In September of 2019, Cam and I paddled the circle via the Opeepeesway R, Woman R, Rush L, Rice L, Little Rice L, Opeepeesway L. The route is located west of Gogama in Northeastern Ontario and straddling the southern fringes of the Arctic Watershed.

Route is in great shape. Ran/lined/waded most rapids on the Opeepeesway. Did some minor clearing and signing on a few portages (upstream only on larger sets). Worked on medium handsaw blowdowns and clearing from Woman River to Rice Lake and down to Opeepeesway. All signed.

3 days ~85km. Lots of wildlife. Great variety of scenery. I'll definitely have to return to check out some of the alternative route options though the area.

Our video trip report can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQB4EJN-Nx8&lc





Trip map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1mzhAY-Y0BO1QtvOz1tf0ZJP_6hZcZkcm&usp=sharing

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My Backcountry Website: www.explorethebackcountry.com

Thanks for posting. I was just through much of this route (though passed through Rae Lake rather than the western river section) last month; nice to see so many familiar sights.

Thanks so much for posting info on this route, Stajanleafs. I'm planning to head through there in early summer.

Just wondering about the state of the road into the bridge where you put in? I have a vehicle with good clearance and have taken it on the Sultan Industrial road before without issues, but it isn't 4x4 or AWD. Would it still be manageable?

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

The road will likely be fine. I wasn't in last year, but was the two previous years with a 2WD VW with 4” clearance to the oil pan drain plug.

Good news! My vehicle has more clearance than that, so I should be good to go. Thanks very much, Brad. I'll be doing the loop that Stajanleafs did most likely, but probably solo. Any advice?

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

There are a number of threads on this site related to this route.

Most of the information is from ScottW and his Canoe Couple website. If you do a search of this site for "Opeepeesway" you'll find some information.

A couple threads are here, but there are others:

https://www.myccr.com/phpbbforum/viewto ... 08&t=47016

https://www.myccr.com/phpbbforum/viewto ... 6&start=30

It's a pretty decent route, but when I went through there was a fair bit of fly-in fishing going on.

Yeah, I saw Stajanleafs' map online and made some topos based on that info. I also read Scott W's site. It's impressive the amount of work they put into the area over the years. Big thanks to Scott, Stajanleafs and yourself for help keeping the routes in this area alive. If I do decide to try this one, I'll do some clearing, as well, in case others haven't been in there since you guys. I'm inclined to try the river route into Rush, as Brad J did, for the remoteness aspect. I don't mind the fly-in people as long as they don't mind me and there aren't a plethora of trashed campsites.

Thanks again for taking the time to post and share, Brad. I've read a number of your posts over the years and they've helped a lot in my route planning. My other choice for my early July trip is to try the Ranger Lake Loop, but I'm not sure time will allow for it if I have to start the trip on Ranger Lake rather than on Gong. I don't have the vehicle to get into Gong it seems.

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

I repaired the embed link to Brad's video.

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For he today that sheds his blood with me. Shall be my brother;

We went over the Labour day long weekend and only saw 1 fisherman on Rice Lake. The Opeepeesway-woman-rush river section is certainly the most isolated part of the trip, and I'd highly recommend tacking that on to your loop. There are some scenic little falls and rapids along the way. Campsites are fairly rugged and not trashed, with the exception of some sites on the mid to south end of Rice and nearly all on Opeepeesway (See notes when you click on campsite icon - some will say trashed, heavily used etc). Not much in the way of camping options on the Women River, but you'd definitely be able to carve out a half decent bush site by some of the rapids with a bit of work. If you're solo, it gives you a lot more to work with.

I have a few unconfirmed portages on that map, so if you do go and happen to take notes/observations I would love to update the map.

Have a great trip!

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My Backcountry Website: www.explorethebackcountry.com

Thanks for your input and the work you did on the loop 2 years ago., Brad ...and of course for your info on the map that allowed me to put a few tops together. If and when I do it, I'll post any updates or differences that I encounter.
Steve

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

Canoe Daddy - I'm planning on doing this route in August, so if you do end up going in July, I'd love to hear about what route you took as well as some general trip notes!

Sure thing. I usually whip up a trip report on my blog and post the link here. Still not sure if I'm heading there. I have about 4 or 5 trips in the works this summer and still working out time frames with canoe partners, etc. Either way I'll let you know if I do it or not.

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

I just returned from completing this route on a 4-day solo trip. A big shout out to Brad J for his work in clearing trails and with signage. He has once again made this a viable canoe loop that is highly recommended.

The route is in excellent condition. I did some clearing of fresh blow downs on a portage at the top end of the Woman River and the first one going up the Rush. The route was challenging but gorgeous and very rewarding. Water levels seemed to be a bit higher than in Brad's video.

It has a little bit of everything: river travel with some rapids, gorgeous rocky points for sites on stunning lakes, big water with great fishing, hip-level upstream wading and lining, etc. It even has that one portage that you will have trouble forgetting. The port out of the unnamed lake into the top end of Little Rice was something right after a heavy rainfall. Very few places to step without sinking up to my knees for the first 300 meters. Right up your alley if you are into Type 2 fun.

I didn't see a single canoeist the entire way, but encountered a lot of guys fishing. The fly-in dudes on Rice Lake seemed a little nonplussed to see me there.

All in, a fantastic experience. I will post one of my overly detailed reports on my site when I get to it for those whose interest is piqued. (5 trips this summer to catch up on!) In the meantime, if anyone is planning this one in the near future, and want some more detailed info., drop me a line.

We need to keep this one alive folks. It's worth it. The Active Mining Claim sign at the put-in has me a little concerned. I'd hate to see this one go the way of the 4M Circle route.

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

I was through the area a few weeks ago, though travelled through Rae, Mallard, and Marion instead of the Woman River route. I look forward to reading your report. Did you do Opeepeesway to Rush in one day? Or did you find a suitable place to camp along one of the rivers? Such a fantastic area, so planning a trip back again next year, and would like to try the route you took.

That portage from Unnamed lake to Little Rice was definitely a doozy. A swim was required at the campsite on Little Rice after completing that bog of a portage.

I live in Peterborough and I had an 8-hour drive to the put-in, so making it to Rush for the first night was impossible. I carved out a little site at base of some rapids on the Opeepeesway, but I was solo and hammocking, so not a huge issue. The next morning however I felt there were a number of opportunities for sites on the Woman between the confluence and the first portage around the chutes.

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