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8/18/2017 10:13 am  #1


Epic Fall trip in A.P.P.

I'm looking to do a 10-14(ish) day trip sometime at the end of September/beginning of October. More than likely departing somewhere around Sept 24th and returning sometime around October 4-7th. I can move it up or back a week based on weather, leaf color status, etc..
I will more than likely be travelling solo with my dog (although I have asked a few people who could possibly join me, still waiting to see if they can get time off work etc..). I want to do trip that will be remembered for a long, long time.. something epic to end the season. 
I can possibly arrange a shuttle that would allow me to start/finish at different access points, but if this is the case the closer they both are to North Bay the better, so preferable either the 3 West side AP's or Kiosk/Brent.
Right now I'm looking at starting at Rain Lake and heading up to Big Bob/Nipissing River, taking the Nipissing to Burntroot, then through Catfish, Hogan, Big Crow, Red Rock, Merchant, Big Trout, Mcintosh, Misty, and back to rain. Another possibility would be to head down to Canoe Lake from Mcintosh if I could possibly arrange a pickup there.
Has anyone done anything similar? I want to have fairly large days as I am finally able to single carry all of the portages. For an example I just got back from doing Magnetewan-Misty-White Trout-Timberwolf-Out and all of the days were quite short for me. Even Timberwolf back to Mag only took me around 5 hours and I stopped at a few campsites to rest/take pictures.
Open to all suggestions. Also considering other more remote parks, but I'll more than likely end up sticking with Algonquin. :-)

Last edited by ATVenture (8/18/2017 10:13 am)

 

8/20/2017 6:45 pm  #2


Re: Epic Fall trip in A.P.P.

Not quite as long, and I'll be double carrying, but the "epic" route I'm planning for mid-September (first solo longer than 3 days) is Sunbeam - White Trout - Burntroot x2 - Big Trout x2 - Otterslide. Start and end at Canoe so don't need to worry about shuttling. You could do something similar but add Catfish, Hogan, La Muir between Burntroot and Big Trout.


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8/21/2017 7:16 am  #3


Re: Epic Fall trip in A.P.P.

trippythings wrote:

Not quite as long, and I'll be double carrying, but the "epic" route I'm planning for mid-September (first solo longer than 3 days) is Sunbeam - White Trout - Burntroot x2 - Big Trout x2 - Otterslide. Start and end at Canoe so don't need to worry about shuttling. You could do something similar but add Catfish, Hogan, La Muir between Burntroot and Big Trout.

Awesome! My trip will also be by far my longest solo (longest so far is 6 days). Canoe Lake would be a god option for that time of year for sure.. I'm going to pull out my maps today or tomorrow and really get going on planning for it. I think I'm going to be leaving somewhere around Sept 10th now though because I don't want to miss my nieces first birthday on the 24th. When are you planning to leave? We should plan a night on the same lake possibly?

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8/21/2017 10:08 am  #4


Re: Epic Fall trip in A.P.P.

If it's fall color you want, the NW corner of the park, the North Tea, Manitou, Biggar, Erables area is very strongly dominated by sugar maples and you'll probably get some good peak color there whenever it does decide to happen. In that area, the forests along the railway line at Cedar, Cauchon, etc. were logged off or experienced forest fires with poplars now dominating in many places so they'll probably remain green until some time after the sugar maple peak.

The east side of the park has fewer sugar maples and more poplars so again there will be a later poplar color peak there to contrast with the west side... the boundary separating the west vs east sides runs about from west of Radiant to east of Lavieille/Dickson. Crossing over it into the east side and then back again into the west side to see the sugar maples at a different stage of color change each time might be interesting. Ports passing through sugar maples may be actually more colorful after the peak is reported since the understory leaves turn color later than upper canopy leaves receiving the most sunlight.

Good luck, wind will matter and how long the leaves stay on the trees to provide color depends on how quickly the wind knocks them off.

Understory sugar maples still in color about Oct 15, after the upper canopy leaves have dropped.





 

8/21/2017 10:15 am  #5


Re: Epic Fall trip in A.P.P.

