Quetico – 2025 Canoe Trip – Stanton Bay

Introduction and Preamble

Welcome to another canoe journey. This time, Hanneke and I travel two thousand kilometers, leaving behind the rolling foothills of the Canadian Rockies and heading east once again, across the great plains, through endless forest and finally into the heart of the Canadian Shield. Our destination is a place I’ve wondered about for years but have never visited for some reason – Quetico Provincial Park.

Before I go into more detail on our trip, I’d like to discuss the name, “Quetico”. There seems to be some mystery surrounding the name of this place but I’m not convinced there should be any mystery at all. The people who have lived on this land far longer than the rest of us have, tell us exactly where the name comes from. Elders from the Gakijiwanong (gah-kee-JEE-wah-nong) Anishinaabe (ah-nishih-NAH-bay) Nation tell us that,

“The name ‘Quetico’ comes from the Ojibwe word Gwetaming (GWET-ah-ming), a word that speaks not just of a place, but of a way of seeing. They say that this word refers to a sacred understanding and a deep respect for the land, and the spirits that dwell within it. At the heart of the park lies Quetico Lake, a place revered by the Gakijiwanong people. Elders tell stories of strange, unexplained happenings there, events that can only be understood through spiritual knowledge, through the quiet teachings passed down for generations.

This lake is not just water and shoreline, it is alive with spirit. It is powerful. And we are told to approach it with humility, to be mindful of the sacred presence it holds.”

(from the Gakijiwanong First Nation website)

A vast, protected wilderness in northwestern Ontario, Quetico Provincial Park spans nearly five thousand square kilometers of lakes, rivers, and forest. There are no roads. No fishing lodges. No cell towers. Only water routes and portage trails, carved into the land by centuries of travel. For over a thousand years, these waterways have been used by the Anishinaabe people, whose stories still live in this land, in the rust-red pictographs painted on stone, in the echoes of loons across misty lakes and in the feeling you get when the silence settles around you like a second skin.

Quetico is a true backcountry experience, over 2,000 interconnected lakes, hidden campsites, challenging portages, and the kind of solitude you only find far from the modern world. Over two weeks at the end of May and beginning of June 2025, we paddled deep into this landscape, navigating ancient routes, fishing quiet bays, and living by the rhythm of wind, water, and sky.

Why Quetico?

So why Quetico instead of my usual spots such as the Churchill River, Atikaki or Woodland Caribou Provincial Park? In a word, WILDFIRE. Once again the words ruling the airwaves and news articles coming out of northern Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario were the dreaded, Dry, Windy, Fires, Hot. Soon to be followed by even more dreaded words such as, Evacuation, Closed, Bans, Destruction.

Obviously as tourists, we had much less to worry about than locals who were losing their forests, properties and even lives, but I quickly realized that planning a canoe trip into any of these areas was the height of foolishness. Of course, being nearby, Quetico didn’t escape the hot, dry spring weather and was tinder dry and under a total fire ban – but it was open. I was nervous about the dry conditions as we continued to prepare for our trip but there wasn’t much to do but trust the experts and cross our fingers that the backcountry would stay open for us.

Somehow, over the past 30 years of canoe tripping I have never gone into the very heart of Canadian Canoeing – I simply thought it was too far away for me, despite the drive being very similar in time to one we’ve done many times all the way to WCPP’s remote entry points. My younger brother did a 5day trip to Quetico in 2024 and after quizzing him for details I realized that I was sick of traveling burnt landscapes and craving a trip that would remind me of the “good old days” in Woodland Caribou.

I was reminded of 15 years ago when the forests of WCPP were green and the portage trails wound their way through cool shadows instead of heat blasted, open rock and blackened, shriveled matchstick forests.

Using my trusty tools such as a Crismar map, PaddlePlanner and online forums as well as beta from my brother, I planned a 200km route through some of the more popular areas of Quetico out of Stanton Bay. Since this was somehow my first time to Quetico, I couldn’t go wrong with pretty much any route.

My planned 200km loop would take us south out of Stanton Bay and then west through the huge Pickerel Lake. From there we’d go through Maria, Jesse and Oriana into the mythical “Quetico” Lake. After the infamous 1440 meter “Badwater Portage” we would travel through Badwater, Fair, Your and Boulder Lakes into the giant Jean Lake.

From Jean we planned to tackle Burntside, Claire and Bentpine Lake before exiting Bentpine Creek into yet another huge body of Quetico water – this time Sturgeon Lake (and yes – there are reportedly Sturgeon in here). From Sturgeon Lake we would spend a day in Russell – checking out the Chatterton Falls before heading back to Pickerel Lake via the Pickerel River through Olifaunt, Fern, Bud, Beg and Bisk Lakes. It wasn’t an overly aggressive plan for a 14-day trip but it wasn’t exactly a “sit around and relax” trip either.

The Town of Atikokan

After a brief overnight stay in the hamlet of Caronport, SK on Thursday night, we continued the long drive to the small town of Atikokan in northwestern Ontario.

Located about 220 km west of Thunder Bay, Atikokan sits along the Atikokan River in the heart of Ontario’s wilderness. The town was established in 1900 as a divisional point on the Canadian Northern Railway. The name “Atikokan” comes from the Ojibwa word for “caribou bone,”. Atikokan’s population is around 2,800 people. Historically, the town boomed in the 1950s with iron ore mining at Steep Rock Lake. This massive project drained the lake to access ore beneath it — a feat that was once considered the largest inland engineering project in the world.

Today, Atikokan’s economy is diverse. The Atikokan Generating Station, converted from coal to a biomass plant in 2014, is North America’s largest of its kind. The forestry sector remains strong, and the town is also a hub for healthcare, education, and retail. Atikokan is a gateway to Quetico Provincial Park, and as such, it is the perfect place to spend an evening or two before your canoe trip. We stayed at the White Otter Inn, only steps from the ranger office where we had to complete our registration in-person the following morning.

