cell tower road, just south of North Albany lodge is open and usable? The last report I could find mentioned it is full of blowdowns and not passable.

I spoke to the people at North Albany lodge earlier this summer as I was planning a trip to do that loop. if you are talking about the "put-in" just south of there the indication was that it was fine. He told me they clear all the portages where their clients want to fish.

I would suggest calling them if unsure - the fellow I spoke to was quite helpful.

I also made a caltopo map of a route I was planning (sadly got cancelled due to work) Can share ,gpx file if you wish.

Thank you for the information, was hoping that port to the road was open. It gives us the option to use the southern end of Pashkokogan if the winds are from the south. Planning for next year but I have all the maps I need so far. Hoping there are more campsites than on the maps, like in Hamilton lake where there are no marked sites but it is off the main routes.

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Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Prov. 19:20

Phil Cotton probably didn't have The Wabakimi Project teams go through Hamilton Lake because there was no evidence of historic routes through there. In that area Phil followed the historic routes and crossed over to Minchin Lake and then back to Fitchie Lake. Long ago Hwy. 599 and St. Raphael Park didn't exist. Historic routes did not take into account future developments. If you do travel through Hamilton Lake, please contact the FOW to help them update their Caribou Forest maps in Vol. 2 for future canoers.

I went through Hamilton Lake and Pashkokogan Lake on my way to Savant Falls last year (July 2022) and did note one campsite on Hamilton Lake on the east side about mid lake. Otherwise it is a pretty swampy shoreline, nice for Moose and Caribou (both were observed) but not ideal camping.

For anyone interested, I left my car here : https://maps.app.goo.gl/DBem73E7xxX4anER6 for 15 days without issues or incident.

We are planning to start our trip where you parked Darl-h. We are a group of four couples. Probably just leave on vehicle at put in and the rest at North Albany lodge, unless we can arrange a shuttle . We just plan to explore for 12 days. Sneeking into different lakes looping up to Albany lodge. Darl-h do you remember what the campsite was like near the putin or close to it as we plan to spend first night there?
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Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Prov. 19:20

The first campsite north of the put-in we used was at the end of a short portage around rapids. Quite nice, clean, used by anglers. We camp with a small two person tent and a kitchen tent, with just a little brushing the site could hold three to four small tents.

The big site on Pashkokogan is the 'Boy Scout' campsite at the East end of the large island. McCrea Lake has plenty of points of interest including a massive beach campsite that was too buggy and sandy for us, but had animal tracks galore and was a great place to stretch the legs.

We didn't go into East Pashkokogan as the Savant River was our main route.

Another option to put in is at the area used to access St. Raphael PP. Instead of going west under Hwy 599, you carry from the parking area and line/wade upstream. Good to have a backup access point - just in case.

If you are late getting up Hwy 599 consider car camping at Fitchie Lake - very nice - , and then finishing a short drive to your chosen put-in. This is what I have done and would do again.

I just got back from FOW's loop route from Pash - East Pash - Shoe Creek - Takeoff - Davies - Misehkow R - Greenbush - East Pash - Pash and there's a public launch here and my car was untouched there for the 11 days (though I did worry). I called Austin's lodge on Pash and he said $100 USD for parking for 10 days. Sounds like the cost to park in a city...too steep for me so I parked here instead.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/YRiu7kt1bGmcNJ6i9

The portages into Greenbush (500m) and McCrae (<200m) couldn't be easier. Fishing in Greenbush was exceptional. Supposed to be great in McCrae too but didn't fish as much and the bite was much more consistent in Greenbush. Didn't see anyone on either lake in September, nor on the rest of the loop except Pash.

East Pash is a much nicer/quieter area that Pash, to me. Lots of places to camp, some junked up (e.g. big beaches), some basically unused.

The rest of the portages needed maintenance as expected except for the ones around Davies L which were in the park and had been cleared very recently.

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@Lost Lakes

We passed through McCrae and Greenbush Lakes on over to Burntrock Lake between September 6 to 10. The only paddler we met in two weeks was at the Palisade’s Big Bend near the end of our trip. As J.K. notes, the portages in Wabakmi Park have received some attention recently. Most deadfall on the trail has been chainsawed; however, the alders lining the path still need a haircut!

The McCrae outpost was hosting four couples when we paddled down the lake to the portage. Going downstream there is a short 20-meter carry around the drop at the top and then an easy run and line finish to the bottom.

The 500-meter portage into Greenbush is an 8-foot wide straight line path probably used to service some mining activity on the lake. A rusty oil barrel sits at the takeout spot. Sat images show a structure on the Greenbush end but all we saw were two boat shells resting on top of what may have been the remains of the platform for a Woods tent.

Unlike JK, we could not find the portage into Little Metig or Metig Lakes. Staying with the river, we llned and floated down to Little Metig from Greenbush. Very low water levels did not help! After a futile search for the portage into Metig Lake, we stopped to have lunch at the top of the four sets of rapids leaving Little Metig. Resigned to a repeat of the morning’s grind, we were down all four sets of rapids and on Metig Lake in 20 minutes!

When contacted, the various lodges on the Savant Lake - Wildwood, Cat Track, etc. - expressed no interest in providing shuttle access to the lake. Thanks to John Kehayas of the Four Winds Motel, we found a local shuttle provider who took us from the Savant Lake VA stop to a put-in on Jutten Lake from where we accessed Savant Lake. Send me an email if you want his contact info - Jonah Belmore of the Ojibway Nation of Saugeen knows the area well and has provided shuttles all the way up to the Otoskwin.

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http://albinger.me/canoe-tripping/

Wow for an area that does not get much use this site always blows me away with all the knowledge of fellow paddlers. Looking forward to Jonathan's video and Peter's trip report.

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Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Prov. 19:20