PS... opening the above photos in a new tab will show a larger version, at least here it does...

 

8/21/2017 10:27 am  #6


Re: Epic Fall trip in A.P.P.

Thanks FrozenTripper!  Beautiful photos by the way! Over the years I have done many fall trips through Kiosk and out of Magnetewan and Rain and I found by far the most color around Kiosk. I have also done the East side but not until late october/early november which can also be quite stunning with the tamaracks. The main objective for this trip will be covering distance.. I probably won't even be fishing at all and I'll probably tone down my camera kit considerably. I want to start somewhere on the western side and do a loop around most of the park but only about as far East as Big Crow or Proulx because I want to avoid Opeongo (Lavielle/Dickson will probably be excluded as a result).
I am almost thinking starting at Rain or Mag and ending at Kiosk would be a safe bet, I'd start at Kiosk but I'd rather do the portages into Nadine with a lighter load.

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8/21/2017 10:54 am  #7


Re: Epic Fall trip in A.P.P.

I've had my maps laid out on the kitchen table all morning and this is what I have come up with so far : 

Start at Rain Lake finish at Kiosk Lake :
1-Misty
2-Sunbeam
3-Little Otterslide
4-Happy Isle
5-Big Crow
6-Hogan
7-Catfish
8-Burntroot
9-Robinson
10-Nadine
11-Erables
12-Big Thunder
13-Club

For a total of 13 nights/14 days.
There are a few very small days in there which I did instead of rest days. Chances are I'd finish the trip in 10-12 nights but I'd rather have a few extra nights booked just in case. The park shouldn't be very busy in the interior (looking at the reservation service) so if I get ahead and stay at a different lake than booked it shouldn't be a big deal.

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8/21/2017 2:07 pm  #8


Re: Epic Fall trip in A.P.P.

ATVenture wrote:

trippythings wrote:

Not quite as long, and I'll be double carrying, but the "epic" route I'm planning for mid-September (first solo longer than 3 days) is Sunbeam - White Trout - Burntroot x2 - Big Trout x2 - Otterslide. Start and end at Canoe so don't need to worry about shuttling. You could do something similar but add Catfish, Hogan, La Muir between Burntroot and Big Trout.

Awesome! My trip will also be by far my longest solo (longest so far is 6 days). Canoe Lake would be a god option for that time of year for sure.. I'm going to pull out my maps today or tomorrow and really get going on planning for it. I think I'm going to be leaving somewhere around Sept 10th now though because I don't want to miss my nieces first birthday on the 24th. When are you planning to leave? We should plan a night on the same lake possibly?

I'll be doing Sept 9th - 16th. I usually avoid Canoe Lake but looking at the reservations, it's very quiet so I'll take advantage of it while I can.

Nothing wrong with taking out your maps and starting to plan, but it gave me a chuckle because I've had a permanent Jeffs Maps tab open on my computer since last season and I'm constantly looking af/changing my route plans. The one I mentioned above is what I've settled on after a lot of back and forth. I MIGHT reverse the direction, but probably not.

If there's any overlap with our lakes then for sure let me know. The few variables I'm considering is on day 2 I'll either do Grassy Bay, White Trout, or Big Trout. And then on the last night I'll either do Otterslide or Little Otterslide. But the rest of the days I'm pretty set on keeping.

I tend to dislike staying on lakes that I don't have a permit for, but I do agree that the park will be quiet so if you have too it won't be the end of the world.


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8/21/2017 2:53 pm  #9


Re: Epic Fall trip in A.P.P.

I'm thinking about starting my trip on the 7th or 8th.. that be the case and if I do go through with that route we will definitely cross paths somewhere on the first few days.

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8/21/2017 6:02 pm  #10


Re: Epic Fall trip in A.P.P.

ATVenture wrote:

I'm thinking about starting my trip on the 7th or 8th.. that be the case and if I do go through with that route we will definitely cross paths somewhere on the first few days.

