Algonquin Adventures / notorious Club to Mouse “wall of marsh”

**Posted by bheard** 7/12/2024 7:16 am

My August trips all planned & booked, I’m looking way ahead to my fall trip.
A bit later than usual (my wife told me that solo tripping on our anniversary this year -20th- is not allowed)… it’ll be overlapping Thanksgiving Weekend.

I’m considering the route which includes getting from Club to Mouse. I’ve read all the trip reports that I can find …most stress the difficulty of finding a/the way through the marsh leading to the portage (heading south). Jeff’s map says “late in season” it is “very challenging”…. I figure that mid October counts as “late”.

So…. Anyone have guesses on how possible it’ll be to find & get through this spot so late?

**Posted by trippythings** 7/12/2024 4:24 pm

When I did this route in early September 2022 I had no issues whatsoever finding the way. It didn't even cross my mind "this might be difficult to follow if xxxxx". It was just normal travel. I met a group going the opposite direction as me, even though they were on their way to the same portage, but it seems like they just took a wrong turn rather than not being able to find the way. Based on my early September experience, I'm surprised there's even a warning on Jeff's map, but I can't speak for anything later in the season.

I know you said you've read all the trip reports you could find, but here's mine from that trip just in case you missed it: https://algonquinbeyond.com/trip-reports/7-days-in-north-algonquin-kiosk-white-birch-mouse-erables-maple/

**Posted by bheard** 7/13/2024 3:55 pm

Thanks!
Yep - yours is one of two which I found which didn’t include trouble at this spot. …the other five or so struggled.

I’ll remove the question marks from my notes on the short-list for this fall. It’s down to choosing between Club/Mouse Lakes area…. Or the Tim River to Shippagew.

I gather that Club Lake isn’t everyone’s taste (weedy) but i’m trying to shake my horrendous luck in the moose-department. And I have it on a list of likely spots and camping there gives chances for those early morning & late evening putter paddles.
In a decade of 4-5 trips per year, I have still never seen a single bull! A unbeatable encounter with a mother & young twins one mid-May… (unintentionally drifted way way way too close -!I apologized and immediately left) ….but never a single bull. It’s ridiculous.(I am not counting the ones I saw as a kid along the hwy 60 roadside).

From your advice, I’ll include continuing on beyond Club through Mouse in the plans.

**Posted by bheard** 7/13/2024 3:56 pm

Whoops.. previous message duplicated somehow.

Last edited by bheard (7/13/2024 5:38 pm)

**Posted by Bampot** 7/14/2024 10:14 am

I did this route at the end of September 2023 and did not find it to be particularly difficult to navigate. I would choose to camp on Mouse Lake over Club.

**Posted by hiker72** 7/16/2024 9:38 pm

We canoed/portaged through there in August of 2021 and had no issues whatsoever. From what I remember, you could pretty much see a water path through the weeds, likely amplified by other trippers.

**Posted by jeffreym** 7/17/2024 3:33 pm

I've never done that portage in the fall, but a few years ago AA's very own Bob & Diana McElroy had trouble getting through to the point that they had to turn around: https://mcelroy.ca/bushlog/20150909.html

That's why I added that note =)

**Posted by rgcmce** 7/17/2024 3:44 pm

jeffreym wrote:
I've never done that portage in the fall, but a few years ago AA's very own Bob & Diana McElroy had trouble getting through to the point that they had to turn around: https://mcelroy.ca/bushlog/20150909.html

That's why I added that note =)

,

That's true. I think however if we had a better understanding of just where the passage through began, we would probably have been OK. We'd done the route 40+ years previously with no issues and thus we didn't anticipate any problems this time. Thus we hadn't consulted any satellite images etc., prior to our trip.

**Posted by Roman_K2** 7/17/2024 9:21 pm

Great pics.

**Posted by shaggy** 7/18/2024 10:55 am

I had trouble getting through late summer a few years ago, but for us the challenge was self inflicted. We chose the 'wrong' channel. Another canoe blew by us in a much better channel while we were struggling to get out of the predicament we put ourselves into.

The 'right' channel wasn't immediately obvious, but obvious enough to generate some embarrassment once we figured it out...

**Posted by jeffreym** 7/18/2024 11:56 am

Great info, thanks for chiming in Bob. I'll omit that note on the next revision of the map =)

**Posted by bheard** 2/16/2025 12:57 pm

A belated thank you for the replies & information.

The route through the marsh wasn’t too difficult but I can see how it could be confusing. Approaching the marsh from the eastern shore (and the campsite on that side), there was a very tempting entrance… which indeed bogs into a bunch of dead ends. The entry from the south-west (the other campsite), it was easy.
Water was pretty deep… so it isn’t the season/levels that cause any confusion.

Btw, the marsh was exceptionally beautiful— though that comes from someone who chooses to spend day trips getting lost on creeks, marshes & swamps.