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Morning all,
Trip planning season is upon us and our May trip is booked for a Tim River loop.
Has anyone been through the non-maintained portages from the Tim River to Longbow via Devine recently?
Just wondering how rough these are, especially the back to back 2 KM portages. Old blowdown? Bushy trail?
Rich isn't coming, so mucky is less of a concern...
Been wanting to complete the Tim for a while, and would rather battle my way back home North of the Tim than trip through the lakes South of the Tim. I love the lakes to the South , but we have been through there so many times.
I would rather pay the piper to have some fresh adventure... ya know?!
Thanks in advance, and good luck on your 2025 trips.
Last edited by Evan Briden (12/17/2024 11:03 am)
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Hi,
The last time I went through that area was the Fall of 2021. It's probably not recent enough for you, but I thought I'd post my experience. I was travelling solo, double carrying. I went the other direction from Devine thru Stag and both portages to the Tim. It was just after a big windstorm and there was a nice carpet of fresh leaves on the ground. There certainly was some blow downs that I navigated around. A few occasions I lost track of the trail in the leaves, hunted around again to pick it up and continue. Overall I rather enjoyed the walk in the woods I didn't see a soul that day. It was my first experience on a Low Maintenance portage.
As far as it being overgrown, overall I didn't find it to be too bad. Some narrow spots on the trail perhaps. Checking in at Kearney the Ranger told me that they had been through the area earlier that year. There was a memorable muddy spot on one of the short portages, might've been Highdam Pond to Ranger...I can't remember, just remember falling in for a muddy splash somewhere on a portage. But I was alone so guess it never happened. 
I enjoyed my time on Devine, had the lake to myself obviously, overall I great experience and enjoyed the "alternate route" If you plan it I hope it works out for you. Hope this helps.
CC2K
Last edited by captainchaos2000 (12/17/2024 9:03 pm)
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I appreciate the response. Trips is booked, and this makes me look forward to it more.
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This might not be too helpful, but I met a group of two men while I was travelling on the Tim River this past August. They had just come from the area you're referencing. It was their first backcountry trip and they were doing a 10-day loop from Canoe Lake, up through that 'unmaintained' area, and back down. It sounded like a crazy itinerary, let alone for a first-time trip. They said it was challenging but they still had smiles on their faces. They did mention the steepness and rough landings, but didn't mention anything else like blowdowns or impassable sections.
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trippythings wrote:
They said it was challenging but they still had smiles on their faces. They did mention the steepness and rough landings, but didn't mention anything else like blowdowns or impassable sections.
Positive enough for me, thanks!
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I’ll be going as far as Devine in mid-May.
I’m doing out & back - the Devine-Stag-Tim section looks like it’d be an adventure but 90% the this-is-nutty-amount-of-labour kinda way.
I’ll update with any helpful information when I get back.
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Just back from the area.
I only did an "in & out" to Devine Lake. ...the Stag Lake portages don't sound like fun to me at all... but it made a perfect in & out for me.
Generally, the portages were in very good shape. A few blowdowns but all just a matter of stepping over or just walking around... ...except for one:
The portage from Sittingman to Highdam Pond. Pretty normal that the end/beginning of a portage is a steep hill. Unusual but not that remarkable when a tree blows down across such a hill. Not normal for a huge tree to blow down right onto the trail. It fell perfectly down the hill, right on top of the trail... nice shot.
Since I went in & back, I did this portage twice.
The first time (headed east): I was already at the top of the hill at the blowdown, I found the best spot I could to guide the canoe down like a toboggan.
The second time (headed west)... I tried the creek. This was much better until the last 50m... here the creek disappears & you've got swamp, muck and/or forest to clamber through.
I wouldn't recommend either of these strategies -- but that creek has gotta be useful somehow. Maybe start on the portage trail and bushwack your way to the creek asap?
Other than that:
--careful on the mudslide which is the portage around the dam near Tim Lake (but that always seems to be slippery).
I stayed on Sittingman & Devine and then Rosebary on my way back to the car.
I liked Sittingman & Devine a lot -- I like the quiet... Devine is actually quite big to have just one campsite. The whole area is full of creeks to explore if you want to waste time.
If you stay at Devine, I left behind quite a pile of firewood...
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