Lenny wrote:

Best route IMO would be Lavielle and a couple of days on the crow /  lakes downstream of lavielle. The portage is long but not too bad.

 
Thanks for the reply Lenny, I haven’t made that Bonfield portage yet. Those two lakes (Dickson & Lavielle) have long been Algonquin bucket list destinations for me and with the closure in recent years, I was starting to wonder when I might get the chance again. I have heard the 5470m is not as bad as it looks on paper.

Last edited by Mike33 (4/01/2023 7:39 pm)

2 specific questions for anyone that may have insight:

1. Regarding the upper Crow River east of Opeongo- is it reasonable to run a day trip from Lavielle to explore the river down to Lavaque and then head back up? Would the current be an issue early season?

2. Launching from Cedar Lake, how far can you reasonably expect to make it south down Catfish Lake in one day? That would be: south across Cedar and up the Petawawa into Narrowbag Lake. Any comments on the 2345m portage? The goal would be to head towards the lakes west of Catfish (towards Burntroot).

Mike33 wrote:

2 specific questions for anyone that may have insight:

1. Regarding the upper Crow River east of Opeongo- is it reasonable to run a day trip from Lavielle to explore the river down to Lavaque and then head back up? Would the current be an issue early season?

2. Launching from Cedar Lake, how far can you reasonably expect to make it south down Catfish Lake in one day? That would be: south across Cedar and up the Petawawa into Narrowbag Lake. Any comments on the 2345m portage? The goal would be to head towards the lakes west of Catfish (towards Burntroot).

1) I haven’t paddled that stretch in the spring, only in the fall.  I travel solo and I double carry, I’m by no means a speed demon on the portages or on the water.  Leaving Lavielle in the morning I’m usually at Mallic for lunch and then Lavaque early/mid-afternoon.  I have no doubt you could turn around and paddle upstream especially in the fall I’m just not sure on the time.  I’ve always stayed on Lavaque and then portaged/paddled downstream from there.

2)Leaving Brent in the morning I’m usually making camp on Catfish mid/late afternoon.  I’m sure with an early start and maybe single carrying you could get a bit further.  Catfish is perfect for me on day one.  The 2345 meter portage “unicorn hill” isn’t too bad the first half of it is uphill when you get to the benches your about 1/2 way and basically at the top of it.
 

Mike33 wrote:

captainchaos2000 wrote:

Mike33 wrote:

2 specific questions for anyone that may have insight:

1. Regarding the upper Crow River east of Opeongo- is it reasonable to run a day trip from Lavielle to explore the river down to Lavaque and then head back up? Would the current be an issue early season?

2. Launching from Cedar Lake, how far can you reasonably expect to make it south down Catfish Lake in one day? That would be: south across Cedar and up the Petawawa into Narrowbag Lake. Any comments on the 2345m portage? The goal would be to head towards the lakes west of Catfish (towards Burntroot).

1) I haven’t paddled that stretch in the spring, only in the fall.  I travel solo and I double carry, I’m by no means a speed demon on the portages or on the water.  Leaving Lavielle in the morning I’m usually at Mallic for lunch and then Lavaque early/mid-afternoon.  I have no doubt you could turn around and paddle upstream especially in the fall I’m just not sure on the time.  I’ve always stayed on Lavaque and then portaged/paddled downstream from there.

2)Leaving Brent in the morning I’m usually making camp on Catfish mid/late afternoon.  I’m sure with an early start and maybe single carrying you could get a bit further.  Catfish is perfect for me on day one.  The 2345 meter portage “unicorn hill” isn’t too bad the first half of it is uphill when you get to the benches your about 1/2 way and basically at the top of it.
 

 
Thanks for the detailed response, we would likely pick a site on Lavielle not far from the first portage towards Mallic. We would be single carrying, looking to fish the pools along the river and try Mallic and Lavaque as well. Would you recommend staying on Lavaque? How is the campsite there?

Good to know about Unicorn Hill, have you gone west from Catfish towards either North Cuckoo or Perley? I’m interested in exploring this area.

There isn’t anything spectacular about the campsites on Levaque. I’ve stayed there a number of times as a soloist, just to break up the river travel a bit.  If you’re a big group it might not be the best, but I easily pitched a tent in the campsite at the portage and I think the site further east on Levaque was a bit better.

Never been to North Cuckoo, I’ve paddled between Catfish and Burntroot a number of times.  I’ve stopped for lunch on Perley, there are a couple of sites there.  Additionally between catfish and Burntroot I see people fishing along the way for brookies.
Wonderful area the park enjoy!
 

Evan Briden wrote:

Mike33 wrote:

Good to know about Unicorn Hill, have you gone west from Catfish towards either North Cuckoo or Perley? I’m interested in exploring this area.

​If you normally single carry, I would recommend double carrying the first half of Unicorn Hill. I have done this route (Cedar to Catfish) 3-4 times now, and having a bag full of food at the start of a trip is pretty tiring on this portage. The incline is not particularly steep, but it is a gradual uphill grind. Quickly double carry to the top (canoe rests and benches) and then the single carry to the end if not overly hard. 
If you leave Cedar early, and single carry, you will be able to arrive at the south end of Catfish on day 1. Shangri La is a nice spot, but there are cockroaches. The campsite to the east of the island is our preferred spot if you find yourself in the south end of Catfish. 

Every time I have paddled Perley the wind has been a real nuisance. The lake is perfectly oriented to funnel the prevailing wind. Nice campsite on the point to take a break though. 

All your trip ideas sound awesome, good luck!
Amazing part of the Park.

 
Thanks for the tip about double carrying up to Unicorn Hill, with a full pack on day 1 this sounds smart. I did see that note on Jeff’s map on the island being infested with cockroaches, it does seem to be a popular site. If we go this route, we may try to venture north of Perley to some of the lakes with unmaintained portages.

Swift Fifteen wrote:

Poor Jeff got sucked into including that "factoid" largely to reduce the number of trippers and impact on this beautiful site

This isn't accurate. That note was not included to reduce impact or discourage trippers. But I'll let Jeff clear that up if he wants.

Peek wrote:

Swift Fifteen wrote:

Poor Jeff got sucked into including that "factoid" largely to reduce the number of trippers and impact on this beautiful site

This isn't accurate. That note was not included to reduce impact or discourage trippers. But I'll let Jeff clear that up if he wants.

There are zero cockroaches there confirmed by me, and three other trippers that I personally know, who have stayed there many times. Interesting how one of the most beautiful sites in the park mysteriously has cockroaches. And quite frankly, Jeff can only include information that has been handed to him beyond his personal experience. And although I have never asked him personally or via DM, I'm willing to bet he has not personally observed cockroaches there.  Also note that I have never read in any TP anywhere that cockroaches were observed on that site. No to be argumentative, but I welcome a rational discussion on this point if you have personal experience with this, Peek.

EDIT: I should add that I consider Jeff a friend and respect all his hard work and contributions that ensure our plnning and travel through various parks is as easy and enjoyable as possible.

Last edited by Swift Fifteen (4/04/2023 9:33 am)

+1 vote for the Opeongo route. Did it for the first time last year and it did not disappoint!