Amusingly, as I sat thinking about last minute packing as you do just before a big trip, I realized that we’d forgotten to pack the extra paddle that I always bring! OOPS. Although I’ve never needed an extra paddle due to breakage, the way my tent sets up, it uses my main paddle and I always use the extra for fishing at camp. Plus, if I ever don’t bring an extra, you know I’ll need it. Dang it! It was 10pm and obviously nobody was open in Atikokan.

Ironically, there was a small business steps from the motel that manufactures handmade paddles (XY Company Paddles) but they would not be cheap and would very likely not be open early on a Saturday. The only other place I could think of was Canoe Canada Outfitters , so I decided to drive over there at 07:00 to see if by some miracle they were open and had a paddle for me.

And guess what?! They not only were open – or at least the front door was unlocked – I bought their very last paddle for a reasonable price! Talk about good karma early in the trip. The two ladies sitting there having a morning cup of coffee were surprised when I walked in but they were very friendly and obviously willing to take my money in exchange for their last retail paddle. It was even a decent one – I used it on the trip with no regrets whatsoever. This bit of good luck really had me excited to start our day as we drove around the town before pulling into the local park office to register.

Registration Process

Unlike what I’m used to in more remote parks such as Atikaki and Woodland Caribou, before heading into Quetico Provincial Park, all backcountry paddlers need to register in person.

Here’s how it works:

You’ll start at one of the park’s ranger stations or entry points — like Atikokan, Beaverhouse, Cache Bay, or Prairie Portage.

When you arrive, park staff will check your permit (that can and should be done ahead of time, online), confirm your route, and go over park rules. They’ll also review important safety info, like fire bans, wildlife precautions, and Leave No Trace guidelines.

It all doesn’t take that long, but the office in Atikokan didn’t open before 08:15 meaning we would be paddling the huge Pickerel Lake much later than I preferred. (The obvious solution to this would be to arrive and register the day before – something our itinerary didn’t allow.) We arrived early and chatted briefly with a group of 4 Americans before the doors to the ranger office were unlocked.

Once a friendly Tina was done confirming and finalizing our registration we got a waterproof permit to carry with us – another requirement which we did get asked to produce by a ranger while on our trip, so make sure you take this with you and know where it is when asked. And then… we were off!

The Adventure

My brother had warned me beforehand not to follow Google Maps’ directions to acquire the Stanton Bay parking lot and that was indeed, very good advice! Google would have you turn off too early after leaving Atikokan on hwy 11. Do NOT turn down Ruff Road, continue driving to the obvious (in hindsight), Stanton Bay Road and then turn south.

We followed a gravel road for approximately 12.5km before we came to an intersection with a large “Quetico” sign. The problem is that the sign is right between the two options – so I was left wondering whether to go left or right! I spotted a small “Ontario Parks” sign in the ditch on the left hand option and decided to follow it another 2.5km to the correct parking lot. All very obvious once you’ve done it, but newbies see things differently.

The parking lot only had a few vehicles – only Canadians are allowed to park overnight at the Stanton Bay lot. Excitement was building as we unpacked the truck and prepared for the first and only portage of the day, a 474 meter carry down to Pickerel Lake.

The mosquitoes were out in full force in the warm, humid air as Hanneke discovered one of her birthday gifts I’d managed to sneak along. I bought her a custom paddle from Badger Paddles, a gorgeous, light paddle made out of ash and painted purple with her name carved under the logo.

This is my 3rd paddle from Badger, and it won’t be my last. There is nothing quite like the experience of dipping a Tripper Ottertail into the quiet surface of a lake for the first time.

Saturday, May 31 2025 – Stanton Bay to Mosquito Point (20km, 1 portage)

After unloading the gear and parking the truck in the shade, we shouldered our first loads and started down the portage trail. Hanneke and I both love walking and hiking and we don’t mind doing 2 carry portaging. This means we walk every portage a total of 3 times, but it also means we get to enjoy 1 walk with no gear and when we’re carrying gear it’s obviously much lighter and more manageable than folks who do single carries. Two carries is also safer than one, with less chance of slips, falls, sprains and whatever else can easily happen with heavy, bulky loads of gear.

The mossies were fierce once we entered the bush and soon we were regretting not putting on our bug shirts. It’s been a while since we experienced mosquitoes like we did on this trip but on the flip side there were almost no flies and no ticks. Since the portage was almost all downhill it felt pretty easy. There were even long sections of boardwalk – something I told Hann not to expect on subsequent carries! When we first spotted Stanton Bay it was calm and beautiful under a blue sky. There is nothing quite like starting a canoe trip on a huge body of water with absolutely perfect conditions like we had. Despite my concerns with a late start (it was now 10:00), it was all going to work out just perfect.

We loaded up the boat with both the gear and ourselves and just like that, we were paddling Quetico for the very first time.

Something I didn’t fully comprehend while planning the trip was just how large some of the lakes we would be paddling were. When looking at a zoomed out map on paddleplanner, it’s very easy to miss the immensity of the terrain. Our first day was 20 kilometers of paddling, all on the same bloody lake. With big water paddling, the wind forecast makes a much bigger impact than precipitation does, direction being most important followed by strength. This was going to be the first canoe trip that I’d be relying on my iPhone 15 Pro to communicate with a web service at BoltWX for weather updates and I was interested in how that process would go.

After exiting Stanton Bay we continued paddling on a smooth lake, heading west for the Pickerel Narrows. Of course we threw out some lures for a quick troll and before long we were already onto some feisty lake trout. Surprisingly my deep water Rapala caught more fish than Hann’s Len Thompson spoon – I expected the trout to be shallower than they were.

Recently, hot temperatures must have done their work with the water column already. I continued to marvel over and over at the green, lush landscape all around. Other than a few isolated areas, my last decade of canoe trips has been through way too many charred forests. With a blue sky above, deep clear water below and green forests clinging to some of the planet’s oldest rocks on either side of us, this was pure canoe tripping magic already in the first hours of the first day!

We passed several obvious campsites along the way, each one looking very habitable and well used but not in a bad way.

