The worst I can recall was the 2800m portage from the Nipissing River to Gibson's lake.   The portage passed through a dying spruce forest and there were dozens of deadfalls along the way.   Later on the trip we ran into two rangers when we were entering North Tea Lake and they told us they had cleared that portage the previous year.  They also told us that the South River route we planned to use to get back to our start point had not been cleared in nine years.  We decided to exit via Kawayamog instead.  Generally though, on the many early season canoe trips I have done there haven't been enough deadfalls to have any significant impact on our travel time.

The worst case situation is where there has been a major ice storm or a very heavy fall of wet snow as this can result in a large number of trees or large branches falling onto the trails.

My gut feeling is that the park has fewer resources to maintain the more remote, low maintenance portages than it did say 20 years ago but I have no proof of that.

WHOA! Peek - I hope someone met you at your take out spot to give you a pint of beer and a medal after that portage!?! 

 

Yeah, I think Peek stole the show. Way to stick with it!

It sounds though that Peek's experience was the exception and the usual portage experience, even in early Spring, is just the occasional blowdown. Which matches what I've always encountered, but good to have some confirmation, even if it's just through the lack of horror stories!