I'm looking for some input...
I'm planning a late June/early July trip with my son to celebrate his high-school graduation.  This'll be his 4th trip & he loves it, so I'm really looking forward to this one!  This'll also be the smallest party I've ever had -- was always 9 before, 5 last trip (just family) - now just 2!

Anyway, I'm looking at this route:
1) Stanton Bay - Dore - Deux R - Sturgeon (hit Russell or just camp in Sturgeon Narrows)
then
2) Lonely Creek - Lonely - Walter ...Oriana (a destination lake for us this trip)
or 2a) if wind permits Jean Creek - Rouge - Burntside - (maybe Albert) - Jean - Q - Oriana
then
3) Oriana - Jesse - Maria - etc ...Nym

- I am a complete newbie from south of Blueberry Island (Sturgeon) to either Lonely or Jean 
- I know Deux R. level is always an issue - will check before we go, probably OK early July.
- Have been been in Lonely (Jean-Little Jean-Yeh-Lonely-Walter) - but just passed thru Lonely.
- Have been on Jean (recently) & Ceph/Albert long ago but never out of Sturgeon on the way to Jean...

Any thoughts/advice on route, portages, fishing, campsites, places to hit on Sturgeon (Russell), typical issues w/either or these creeks?
Planning 6 or 7 nights.

Thanks! -Tom

The only portage that sticks out in my mind from that route is the one connecting Maria to Jesse. It's probably not the worst in the park, but it should get an honorable mention. It has some pretty good boot sucking spots.

As far as fishing goes, I'll give you one little hotspot. There is a small island in the middle of the Sturgeon Narrows with an obviously well used camp site on it. The current in the channel on the south side of that island flows east to west if my memory serves me. If you paddle out into that channel to the south of the island, and drift from a couple hundred yards east of the island, to a couple hundred yards west of the island, bouncing leadhead jigs with some kind of 3 or 4 inch twister tails off the bottom, you should be picking off walleyes with ease. I'd say you're probably working water depths of 20 to 30 feet threw there for the best action.

Mk631,

Just a thought.
By your start date and with the way the weather seems to be going, you might want to consider doing your route partially in reverse?

The wind should be coming out of the West, so from Stanton get an early start, cross over the open water and ride the shoreline West and go in thru Marie and spend your first night on Jesse.
Next day shoot East again and go down into Jean swinging West. From Jean go thru Ceph, maybe hit Albert somewhere in there, down Jean Creek and then West on Sturgeon.

I made it from Jean to just about where that island that was previously mentioned in one day solo, so tandem it shouldn't be a problem. Sturgeon can/does get rough, so you can ride the North shoreline and still make good time.

Then go up thru Lonely and finish at Nym like you planned.
Walter lake has a nice campsite and holds Lakers east of the campsite in a trough that runs along side the island.
Only portage that is of any difficulty is the Marie portage and I understand that new corduroy helps that considerably.

coming from Stanton Bay, or French Lake for that matter, I'd
be more likley to take the B-chain down to Fern (more scenic, but more portages), then over thru Oliphaunt - keep that as an option if you find out that Deux Rivieres is too low (the outfitter will likely have an idea on whether its ok or not - I assume you know that you need an outfitter to use Stanton)

for the return, I like Lonely Creek over Jean Creek, just because its easier to get to if the prevailing westerly winds are doing thier thing.  Its "smaller" water overall.  Jean creek is nice, just that you have to make that run all the way down Sturgeon. Travelling Jean Cr will be different than the maps show - a couple of the portages have been flooded out by beaver dams - at the BIG dam, you can pull your boat to the far left end, and slide it over there, rather than trying to negotiate the  5' high dam.

check the portage data base on here for Oraian creek - you'll find references to it being a mud slog in low water, so if you do get into Quetico Lake to Oraina Lake, you may want to portage up into Jesse rather than going Oriana-Hamburg-Maria - those are the sections of Oraina Cr that can get low - not sure that you were planning it, but Oriana to Hamburg to Maria is a nice route.

I have pretty much always gone at end of May into mid-June, and rarely has the water been "too low" anywhere at that time, though there have been exceptions.  so far this year, I think the water is below average ? but that can change with a lot of rain - but as dry and warm as this year has been everywhere, water levels in the small creeks may come into play.  I'd think though, that Lonely Cr and Jean Cr would still be ok.

last year, there wre some fishing boats stashed on Sturgeon, so likely this year it won't be a motorized lake for LLC guides - there is a really nice sand beach peninsula campsite on the south side of Sturgeon, about mid-lake if you go that way - that was where the boats were last year. would be a great sport for swimming

M_M gave you some good options.

S_T is right about Jesse-Maria portage corduroy being redone and much better. There's pics in somebody's report. I personal used it last Oct, no problem.

Don't go through Haliday. Not a good shortcut IMO.

