All -

At the recommendation of Doug Chapman at Canadian Quetico Outfitters, DentonDoc & I "discovered" a brand new "meals & lodging" resource that many of you may wish to check out.  It is the Quetico College School and you can research it at: (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) .

I was absolutely amazed this huge former conference center even existed.  I've been going in on the north side of Quetico for over 25 years & had no idea it was there.  On the other hand, it HAS been "dormant" for quite a number of years.  Retired school-master Michael Heaton has come out of retirement to revive it as a prep school using a project-based curriculum that has worked well in other places like San Diego.  You can read all about that aspect of the operation on their website.  The MAIN point here is that Michael has opened up the facility for paddlers (& others) to get some use of his substantial capacity (many comfortable dorm room buildings, 5 fully furnished cabins, a very nice dining hall, a well-equipped recreation building, etc.).

Overnight accommodations (we each had separate & nicely appointed rooms) , dinner & breakfast ran us approximately $98... in Canadian funds.  In American dollars these days, that comes to peanuts.

Hospitality was warm, meals excellent, and the campus - situated right beside Eva Lake - was beautiful, quiet, & full of wildlife (apparently 4 moose frequent the property).  For those who must have it, it also offers WIFI.  Anyhow, the entire arrangement blows anything offered in Atikokan completely out of the water.  Also, the convenience of this resource for trips that originate on the east side of the park cannot be beaten.  You can reach the Dawson campground in about 10 minutes.

Those interested in more details should feel free to contact Michael Heaton by phone at 807 598-1600 or by e-mail at: Michael Heaton <queticocs@gmail.com> .  You will find him to be friendly, knowledgeable, courteous and engaging.

Apparently Michael heard Doug Chapman lamenting the fact that so many of his customers - in this particular case, DentonDoc & me - were seeking a "local" alternative to Atikokan lodging & meals.  Michael realized this as a possible opportunity and so he and Doug set us up as the guinea pigs. 

I'll let DentonDoc speak for himself.  As for me, I say it easily beats anything greater metropolitan Atikokan has to offer.  I recommend the Quetico College School as a "meals & lodging" option in the highest possible terms! 

QJ'ers should feel free to PM me for additional details.  This was a great discovery and one of the highlights of our trip.

Jimbo   

Thanks for the post.  Interesting looking place.  Whether it can be successful in attracting enough students and other activity to sustain itself will be seen, but I hope so.

solotripper wrote on Jul 29^th, 2016 at 8:25pm:


You mean like French Lake?

Old Salt wrote on Jul 29^th, 2016 at 8:49pm:


I mean a little EAST of there and South.

As for my take on using Quetico College School for pre- or post-trip accommodations ... this is clearly a no-brainer.  The facility is excellent, the rooms (while smallish) were nicely appointed with on-suite bath/shower, the meals were well executed and enjoyable (from a dining hall which faces out onto Eva Lake), nice (paved) walking paths between buildings, and peaceful.  Like I said ... staying here is a no brainer.

If you are so inclined, there are common (meeting place) rooms, some of which have a refrigerator, sink with running water, microwave, satellite TV and so on.

Bottom line ... THUMBS UP!

dd