Temagami Canoe Routes: The Expert Guide to Ontario’s Best Canoe Trip
Canoeing the Temagami is the only way to experience its deep waters filled with fish, centuries-old pine forests, dramatic Canadian Shield rocks and sandy beaches.
The Temagami Wilderness offers the ultimate backcountry Ontario canoeing experience: pristine lakes, idyllic campsites with million-dollar views, and serene solitude. With whitewater and flatwater paddling, ten rivers, hundreds of lakes, and countless natural and cultural sites, Temagami is truly a dream canoe trip destination.
Temagami canoe country offers up to 4,700 km (more than 2900 mi) of routes — triple that of the more popular nearby Algonquin Park. Here, there’s a route for everyone, from novices and kids to expert paddlers (and without the crowds and notably fewer bugs). Most routes are loops, making convenient trips for all lengths of adventures. Nowhere else in Ontario offers the perfect blend of stunning wilderness and accessibility like Temagami.
You can create your own adventure from the endless options Temagami presents, but there are a couple dozen tried-and-true canoe routes. These decades-old itineraries are documented in Temagami Canoe Routes, an out-of-print ‘bible’ of Temagami canoe routes written by Hap Wilson in 1988 and most recently updated in 1992. Every canoe guide worth their salt has a dog-eared copy of this book stowed in their on-board wanigan storage chest.
Based on the book’s timeless wisdom and my years of experience canoeing the Temagami, I’ve selected five routes of varying length and experience levels to recommend for anyone heading to Temagami for a summer expedition.
Wild, rugged and alive in the Temagami Wilderness
It would take a lifetime to paddle all of Temagami’s hundreds of lakes, about 200 of which are named.
Temagami is a vast landscape sprawling 12,000 square km (4,600 square miles) of northeastern Ontario. About a five-hour drive north of Toronto, Temagami’s boundaries are loosely defined by the town of Sudbury to the southwest, the town of North Bay to the southeast, the Ottawa River to the east, the Montreal River and the hamlet of Matchewan to the north, and the Wanipitei River to the west.
It’s wild, mostly unmanaged land composed of 16 provincial parks and 26 conservation reserves — and that only covers about 15 percent of the Wilderness area. It’s the kind of place where time takes on a different meaning and you can really disconnect from your nine-to-five life and reconnect with yourself and the natural world.
McConnell Bay is renowned for its soft, wide, sand beach, a rarity among campsites in the Canadian Shield.
And what a place to get lost. Temagami is pure, unbridled nature, with the largest remaining contiguous old growth red pine forest in the world, stunning quartzite cliffs and rare sandy beaches. Classic Canadian wildlife, such as bears and moose, live alongside the elusive lynx, marten and fisher wildcat. And there is rich birdlife, including eagles, kingfishers, osprey and the pileated woodpecker. A network of waterways connects this vast area, beginning with the deep, clear waters of Lake Temagami and radiating out, along with the area’s three formidable rivers — the Montreal, the Sturgeon and the Ottawa.
Temagami canoe routes follow ancient Indigenous “Nastawgan”
This traditional yellow sign on trees indicating portaging routes is used throughout Temagami and Ontario.
Canoeing is central to Temagami’s ancient and modern history. Before the Ontario Northland Railroad was built in 1902, the only way to access the Temagami was via canoe. Many of the routes used — then and now — are the same ancient routes created by the Indigenous Anishinaabe community of the Temagami First Nation. These routes, called “Nastawgan,” form a robust network of paths marked by axe blazes stuck in tree trunks.
Checking out ancient Indigenous pictographs found along the waterline of Matagamasi Lake.
Other incredible evidence of Indigenous life permeates the Temagami Wilderness. It’s a treasure to behold the pictographs, petroforms and spiritual places you’ll undoubtedly encounter on a canoe trip.
Top Temagami canoe routes, by level of experience
Short canoe route for novices: Wolf Lake Route (Chiniguchi River)
Distance: 42 km (26 mi)
Duration: 2–3 days
Portages: 12
Access point: Lower Matagamasi Lake
This two to three-day route allows novice canoeists to paddle through some of the most beautiful parts of Temagami. I find myself returning to this southwestern corner of Temagami year after year. It’s a flatwater route through gorgeous lakes, including Wolf Lake — one of the region’s highlights and a long-time favourite. The quartzite-rimmed lake is surrounded by the world’s largest known contiguous old-growth red pine forest. The karibu adventures Temagami tour covers a good section of this route (but with only four portages!), and we spend a night at a clifftop campsite with a panoramic view of Wolf Lake.