Deux Rivieres may not be navigable in the traditional sense, regardless of water levels.  Beavers play havoc with it often and it may be a long mud-slog not far south of Twin most of the way to Sturgeon.  Two years ago I took it in a solo canoe and had to walk along the "bank" (and I use that term VERY loosely) while towing my canoe.  My brother and his friend in a tandem struggled even more.  We eventually ended up trading off who towed the tandem to preserve our strength.

If it's calm, there's tons of walleye in the main body of Sturgeon.  Just weave amongst the islands and you'll be stopping often to fight fish.

Lonely has at least one HUGE pike in it...see my avatar for appropriate size details.  Lots of walleye too.

Lonely also has small mouth bass, but no lake trout.

Snow Dog - curious as to what time of year that was, when you had to drag boats down Deux Rivieres ?

M_M, It happened to me the first week of the permit season in 2009. The first couple beaverdams it was OK, got over the last one and it was walking till we got to Sturgeon.

We when back through the B's.

Ranger at French warned us it might be low.

Was through the Maria to Jesse portage 2 years ago and it wasn't bad at all. The new corduroy prevented any muddy going. The worse portage by far was Cedar portage between Jesse and Oriana. Coming out of Jesse on far west end was a leech-infested old beaver pond barely deep enough to pole through. That was mid June. I will never go that way again. Oriana was a delight however, moose skeleton near portage going out or Oriana toward Quetico Lake. Good luck and most importantly, enjoy the valuable time with your son. My son has always been my sole traveling partner and the bonds made be these type of trips are priceless!

Somewhere in the back of my mind I seem to recall there's an old dam that controls the level of Sturgeon that's now being allowed to disintegrate. I could easily be wrong on that. Basically I'm just mentioning it to see if anyone knows for sure.

I've been going up/down Deux for years and it use to be a big fat river. It was the full width you see. Now it's narrow enough to to pull over when you meet another canoe. I've not been through there in spring the last few years though. That first beaver dam use to be just an easy pullover. Is it in spring or high water these days?

I'm deathly afraid of mud and muck of undeterminable depth. I even put the PFD on when I can't find bottom with my paddle. Like most places with flow, it's mucky for 30 or 50 yards or so after the two main beaver dams so you want to keep moving before you sink any deeper. Other than that it's a nice solid bottom. There's only one place where you bottom out on gravel. It's the angle grass or whatever those weeds are that grab the canoe so much it's easier walking it when it's knee deep.

Liz to Jess is a beauty. The other two I never did like. Annoying PITA ankle twisters plus I always seem to have to share them.


All the options sound good to me. Let me know where you decide to go and I'll hit some highlights for you Mk.

Wow, thanks for the input!
A few thoughts:
- Duex R. condition is very concerning.
- B-chain was my first choice, but if Deux is passable, I like it as a quick route (shorter, fewer portages, no Fern-Olifaunt!) to buy some rest somewhere later in the trip.
- Jean Ck sounds maybe difficult, and I understand we may not be able to make it 'cause of wind.  So then Lonely. 
- Maybe add Draper if going that way...
- Jesse-Maria was in good shape in Aug 2010. Nice work!
- Agreed Halliday is no holiday.  Did that once.
- Oriana-Jesse over Oriana-Hamburg in low water.

OK, I'm now wondering about a complete departure that hits lots of new ground for me & also gets to Oriana (2 goals).
-Beaverhouse - Badwater - Fair - Your - Boulder - Jean - Albert etc
or
-Beaverhouse - Badwater - Fair - Your - Snow -LP-Trail-March - Bentpine CK- Sturgeon - Jean Ck - Rouge - Burntside- Jean-Ceph - Albert etc
or
-Beaverhouse - Badwater - Fair - Your - Snow -LP-Trail-March - Bentpine Lake - Clair - Burntside- Jean-Ceph - Albert etc

Wow, what a change that would be -- I don't know anything off Quetico main body to Jean on any of those!

Thoughts, esp. about difficulty of these options?  Thanks!  -Tom

Tom,

If you opt for Route A, use the B Chain if park officials are telling you Deux Rivieres is questionable.  I've always been lucky using DR but the B Chain IS pretty and we've enjoyed fishing the lake trout & walleye in Oliphaunt (and then there was that all-women's college group doing calisthenics in the morning mist at the campsite just on the other side of the portage leading into Sturgeon... but, again, I've always been lucky).  Also, there is a small rapids as you exit the B's and begin to approach Oliphaunt.  I capsized a canoe there last summer attempting to take it upstream.  Kingfisher suggests I dove right into one of his favorite walleye holes; if only I had known!  It was mentioned that Lonely is a very fine SM lake.  Try next to the small stream just off the portage coming in from Yeh.  Yeh is a very fine largemouth lake and, for some reason, I often run into wildlife in that area (biggest deer I've ever seen, otters, etc.).  Enough has been written in other threads about fishing along much of the rest of this route.