Another reason to paddle Quetico over areas like Woodland Caribou, is that the campsites and portage trails should be much more manageable without numerous burned trees falling over them every winter. To say that portaging and camping in WCPP has been a challenge despite trail crews’ excellent work there would be an understatement. Most of the campsites in WCPP have been destroyed by wildfire and finding a protected, comfortable site is more challenging than finding an open portage. They are there – but you have to hunt for them.

Speaking of great sites, I wasn’t sure how busy Quetico would be at this time of year. We were hoping to score a 4-star site at Mosquito Point where Pickerel Lake turns down towards Maria but I had visions of dozens of other parties wanting the same site.

Nope. It turns out that late May, early June is a great time to visit Quetico. We only met 4 or 5 other groups the entire trip – certainly not a busy place when we were there. After catching 6 0r 7 nice sized trout and paddling for several hours we were delighted to see an empty site at Mosquito Point and docked our boat at around 16:00.

It’s always interesting to set up the first camp on an extended trip. Where the heck is everything? Did you forget the tent stakes? Thankfully nothing critical was forgotten and we managed to find all the necessary gear. It didn’t take long and we were relaxing in the hammock, reading our books and fishing from shore. I caught my first smallmouth bass and a nice sized pike offshore before supper.

The lake was perfectly calm that evening so we went fishing for a bit, catching a few large walleye (completing a grand slam of 4 species of fish in our very first day) and spotting a majestic bald eagle and somewhat less majestic beaver.

We commented on the different forests lining the shores of Quetico over the shores we’re more used to eyeing in WCPP and the Churchill River area of north Saskatchewan. The Quetico forest is in the transition zone between mixed hardwoods of the Lake Superior region and the conifers of the farther north and is composed of 70% coniferous and 30% deciduous species including white, red, and jack pine, black spruce, aspen and birch.

As would prove to be the case for the next 2 weeks, we could not have a cheery campfire thanks to a fire ban. It was very obvious that the ban was necessary but it was a bummer nonetheless.

Not having fires significantly impacted our evenings at camp. There is nothing more relaxing and satisfying than cozying next to a crackling fire as darkness settles in and the bugs come out. Unfortunately we would not enjoy this simple pleasure. Instead, we sat around until the mossies became unbearable (usually just after sunset) and / or the air got chilly before retreating to the relative comforts of our sleeping bags.

This meant that most days (including the first one), we were in bed before 21:00 instead of enjoying the boreal evening and the waking of the heavens high above.

Sunday, June 1 2025 – Pickerel Lake to Oriana Lake (18km, 4 portages)

One advantage of going to bed early each night was that we were more than ready to get out of our tent by 06:30 or even earlier each morning. There is only so much time you can spend in a sleeping bag each night!

As usual, two city dwellers woke up a little stiff ‘n sore from a long paddle the day previous, but we were excited and raring to go. Calm waters beckoned and soon we were paddling out of the massive Pickerel Lake towards a 300m portage into Maria Lake.

We made short work of this first, easy portage and noted how nice it was to be in green forests.

After crossing Maria Lake we faced a much longer 700 meter carry into Jesse Lake which also proved to be easy to find and follow. We would comment often about the luxury of well maintained portage trails throughout the rest of our trip. Compared to what we’re used to in WCPP, Quetico is paradise.

As we paddled lengthy Jesse Lake we noted how extremely dry the landscape was. As disappointing as the fire ban was, it was obvious that it was more than necessary. To be honest, I was surprised they were still letting people into the backcountry, everything was so tinder dry. With storms in the forecast I could see how one ill-placed strike would have a pretty serious consequence on our well being. I tried not to dwell on this thought as we continued up the calm waters of Jesse Lake.

After a grand slam of Trout, Pike, Bass and Walleye on Pickerel Lake, fishing slowed significantly on our 2nd day in the park. Hann managed to nab a few nice sized walleye on our way through Jesse, but casting for pike didn’t produce anything. We didn’t mind.

The mossies were brutal. For the first time in years, we had to wear our bug shirts on the portages – even spray wasn’t enough to keep them from flying into our mouths and biting the ONE place the spray didn’t land. Thankfully we’ve invested in the Canadian Bug Shirt – they more than proved their worth in quality and function on this trip. When it got too hot for both a regular shirt and the bug jackets, we simply took off the undershirt and just wore the jacket. This worked surprisingly well throughout the trip.

From Jesse we navigated two portages into Oriana Lake. The first was very short and easy, while the second was mostly downhill and also very easy to find and follow. Naturally, portages that are closer to the various park entries were going to be well traveled and maintained but we were very impressed nonetheless.

This was a very good start to the trip and left us with a good feeling for many upcoming portages in Quetico. My last canoe trip was significantly impacted by just ONE manky portage in brutal conditions. It doesn’t take much to turn a pleasant stroll through brooding forest into a hellscape that can impact an entire trip!

Oriana Lake seemed very low to us. The water line was at least 30cm lower than normal as indicated on the shoreline rocks.

The afternoon heat settled in over a calm lake like a blanket as we paddled to our planned site, “H4” just north of our planned route towards Quetico Lake the following day.

Thankfully the site was wide open and soon we were swimming off the day’s grime before reading our books, doing laundry and just hanging around the large camp area.

Thanks to the low water, there were plenty of flat rocky areas. The tent site was great with lots of room for larger parties. It was a well used site, as expected here. I caught a large walleye near camp for supper which was a great way to cap the day.

Before the trip, I’d purchased some top water bass lures. I’ve never fished for bass before, catching them only rarely by accident over the years. Most of the water I’ve canoed and fished is too far north to hold any numbers of this species. My brother told me they mostly caught Quetico bass on walleye lures and the day before I’d caught a few on jigs. Today I was going to try my fancy top water lures from Canadian Tire.

I strongly suspected they were more of a fisherman lure than a fish lure but we’d soon find out… I cast out an Arbogast G600 Jitterbug in the frog pattern and was instantly amused by the “plop”, “plop”, “plop” sound it made as it wiggled its way towards me through calm waters near camp. BAM!!! Believe it or not, on my very first cast a bass absolutely SMASHED the little lure! A few casts later I had the same result. Ok, I guess the expensive little lures were more than fisherman’s wallet bait after all. I resolved to try a LOT more of that – it was damn good fun.

