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Missinaibi
The true highlight of Missinaibi Provincial Park is one of Ontario's longest free flowing or undammed rivers - a 500 kilometre waterway. It’s possible to spend up to a month travelling in this remote wilderness setting, from the river’s source near Lake Superior to the salty waters of James Bay. The Missinaibi is rated as one of the top rivers to paddle in the world and shouldn’t be missed.
While you could take a month to paddle the entire length of the river, most canoeists choose from one of several options ranging from three to ten days. The Missinaibi is a river of impressive and changing landscapes, from the “pool and drop” nature of the upper portions with its falls and rapids, to the wide, almost meandering, lower parts as it flows towards James Bay. It is undeniably among the most diverse waterways for paddling trips.
As there are five main sections which comprise this route, your journey can vary.
First, there is Missinaibi Lake (by kayak or canoe) and Little Missinaibi Lake (by canoe only) which are ideal for paddlers with some experience and perfect for a week-long trip. From Missanabie Village across the big lake to the railway at Peterbell (canoe or kayak) suits paddlers with some experience, but watch for whitewater. This portion runs through the Chapleau Crown Game Preserve, the largest in the world, where moose are a common sight.
Or, you may start from the Shumka railway siding and cross Little Missinaibi and Missinaibi lakes. This route includes a number of portages. From either the campground at Barclay Bay or the Peterbell railway siding, you may choose to travel down to Mattice. You’ll come to many falls and rapids, including Greenhill which is for experienced whitewater paddlers only. Finally, from Mattice you’ll travel to Moose River Crossing or Moosonee. Again, you’ll encounter many falls and rapids, the most notable of which is Thunderhouse Falls. This portion requires considerable backcountry experience. At Moosonee, you’ve reached the Hudson Bay Lowlands!
As you can tell, the Missinaibi River is not a river for beginners, but neither is it a trip only for the most experienced paddlers. It’s a perfect waterway park that takes intermediate to experienced canoeists and kayakers through an incredible wilderness setting. Professional outfitters, many of whom are members of Paddling Ontario, offer expert planning advice, equipment rentals and fully guided expeditions and adventures.
Special Offers
Insiders will receive a 10% discount on self-guided complete outfitting packages or equipment rentals from Missinaibi Headwaters Outfitters, Chapleau. As an added bonus, you will also receive a FREE copy of Chrismar’s The Adventure Map for Missinaibi River (value $14.95). Click here for details of these offers.
Ask an Expert
Noted outdoor writer, Joanie McGuffin, is always looking to minimize her ecological footprint while on a canoe trip. On a recent outing with her seven-year-old daughter and her niece, Joanie used a camp stove fuelled solely by forest floor litter such as birch bark, dry leaves, pine needles and small sticks of dead wood. It provided Joanie with all of the functions of an everyday campfire without causing damage to the environment.
While there are other similar products available, Joanie has started with a stove called the Littlbug. It assembles in about 10 seconds. The stove fire pan prevents scorching to the ground. Using just small twigs and pine cones as fuel, a pot of boiling water for tea is ready within four minutes and the roasting of hot dogs and marshmallows can follow. The fire burns down to cool white ash in the fire pan and the stove is quickly disassembled. As mentioned, there are no negative effects on the environment.
Joanie concludes by saying that “Today, when there are so many people wanting to enjoy unspoiled yet accessible wild places we have a duty to use implements like the Littlbug to keep our environment natural.”
Ontario Parks reminds backcountry travellers to check beforehand for fire hazard warnings and to carry a camp stove should a restricted fire zone (rfz) be declared. It is illegal to have an open fire in a rfz. Most importantly, it should be noted that alternative stoves, such as the Littlbug, have open fires and are thus prohibited in a restricted fire zone.
Did You Know
There’s an extraordinary discovery to be found on Missinaibi Lake - three locations featuring Aboriginal rock paintings (pictographs). You’ll find the most extensive concentration at Fairy Point. This sheer granite cliff face is adorned with over 100 pictographs painted using red ochre. However, there are also white coloured symbols - a true rarity in North America.
