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Quetico
Quetico Provincial Park is made for the canoe, or better yet the canoe was made for Quetico. The park comes complete with all those northern Ontario post-card images: majestic waterfalls, peaceful lakes, stands of old-growth pine, slabs of granite decorated by ancient rock paintings and soaring bald eagles. But Quetico is also calm evenings lying in the tent listening to the loons call, taking on a challenging portage to some remote lake that’s full of feisty fish or travelling the same rivers once used by Aboriginal peoples and fur traders.
Quetico is a place people return to year after year. They reminisce about their first canoe trip in the park, and then set out to explore even more lakes and rivers. The park gets more repeat business then any other network of canoe routes in northern Ontario. These folks obviously know something! For many others, Quetico also represents a stepping stone, a door opening to even wilder places farther north.
To be fair, it’s a long drive to get to Quetico from southern Ontario. But, it’s a scenic drive, with lots of other parks to visit along the way. If driving is not your thing, why not fly and be on the water by the mid-day.
Regular air service from Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa will take you to the Thunder Bay International Airport in just over an hour and a half. Just select a local professional outfitter many of whom are members of Paddling Ontario, to pick you up, gear you up, take you to an entry station and have you paddling on a Quetico lake in just a few hours. Enjoy the best of both worlds!
Special Offers: Paddling Quetico – Now that’s Naturally Canadian!!
Do you need gearing up? Insiders can receive 1 day FREE day of outfitting (Value $70 to $80 per person) with the purchase or 5 or more days of outfitting from Canoe Canada Outfitters. As a bonus, you can also receive a FREE copy of Chrismar’s newest Adventure Map of Quetico Provincial Park (Value $14.95).
Have you got Kevin Callan’s latest book – A Paddler’s Guide to Quetico & Beyond? If not, be one of the first twenty Insiders to redeem a coupon and a copy will be yours for FREE (Value $25).
Click here for more details on these Special Offers.
Ask an Expert
The average portage in Quetico measures only 350 metres, which is one reason why the park is so popular with paddlers. After all, there’s a lot of truth behind what canoeist and film-maker, Bill Mason, said about portaging “Anyone who tells you portaging is fun is either a liar or crazy.”
According to Kevin Callan, an avid paddler and author of the best-selling A Paddlers Guide to Quetico and Beyond (see special offer), a portage still has its advantages. “What I love about a nasty portage is that the more it hurts the more wrapped up you become with the wilderness experience. I can pretty much guarantee that who suffers the most will be enriched the most. A lengthy portage, with a few steep inclines and maybe a bug-infested swamp or two in between, will give you complete wilderness solace. There are definitely no crowds at the end, and if you manage to come across another paddler, it’s guaranteed they’ll be just as insanely in love with the pain and pleasures of portaging as you are.”
What Kevin does suggest, is having a plan: either carry everything across in one trip or go back for a second load. The single carry is time-saving and reduces the number of bug bites you’d get along the trail. One person carries the hefty canoe along with an even heftier pack strapped to their back. The other burdens themselves with one monstrous pack, or worse, two medium-sized packs, one on top of the other.
Those who go back for a second load reduce the weight of each carry allowing for more gear and a few “luxuries”. These might be appreciated when it’s time to call it a day. Think of more appetizing meals, washed down with an extra glass of wine, while seated in a cozy camp chair.
Single carriers may have to settle for some bland concoction, likely taken with a cup of herbal tea, while squatting on a clump of wet moss. Clearly, pure happiness lies somewhere in between. It’s for you to decide.
Did You Know
Quetico is different from some other provincial parks because it follows what has been called a “wilderness concept” philosophy. Interior campsites and portages aren’t marked, campers are removed if a bear becomes a problem and fires are allowed to burn out naturally. These decisions were made in the park’s management plan years ago to enhance the canoeist’s wilderness experience and to protect the natural ecosystem.
Allowing fires to extinguish themselves is something which Superintendent Robin Reilly takes very seriously. “Fire is consistent with our goal of protecting the park’s natural processes,” says Robin. He maintains that a “let it burn” policy is less costly than suppressing forest fires and beneficial to the park’s ecological health.