Once again, we were tired and getting cold and swarmed by mossies by 21:00 and turned in before the sun fully set. I was checking weather using my iPhone’s satellite texting capabilities and BoltWX and storms were in the forecast. I guess we’d see what the next day would provide – but I sincerely hoped it wouldn’t be too much lightning.

I was also texting my son back in Calgary, asking him to check on wildfires in the area and the fire ban. He assured me that there were no nearby conflagrations and the ban was still in place. There is something lost when connecting from the backcountry to the wider world. In the good ol’ days (:eyeroll:), you went into the bush for 7 or 14 days or longer, with nary a clue about the outside world or what was headed your way.

I have plenty of good stories from back then but it came at a price in terms of safety and sometimes enjoyment. If, for example, the fire ban was lifted later in the trip – it would have been exceedingly nice to know as you’ll read later on.

Monday, June 2 2025 – Oriana Lake to Quetico Lake (24km, 2 portages)

Monday morning dawned extremely smoky. We could not only see the greyish yellow haze, we could taste it. We were up early – 05:30 in order to beat forecast SW winds which was unfortunately our exact direction of travel.

There wasn’t any wind as we snuck through shallow water out of Oriana and embarked on two quick and easy portages into a glass smooth Quetico Lake.

We knew we were way too early to stop at the east end of the lake, so we resolved to slow things down a bit and enjoy some fishing and exploring towards the SW end before making camp.

I caught and released 4 medium sized Lake Trout on my trust deep diving Rapalas but fishing wasn’t exactly epic. It took time and effort to nab anything. Quetico is a beautiful lake and someone could easily spend the better part of a week just canoeing and exploring its expansive waterways, islands, bays and campsites.

We took lunch at our planned campsite, “8T” – a large well used site with many tent areas and multiple fire pits.

It was only around noon so we decided that we should push on another 8kms to the west, freeing up almost a whole extra day of paddling already on day 3. This is why we get along so well as a canoeing couple. We are both flexible enough to take advantage of good conditions to get ourselves some extra time for the inevitable nasty ones.

Speaking of “nasty”, the wind picked up considerably as we paddled to an island site across open waters. The rollers continued to grow under our keel as we slowly inched our way towards the distant point of land hosting another great side, “611”.

We were definitely ready for a break by the time we finally docked the boat and checked out our new home. Funny enough – it was still only around noon since we’d gotten started so early today! We spend the rest of the afternoon resting, trying (unsuccessfully) to catch fish offshore and enjoying the solitude.

At 16:00 the wind died into nothing within 10 minutes. Thunder was peeling in the distance through the thick smoky haze and we battened down camp to prepare for an incoming storm.

It felt wrong to be huddled under a tarp with no fire, but we ate supper and waited for rain. It took awhile, but finally just before 20:00 a violent wind storm with rain and isolated thunder rolled over our little camp. I went to sleep, worrying about the potential of wildfires with all the wind and lightning and hoping the rain would lessen some of the risks.

Tuesday, June 3 2025 – Quetico Lake to Badwater Lake (10.5km, 1 portage)

We slept in until 08:00 after a long night of wind and intermittent rain. Unfortunately there was probably less than 5mm total rain – much less than the land was asking for but better than nothing.

We slowly packed up camp under reluctantly clearing skies, making the decision to tackle the infamous Badwater Portage today. We were already ahead of schedule so there was no rush to do much more than that, providing we found a decent site on Badwater Lake.

Doing a 1.5 km portage is always going to be a bit of a challenge but the Badwater Portage was about as easy and pleasant as they come. Cool, cloudy conditions were perfect for the long carry and the trail was maintained and relatively easy underfoot. Some boulders at either end and slick corduroy logs along the way were the main challenges.

The best site in Badwater Lake was unoccupied (we hadn’t seen anyone since leaving the truck) and we promptly claimed it. Site “3N” was a decent site but I only rated it 3-stars due to a lack of good cover and a tent site a long way from the landing and kitchen areas. Views from the elevated rock over the lake were very nice.

Fishing picked up a little too. Hanneke caught something massive on our way to the site from the portage. It was pulling the boat around before it got off. I caught a nice fat walleye after supper (lucky fish – they got released).

As I surveyed the lake before turning in for the night, I contemplated how amazing this park was turning out to be. I couldn’t help comparing it to my many previous canoe trips into a burned landscape in WCPP.

Wednesday, June 4 2025 – Badwater Lake to Jean Lake (24.5km, 7 portages)

Thanks to all the bloody tent time, I woke up at 03:00 just as the birds started their daily pre-breakfast chorus. I dozed off and on until 05:00 and then couldn’t take anymore of the sleeping bag. As I had a morning coffee I was entertained by 3 Trumpeter Swans.

Swans generally mate for life and the hapless couple nearby had the unfortunate “luck” of ending up with a 3rd wheel. There were a lot of fly-bys and yelling going on between the couple and the 3rd wheel. I felt sorry for the single one who knows what happened to their mate? They would very likely remain monogamous for the rest of their life. Hanneke blissfully slept through all the racket.

By 07:00 we were packing up the boat, heading for Boulder Lake as our destination. My updated forecast showed storms starting up around 13:00 so we hoped to make it that far at least. We trolled and drifted our way through Fair and Your Lake, passing over several shortish portages along the way.

The portages were notably mankier than what we’d experienced so far in the trip, but still obvious to find and follow. The exit from Your Lake towards Boulder was an interesting scene of dead trees rising like ghostly sentinels out of the calm waters as we paddled past. Fair and Your were both exceptionally high thanks to eager beavers doing their thing with a set of dams at either end of the water system.

I knew from my Chrismar Quetico Adventure Map that there were no longer two portages along the creek between Your and Boulder Lake (as indicated on PaddlePlanner) but rather a new 660 meter one.

