Paddle and portage through the stark beauty of the Wabakimi Wilderness Area, halfway between the Canadian-American border and Hudson Bay. This wilderness adventure includes over 1800 miles of lakes and rivers. Load boats and gear onto special canoe cars on the CN train, which drops the group off at the put-in site on the Allenwater River. Choose from a countless number of canoe routes that offers spectacular views, exciting fishing and an abundance of berries. Dine on your fishing and berry picking haul--as well as the abundance of good food that we bring!. Visit an Ojibwe village before waving down the train at the lake.
Sample Itinerary
DAY 1: Travel from Minneapolis to the remote Wabakimi Wilderness Area. Get to know your trip mates and get a good nights rest at the beautiful Wabakimi Wilderness Eco-Lodge in Armstrong, ON.
DAY 2: Rise bright and early from your comfortable night's rest at the Eco-Lodge. Catch the westbound CN train early in the morning. Your guide will alert the conductor to your put-in spot, and you will be left on the side of the tracks in the Wabakimi Wilderness Area. After a brief introduction, load your gear into the boats and slip into the water.
DAYS 3-8: There are thousands of canoe routes in Wabakimi; your leader will choose the one that's best for you. Paddle and portage through the stark beauty of the northern canoe country. Wabakimi's boreal forest consists of black spruce, tamarack and jack pine. The terrain is rugged, with rivers connecting placid lakes carved out of the granite of the Canadian Shield. Keep your eyes peeled for the park's woodland caribou. There are also black bears, lynx, white pelicans, and plenty of gray wolves in the park.
Remain in camp at least one day for rest and relaxation. Cast a line for trout, walleye, or pike. Hike through the woods and fill your hands with blueberries, some of which you might keep for dessert. Canoe through a nearby marsh, watching for birds. Or stretch out on a rock in the sun and catch up on a good book.
DAY 9: Rise early on your last day in the wilderness to see the sunrise and say good-bye to your home of the last week. Your goal for the day is to paddle down Little Caribou Lake, near Whitesand First Nation. Arrive mid-morning and load up the waiting van with canoes and memories. Stop in Armstrong to checkout with the Wabakimi Wilderness Eco-Lodge's friendly staff. Begin the long, but beautiful drive back to Minneapolis and arrive at Wilderness Inquiry around 11pm.
Travel, Terrain, Etc...
TERRAIN/ROUTE CHOICES: This area lies on the Canadian Shield, characterized by exposed granite with a thin layer of top soil, the result of glaciers scraping and grinding as recently as 10,000 years ago. Wheelchair users can expect difficulty at times (rocks, mud, logs, etc.). Generally, though, the lakes and rivers make this area quite accessible.
TYPE OF TRAVEL/DISTANCE: You will travel in 17-foot canoes, which hold two to three paddlers, plus all necessary gear. An average day's travel consists of 3-5 hours of paddling, depending on the weather. Travel distances vary from 9-20 miles per day with the exception of scheduled layover days. There will be portages (short trail crossings) through the course of the trip. Portaging can be challenging, but it also offers a chance to get out of the canoes and enjoy the woods. To protect the environment, WI uses minimum impact camping techniques.
WEATHER: Temperatures in the summer months range from 35 F to 85 F. Rainfall can vary, but you should expect one or two days of wet weather.
LODGING/BATHROOM FACILITIES: This is a camping trip. At night you will sleep in a comfortable Eureka Timberline tent. Typically, there are 3 people per 4 person tent (although other arrangements can be made). We recommend that you bring your own personal sleeping bag and "camprest" foam core inflatable mattress (a limited number of sleeping bags and mattresses are available as loaners for individuals who need them). Bathroom facilities consist of an outhouse or a foldable commode chair set up in a privacy tent. We make every effort to ensure privacy and cleanliness.
GROUP SIZE: The group size ranges from 5 to 7 participants, plus 2 Wilderness Inquiry staff. Each group consists of people of various ages, backgrounds and abilities, including people with disabilities.
