Erhard

You are right ... I should include some better details on access points.

As of last summer the best launch point was at the bridge over the Opeepeesway river.
It can be reached by traveling west on the Sultan Highway (Route 560) to KM post 47 and then turning north ... follow this gravel road to the bridge ... there's lots of parking there.

Keep watching our web site ... the Sakatawi portion of Our Adventures ...http://www.canoecouple.com/Adventures/Sakatawi/Sakatawi.html for an update that will get accomplished after the Holidays.

The site already includes all the work we did in 2008 through 2010 ... I just need to get the 2011 information up.

Scott

That would be this bridge - right!?
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=47.69705,-82.27369&z=14&t=T

_________________
“What is the good of having a nice house without a decent planet to put it on?” - Thoreau

Ehard

Bingo ...
If you cross the bridge and drive 4.3km you'll find the road that leads to Mallard and Rush lakes.
At 6km you'll find the portage from Opeepeesway lake to Rae lake ... it's well marked ... we had no trouble finding it last year.

The road to Mallard and Rush lakes is not recommended unless you are traveling by ATV.
We last traveled as far as Mallard lake in 2009 ... not without scratching up the sides of our pickup.
There's a trappers cabin on Mallard so he keeps the road semi-open that far.

Scott

I've finished the Sakatawi portion of our web site for our 2011 efforts.
It's under the Our Project section ... here's the URL ...
http://www.canoecouple.com/Adventures/Sakatawi/Project/Project.html

Does anyone see the need to open the old portage from Little Rice to Rice Lake?

Scott

Thanks, Scott! This is definitely a neat alternative for canoeing away from the popular parks. No further than the popular spots in Temagami...

_________________
“What is the good of having a nice house without a decent planet to put it on?” - Thoreau

I was wondering if anyone knows if it's possible to launch at the old Jerome mine on Opeepeesway Lake or is that road closed in.

Last time I went by there on the lake ... 2011 ... there were vehicles on the peninsula so the road has to be open.
I have also seen a large tent as well as trailers there ... both work trailers and RV types.

Only 24 more days until i head up there.

Why was I under the impression the Jerome Rd. was one of the ones shut down by the MNR? Open to Natives & outfitters, but not to general traffic.

At one point the Jerome Road was closed by the MNR because they deemed the bridge over Cordes Creek to be unsafe.

I don't know why it would be open to outfitters only since access to the lake is possible from the bridge over the Opeepeesway River and as far as I know there are no outfitter cabins on the lake.

To my knowledge the only road that is posted with no access signs is the road to Rice Lake.

I was there last June and had not trouble accessing Jerome lake rd. (even with my 2000 dodge neon)
Like Scott was saying, you can go as far as the peninsula. A little further up the road there is a gate and itll most likely be closed.
Be forewarned that there may be some generator noise going on near Little Rice . There was a mobile unit set-up near the port going into Rice.

If i can get up to the peninsula than that would be ideal the road looks really close to the water.

I had the good fortune to get back to Rice L a few wks ago.
Another option for accessing Rice which Scott has written about is the New Arbutus Lake Rd.Its only 5kms off the Sultan Rd and is 2WD friendly. The ports connecting Arbutus to Opeepeesway lk are now in great shape.

That's a nice looking grill.

Just an update for anyone considering this route.

I was there this past week, after another trip in the area. (August 2019.)

The portage from Opeepeesway Lake to Rae Lake was in pretty bad shape. I moved north from Opeepeesway to the road through a difficult path on a scouting trip. I couldn't pick up the trail on the north side of the road. I gave up.

Also, note that in the bay with the portage out of Opeepeesway towards Rae, there are a couple docks with some boats and a VERY clear trail on the eastern side. (It's located approximately where the pink dot is in the image below.) This is not the portage. The portage starts more-or-less where indicated by the red line on the image, but it is not anywhere near to being straight. Twists and turns make it a lot longer than it might otherwise be.

If you're planning on doing this loop from Opeepeesway through Rae any time soon, I'm sure it's passable, but be prepared for a difficult first portage and significant clearing. It's supposed to be less than 1 km, but I'm sure it would have taken me at least 3 hours to pass through given the conditions.