I have taken several Clay Lake fly-ins over the years to get to Kawnipi.  The Greenwood River that comes off of Clay and leads into the Waiwag is a very zig zaggy shallow creek. It most places it is only about 10 ft wide at best. It can get very low. In fact, one year many moons ago around the 4th of July ... my brother in law and I had to pull our canoe thru this creek almost 3 miles to reach the Waiwag. It was nuts. I would highly recommend going in before the 4th of July to make sure water levels are high enough to paddle through. I see that you are planning on a May trip and that surely would be a great time to paddle the Waiwag.

The water depth of the Waiwag is never a problem. It has good depth. It does however have beaver dams like you have heard.  The last time I was there I remember 4 dams that we had to portage around. They were all quite short and not that difficult to foot.

Another piece of advice is to get an early fly-in time into Clay Lake. It will take you a good 5 1/2 - 6 hours minimum if you double portage to get to Kawa Bay. There are no campsites along the Waiwag ... it is marshy along most of the river. You don't want to get caught with a late start and trying to find a campsite in the dark once you get to Kawa Bay. I usually camp in Kawa the 1st night when I take a Clay Lake fly-in. I have made it to McKenzie Bay on Kawnipi the 1st night but that is a full , hard day to make that the 1st night.

There is a good chance to see moose along the Waiwag. There are several bays that are scattered along it that sometimes are frquented by moose. Lots of mergansers and ducks too.

Bottomline, it is a very enjoyable route to paddle. I highly recommend it.

if the water is too low in Greenwood creek, the park may allow fly-in access to Mack Lake - they've done that a time or two.  (note that there will be a new supervisor this year, so he may have different views on that than previous supervisor had)

With such a dry winter and maybe continuinig with a dry spring, even in May there is potential for Greenwood Cr to be too low (going to depend on spring rains) - Four ? years ago or so, all water levels were very low in Quetico after a similar but wetter winter - big lakes were down about 3 feet when I went at end of May begin of June.   But as mentioned above, the Wawiag should have plenty of water - I do remember a sorta campsite on the river - there was a fire ring and enough usable space at the downstream end of one of the portages for a "make do" camp if needed - it would be one of the marked portages around a rapid.

If you have an RABC, you can access Wawiag vis Saganagons to Mack Lake if you are looking for other options.

Thanks already for the advice everyone - Wally, I have indeed read about the beaver dams, and not being totally new to the Q I have had some run ins, never much of a problem. As for moose, have only seen one (with a calf none the less!) out in the park so far, and it was a real treat, and look forward to the day I see another.

Magic, we typically go through an outfitter out of Atikokan, who has served us well, and also does fly ins, but certainly are open to other options.

Water conditions are certainly always unpredictable, and I have read where the Greenwood can be brutal if the water is down. Being able to get dropped into mack lake is obviously appealing, but as you pointed out who knows if that'll be an option.

Definitely am strongly drawn to doing that route - dad is getting up there in his years, and fears he doesn't know how many trips he has left, and to be able to share special trips in deeper in areas while feasible is definitely important to the two of us. Add into this the difficulty of arranging for time away (I'm a fireman, and getting shift coverage can be tricky at times). Ideally we'd like to go in at Cache Bay and travel NW from there and traverse the park...

We do double portage, yet we pack light - he carries our food/cook pack, I our 'sleeping pack' with tent, etc first, then I return for the canoe.

The unnamed lakes do appeal to us, however those might be better saved for a later date - perhaps more of an option when something such as a Wawiag trip is no longer an option for him. We are both very drawn to wanting to get into the poet lakes as well as the Chatterton area - he was there once back in 80's with the friend who introduces him (and therefore me) to backcountry paddling (thanks Mac! rest in peace, never forgotten, spirit always will travel with me to the Singing Wilderness).

Anyways, I digress lol - thanks again, and keep the pointers coming.

Geeze, guess I need to refrain from pressing 'post message' until I complete my thoughts!

Jim, fascinating about the wolves - I actually intended to ask in my earlier post about hearing them..I never have, my dad did once in the 80's, before I began going (born in 81, unfortunately never made it up until 2005...).

Any particular areas of the park where wolves are more prevelant? I can't help but think the more remote/less travelled areas would be more prone to having them..

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I had a discussion with Quetico Dave about this very subject. Before he went out of business, he used to offer a hunting guide service for deer/bear/moose. At the time, they were doing a lot of lumbering along the northern borders of the park. Don't know if they still are?

Dave said that while scouting for hunting areas he found that the wolves were hanging out in recently lumbered areas becasue the deer/moose found foraging there much easier in the newly lumbered areas.
Wolf follow their prey and the prey like the newly growing food base that comes after logging.

I imagine it's easier for the pack to down an animal in semi-cleared areas rather than chasing them thru overgrown old growth areas.

Dave said he had personally seen wolves in packs and their sign thru out those areas.
So I'm thinking if the logging is still continuing, the lakes that border the harvest might be just as good as the more remote areas that you would think the wolves would seek?

Not a wolf expert, but I believe easy prey/food opportunities might trump solitude in the packs eye.