Let me know what you end up deciding and we can figure out where/when we'll cross paths


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8/22/2017 7:25 am  #11


Re: Epic Fall trip in A.P.P.

trippythings wrote:

ATVenture wrote:

I'm thinking about starting my trip on the 7th or 8th.. that be the case and if I do go through with that route we will definitely cross paths somewhere on the first few days.

Let me know what you end up deciding and we can figure out where/when we'll cross paths

Looks like starting on the 9th might be my best option as well. I will drive to Kearney and get my permit and lock my canoe to a tree at the Magnetewan Access point on the 8th, then I will get someone to pick me up at Kiosk so I can leave my car there that evening. On the 9th I will then get a ride with all of my gear back to Magnetewan access to start my trip. Once I confirm the shuttle is do-able on these days I will make a reservation. I decided to start at Mag instead of Rain so I can do the section of the Tim from Queer to Shippagew (I've wanted to do it all summer but Shippagew is always booked!).
This means we should cross paths somewhere on Big Trout or White Trout on day 3 of our trips.

Last edited by ATVenture (8/22/2017 7:27 am)

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8/22/2017 8:01 am  #12


Re: Epic Fall trip in A.P.P.



This is what I'm looking at right now.
A few questions - 
1-Travelling from Big Trout to Otterslide via Otterslide Creek. How is the creek this year going against the current? I've read that some low-water seasons can make this a major PIA, but I'm assuming I won't have many issues this year?

2-River between Hogan and La Muir? I've never been there either so I'm wondering how that will be? No notes on Jeff's Map so again I'm assuming no real issues.

3- I heard the 'High Falls' campsites on the Nipissing are great, so there is a good chance I will push on to one of them instead of Robinson. Which one is the nicest? I think I heard the one in the middle?

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8/22/2017 1:20 pm  #13


Re: Epic Fall trip in A.P.P.

ATV - I was just through Otterslide Creek, going with the current.  But, you should have ZERO problem going against. About 4 Beaver Dam's you may have to sally up to, but the depth is deeper then the 3 previous times I've been through there.

You two are making me HELLISHLY jealous!  I might get out for a day or two in September, but nothing long enough/big enough to satisfy my soul before the "Long White" returns.

Reading this, I just opened my next years planner.  Not sure on doing a Southern Algonquin Trip or try Killarney next year!  Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread!
HAVE A GREAT TIME!

 

8/22/2017 2:12 pm  #14


Re: Epic Fall trip in A.P.P.

JB wrote:

ATV - I was just through Otterslide Creek, going with the current.  But, you should have ZERO problem going against. About 4 Beaver Dam's you may have to sally up to, but the depth is deeper then the 3 previous times I've been through there.

You two are making me HELLISHLY jealous!  I might get out for a day or two in September, but nothing long enough/big enough to satisfy my soul before the "Long White" returns.

Reading this, I just opened my next years planner.  Not sure on doing a Southern Algonquin Trip or try Killarney next year!  Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread!
HAVE A GREAT TIME!

Thanks for the info! :-)
I'm sorry if I make you even more jealous, but I am also leaving on the upcoming Sunday for a 7 day Temagami trip with a few buddies.. should be pretty epic, I'll have just enough time to come home and rest for my long trip. 

     Thread Starter
 

8/22/2017 5:42 pm  #15


Re: Epic Fall trip in A.P.P.

ATVenture wrote:

JB wrote:

ATV - I was just through Otterslide Creek, going with the current.  But, you should have ZERO problem going against. About 4 Beaver Dam's you may have to sally up to, but the depth is deeper then the 3 previous times I've been through there.

You two are making me HELLISHLY jealous!  I might get out for a day or two in September, but nothing long enough/big enough to satisfy my soul before the "Long White" returns.

Reading this, I just opened my next years planner.  Not sure on doing a Southern Algonquin Trip or try Killarney next year!  Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread!
HAVE A GREAT TIME!