Many of the figures are from nature including caribou and herons. Others, such as the legendary Mishipighiw are from Aboriginal mythology. It is told that by using its tail the Great Lynx could conjure storms and high winds, both of which occur on Missinaibi Lake. Other pictographs seem to represent rituals performed by shamans. In many instances, the true meaning of many of these paintings has been lost with time.
More to do in Missinaibi
Kayakers take note - Missinaibi is a paddling jewel. Like a giant wishbone, the remote lake is 40 km long, with another arm that is 20 km in length. This length, running southwest to northeast, is countered by a width that is no more than a few kilometres at most. The kayak may be the perfect craft for these waters – immune to the occasional winds that can blow the length of the lake. With few motorboats the lake can easily seem like a vast wilderness. The campground on Barclay Bay provides access to the lake for week long kayak trips, or as a base for day trippers.
The list of places to visit on the lake is endless. Of course, there are the rock paintings at Fairy Point. But you can add: Reva Island off South Bay, a home to a rare stand of 350 year old White and Red pine; unmatched pickerel (walleye) fishing at the base of Whitefish Falls, at the end of Little Missinabi River; upstream from the falls are kettle formations decorated with unusual pictographs; and, inland from the isolated Baltic Bay is a day hike to the old Borasso Lumber camp, one of the most intact in the north, with barracks, stables, dining hall, store and outhouses still standing.
Famous Footsteps
They claimed to have travelled the Missinaibi River into the fur rich country of the Hudson Bay Lowlands during the 1650s as traders and explorers. Whether Pierre-Esprit Radisson and Médard Chouard Des Groseilliers actually did or simply heard about the river from Cree traders is open for discussion. After being sanctioned by the Governor of New France for illegal trading, Raddisson and Groseilliers took their discovery to the English. This in turn led Britain to claim the entire watershed of Hudson Bay and in 1670 establish what became Canada’s oldest and historically most important company, the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC).
By the 1780s, the Missinaibi River was the scene of an intense fur trade rivalry between the HBC and the North West Company. Numerous posts were built along its shores, most being of a seasonal nature. Today’s voyageur can paddle a route much unchanged since first used by Aboriginal peoples and fur traders.
Another notable Canadian to spend considerable time on the Missinaibi was the surveyor A.P. Low. His career was marked by significant, but little known accomplishments, including hauling a sailing boat in 1887 down the Missinaibi River so he could map the islands of James Bay.
The boat and three-months of supplies were winched or dragged on rollers over a total of 25 portages, one being almost two kilometres in length. Most amazingly Low and his crew completed the journey in three weeks. This is the same time a modern-day paddler would take using light-weight canoes and packs! Perhaps more remarkably, he returned eighteen months later, paddling upstream by birch bark canoe, in just fourteen days.
Recipe - Simple Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients:
3 cups Bisquick mix
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbs. cinnamon
1/4 cup raisins
3 tbs. margarine
flour for kneading
1 tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup water
small chunk of dark chocolate
small tube of white icing
Directions:
Slowly add water to Bisquick to form dough. Roll out on floured flat surface (a canoe paddle works great). Spread margarine, sprinkle cinnamon, brown sugar and raisins. Roll into a log and slice 1 inch slices and place them in an oiled frying pan. Cover and bake over low heat for 7 to 8 minutes. Add white icing and shave pieces of dark chocolate on top. Enjoy.
Nearby and Interesting
The Town of Chapleau, situated within the Boreal Forest and Arctic Watershed Region of northern Ontario, is renowned for its excellent fishing. It is also the gateway to the world’s largest game preserve, the Chapleau Game Preserve.
Protected from hunting and trapping since 1925, the Chapleau Game Preserve is home to an amazing diversity of wildlife such as moose, bear, timber wolf, mink, pine marten, lynx, otter, bald eagles, ospreys, blue heron and loons. The preserve is a true treasure for all nature lovers and recreation enthusiasts.
Share a Tale or Say It with Photos
The above photo was submitted by Jennifer of Orleans, Ontario.
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