I doubt it. I have thought about that option, but you add a couple of longish portages - they used to be called the racer's portages (along with Bonhomme and Sauvage) as they were a shortcut - but like a lot of shortcuts, they may take longer. 

Best option is to call the park office and ask when they were last cleared by portage crews.

I've researched and inquired about this route in the past looking for an option to avoid Batch, and I found some information - but not much.  According to Barry Giles who runs Camp Quetico, they are used very little.  I found a group from Nebraska that took them in June 2016 and said they were open but took a long time due to some muddy areas and poor landings.

I have used those portages both going in and coming out.  When I gave my rout to the ranger when picking up the permit they did not say anything but technically I see why some say it can’t be used to enter the park. I measured the time from the dock on Nym to Pine Bay Portage. It take me 10-15 minutes less time to go through those portages then go through Batchewaung.  One of them varies where the east end is depending on what the beavers are doing. There was a beaver dam across the middle of one of the lakes/puddles.  There not paved like the one Nym to Batch but there not bad either.

I was told they were cut by some racers for a cross Quetico North to South race.  They also cut the Sauvage and Bonhomme portages as well as some false portages. Don’t know when.

Mad_Mat wrote on Feb 10^th, 2018 at 11:14pm:


I considered this option about 2 summers ago but the park office relayed that these can be knee-deep in mud or worse. It could take as much as 6 hours to get through them as opposed to perhaps half that time under ideal conditions. It would certainly be an adventure!