Temagami Region in Ontario - Extended Trip Report

Trip Overview

Our Boy Scout Troop 777 of Temperance, Michigan likes to do High Adventure trips and this was about a 70 mile canoe and portaging trip for us. With 10 Scouts and 5 Adults we went on our 8 day Adventure. Good information about the Temagami region can be found at www.ottertooth.com/tem_index.htm.

This Trip goes through several large lakes and there always seemed to be a wind against us. This is High Adventure and you will work hard. We choose to have 3 Long 20 mile days, 1 - 10 mile day and then have 3 Enjoy days for Fun. We spent 2 nights at 3 campsites and 1 at one campsites.

Day 1: Move Day to Kokoko Lake
We start at the main launch site and it can get busy at this site on a Saturday. We put in a light rain on to the main Lake Temagami. We headed out with our 7 canoes and 1 Kayak and headed North to Kokoko Bay (wind protected) and had lunch about the way to Kokoko Lake. The portage to Kokoko Lake is easy but a but muddy this day. Some guys coming out said it had rained all week. Wonderful.. We may it through and found a campsite on the most west island, a large rock with a few trees and way they say Thunder box, this one had one! The fishing was ok here and one night we had some thunderstorms that made us call this place Thunder Mountain Island.

Day 2: Enjoy Day

The kids spent the day fishing, eating, swimming, and relaxing..

Day 3: Move day to Diamond Lake
We got up early and headed down the smooth easy 0.5. mile portage back to Lake Temagami. Worked our way across some open water with against some good head winds. Had lunch on a large island with channels in between. More paddling to the top of Lake Temagami and started the portage to Diamond lake. Its an old log loading zone to raise the logs up from Diamond to Temagami. One short drop and then its level around a bunch of rocks for about a 0.1 miles portage. It had been a long day and we tried to find a campsite but we had to go a few miles to find an open one, but it was a great one, the best of the trip. Nice flat landing and great campsites. Had dinner and went to bed

Day 4: Enjoy day
More swimming, fishing, made pizza in the bake packer, and relaxed

Day 5: Move through Wakimika Lake, Wakimika River to Obabika Lake
This was another long day, after you make it across the Diamond Lake, you have the portage from hell, big rocks, narrow crevices, up and down, and man it was hard! Then you have a short lake, and an easy portage up to a road and down a hill to the start of Wakimika Lake. A nice paddle after that Portage, till we get to the main Lake, We had some 1 to 2 footers from the side and some big rollers, kids loved it, adults could have lived without it. Took some rest near some islands and finished the Lake into the river. Lot of tight turns until it opened up into a small lake, wish we would have time to fish, but we made it to Obabika Lake and it was amazing the wind was with us so we pushed on while the wind was with us, a light rain made a rainbow end to end on the lake, awesome... made camp on a small peninsula. Had dinner and went to bed.

Day 6: Move to Obibika inlet to northwest arm of Lake Temagami

Got up and its good thing we made the trip down the lake as the wind would have been against us started the portage and it is up a gradual hill and back down to the lake for about 0.5 miles. Went through inlet and headed back to the Lake Temagami. Found a nice campsite on the elbow of the arm, Set up camp and went fishing (and dried some stuff out).

Day 7: Enjoy day
More fishing, cards, swimming, made a chili that all loved and fired up to!

Day 8: Move day to the end
We were suppose to go another day but it rained all day and we worked our way back across this lake through the wind and waves to the start point, and we all agreed to head back to the states in our warm dry truck and van.

Poking at the embers
Man we worked on the move days, but the 2 day stops were nice!! A good trip, but one that was a learning experience for all, big lakes can be a lot of work and challenge the adventurer in you, it did me, but we made it and memories will be there forever...

See our Troop website at http://troop777bsa.homestead.com/ under the High Adventure page for pictures of this and many more great Troop 777 trips!

Enjoy Life and get out and PADDLE!!!
- Scoutmaster Scott

Outfitting:

7 - 16 to 18 foot canoes

All our own stuff! Troop 777 does High Adventure

Fees:

$10 per day for adults on Crown Land


Fishing Permit fee

Directions:

About an hour north of North Bay, Ontario on Highway 11 until you get to west on Lake Temagami Access road

Resources:

Cliff Jacobson - Anything Canoeing and High adventure


Hap Wilson - "Canoeing, Kayaking, & Hiking Temagami"


Ray Jardine - "Beyond Backpacking"


Boy Scout Field and Handbook