Based on historical data Robin infers that an average of 1% of the park should burn annually. He added that the only thing that will bring a fire crew into Quetico, are those instances when park facilities and visitors are threatened or when a fire could extend beyond the park’s boundaries.
The History Behind the Name
Many stories are told of how Quetico got its name. The first is that “Quetico” is an anagram for the Quebec Timber Company. Some suggest that Quetico is an Ojibwa word for dangerous – “a place where it’s better to paddle along the shore because of high winds”. A third explanation is that Quetico is an older Ojibwa word, one with mythological connotations, a label given to a place holding some type of “benevolent spirit.” Finally, could Quetico be a corruption of French words for “search for the coast” – quête de la côte? So the park’s name remains as mysterious as the park is a true product of nature.
Famous Footsteps
Quetico is alive with stories of famous people. In fact, it could easily be said that everyone that made Canada what it is today, from Natives to European explorers, passed through Quetico. However, most notable among these was surveyor and map maker David Thompson. His work in this area contributed directly to the development of the Canada/U.S. border.
But there’s more to this story. For a number of years the boundary between Canada and the United States was disputed by both sides. Both countries agreed that the line should be drawn along the main travel route. However, no one could decide on the main travel route. The Americans claimed it was the Kaministiquia, along the Pickerel and Sturgeon Lakes and down the Maligne River to Lac la Croix. The Canadians stated it was the Grand Portage route, along the Pigeon River to Lac la Croix. It’s true that the Kaministiquia route was the first to be used by the French fur traders, but the Grand Portage quickly became more popular because it was easier.
David Thompson’s maps of 1823-24 settled the argument. He remarked that the voyageurs had to be “coaxed and bribed” to use the more difficult Kaministiquia route and that the Grand Portage to Lac la Croix was the “customary waterway” because it had more navigable water. The interesting part, however, was when Thompson travelled the Grand Portage route the water levels were unusually high. Had he had been there later in the season Quetico may well have been part of the United States.
Recipe - True Grit Camp Coffee
True camp coffee is simply real grounds-and-water-in-the-pot coffee. Bring water to a rolling boil, take it off the heat source, dump in one generous scoop of coffee grounds per cup of water and let it steep (covered) alongside the campfire for approximately five to ten minutes. To settle the grounds, tap a spoon on the side of the pot 3 to 5 times.
The most crucial element of brewing “true grit” is to never let the coffee boil once you’ve taken it off the heat source. Old-timers used to say that boiled coffee tastes like rotten shoe leather, and they’re right! The bad taste of boiled coffee comes from the bitter tannic acid and flavouring oils it contains. The tasty oils are released at 86C (205F), just below boiling point. The bitter acids, however, are released right at or just above boiling pot.
Nearby and Interesting
The town of Atikokan is known as the "Canoeing Capital of Canada." It is one of the main starting points for those canoeing Quetico Provincial Park. This quaint community welcomes visitors to its many interesting attractions:
- Walleye Fish Hatchery – dedicated to improving stocks of the most popular sport fish in the area. Capable of hatching up to three million walleye each spring.
- Pictograph Gallery – local art is on display and for sale at the gallery.
- Fletcher’s Canoes – view the handmade cedar and canvas canoes manufactured in the traditional manner by the Cameron family.
- Atikokan Mining Attraction – a self guided tour of various mining murals and artifacts throughout the community.
- Atikokan Native Friendship Centre – come spend some time talking with local native people and view the high quality, original native crafts for sale.
- White Otter Castle, located in Turtle River Provincial Park - the legend of Jimmy McQuat lives on through the magnificent three-storey castle he built on the shores of White Otter Lake.
- Explore Quetico’s John B. Ridley Research Library - Discover an amazing collection of resources specific to Quetico Provincial Park.
- Day Hikes in Quetico - there are lots of great day hiking trails in Quetico ranging in length from 0.8 km to 10 km in length.
Share a Tale or Say It with Photos
Sure, we'll give you a glimpse of what you can expect on your northern adventure, but the best stories and photos are always first hand.
It might be a story of the lake trout which got away, a picture of the incredible Northern Lights, or even a poem about that first time you heard the call of a loon!
For a chance to have your story or photo featured in an upcoming issue of the Insider, email us your story or photos today! Everyone who makes a submission will also be entered into a monthly draw for great parks gear!
