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.

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   

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

"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.

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