CAMP CHORES: Our trips are cooperative in nature. WI staff will assist you in whatever areas you need, however, we ask that you pitch in when you can. Part of the adventure involves participating in daily camp activities such as cooking and dishes.
EQUIPMENT AND CLOTHING: If you are new to outdoor activities, you need not spend a lot of money on gear. Wilderness Inquiry will provide all necessary canoeing and camping equipment. All you need to provide is your personal gear, such as clothing and a sleeping bag. A detailed equipment list will be sent to you upon confirmation of your participation. If you need to borrow personal gear, that can usually be arranged.
LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: No previous experience is needed to complete this trip.
BORDER REQUIREMENTS: This destination is outside the US and has special special requirements for crossing the Canadian border. If you are interested in this trip, visit: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/ready_set_go/ to learn more about the requirements.
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Wilderness Inquiry is proud to serve Caribou Coffee on all our trips. Great food, great coffee, and great company are just some of the ingredients that make Wilderness Inquiry trips special.
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Wabakimi Provincial Park is a world-class canoeing and recreational area in the heart of Northwestern Ontario. Home of the elusive woodland caribou, and renowned for its high quality fly-in fishing and hunting, it is one of the world's largest Boreal Forest reserves and wilderness canoeing areas.
The Canadian Shield
The park lies within the Superior Structural Province of the Precambrian Shield, an extensive rock type that underlies half of Canada and is comprised of some of the oldest rocks on earth. A wide range of intrusive and metamorphic rocks form a gently rolling terrain of rock ridges and shallow lake basins.
The Boreal Forest
Wabakimi Provincial Park is situated entirely within the Boreal Forest, a broad belt of coniferous forest that stretches between the mostly treeless arctic/subarctic region to the north, and the mixed hardwood-coniferous transition forest of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Forest Region to the south. The waters of glacial Lake Agassiz have denuded many upland areas, producing expanses of dry lichen rockscapes which support valuable caribou habitat. Typical boreal tree species such as black spruce and jackpine, with occasional trembling aspen and white birch, dominate upland areas, while black spruce and larch vegetate the wet, organic deposits commonly found in bedrock depressions.
Wildlife of Wabakimi
The wildlife species of the park are typical of the Boreal Forest region. These species include large game animals such as moose, woodland caribou, and bear; as well as smaller mammals such as snowshoe hare, least chipmunk, red squirrel, lynx, fox, marten, weasel, timber wolf, beaver, muskrat, otter and mink. Typical bird species include raven, grey jay, osprey, bald eagle, boreal owl, spruce grouse, common loon, black duck, common goldeneye, hooded merganser, herring gull, ovenbird and thrushes.
The Woodland Caribou of Wabakimi Provincial Park
At one time, woodland caribou enjoyed a broad geographic distribution throughout Northwestern Ontario and the northern United States.
Throughout most of the 20th century, caribou populations declined or were eliminated in the southern portions of their historic range in Ontario. Today they are found only in scattered herds throughout the Boreal forest and are considered a vulnerable species.
An estimated 300 woodland caribou trek the lichen-rich, granite hills of Wabakimi Provincial Park. Unlike their social, northern cousins, the barren ground caribou, these elusive woodland species seldom form large groups or herds. Their survival strategy seems to be based on a pattern of dispersion, with individuals living and travelling alone or in small groups. Scattered about the hinterlands in such few numbers, may give each individual caribou a better chance of eluding predators, especially timber wolves, or possibly lynx and black bear.
Cultural Heritage
The park waterways have been travelled for centuries by the Ojibway and most portages in the region have evolved from this historic use. Ancient campsites, artifacts and pictograph (rock painting) sites found throughout the park tell some of the Wabakimi story.
Evidence suggests that people have called Wabakimi ‘home' for about 7000 years, ranging throughout the area in small family groups, stopping where fish and game were plentiful, or the berries ripe. To survive, these people needed an in-depth understanding and appreciation for their environment.
Source: www.wabakimi.on.ca/wabakimi
For more information, visit these links:
An Explorer's Guide to Wabakimi Provincial Park
Ontario Parks - Wabakimi
Our partners on our Wabikimi trip, Bruce Hyer
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