As we followed this new trail through the bush alongside quagmire in the creek to the east, we were exceptionally glad for the rework! The old route must have been a nightmare of swamp muck, mosquitoes and bog while the new one was basically a simple stroll through the forest. Yet another reason to love this park – active maintenance and rework where needed.

As we paddled up Boulder Lake we realized a few things. First, the skies were no longer threatening at all. Forecast storms for early afternoon were no longer part of the mix when I checked BoltWX; they were all pushed into the evening with low probability. Since it was still so early in the day and fishing was slow, we decided to paddle to Jean Lake. Why not? Indeed.

The three portages from Boulder to Jean are all quite a bit shorter than indicated on Paddle Planner. They were a little muddy but easy to find and follow for the most part. Because Quetico is so often travelled, I didn’t notice a single ribbon marking a portage the entire trip. I don’t recall any blazes either. The portages were mostly where you’d expect them to be and thanks to unburned forests, it was almost always obvious where they were cut from the water. Swampy starts were more challenging to find without ribbons, but the lack of plastic was nice.

By the time we found ourselves on Jean Lake the wind had picked up considerably. The good news was that we’d be mostly with it. The bad news was that it was strong and Jean Lake is huge.

At first the paddle was surprisingly calm thanks to the islands blocking any tomfoolery as planned. We even started trolling for Lakers and Hann nabbed a few.

In a strange twist, like slowly being boiled, the waves grew as we went and by the time we noticed how big they were getting it was too late to do much else then keep going. I knew things were going to get dicey as we approached our planned site, simply because it was exposed to a lot of lake.

Sure enough! As we paddled out from our last bit of protection the winds slammed into us and the rollers became scary. Thankfully we were paddling in a canoe that was literally built for this country – a Souris River Quetico boat made in Atikokan. These boats are perfect flat water machines, riding rollers like they are a child’s ride at a local fair rather than a scary ordeal. The only scary moment came on landing.

As we approached the site I noticed shallow rocks just under the surface. This was an issue because the waves were so big that the troughs threatened to beach us on one of the buried boulders below. Had this happened, the next wave would have swamped us immediately. Some huge efforts and bent paddles got us through that mess and finally onto a shallow rock ledge and our home for the night.

Site “35M” on Jean Lake was a pretty special place. Now that we’re done with the trip, I wish we’d stayed an extra night here rather than Russel Lake.

Of course this has to do partly with weather and conditions as much as anything else, but this early on in a trip we tended to push on whenever we could. Despite some reviews mentioning “mice” and “overuse”, we had nothing but good things to say about 35M. Sure! It’s certainly been used over the years – presumably by some pretty large groups.

As much as I wish the park would be perfectly maintained with barely anyone using it except myself, this is obviously silly. Large groups have to stay somewhere and this is one of the few sites we saw that could easily accommodate at least 5 or even 6 tents. Another bonus? Jean Lake has incredible fishing.

After setting up camp I cast out a jig in the huge waves offshore and WAM! A nice fat walleye for supper. Costco hashbrowns and fresh caught walleye make a pretty darn good meal after a hard day’s paddle, I assure you. Fishing from shore continued to produce Bass, Pike and more Walleye. After a few days of relatively slow fishing, Jean was turning things around quickly.

At that time there was no fire ban and we had some small fires but were always paranoid about them. Now that we’d had some rain and the weather was cool and moody, we really wished for a small cheery blaze. Going to bed at 21:00 was getting a little boring. There is nothing like sitting under a canopy of stars next to a little fire enjoying a cigar as the night time boreal awakes around you. Alas, my texts from home indicated the ban was still firmly in place.

Thursday, June 5 2025 – Jean Lake to Bentpine Lake (20km, 4 portages)

I woke at 05:30 to the sound of light rain on the tent and promptly went back to sleep. An hour later we slowly packed camp under a moody sky and set off up the huge Jean Lake on calm waters for its far east end.

Rain fell gently around us as we turned south and paddle and fished our way to the 400 meter carry into Burntside Lake. This portage was easy to find and follow and we continued catching various species of fish as we paddled our way through the gorgeous Burnside towards the creek leading to Claire Lake.

As others have indicated, the first portage along the creek from Burntside towards Claire Lake was hardly a portage at all. We managed to get our stuff lugged over but I think in higher water people just paddle it.

After learning on previous trips that comments on portages can be handy, I was very thankful to have printed out some hints for the next portage. I’m not sure we would have found it without them. This portage was fairly easy once we found it and soon we were paddling Claire Lake – a lovely small lake under a calm sky.

The 700 meter portage from Claire into Bentpine Lake was interesting. Still a dream compared to many in WCPP, this one was very tough to find from the Claire Lake side and required some maintenance from my bucksaw. It was probably one of the rougher carries of the entire trip but still relatively easy all things considered.

The site felt a little closed in but was very cozy with a great sunset view. If only it had some rocky points it would easily be a 5-star, but we weren’t about to complain.

As we lounged around camp, resting from our days paddle, a canoe with 2 gentlemen paddle close by and we chatted for a bit. It turns out they were with a party of 8 and staying at the other sites on the lake.

They were very surprised to see us and even more surprised that we’d entered from Claire Lake. They’d been coming here for 30 years and only did the Claire Lake approach once, in terrible conditions. They were from the USA and for some reason also surprised we were Canadian, despite the fact that we were in fact, IN Canada.

It was only after supper that we found out just how lucky we were to be spending a few days in Bentpine. We didn’t really feel like getting back in the boat after a long day, but the waters were so calm and the evening so gorgeous that I managed to convince Hanneke to go out for a bit. And WOW. Was it ever worth it! After some luck with my new, strange top water bass lures on Jean Lake, I decided to try them again here. As we drifted the shoreline of a nearby bay, we absolutely HAMMERED Smallmouth Bass. It was nuts. I’ve had great walleye fishing before, but this was even more spectacular.

