The Pipestone, Winisk, Otoskwin, Attawapiskat, Albany and other rivers all have their headwaters in this central area of Northwestern Ontario. The rivers flow from there in a generally eastward direction before emptying into Hudson Bay or James Bay. This year I will paddling solo once again following the Otoskwin River to Attawapiskat Lake and then the Attawapiskat River to the coast of James Bay. I will be starting from Hwy 599 which runs north from Ignace (northwest of Thunder Bay) on the Trans-Canada Hwy. Hwy 599 is the most northerly paved road in Ontario, the pavement stops at Pickle Lake, about 75km further north the gravel road crosses the Otoskwin River which is where I will begin my journey.

After an enjoyable 23 day solo trip on the Bloodvein River in 2015 I'm returning to Northwestern Ontario for a somewhat longer trip. I will be travelling generally eastward (No more sun in the eyes!!!) for 750km and hope to finish about 26 days later. From Attawapiskat I will fly out to Moosonee and then by train to Cochrane where I hope to find my truck and make the 9 hour drive south to Toronto (Just in time for the Rio opening ceremonies).

The Otoskwin section of the trip is supposed to be the most scenic, it also has the most portaging and runnable rapids so I will be taking my time through this part. Downstream of Attawapiskat Lake the river splits, I will take the North Channel. After the two channels rejoin it's 460km of good current with a few runnable rapids, the scenery here could be somewhat mundane so I expect to cover a lot of ground to make the daily average I need to finish on time. Towards the end I will be passing through an area of limestone cliffs with "birthday cake" islands mid-river. Unfortunately the next thing I'll pass is the De Beers open pit Victor Mine, the first operating diamond mine in Ontario. The river below the mine is now contaminated with mercury which will of course still be there long after the diamonds are all gone. From there it will be a final push to the community of Attawapiskat, If I'm lucky maybe I will see a few seals in this section as I get close to the salt water of James Bay.

Water levels are currently a bit on the low side and with little rain in the long range forecast the rapids in the upper section could be a bit bumpy. On the other hand it may enable me to bypass some of the portages which would be great. It would also open up camping opportunities along the shore that would be underwater at high levels.

This interactive map shows my basic route. Click on the "direct link" or the upper right corner of the map to view it from the source at CalTopo. This will allow you to use advanced options, add map layers, change the way the layers display and other features.

If you are interested in the wild fire situation you can have a look at the interactive map at the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System. As of July 1st there are currently no active fires in the area I will be paddling, the Fire Danger rating is currently Low to Moderate. Although there was a very large fire in the Red Lake area early in the season and of course the Fort McMurray fire it's been mostly quiet in recent weeks. I'm hoping for smoke free travelling!

Direct Link To Map Page