You'll work a little harder on Route B, in my opinion, but my guess is you'll find a good deal more solitude until you get over to Jean.  Walleye fishing is good almost anywhere along the way but you won't find LT until you get over towards Jean.  Consider day trips down to Bearpelt or Wildgoose... again, for the walleye.  The portage from West Bay into Badwater wasn't in bad shape when we did it a few years back.  Just don't opt for dropping down into Badwater from the due north (or the reverse), unless you're up for a real "adventure."  There's an infamous picture taken by KF someplace on this website in which Mrs. Kingfisher expresses EXACTLY what SHE thought about this option (you might say she was, um... sort of "saluting" it, in a manner of speaking).  Anyway, I'm recommending the other approach.

Jimbo   8-)

Mad_Mat wrote on May 4^th, 2012 at 12:24pm:

Snow Dog - curious as to what time of year that was, when you had to drag boats down Deux Rivieres ?

That was roughly July 1, 2010.  Coulda been a day on either side of that.  Also, we were going up the Deux, not down, altho I don't really think it mattered a bit which way you were heading.

Looking at your options... they all look great! I've been through Deux Rivere a couple times in last 5 years and had no problems, but i agree that you should call park or ask outfitter before heading that way. Also agree that in and out of Halladay are difficult and not worth the extra work.  West bay to badwater is difficult, but Clair to Bentpine is most difficult of all the possible portages in your options IMO.  Numerous mudholes on the Claire side, and a couple difficult rocky slopes that one of our canoe carriers fell down.  Canoe gave him a nice bruise for the rest of the trip.  Not much for campsites from what i can remember once you leave the west end of Your until you get to bentpine.  Went through Beaverhouse, badwater, Your, Snow, Bentpine, Claire, Ceph, Albert, Jean in August 2010 so feel free to message me if you have any specific questions.
Ploder

Bentpine/Clair was redone two years ago. One path was blocked off and the rest had flagging tape. I did it in the rain and I don't recall any mud at all. Flat and easy - although spooky. There is still that nasty little steep part near Bentpine of course but possibly via a slightly different route.

"OK, I'm now wondering about a complete departure that hits lots of new ground for me & also gets to Oriana (2 goals).
-Beaverhouse - Badwater - Fair - Your - Boulder - Jean - Albert etc
or
-Beaverhouse - Badwater - Fair - Your - Snow -LP-Trail-March - Bentpine CK- Sturgeon - Jean Ck - Rouge - Burntside- Jean-Ceph - Albert etc"


That's a much lesser traveled area than your original route plan - a few years ago, I went West out of Jean thru Boulder, Your, Snow, Trail to Bentpine Creek, then east on Sturgeon.  Trail Creek was really a nice paddle as I recall;  lots of sign of the old logging days on Bentpine Cr - several logging dams you have to portage around before you get to Sturgeon.  (never saw another person in there, nor any sign of recent travel).  Lesser traveled means generally fewer campsites also.   Seems to me that the NW quadrant of the park has the most ticks as compared to other areas - doing that little loop out from Jean, I was picking lots of ticks off of me at each pass on the portage trails - sometimes a dozen on each pass.  But that would be end of May early June - they may be gone later in the year.

Jean Cr isn't that difficult, probably easier with the beaver dams as they eliminate a couple of portages at least.

All your options sound good to me.
So much depends of water levels/ wind direction.
I think I would bring maps to cover all the possible options and after checking with Park Ranger station, make my choice based on the most current info.

Being flexible is far less stressful and much more enjoyable than locking yourself into a route.

As long as you put-in on schedule and take-out the same, everything in between is open to negotiations with Mother Nature ;)

This is great info folks - thanks!

After my late night post I talked to my son & he's leaning toward the first set of options ("A") & taking the B-chain instead of Deux R. if conditions warrant that.  Probably Lonely Ck vs. Jean Ck also unless we get an East wind on Sturgeon.  (We paddled about 20km on Quetico into an East wind 2 yrs ago!  I think "Prevailing Wind" means "the wind that prevails over you & is always in your face!")

It's not as much new territory for me as the Badwater - Jean options, but it may be a better route for us to have fun.  But I'll keep the Badwater - Jean notes for another trip!

-Tom

In low water conditions the middle section of Jean-Boulder can be as bad as DR too.

If you decide to explore the area inside 3-Mile, Beaverhouse, Jean, Bentpine, let me know. I've covered that pretty well over the years.

Good fishing, slower travel, nice solitude, lot of logging artifacts. Strong winds not as much a problem either.

Quote:

In low water conditions the middle section of Jean-Boulder can be as bad as DR too.

I have a old trip report that can attest to that.
I stood in canoe and used double paddle to navigate like a Gondolier thru a stretch before hitting portage from Boulder to Jean.
I doubt you could walk, at least I didn't find it possible.
First and only attempt I went in crotch deep and if I didn't have canoe next to me to lever/roll myself into, I would still be there ;D