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Hi there,
Please let me know what you guys think about this route. I was thinking of doing it labour day weekend. I really like the look of it. Lots of river travel, allegedly decent fishing and wildlife viewing. Portages aren't long for the most part which is nice. Main drawback is the Tim River access is a long drive from Ottawa.
Access- Tim River
Night 1- Rosebary Lake
Night 2- Loontail Creek Junction
Night 3- Big Bob lake
Night 4- Tim lake
Cheers,
Lenny
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Great trip, just switch directions. You'd be much happier paddling upstream on the Tim & the creeks vs upstream on that section of the Nipissing. The site at Grass Lake has a nice view. Big Bob is nice too. So is Rosebary. Good route.
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Can't speak to all of your trip, but Rosebary to Tim lake sometimes has low water warnings in August/sept on the APP website. You'll also have to cross 6 beaver dams in that stretch.
I found the Kearny office personnel not very well informed about water levels, but Canoe Algonquin outfitters personnel were well informed and knowledgeable. In case you need to rent a canoe, I certainly liked dealing with them. It may be a great idea to call them before you're trip. In our case the Algonquin website had a constant low water advisory for Tim- Rosebary, in July, August/sept., after calling the APP info line, they stood by it. Kearny outfitters gave info to tell us where there were likely muddy sections, as tyey also took into account what trippers tell them when they get back. Altogether, the trip turned out to be quite doable.
Turned out to be outfitters was quite accurate. Hope it helps.
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The stretch of the Nipissing east of Big Bob after the first 65m portage can get quite low. I've had to walk the canoe along a section of the river here in late June so not sure what it will be like at Labour Day. That is a nice route and I really enjoyed Latour Creek. I have a trip log that covers your part of the route from Tim L to Big Bog along the Nipissing to Rosebary, www.algonquinvoyageur.blogspot.ca. I returned to Tim via Mubwayaka which was decent but given when you're going water levels in David Creek might be too low. The creek get narrower and shallower as you approach Mubwayaka.
Cheers.
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What Peek said. You will 100% despise all of us if we don't want you against traveling upstream on the Nip in that section. Both Kevin Callan and I did that trip, separately, last summer and we both have pretty detailed videos (Joe Robinet too, who accompanied me). It's the alders that will make it hard to paddle upstream on the Nip
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Thanks for the tips everyone! Much appreciated. I like the look of the creeks and rivers on the route.
I checked out the videos that you and Joe did and really enjoyed them. I found it interesting seeing that fallfish were edible. I've never eaten them and agree that it's good to take pressure off of brook trout when possible. I had heard they tasted like a wet paper bag but I guess it was a myth.
Cheers,
Lenny
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I have complained in the past about the Big Bob - Loontail section of the Nipissing, for example here. My issue wasn't the water levels but the walls of bush we were expected to force the canoe through. But it was some years ago I did it, maybe it's less alder-choked now, or will feel less so earlier in the season.
At least you're not trying to make the full route between Big Bob and Rosebary via the Nip in one day, like I did, which was a mistake. In any case I strongly agree with Peek and MSR about doing the route clockwise, ie downstream on the Nip. Reason being that in places along the Nip it doesn't look like a route at all, so the only way to know which barely-passable branch of the river to follow is if you're going downstream, so you can figure out which way the current goes and just go that direction. Also the Big Bob-Nipissing portage is impossible to spot from the Nip end as I recall.
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