db wrote on Jan 2
nd, 2017 at 8:17am:
You can probably reserve an entry now for June 1 at
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links) but I'd suggest letting your outfitter reserve a Stanton permit.
Hey db,
I don't believe there is such a thing as a "Stanton" permit. I think they fall under the Pickerel Lake quota. Regardless, your advice re: obtaining an outfitter is probably good. Americans cannot park their vehicles at Stanton (a concession the park made to Canadian-based outfitters, I'm sure). Therefore, the only way Americans can use Stanton as a place of entry is to have someone "drop them off" OR have a licensed Canadian driver in their paddling party.
As far as I know, Doug Chapman of Canadian Quetico Outfitters is the closest outfitter to Stanton but there are one or two other outfitters in the Eva Lake area who could also perform this service (if you don't mind travelling at break-neck speeds over sometimes questionable roads... one of those dudes nearly side-swiped us one year!). Getting an outfitter to run you over from Atikokan would likely be more expensive.
Anyhow, entering at Stanton can save you a couple hours versus entering Pickerel via French. However, when using Stanton, I recommend folks do what they can to secure a "morning" entry versus afternoon. When afternoon breezes pick up on Pickerel - blowing in from the west or northwest, more often than not - travelling in a southerly direction across the big lake from Stanton can become somewhat challenging. That's happened to me more than once and, one year, my brother & I had to settle for a very rough camp on a scruffy, nasty little island just outside of Stanton Bay due to the considerable chop on the water (there's a reef just outside of the bay that plays havoc with water conditions when those waves pick up).
Pickerel is fickle and needs to be respected at all times. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes not. I try to plan with the odds in my favor and go with morning entry at Stanton whenever I can.
For folks who simply cannot enter in the morning, there IS one decent campsite in the bay itself in the event of "windy conditions." There are also a few "make-do" spots around the bay. However, these will fill up fast when the big lake is uncooperative during popular summer weeks.
Another "fun fact" about an entry at Stanton was mentioned earlier by DD, I think. The road to Stanton can become "unusable" after big storms. I've had that happen once or twice, too. Then, you punt and use the regular Pickerel entry point OR you change your entry permit altogether. When this happened to me, years ago, the park acknowledged the inconvenience and allowed me to change my permit without issue or cost. In any case, the outfitter you will need to use for a Stanton entry will certainly know the shape of the road so CALL in advance, if you have doubts. One year an outfitter managed to get a vehicle across the major washout on that road... and kept it there for a few weeks. They would run their clients to the gap, unload, ferry their gear & clients across, and reload their other truck on the far side to resume the journey. Anyhow, it was a mess.
Recommendation: use a local outfitter who knows the conditions of the road into Stanton and try to plan for a morning entry.
Jimbo
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2017 Trip Plans (Read 25315 times)
