Category: Backcountry

Paddling Woodland Caribou Provincial Park after a forest fire

Today’s post comes from Kristiana Wilson, Assistant Park Superintendent at Woodland Caribou Provincial Park. 

2021 was quite the fire season in Ontario.

Last year alone, approximately 55% of Woodland Caribou Provincial Park burned due to natural forest fires.

The park is no stranger to forest fires — fire is key for regeneration in the boreal forest.

Still, when most people think of picturesque park landscapes, they typically don’t think of park areas that have been burned.

We’re here to change any preconceived ideas you have about travelling through large burns and share some tips to make your next post forest fire park paddling trip a little easier!

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What it’s like to fly in and paddle out of Wabakimi

In today’s post, influencer Ken Jones recounts his backcountry trip to Wabakimi.

This past year was interesting to say the least. The global pandemic has changed a lot about how we travel. After having to cancel a trip to Alaska in September, my wife and I wanted to explore somewhere in Ontario where we’d not yet been.

As avid canoe trippers, we decided to plan a wilderness canoe trip to arguably one of the more remote areas of Ontario: Wabakimi Provincial Park.

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Say “no” to axe-idents

You’ve just paddled your heart out to get to your campsite. You put on your flannel and grab your axe to prepare your campfire.

Something about being in the wilderness that brings out our inner woodsperson.

We know the feeling.

However, for the preservation of your toes, please read this before you swing that axe!

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Backcountry basics: storing and disposing of food

We don’t know about you, but when we pack food for our backcountry trip, we plan on eating it.

That plan can go downhill quickly when raccoons, squirrels, and bears dip into your trail mix, or rain soaks through your pack, ruining your soft sausage buns.

You want to see a grumpy bear? A weekend away without food will turn us into one in no time!

Instead, learn how to store food and dispose of scraps so you don’t end up with soggy food or, worse, unexpected dinner guests.

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Why backcountry campers should share their equipment details

When making a reservation for a backcountry camping trip, you will be asked to describe your camping equipment in detail.

In the rush to confirm your booking, it can be easy to ignore this request, or to give a quick answer.

But have you ever considered why we ask this question?

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Backcountry basics: drinking water

Whitney Arnott is a hiking and canoeing enthusiast that likes to spend days at a time in the backcountry when she’s not working at Ontario Parks branch office.

Here are her tips for safe drinking water when you’re in the wilderness.

When it comes to drinking water in the backcountry, you may think it will be simple. There’s lots of water all around you, right?

While that is true, it’s not as simple as turning on a tap at home or dipping your bottle below the water’s surface to fill it.

Untreated water found in lakes, rivers, ponds, etc. isn’t safe to drink. It can contain waterborne parasites and diseases like Giardiasis (also known as beaver fever) or E. coli, which can make you sick.

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Planning a “bucket-list” trip to Quetico Provincial Park

Today’s post comes from paddling enthusiast Dave Caughey who, along with his wife, recently made the trek to Quetico Provincial Park.

For years, my wife and I longed to visit Quetico Provincial Park. We had heard the canoeing there was awesome, through a terrain peppered with countless lakes, and routes that could involve days between portages!

But Quetico seemed mind-bogglingly far from our home in Ottawa—1,600 km to be exact! Who would be compelled to drive that distance, just to go paddling?

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The measure of a canoe trip

Today’s post is a polite rant from Quetico Provincial Park’s Librarian Jill Sorensen.

We seem to constantly hear about expedition-style trips. Grunt narratives where people have broken speed records, paddled the longest distances, or have been “the first” to complete a route. The blisters. The sleep deprivation. The endurance.

And that is fine. I have no problem with kilometre tracking or race attempts. But if you insist on measuring all of your trips, may I suggest that you count something else? Something that instead connects you to the landscape, or a piece of cultural history.

A little less pace. A little more place.

Here are some suggestions of other things to count:

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An Ontario Parks glossary

Are you new to parks, or maybe a park veteran looking to brush up on your knowledge?

We’ve assembled a handy guide to all the terms you’ll need to know and understand before you visit the park…

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A canoe journey to each point of the compass

In today’s post, Conor Mihell captures the timelessness of Wabakimi Provincial Park.

The rumble of car tires on gravel slowly fading into the distance is the glorious sound of freedom after many long hours on the road. Silence descends, and suddenly my wife Kim and I are alone and faced with the task of loading 24 days worth of food and gear into our canoe and setting off on Little Caribou Lake, across the threshold of Wabakimi Provincial Park.

The isolation is at once daunting and exciting; there are few places where the feeling is more intense than in the hinterlands of northwestern Ontario.

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