I now know that we had (accidently) stumbled into a post-spawn aggression. Apparently after laying their eggs in shallow water near shore, Smallmouth Bass vehemently protect these beds. Every time we cast near shore and started retrieving the top water lures, angry bass would SMASH them. It was incredibly good fun and soon my hands were beat up from releasing fish. (One compromise Hann demands on canoe trips is that I release all her fish. I submit to this request so that she comes along on trips like this.)

We spent a few hours enjoying the chaos as the sun slowly set in clear skies to the west. Finally we retired to camp, already looking forward to an encore the following day considering we had all day to go back for more action.

Friday, June 6 2025 – Bentpine Lake (Rest Day)

We slept in on a rest day at our cozy site on Bentpine Lake. As I enjoyed a morning coffee to the boreal cacophony of birds I mused that we now had 4 rest days and 4 paddle days ahead of us. We always paddle further than I think we can – both Hann and I enjoy the act of canoeing and even the portages.

As long as the weather allows, we always prefer moving to sitting. That being said, today was a well deserved day off and we were both excited to try top water bass fishing again!

Throughout the day on Friday, forest fire smoke grew thicker. By 10:00 we were once again hammering Smallmouth Bass in ridiculous numbers in a smokey haze under a burning sun. This isn’t normally ideal fishing conditions but the bass didn’t seem to notice or care.

Every time we reeled another fish to the boat, several more would follow it in. There were so many fish in the lake that it almost felt overdone. According to the gentlemen we’d chatted with the day previous there used to be no bass in here at all. It used to be a walleye lake!

Speaking of walleye , I did manage to catch one while trolling a Len Thompson spoon back to camp which was nice. I should have tried fileting a bass but didn’t once we knew there was walleye to be had. The smoke grew even thicker as we went out in the afternoon and again in the evening for more action. The fishing was so fun we didn’t want to pass it up. I am now firmly hooked (pardon the pun) on top water bass fishing.

We turned in relatively early yet again – the evenings were getting cool and with no fire the bugs were coming out fiercely once the sun lowered in the sky. There was some wind in the forecast and with a huge Sturgeon Lake on tomorrow’s menu we wanted to be up early enough to avoid some of it.

Saturday, June 7 2025 – Bentpine Lake to Sturgeon Lake (19km, 4 portages)

After a day of rest, we were up and at ‘er very early on Saturday June 7. By 05:30 we were paddling off our site on Bentpine Lake, hoping to beat forecast winds on the huge Sturgeon Lake, still a distant objective at this point. The morning was cool and relatively calm as we paddled past low murmurings from the large party camped out of sight at the SW end of the lake.

The forecast for the next few days was dubious at best. Wind, rain and cool temperatures were great for the wildfire situation but not for the fire ban situation.

We paddled, fished and portaged through Bentpine Creek as it worked its way to Sturgeon Lake. All the portages were relatively easy to find and follow.

Our original plan was to paddle as far up Sturgeon as possible – hoping to make a 5-star site (“R9”) if conditions allowed. As we passed another delightful site about half way up the lake, 4-star rated “JJ”, I proposed a coffee break.

It was so darn nice in the warm sun on this expansive site that we both agreed, why not stop here for the rest of the day? We even talked about staying another rest day.

It was time to stop rushing from place to place. We had plenty of time to cover the rest of the trip and I knew that we were once again entering oft-travelled sections of the park. Our portages would only get easier to find and follow so why not relax a bit more?

I entertained myself with long stretches of casting offshore, catching intermittent bass and pike but not anywhere near what Jean and Bentpine had provided. The wind picked up considerably through the afternoon and the WX forecast more wind and rain the following day. Hann caught a massive fish offshore but after fighting it for a long time it broke her line before we could catch a glimpse. Whatever it was, it was HUGE judging by the fight. She was almost relieved that she lost it.

Despite wishing mightily for a campfire, once again it didn’t happen.

Sunday, June 8 2025 – Sturgeon Lake (8.5km, 0 portages)

We woke up early at our site on Sturgeon Lake after a night of rain and lightning and decided that we might make a dash for the north end while the weather held up. It was grey and cloudy and just as we started packing up camp it started to threaten rain again.

By 08:00 I spotted dark clouds racing towards us and told Hann that we should likely just hunker down. Good decision, as a few minutes later it was pouring. Wave after wave of cold wind and rain bashed our site until finally letting up an hour or so later.

I managed to nab a walleye off camp and we were looking forward to having it for lunch when we made the decision to paddle ~8 kms further up the huge lake to a 5-star site at its northern end. Was this a sound decision?

Yes and no. We don’t like sitting around in cool, rainy weather with no campfire and the clouds lifted enough to give us hope of no more rain for a while. The lake was calm enough to paddle too, something that wasn’t guaranteed the following day. Getting to the north end would give us a better chance of making Russell Lake the following day – another planned rest day there. We quickly packed camp and set off just as it started raining lightly again.

We were with the breeze and made good time to the north end of the lake where we got an unexpected surprise. Someone was sitting plum on “our” 5-star site (“R9”)! Dang it. It looked like a pretty sweet spot but there was nothing we could do but paddle on.

The next site (“RW”) wasn’t very welcoming unfortunately. Thankfully site “S3” was decent (3-star) and we quickly set up camp before the next wave of moisture moved in over the lake.

We fished, lay in the tent and read our books for the rest of the day as the humidity ramped up and rain storms moved in and out.

I thought the fire ban must surely be lifted soon with all the rain and cool weather we’d had for a few days but alas, the update assured us another chilly evening without a fire. We were in the tent by 18:30 thanks to the conditions.

Monday, June 9 2025 – Sturgeon Lake to Russell Lake (10km, 1 portage)

Thanks to the extremely early bed time the evening before (18:30!), Hann and I were up early on Monday. Today was another short paddle day with only 10 kilometers and 1 portage to travel to our planned 5-star site on Russell Lake. The weather forecast wasn’t ideal with more clouds and wind so we didn’t linger long at camp, paddling east towards the Russell Lake portage as the sun rose between clouds.