The Wolf Lake (Chiniguchi River) Route begins at Matagamasi Lake and winds through lakes studded with forested islands, like Stuffer and Dougherty. The route’s namesake river, the Chiniguchi, and surrounding wilderness form the Chiniguchi Waterway Provincial Park, an unmanaged conservation area, and one of Temagami’s most recent additions. Canoeists on this route pass through the Chiniguchi Lake, known for its rocky shores, impressive pine trees and Indigenous pictographs.
Don’t miss the remnants of an old logging road bridge in Frederick Lake, which are leftover from the area’s controversial yet long-lived logging era.
Paddling past the white, quartzite cliffs of Wolf Lake.
Longer novice route: Anima Nipissing – Lady Evelyn Lake Loop
Distance: 118.4 km (74 mi)
Duration: 6–7 days
Portages: 7
Access point: Mowat Landing
The Lady Evelyn Lake Loop is an option for beginner canoeists seeking a longer canoeing expedition. The six to seven-day trip follows the Montreal River, traversing the Temagami’s centrepiece park, Lady Evelyn, and its famed lake. It and the other lakes on this route, including Chiniguchi Lake and Dewdney Lake, are wide-open expanses of deep, clear waters. On Sunnywater Lake, you can see straight through the water, 23 metres (75 feet) down. You can swim and make camp along any of the lakes’ beaches and islands; there’s the famous sandy inlet on Lake Temagami’s Ferguson Bay, but it should be avoided if you dislike crowds.
It’s worth getting out of your canoe and exploring in several places. On your portage from Red Squirrel Lake to the Anima Nipissing River, you can spot an 1800s Jesuit mission that’s been converted into canoe Camp Wanapitei. You can also hike up nearby Mount Ferguson for views of the bay. More logging artifacts can be seen on Diamond Lake, which is also home to some scenic old-growth pines.
Intermediate to novice option: Red Cedar to Jumping Cariboo L. Loop
Distance: 98.4 km (61 mi)
Duration: 5–6 days
Portages: 21 portages
Access point: Central Lake Temagami
Our canoes break the Wasaksina Lake’s glassy surface.
The middle-of-the-road option in terms of canoeing experience is also geographically central to Temagami. This majestic route pairs the vast Lake Temagami with smaller jewels. From Lake Temagami, you pass through 13 deep lakes; Lake Wasaksina and Lake Denedus are my favourites. Both lakes have fantastic fishing and striking surroundings. Wasaksina definitely has the best camping on this route.
Watch for moose along the portaging route between Mann and Twinsister Lakes!
Solidly intermediate route: Smoothwater L – Lady Evelyn R. Loop
Distance: 90 km (56 mi)
Time: 7–9 days
Portages: 20
Access point: Northeast bay of Isabel (Beauty) Lake
This loop takes a different approach, from the northwest, to Lady Evelyn. There are several standout lakes, particularly the translucent Sunnywater Lake, considered Temagami’s clearest. Along the way, you can get a look at the captivating Elizabeth Falls, a hidden gem. Smoothwater Lake, which forms the headwaters for the Montreal River, is the perfect place to swim and sunbathe on a sandy beach, where you can also pitch your tent. Other picturesque campsites can be found on the high rocks above Duff Lake. When paddling out of Duff, you’ll hit some fast currents and then a serene stretch of spruce and alder lowlands where moose like to graze.
Many of Temagami’s waterways traverse through beautiful natural rock formations.
Biggest and most advanced canoe route: Temagami Wanapitei
Distance: 208 km (130 mi)
Duration: 12–14 days
Portages: 39
Access point: Central Lake Temagami
Temagami Wanapitei is known as the best full-season whitewater run. There are over 20 runnable rapids, but some are expert-only and others shouldn’t be run at all. The most challenging section of this route is the Temagami River, which comes just after the first lake, the beautiful Cross Lake. Our karibu Temagami canoe trip covers some of this route’s more tranquil sections.
Some noteworthy lakes along the way include the rugged Thistle (Island) Lake, known for its bass fishing; the Sturgeon River’s alternating fast rapids and tranquil lakes, plus lots of wildlife viewing ops; Murray Lake, for its sandy beach camping and healthy osprey population; and Edna Lake’s idyllic cascading rapids.
In addition to its adrenaline-pumping rapids, this route’s highlights include the ancient Indigenous pictographs painted onto the rock face at Lake Matagamasi, virgin pine forest and Island Falls Cross. On your way back to Lake Temagami, check for rhubarb and raspberries along the portage between Ozhway Lake and the Sturgeon River. The stretch passes “Kelly’s Farm”, which once had remnants of farm structures but is now just a field.
We have more practical tips for planning an Ontario canoe trip, such as the best park for you, when to go and what not to miss.