Parks Pares Canada Canada Wild Rivers: Southwestern Quebec and Eastern Ontario Published under authority of the Hon. John Roberts P.C., M.P., Minister of the Environment Ottawa, 1980 QS-7101-000-EE-A1 Les releves de la serie Les rivieres sauvages sont egalement publies en franca is. Canada Canada metric metrique Metric Commission Canada has granted use of the National Symbol for Metric Conversion. Wild Rivers: Southwestern Quebec and Eastern Ontario Wild Rivers Surveys Parks Canada Planning Division Ottawa, 1980 2 Turners Chute, on the Kipewa River 3 It is difficult to find in life any event which so effectually condenses intense nervous sensation into the shortest possi­ ble space of time as does the work of shooting, or running an immense rapid. There is no toil, no heart breaking labour about it, but as much coolness, dexteri­ ty, and skill as man can throw into the work of hand, eye and head; knowledge of when to strike and how to do it, knowledge of water and rock, and of the one hundred combinations which rock and water can assume - for these two things, rock and water, taken in the abstract, fail as completely to convey any idea of their fierce embracings in the throes of a rapid as the fire burning quietly in a drawing-room fireplace fails to convey the idea of a house wrapped and sheeted in flames. Sir William Francis Butler (1872) 4 © Minister of Supply and Services Canada Now available in the Wild River series: Metric symbols used in this book 1980 Available by mail from Printing and Alberta mm - millimetre(s) Publishing, Supply and Services Canada, Barrenlands m - metre(s) Ottawa K1A 0S9, or through your Central British Columbia km - kilometre(s) bookseller. James Bay/Hudson Bay km/h - kilometres per hour Newfoundland and Labrador cm/s - centimetre per second Catalogue No. R62-82/1979-10 Northwest Mountains d - day(s) ISBN:0-660-10476-8 Quebec North Shore h - hour(s) Saskatchewan °C - degree Celsius Price Canada: $1.50 Southwestern Quebec and Eastern Ontario Price other countries: $1.80 Yukon Territory Price subject to change without notice. 5 Table of Contents Foreword 6 1 French River 11 Introduction 8 2 Kipewa River 19 Climate 8 Planning the trip 8 3 Dumoine River 27 Map of Southwestern Quebec and 4 Perch, Chef and Chamouchouane Eastern Ontario 10 rivers 33 Further reading 43 6 Foreword Wild rivers are a priceless part of our The waterways were the mainstay of natural heritage. Untouched by the the fur trade; they were the highways to march of man's technological progress, the gold rushes. They did much to pro­ these waterways are the arteries of our vide the economic nourishment through land, and one of the main elements in its which Canada grew to its present growth to nationhood. stature. Long before Europeans laid eyes on With the advent of modern technol­ them, these rivers served the native ogy, some of our rivers were harnessed peoples as sources of food and means of to serve our newfound needs. But thous­ transportation. Later, the rivers were to ands of kilometres of waterways, and the carry the Europeans on voyages of land they pass through, remain essen­ exploration and exploitation throughout tially untouched. the vast interior of the continent. The settlers who followed travelled the same routes. 7 Today, Canadians are gradually redis­ Parks Canada is promoting these chal­ But there is one other very important covering these fascinating wild rivers. lenging voyages of discovery, which point that you must bear in mind. "Wild" They are recreating the adventures of the embrace both the past and the present. really is the correct adjective to describe explorers; struggling over the same por­ Wild rivers are important to Canadians as many of the rivers, and only experienced tages as the heavily-burdened "coureurs integral components of our founding and well-equipped canoeists should enter de bois", running rapids which once heritages. these waters. You will find them a tre­ hurtled "voyageurs" and their precious However, a good deal of down-to- mendous challenge. So it's up to you. cargoes toward the markets of Montreal, earth information about the rivers and Our land and our rivers are waiting for gently floating down majestic rivers their habits is needed before anyone you to explore and rediscover them. which once carried thousands of anxious attempts to navigate them. It is for this prospectors towards the promise of gold. reason that Parks Canada decided to carry out surveys of wild rivers all across the country. We are publishing the results of these surveys in the present series of booklets, in order to provide a practical guide for the modern "voyageur". 