The early morning paddle out of Sturgeon Lake was stunning. With swirling mists, glass smooth waters and the sun rising through clouds to the east it was a magical hour or so paddling to the rumored “mountain” portage that would take us into Russell Lake.

My brother warned me about the 460 meter carry between Sturgeon and Russell Lake. His group had checked it out and promptly decided to paddle around to the north and tackle Russell Rapids rather than do the portage.

I’m a mountain guy, so I decided it couldn’t be that bad. We’d try the portage into Russell Lake and take the rapids out a few days later. Honestly? The portage wasn’t that bad other than it hadn’t been maintained recently.

Even with all the rain, the worst part was a very steep carry from the Sturgeon Lake side – made much worse by two or three large trees across the steep track. I spent some time cutting the trees out of the way before making our 2nd carry which obviously improved things greatly!

After an initially calm stretch of water, we were surprised to encounter strong winds already early in the day on Russell, justifying our decision to paddle early. It’s very rare to regret getting an early start on canoe trips.

We were also surprised once again by someone else camped on the 4-star site we were planning on (“152”). Obviously we had entered a busier part of the park now and should not expect to grab any site we wanted like earlier in our trip.

In hindsight I wish I’d done a little more research or realized this earlier, but we should have paddled back and stayed at the 5-star site at “13J”. Even staying closer to the Chatterton Falls at site “15X” would have been better than where we ended up.

Based on my research beforehand, I chose site “15F” as our backup when we saw people on “152”. We were bucking a stiff wind at the time and didn’t feel like spending a lot of time looking around.

It’s not that the site is so bad – it’s very likely a 4-star site in pretty much any conditions EXCEPT the ones we had. At first it seemed perfect. A nice landing area on shallow rock with a trail leading up to an amazing view of the lake. A nice kitchen area and a flat tent site on grass. What more could we want?

It was only after setting up camp that we realized that with a cold, stiff west wind this site is not ideal. Once again, even just a small campfire would have improved things 100% but the ban was still on.

We made the best of things, hunkering down as best we could before deciding to go check out the Chatterton Falls despite less-than-ideal conditions. Thankfully, as we paddled the empty canoe to the falls the wind died down considerably and the sun even threatened to come out as we explored the area a bit.

Chatterton Falls is one of the busier areas of Quetico based on many trip reports, so we were lucky to experience it all to ourselves on this moody day. A solo kayaker made a brief appearance in the downstream rapids but other than that we were alone for several hours to fish and explore.

The scenery at the falls is wonderful, as one would expect. The power of the rapids can be felt from afar and I managed to get pretty close to the chaos for some neat photos and video. Fishing the downstream rapids as they enter Russell Lake was also pretty decent – we managed a few Walleye, Bass and Pike in the swirling eddies and strong currents from shore.

We enjoyed some coffee while we relaxed on rocks near campsite “15X” and kind of wished we’d stayed there instead. Site “175” was even more protected from wind but didn’t impress me that much otherwise.

After a few pleasant hours we returned to camp to eat the walleye for a late lunch. We had plans to paddle more of the lake later that afternoon and evening, but alas, the winds picked up again and we were windbound at camp. At least it didn’t rain but we were in the tent early again, thanks to cool weather and no fire.

Going to bed at 19:00 was getting very old at this point. One of the best things about canoe trips is staying up late under a star studded sky next to a crackling fire. I’m not sure I’ll do another canoe trip during a complete fire ban.

Our original plan was to spend a rest day on Russell Lake but the less-than-ideal forecast and continued fire ban was wearing on us a bit. We decided that we’d paddle for Oliphant Lake instead of another grey day huddled under a tarp in the wind.

Tuesday, June 10 2025 – Russell Lake to Fern Lake (22km, 3 portages)

After 3 days of sub-optimal weather, we were more than ready for clear skies and calm winds on Tuesday as we packed camp on Russell Lake. Alas, it was not to be!

After 11 hours in the tent, we awoke at 05:30 to more wind, more clouds and more cool temperatures. The wind wasn’t ideal for our plans, but neither was the thought of huddling in it all day so we decided to move on.

As you can tell, we were getting a little disillusioned with the conditions at this point of the trip. It’s not that they were awful, it’s that our timing wasn’t the best. We managed to do our trip just as the weather went from hot and dry to cool and rainy. All good, but the fire ban wasn’t lifted for the entirety of our trip, so we had to huddle around camp in 3 or 4 layers of clothing with our toques on.

The ban was lifted almost immediately AFTER our trip of course. Oh well. First world problems.

We paddled out of Russell Lake in moderate NNW winds towards the Russell Rapids that exit into Sturgeon Lake. I wasn’t sure if we should run the rapids – they appeared pretty tame from the short portage but the portage was so short and easy it wasn’t worth the risk.

I caught a few fish downstream of the rapids before we got back in the boat and continued onto a wavy (big surprise) north end of Sturgeon Lake.

Originally I was considering taking the Pickerel River route from Sturgeon to Olifaunt Lake but with the wind and waves we decided to shortcut the river and take a more direct 388m portage between the two lakes instead.

The portage was in great shape and certainly MUCH shorter and easier than the route up the Pickerel River would have been, but also less scenic.

In hindsight I wish we would have taken the river to be honest. At this point we were getting tired of wind, waves and clouds and didn’t want to expose ourselves to more of these conditions than we needed to. I’ll be back more than once I am sure of it.

We blew very quickly across Olifaunt Lake stopping for a coffee break at the excellent “18E” site. Originally we were thinking of a night in Olifaunt since it was only Tuesday and we were rapidly running out of landscapes to travel for the next 3 days (we had until Friday or Saturday to finish our trip).

As we blew across the lake however, we decided that rather than hunker down on another cool, cloudy, windy day we might as well tackle the 1km portage into Fern Lake and stay there instead. As we enjoyed a coffee break we noticed a couple huddled in the strong west winds on the island site (“18B”) just offshore.

The 965 meter carry up the Pickerel River between Olifaunt and Fern Lake was a pleasure. The trail is well traveled and oft-maintained and it showed. The river was very scenic with several nice overlooks just off the trail.