Thanks for the info! :-)
I'm sorry if I make you even more jealous, but I am also leaving on the upcoming Sunday for a 7 day Temagami trip with a few buddies.. should be pretty epic, I'll have just enough time to come home and rest for my long trip. 

lol again not as long as you, but I'll also be coming back from a trip right before my long September one 

I'll be doing Sept 2nd - 5th, then I'm driving back to Huntsville for work on the 6th, then back in the park from 9th to 16th. Going to be a pretty hectic September.

Also looking at your route above, we won't have any overlap on where we camp but we might cross paths as you mentioned on day 3.

Mine is:

Sept 9 - Sunbeam
Sept 10 - Grassy Bay/White Trout/Big Trout
Sept 11 - Burntroot
Sept 12 - Burntroot
Sept 13 - Big Trout
Sept 14 - Big Trout
Sept 15 - Otterslide/Little Otterslide

As I mentioned I was considering reversing the route, but I just know I'm going to hate the day leaving Sunbeam, double-carrying those 3 consecutive portages - might as well get those out early in the trip and have the rest days in the second half.


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8/24/2017 3:31 pm  #16


Re: Epic Fall trip in A.P.P.

trippythings wrote:

ATVenture wrote:

JB wrote:

ATV - I was just through Otterslide Creek, going with the current.  But, you should have ZERO problem going against. About 4 Beaver Dam's you may have to sally up to, but the depth is deeper then the 3 previous times I've been through there.

You two are making me HELLISHLY jealous!  I might get out for a day or two in September, but nothing long enough/big enough to satisfy my soul before the "Long White" returns.

Reading this, I just opened my next years planner.  Not sure on doing a Southern Algonquin Trip or try Killarney next year!  Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread!
HAVE A GREAT TIME!

Thanks for the info! :-)
I'm sorry if I make you even more jealous, but I am also leaving on the upcoming Sunday for a 7 day Temagami trip with a few buddies.. should be pretty epic, I'll have just enough time to come home and rest for my long trip. 

lol again not as long as you, but I'll also be coming back from a trip right before my long September one 

I'll be doing Sept 2nd - 5th, then I'm driving back to Huntsville for work on the 6th, then back in the park from 9th to 16th. Going to be a pretty hectic September.

Also looking at your route above, we won't have any overlap on where we camp but we might cross paths as you mentioned on day 3.

Mine is:

Sept 9 - Sunbeam
Sept 10 - Grassy Bay/White Trout/Big Trout
Sept 11 - Burntroot
Sept 12 - Burntroot
Sept 13 - Big Trout
Sept 14 - Big Trout
Sept 15 - Otterslide/Little Otterslide

As I mentioned I was considering reversing the route, but I just know I'm going to hate the day leaving Sunbeam, double-carrying those 3 consecutive portages - might as well get those out early in the trip and have the rest days in the second half.

That's awesome! Hopefully we finally get some decent weather for September.. fingers crossed. 
I made my online reservation today as follows :
Sept 8-Queer
Sept 9-Shippagew
Sept 10-Big Trout
Sept 11-Otterslide
Sept 12-Red Rock
Sept 13-Big Crow
Sept 14-Hogan
Sept 15-Redpine
Sept 16-Burntroot
Sept 17-Robinson
Sept 18-Nadine
Sept 19-Erables
Sept 20-Club
Looks like we may be camping on Big Trout together. It will probably be hard to spot each other on such a big lake however. 

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8/25/2017 5:57 pm  #17


Re: Epic Fall trip in A.P.P.

If you haven't packed up and moved camp 13 days in a row before, I strongly recommend adding a rest day (or two) and allowing a buffer in case the unexpected happens - be safe with your planning. There are a lot of short days here, so I see where you're going with it, but keeping to this schedule will require the cooperation of everything involved, including the factors to which you have no control over (weather, injuries, illness, animals - you name it).

Overall great route Andrew and you and I both know you'll have a blast - just plan a day to stop and smell the flowers, I guarantee you'll be taking a day off somewhere along the way anyway.

Have fun and take a ton of pics man - I'll be in the park for my bachelor party Sep 8 to 12 - I'll be sure to raise a drink and wishing you well on night one from halfway across the park!

 

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