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

He might want to form agreements  with the outfitters on the northern side. Perhaps he could offer parking and shuttle.

MagicPaddler & Kingfisher worked w/Doug Chapman to use those very roads to get them as close to the Wawiag as possible a few years ago... &  they were still miles away. Beavers and foliage have taken over due to the lack of upkeep by lumber companies ( no longer in the area).  I'm pretty sure there's an old trip report out there somewhere giving an account of their experience... which, as I recall, was extremely challenging. It took them a heckuva long time (& near dehydration) to reach the river from the closest drop off point possible.

Maybe Magic will weigh in & clarify....

Jimbo. 

Magicpaddler wrote on Jul 30^th, 2016 at 1:34pm:


Lawrence,

Michael serves breakfast ANYTIME you want it... another significant plus!

Jimbo   

Also, I believe an entry such as the one we're discussing would require a "special permit" as it would not fall under either Pickerel/Stanton or Baptism Creek.  I also remember talking to QD about this route into the park.  Not sure how many times he actually took clients down there.  Nor do I know how he approached the permit issues.

Of course, outfitters fly folks into Clay Lake all the time.  There, they access the Wawiag via the Greenbrier, I think (have never done it, myself).  Not sure what permit they use (Mack Lake?)... and even this might not be the permit required by a logging route that accessed the park to the north and east.

Also, I remember QD or somebody telling me about issues navigating the Wawiag where it was accessed by the closest approach of logging roads.  Apparently it is a real rat's nest of tangles, logs & rocks in places.

From what I understand, those logging roads that currently exist actually get you closer to Belaire Lake vs. the Wawiag but I defer to Magic & Kingfisher's actual experience in this assessment.

Jimbo   

Quote:


I'm going to say as silently as possible knowing Dave.

My thoughts are to find out next time I see him IF there was at ONE time a route to the edge of river as  I understood him to say, and IF there are any map routes involved or whether he went down there with some PRIOR local knowledge?

IF there was a route then there COULD be again IF the park wanted to add another entry point. The permit part would work itself out IF you can even get there.

I saw that MP. I have a KESTREL Explorer Series map coming that supposedly shows all the logging roads in that area?
IF it shows them, even old ones, I'll bring it with me next time I see QD and have him mark the map up to the best of his recollection.

I don't think the Kestrel map has GPS grids on it, but I do know they sell/work with logging companies, so I'm hoping the map is fairly detailed?

I have one right now MAP 15-21 Atikokan that shows areas mainly along Hwy 11. Shows a lot of entry points, lake access points and type of FISH in each lake.

I think IF the roads could be improved enough to make access possible in most seasons, it would take some pressure off the other entry points for people that don't want to shuttle or want to do a loop trip.

Maybe not financially feasible on the parks budget but I'm curious how QD got in there? Maybe like you did?
How big are those rapids? I thought QD had said he MOTORED up and down WAWIAG, but that might not be right at all?

Ahem, getting back to the original topic: a new "meals & lodging" resource near the east side of Quetico... I thought I might mention that the campus sits right on Eva Lake.  Those who board there have free use of any of their 6 canoes (2 Kevlar Souris Rivers & 4 aluminum Grummans) while on the property.

I believe the lake is known for smallmouth bass, northern pike & lake trout.  Show up at mid-day, get settled, and get a few hours of fishing in before you even enter the park.

Camp Quetico is headquartered somewhere on that lake.  However, they ferry their clients to forty different lakes in the region, NOT including those they truck over to Quetico.  I'm guessing there's not a heckuva lot of traffic there.  I don't recall seeing anyone on the lake during our stay.

FYI

Jimbo   

Magic,

You'll go a few miles, see Eva Lake on your right hand side, then slow down and watch for the sign (again, on the right) which will take you on to the campus.  Eventually you'll pass their race course/training platforms for BMX bicycling and enter a parking lot.  There, you will see cabins on the lake in front of you & an administrative building at the far end on the right.  That is where we first ran into people who were able to telephone Michael about our arrival.

Chances are Michael will meet you in that parking lot.  From there he will direct you up the hill, past tennis courts and a couple more buildings to their dormitory.  He'll likely bicycle there via a short cut campus pathway and meet you.  There, you'll park & he'll show you around.  The Rec Center and the Dining Hall are within a short, easy-walking distance.

You aren't going to believe this place.  All these years of heading up to the park, to crappy arrangements & poor food in Atikokan, and THIS place has been there all the while, just sitting dormant.

Let's just hope he succeeds & can keep it going!

Jimbo   

Magicpaddler wrote on Aug 7^th, 2016 at 5:28pm:


In a sense, Magic has "reported back" sooner than anticipated.  Please note the exact location of Quetico College School, as follows: (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

Jimbo   

What's the cost per night of a stay?

I don’t remember the exact amount but it was less than Canadian $90 = about $70 US for 2 meals and a room with a private bath for the night.  That includes Tax. You don’t need to take the meals it was just easy for me.  Most Canadian restaurants open at 9-10 but he serves breakfast starting at 6.  I think my room was Canadian $60 + tax.  I did not save the receipt.