Once again we blew across choppy whitecapped water towards two camps marked on the two small islands ahead. We couldn’t clearly see the first site (“1ES”) for some reason but the second one was obvious and good enough for us.

On inspection it was another great site (“1FL”) and we set about making camp and trying to find shelter from the relentless west winds. It’s strange how many highly rated camps were exposed to west winds on this trip, including this one.

My trusty weather service (BoltWX.com) wasn’t responding so I texted my buddy Wietse instead and he updated me with the forecast. The new iPhone’s satellite texting capabilities are sure handy! He told me that we could expect clear skies but continued strong west winds on Wednesday.

Thankfully the winds died down in the evening and we spent quality time hammering Smallmouth Bass on topwater lures. The action wasn’t quite as relentless as on Bentpine, but still very respectable.

A beautiful, calm evening was a very nice change from the winds and once again a small campfire would have been SO NICE. Alas, my son assured me that the fire ban was still on. At least I managed to stay up until sunset today.

Wednesday, June 11 2025 – Fern Lake (Rest Day)

We slept in and puttered around camp after getting more rain overnight in Fern Lake. We managed to nab a couple of walleye for lunch at the inflow of the Pickerel River which was nice.

Despite fishing a LOT from camp, I didn’t have much success. The sky was completely clear with a brilliant sun beaming down at us. Despite this, it was still very cool in the strong west winds.

We managed to find a tiny little wind-free area on the south side of the island that exposed us to the warm sun without the cold wind. As we were relaxing, reading our books I was very surprised to hear voices nearby. A canoe rounded our island and two park wardens asked for our passes as they bobbed in the waves nearby.

This is only the 2nd time in a few dozen years that I’ve had to produce documentation in a backcountry park but it was nice to see rangers patrolling and maintaining things. After a quick check they powered off against the churning lake, they were going all the way to Russell Lake yet today. I was happy to continue reading my book out of the wind.

We discussed our options for the following few days as I waited for another weather update. With 4 days of windy, cool weather behind us already, we didn’t want to spend another day huddling around camp without a fire. We also had the issue of paddling huge Pickerel Lake with any wind.

Thankfully the forecast came through as sunny and relatively calm for Thursday. Now we had two choices. We could exit the following day or spend one last day camped on Pickerel Lake near Stanton Bay so that we wouldn’t get windbound on the massive lake.

Sitting back in the office 6 months after our trip, I kind of wish we chose the latter option but of course after two weeks in the bush with the last week being less-than-ideal conditions and with no end to the fire ban in sight, we decided that a hotel in Kenora for Thursday night sounded pretty darn good and made plans for our exit.

Our last night in Quetico was a beautifully clear evening and once again we turned in early thanks to a chill in the air.

Thursday, June 12 2025 – Fern Lake to Stanton Bay Exit (20km, 6 portages)

Our last day in Quetico dawned clear, calm and gorgeous in Fern Lake. It’s always a bittersweet moment when a trip that you’ve been planning and looking forward to since January comes to an end but this was an ideal way to end it.

We paddled and portaged our way through the oddly named, “Bud”, “Beg” and “Bisk” lakes – taking our time and soaking in the calm atmosphere after so many days of paddling in wind and waves.

After one last portage from Bisk to Pickerel Lake we found ourselves on the huge body of water, crossing our fingers for calm waters.

A stiff wind from the SE threatened to make our last paddle a bit of a bear but never did get strong enough to cause issues, only some minor anxiety before it completely died off. Despite trolling for a few kms of paddling across the lake, we didn’t catch much.

As we paddled into the mouth of Stanton Bay off the lake, we decided to take an extended break on a shallow sloping rock in brilliant morning sun. And wouldn’t you know it? The wind died off completely. Literally 10 minutes after landing our canoe there was no more wind and the lake went to glass again. LOL.

It was the perfect way to end things – sitting on a shallow sloping rock with warm sunshine on our bodies and no wind.

Reluctantly we slowly gathered our things and got back into the canoe one last time. By noon we were at the portage to the parking lot and within an hour we were packed up and starting the long journey back home to Calgary.

The Retrospective

There is always a complex mix of emotions and thoughts after my canoe trips. On the one hand, I am delighted to have a warm shower and real food on a plate. A cold pop is also very nice. On the other hand, there are always some feelings of remorse and longing to be back.

It doesn’t help that after a busy summer of adventures back in my beloved Rockies, I’m only writing this report many months later as winter threatens. (Thankfully I have journals and videos of the trip to assist with my rapidly deteriorating memories.) There’s always questions about, why didn’t we stay an extra day on Jean Lake? Why didn’t we move camps on Russell Lake to get away from the wind? But that’s OK.

With full-time jobs and plenty of responsibilities back home, we aren’t quite at that sweet spot of being able to do multiple canoe trips per year just yet. I’m getting closer and closer to this dream and I think it’ll change how I approach things. A little less worried about timelines, deadlines and the trip back home, I think it’ll free us up to be a lot more flexible in challenging conditions. As it stands now, we have 14-days to do our canoe trips. That is the MAXIMUM, not just a random number. Unlike so many folks nowadays, we have jobs and schedules and responsibilities to return to back home. We aren’t living the #vanlife just yet! This means we have to make trade-offs on route to adapt to challenging and ever changing conditions – the norm for areas like Quetico.

Looking back and musing on this trip, I think it’s one of my best canoe trips yet. We made the best out of a situation that started with wildfires and ended with wind and rain. Much like our trip in 2021 to the Churchill River, we had to be flexible on route and make safe choices that had some impacts on the length of the route and the number of days spent in the wild.

We were both very impressed with Quetico. I’m busy convincing my “guy group” to go there instead of Woodland Caribou P.P. next summer (2026). Other than a few very targeted areas, I don’t see myself going back to WCPP very often anymore – at least while Quetico (and other areas such as Wabakimi) remains as unburned and well maintained as it currently is.

As I always end these things, “I’ll be back”.