8 Introduction Climate Planning the trip The rivers covered in this report include The climate of this region is excellent for In planning a canoe trip, allow.25 km to one that flows from the Labrador Penin­ canoe tripping. Break-up of ice is com­ 35 km a day paddling. Allow extra time sula and south over the Laurentian plete by April, and by June the sun and food for such unforeseen events as Massif, two that flow off the southwest warms the days to 20°C. The cool nights being windbound or delayed by rain. If edge of the Laurentian Massif and one keep down the insect population, but egress arrangements are necessary, make Ontario river which flows through a frost is rare. July and August tempera­ sure they are taken care of before the trench on the south edge of the Cana­ tures are warm and the average rainfall trip begins. Be sure to check out with dian Shield. These rivers display some for those months is 50 mm. Good rain some responsible agency, the R.C.M.P. similar characteristics as they flow gear is a necessity to assure a comfort­ the Ministry of Tourism, Hunting & Fish­ through rock-lined lakes and reaches able trip. September sees an end to the ing, Quebec; or the Ministry of Natural standing in rifts and basins of Precam- insects which plague July and August Resources, Ontario giving them a route brian rock. The rapids connecting these and, though night time temperatures and expected time of arrival. And don't reaches are not large and in most cases may drop to 4°C, warm afternoons, clear forget to check in with them at the end can be easily run or portaged. The air and autumn colours lend this month a of the trip. Permits for fires and fishing scenery is often not spectacular but the charm all its own. may be required. Extreme caution should rivers offer satisfying canoeing through be exercised in the use of fire. Campfires ever-changing waterways. The rivers are should be built on rock or sand only and generally accessible by land and are close extinguished completely. All garbage enough to civilization and yet remote and should be packed out with you. wild enough to satisfy the requirements of many canoeists. 9 A sturdy canoe capable of handling proofed match case, emergency rescue Canoeists should be alert to these well in rapids, and equipment for its flares for signalling aircraft and fishooks dangers which are more prevalent during repair are essential. Aluminum canoes and line. These items should be well periods of high water. were used throughout the surveys and waterproofed. Firearms are never The National Topographic Series of proved most practical. Since lining and necessary. maps is available from: hauling are often necessary, several pairs Insect repellent is a must in these Department of Energy Mines and of running shoes or other sturdy foot­ areas and headnets and mosquito coils Resources, wear which can take the abuse of rocks are quite useful. 615 Booth St., and constant wetness are needed. In the Ottawa, Ont. more isolated regions an emergency sur­ Warning vival kit is advised. The kit should con­ Sweepers, log jams and some channels tain high energy food rations, a water­ are a constant and changing hazard. Unlike permanent hazards, such as rapids and waterfalls, their presence cannot be reliably documented in reports of this type. 10 11 1 French River 12 French River Access and egress Maps required Chaudiere Falls to Hartley Bay To begin the trip at Lake Nipissing the N.T.S. 1:50 000 scale canoeist can either take the steamer from 3 to 7 days (65 km to 74 km) North Bay and depart from the Chau­ 411/1 E Nowelville 4 portages diere Lodge or arrive via the Dokis Indian 411/1 W Nowelville Reserve Road to Upper Chaudiere 411/2 E Delamere Date of survey Rapids. The road starts from Nowelville 411/2 W Delamere June, 1973, at high water on Highway 64 off Highway 69. A shorter trip via Wolseley Bay from High­ ways 64 and 528 can also be made. The trip can be terminated at the settlement of French River if necessary. Hartley Bay offers the same services as French River Settlement. 13 About the river Geography above Chaudiere Falls, the river assumes Flora The French River is an ancient waterway direction in flow and channel. The rapids The French River area exhibits many of filling an irregular trough from Lake flow swiftly over drops of not more than the characteristic associations of the Nipissing to the Georgian Bay basin. one metre and through canyons created transition zone between the St. Over the thousands of years required for by Precambrian fault lines. Ragged rocky Lawrence - Great Lakes and the Boreal surface cooling and hardening of the Pre­ shores with bays on both sides indented Forest Regions.