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Ottertooth Forums * Temagami canoe routes & backcountry travel * Archive through May 20, 2015 * Misabi Range < Previous Next >

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earle
Member

Post Number: 6
Registered: 06-2009
Posted on Thursday, June 5, 2014 - 7:33 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post

Coming up at the end of June and part of our trip is across the Misabi Range.
We are familiar with the area west of Bluesucker Lake and the area east of Wakimika Lake. Not familiar with anything in between.
Wondering about a couple of the creeky sections on this route especially now that the water levels are extremely high. Namely the creek coming south out of Bluesucker Lake and Nasmith Creek, between the Chapin Lake portage and the Dorothy Lake portage.
Are these creeks pushy or are they slow and meandering. We do not want any whitewater.
Also … with the higher water levels will Mudchannel Lake be better or worse for getting across?
Any other info on the section would be greatly appreciated.
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grncnu
Member

Post Number: 340
Registered: 08-2010
Posted on Friday, June 6, 2014 - 6:26 am:   Edit Post Delete Post

High water in late June is ideal for the Misabi route travelling either way.
The creek you refer to, the Yorston River, Mudchannel Lake and Nasmith Creek are all more easily navigable up or down in high water and there is no serious whitewater on the route.
Hap Wilson's guidebook has a detailed description.
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earle
Member

Post Number: 7
Registered: 06-2009
Posted on Friday, June 6, 2014 - 4:50 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post

Thanks for the info. Looking forward to the trip.
Is there any "must stay at" campsites on this section (between Bluesucker and Wakimika Lake)?
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grncnu
Member

Post Number: 341
Registered: 08-2010
Posted on Sunday, June 8, 2014 - 6:08 am:   Edit Post Delete Post

All the sites I've stayed at on this route are nice (or were last time I was there which is a few years back), they all have that "secluded" feel.
There is a good one that few people use on the unnamed lake between Wakimika and Hortense. It tends to go unnoticed as the take-out/put in is difficult, but there is an old trail, which may be overgrown unless someone's cleared it recently, to the right of the portage landing (coming from the Wakimika direction that is).
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earle
Member

Post Number: 8
Registered: 06-2009
Posted on Friday, June 13, 2014 - 2:32 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post

Wondering how grown in the portages on this section will be. Are they going to be very difficult to find? Info from anyone that was in the Misaba Range section in 2013 would be great.
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ed
Moderator

Post Number: 1276
Registered: 03-2004


Posted on Friday, June 13, 2014 - 3:52 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post

Nasmith Creek north of Dorothy Lake was cleaned up in the fall of 2012.
The portages between Dorothy and Wakimika were also cleared that year.
The long portage into Sylvester from the Wakimika side may be a bit mushy this year due to high water levels in the bush, but still passable.

You will encounter some number of winter tree falls, but all ports should be passable.
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grncnu
Member

Post Number: 342
Registered: 08-2010
Posted on Thursday, June 19, 2014 - 2:14 am:   Edit Post Delete Post

To clarify- the campsite referred to above is in fact on Sylvester Lake, it's unnamed in Hap's guide (along with Chapin and a lot of the others).
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earle
Member

Post Number: 9
Registered: 06-2009
Posted on Sunday, June 22, 2014 - 4:41 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post

The last time we paddled across Reagan Lake we were looking for the campsite on the eastern half of the lake. The Temagami Adventure Planning Map shows a large campsite. Is it still there?
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brian
Moderator

Post Number: 1628
Registered: 02-2004


Posted on Monday, June 23, 2014 - 3:32 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post

I am not aware of a Reagan Lake in the Misabi Range. Are you thinking of Regan Lake near Hamlow?

http://www.ottertooth.com/Temagami/Maps/heartland0 3a.htm
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earle
Member

Post Number: 10
Registered: 06-2009
Posted on Monday, June 23, 2014 - 4:56 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post

Yes ... Reagan Lake near Hamlow. We are coming down through Smoothwater, Scarecrow and then cutting across the Misabi Range over to Temagami.
The interactive map does not show the campsite but the planning map shows it east of the cottage on that lake. We couldn't find the campsite the last time we were on Reagan.
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brian
Moderator

Post Number: 1629
Registered: 02-2004


Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 4:16 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post

There is a cabin on the north shore with a clearing in front. That is probably the campsite on the map. As such it is likely to be an LUP and private. Otherwise, there is no campsite on the lake, though you could camp on the road at the west end in a bind. Nice lake that needs a campsite.
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alscool
Moderator

Post Number: 391
Registered: 02-2004


Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 6:03 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post

The large campsite on Ragan Lake, is indeed associated with the cabin. The thought being if push came to shove, you could camp there.
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eriktheviking
Member

Post Number: 9
Registered: 04-2013
Posted on Monday, July 7, 2014 - 4:49 am:   Edit Post Delete Post

Hello, we are planning on traveling from florence back to sandy inlet through the misabi range at the beginning of august. Through blue sucker, mudchannel etc... We are curious as to the water levels this year, and what to expect as far as travel is concerned?
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earle
Member

Post Number: 12
Registered: 06-2009
Posted on Tuesday, July 15, 2014 - 5:29 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post

We just got back from doing Smoothwater down to Hamlow, across to Bluesucker and then across the Misabi Range out to Wakimika and down to Temagami. Beautiful trip but the bugs are horrendous!
I’ve been going up there for over 15 years and I don’t ever remember them being that bad.
We did not see any people from Reagan over to Wakimika (9 days). Could be because it was the beginning of July.
Note about the campsite on Reagan. We stayed where the road ends at Reagan but as we paddled over to the portage to Melanson we noticed that there is a fresh blaze on a tree about 200-300m west of the portage. I think we noticed some flagging tape as well. Looked like the spot could be used as a campsite.

The water levels are up. It was the first time we had been on the Misabi Range (Yorston Creek over to Wakimika) so I don't know how low the water gets in there especially in August.
The portages are challenging but we were able to find all of them. Most of them are marked with flag tape or portage sign. We made it across Mudchannel no problem but if the water dropped it could be interesting. We were quite concerned about finding the creek off of Mudchannel to head across but easily found it. Haps note about any boat over 16' getting through this channel is true. We have a 16' canoe and made it about 3/4 of the way pushing and pulling until we finally got stuck and had to portage.
Note: look for a portage on the right side when you get to the rocky section of Pinetorch Creek between Pinetorch Lake and Upper Pinetorch. Much safer than trying to walk up the creek on the slick rocks.
The beavers have flooded the end of the portage at Upper Pinetorch.
The Portage off of Nasmith Creek has an actual yellow portage sign.
We did not encounter much winter blowdown.

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