Length of Trip: Approximately 125 kilometres (78 miles)
Time Required to Complete Trip: Five to six days
Number of Portages: 14
Although this route includes a fair number of portages, with one exception these are reasonably short.
Good walleye fishing is available throughout this trip, and lake trout are found in some of the lakes along the route.
With a few exceptions, the rapids along this route are shallow, rocky and impassable. The portages indicated are therefore, in most cases, mandatory.
The islands in the narrows leading to McIvor Channel are heavily treed with spruce in contrast to the high lake shores, the rock bared by a forest fire years ago.
In the extreme southwest end of Doerksen Bay a small stream enters after meandering through a reed-filled shallow portion of the lake. The canoe route follows this stream for a few hundred metres (yards).
After entering the stream from Doerksen Bay, the paddler follows the channel upstream as it parallels the lake shore. At this point the channel is approximately five metres (16 feet) wide and a slight current is perceptible causing underwater vegetation to point downstream. Close observation of the left side of the channel should be made for a slight thinning of the reeds through which the barely noticeable current from another small stream enters the main channel. This current should be followed upstream through the reeds, no definite channel being evident, until a small rocky rapid can be heard on approaching the treed shore of the lake. There is a short portage on the right, or west, side of the rapid.
NOTE: The main channel through the reeds receives water from a chain of lakes which is not the canoe route.
This portage starts immediately to the right, or west, side of the shallow rocky rapids of the inflowing stream (Grid location 745979 - Map 63-M/13).
The stream connecting the two un-named lakes ends in a small pond immediately below a shallow rocky rapid at the outlet of the second un-named lake.
This portage starts on the right, or west, side about 20 metres (22 yards) from the foot of this short rapid. A channel has been cleared in the river bed which enables the paddler to line canoes to the lake above in all but extremely dry conditions.
After paddling a short navigable channel near the southwest end of the lake, the start of the portage to Kakabigish Lake is obvious.
Kakabigish Lake is a long narrow lake about 11 kilometres (6 3/4 miles) long at whose extreme southwest end is found the portage to Settee Lake.
This portage starts a short distance to the left, or southeast, side of the shallow inflowing stream at a grassy clearing. From the campsite at the start of the portage, the trail separates with branches running parallel to each other up a moderate grade until they join just before Settee Lake.
Settee Lake is very irregular in shape and contains a number of large islands and bays.
There are three portages between Settee Lake and Solymos Lake. Only the most easterly one out of the extreme southeast end of Settee Lake is described here. This is also the shortest of the three portages.
The portage start is obvious immediately to the right, or north, side of the shallow inflowing stream (Grid location 542838 - Map 73-P/16).
Solymos Lake is split into three main sections. The canoe route leads, between high rocky banks, to the extreme south end of the most westerly bay to the start of the portage to Stempel Lake. The portage from Solymos Lake to Stempel Lake crosses the height of land separating the upstream and downstream portions of this trip.
The portage start is obvious on the right, or west, side of the shallow outflowing stream.
The portage start is obvious on the right, or west, side of the shallow outflowing stream.
The portage start is obvious on the right, or west, side of the shallow outflowing stream.
The start of the portage is in a small cove on the west shore of small un-named lake about 100 metres (109 yards) north of the outflowing stream. A campsite is located at the Buchner Lake end of the portage.
About 800 metres (875 yards) before the portage out of Buchner Lake (Grid location 483726 - Map 73-P/9), two picturesque waterfalls cascade down the high southeast shore of the lake.
The canoe route follows the outlet stream from Buchner Lake to a beaver dam over which the canoes can be pulled. A short distance below this, the portage can be seen on the right, or west, bank just above a shallow rocky rapid.
This portage starts on the right, or west, bank immediately above shallow rocky rapids.
From this portage, the canoe route follows down Kemp Lake to the outlet stream (Grid location 434667 - Map 73-P/9).
The small river connecting Kemp Lake to the northeast corner of Hood Lake is fast-flowing and shallow.
Upon leaving Kemp Lake there are three small rapids very close together. Water conditions will determine whether or not the canoeists line down the first two. The third, which has a number of sharp ledges has a well-used on the north, or right, shore to a pool below.
From the foot of this portage, a channel has been cleared in the river enabling canoes to be paddled and lined approximately 550 metres (601 yards) down to quiet waters below. Following the river channel avoids a very difficult and poor 595 metre (650 yard) portage over ridges and through muskeg. This long portage in neither described here, nor recommended.
The narrow channel connecting the south end of Hood Lake to the north end of Satkowy Lake is navigable.
The canoe route leaves Satkowy Lake over a winter road portage to the north end of Guncoat Bay of Mountain Lake.
This portage starts at a clearly discernable clearing in a bay on the east shore of Satkowy Lake (Grid location 385610 - Map 73-P/9) and ends at an open meadow on Guncoat Bay just south of a high rock outcropping.
The canoe route now heads southwest down the long north bay of Mountain Lake on the Churchill River, then turns (Grid location 316516 - junction of Maps 73-P/9 and 73-P/10) and heads through the northwest portion of the lake towards Otter Lake.
As the paddler approaches Mountain Portage, Twin Falls can be seen entering the lake to the right, or north, side of the portage. These are spectacular falls, the river flowing with great force through two narrow openings in the rock. A photo and fishing stop at this point is well worth the time spent.
The start of this portage shows as a break in the shoreline vegetation about 400 metres (437 yards) southwest of the falls. An outfitter's dock is located about midway between the falls and the portage.
The start of this portage is at an obvious landing about 10 metres (11 yards) to the east of the most easterly part of Robertson Falls.
Missinipe Townsite, the end point of this trip is located on the northwest shore of Walker Bay at the extreme west end of Otter Lake.
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