Lake Superior to Gunflint Lodge Top of Page

The first leg of the journey begins at Grand Portage on Lake Superior and continues on to Gunflint Lodge on Gunflint Lake.
From Lake Superior the Grand Portage is a nine mile foot trail that follows the Pigeon River along its steep course to South Fowl Lake. For thousands of years, the Grand Portage was a passage to the great waterways, hunting grounds and trapping lands of the north woods. On a map you can follow the route along the U.S./Canadian border through a series of lakes including South Fowl, North Fowl, Moose, Mountain, Rose, South, North, Little North, Little Gunflint and Gunflint Lakes.
It should be noted that the “Height of Land Portage” between South Lake and North Lake crosses the Laurentian Divide and marks the separation of watershed between Lake Superior and Hudson Bay. For the Voyageurs, the crossing of this portage symbolized a rite of passage into the life of a northwoodsman.
The most difficult part of this section is the nine mile hike up the grand portage on the first day. The reward is a hot shower and gourmet meal at Gunflint Lodge. Gunflint Northwoods Outfitters is the first point of resupply.

Gunflint Lodge to International Falls Top of Page

From Gunflint Lodge on Gunflint Lake, the route continues along the border down the Pine and Granite Rivers and their connecting lakes to Saganaga Lake. Saganaga is the largest lake, thus far encountered, other than Superior and can be plagued with rough wind blown waves. From here the following series of lakes are long and comparatively narrow. Because the direction of travel is generally into the prevailing winds, paddling can be difficult, if not impossible at times, especially when traveling solo.
Here, much of the route is sandwiched between Quetico Provincial Park in Canada and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) and Voyageur National Park in the United States.
The final lake on this section is Rainy Lake. At the western end of Rainy Lake are the headwaters of the Rainy River and the city of International Falls, the second point of resupply.

International Falls to Kenora Top of Page

From International Falls it is approximately 100 miles down the Rainy River to its mouth at the south end of Lake of the Woods. At this point, the route turns north across Lake of the Woods and into Canada. This marks roughly the 400 mile mark of the journey.
One note of interest is that from Lake of the Woods west to the Pacific Ocean, the U.S./Canadian border is no longer dictated by a water route, but follows the 49th parallel. This abrupt change is clearly visible on any map that shows the border. The portion of border from Lake of the Woods east to Lake Superior was long contested and not finally defined until the Webster/Ashburn Treaty of 1842.
Lake of the Woods is quite a place. At 1485 square miles it contains nearly 14,000 islands. All these islands create a maze like effect for anyone trying to navigate it. Generally speaking the route follows the eastern shoreline using Bigsby Island, Big Island and the Aulneau Peninsula as wind breaks. There is a short portage from Turtle lake into Whitefish Bay and another sixty miles of miles of paddling to the town of Kenora, the third point of resupply.

The Winnipeg River (Kenora to Fort Alexander) Top of Page

From Kenora its 200 miles down the Winnipeg River to Fort Alexander and the rivers mouth at the southeast end of Lake Winnipeg. Detailed information on the Winnipeg River seems to be sparse. Much of its length is more a series of lakes than a river, but the water is definitely flowing and there are rapids. At Eaglenest Lake the river crosses from Ontario into Manitoba approximately one third of the way down the river’s length. A series of settlements mark the mouth of the river and the original site of the Hudson Bay Companie’s, Fort Alexander.
The end of the Winnipeg River is a significant milestone in this trip. For one, it roughly marks the halfway point of the trip and secondly, it means the beginning of Lake Winnipeg and a 250 mile paddle along its open and windblown eastern shoreline.

Lake Winnipeg to Norway House Top of Page

Lake Winnipeg runs north and south through the heart of Manitoba. The eastern shoreline is the shortest way up its length at 250 miles. The trade off for this “short-cut” is wind. Being as the prevailing winds come from the west and north, wave action on the east side can be considerable.
Because of wind blown waves, there will be times, where canoe travel is nearly, if not, completely impossible. This means paddling early in the morning, and late in the afternoon and evening, or when the wind is more forgiving. There are sure to be a number of “zero-mile” days when traveling is simply not an option. The number of days or weeks spent on Lake Winnipeg is a guess, but averaging 15 miles per day equals two weeks. Take that average down to ten miles per day and it becomes 25 days. It all depends on wind.
At its northeastern end, Lake Winnipeg sends its water into a constriction that is the head of the Nelson River. As if not quite ready to succumb to the great sucking sound of the Nelson, the river opens up again into Playgreen Lake before finally relinquishing itself to the irresistible swan song of gravity and ocean.
From here, either around the horn on Little Playgreen Lake or via the shortcut of the Jack River, is Norway House.

Norway House to Hudson Bay Top of Page

Like Grand Portage and Fort Alexander, Norway House was established as an outpost of the Hudson Bay Company. These outposts, dotted strategically along the trade routes of the trapping era, were a welcome sight to weary trapping parties.
From Norway House there are several ways to get to Hudson Bay by canoe. Although the Nelson River carries the greatest amount of water it historically has not been the traditional canoe route. Because of its volume and power, most canoeist opt for the Hayes River.
From Norway House it’s a 20 mile paddle to the Echimamish River. The Echimamish is a tributary of the Nelson but is quite gentle in nature by comparison. Its canal like course travels for some 25 to 30 miles where it meets the painted stone portage. On the other side of this height of land portage is the Hayes River.
The Hayes River can be taken all the way to Hudson Bay, but still there are options. The plan of attack for this trip is take the Hayes River to its closest point of connection the Gods River drainage, somewhere around Max Lake, and bushwhack to the waters of the Gods. Once on the Gods River drainage, it’s a series of lakes, rivers, rapids and portages to Gods Lake.
Gods Lake is said to be a spectacular lake by those fortunate enough to see it. It boasts some of the best Brook Trout fishing in the world and is accessed by small aircraft (or canoe in this case). It runs generally northeast by southwest and its two main bodies are separated by a narrows where there are a couple of lodges and an airstrip.
At the northeast end of Gods Lake is the head of Gods River. From here on, the route is 100 percent river. The Gods River runs some 120 miles to a confluence where it absorbs the waters of the Echoing River. Forty miles downstream from this point, the Gods River joins the Hayes River. From here it’s a scant 60 miles to York Factory and Hudson Bay!