Narrow/river backcountry paddling recommendations

I just did tim river to rosebary lake and I loved the route after you get passed Tim lake. It was a one night trip for me.

I don’t enjoy canoeing for a long time on a huge open lake . I prefer narrow/winding routes.

Any recommendations ? Looking at the map it seems like any narrow/river routes will take awhile to reach. Maybe I missed something!

Thanks for help!

in algonquinparkby RefrigeratorDirect69

100%

16d

shaggycanoeist

16d

The Petawawa between Daisy and Little Misty is a nice creek-like paddle. Not as long a section as the section of the Tim you've paddled, but pleasant, dotted with a few small picturesque rapids/falls and fairly accessible.

For a longer trip, keep moving to Misty, then north through Shaw back onto the Tim river. The section of the Tim between the Shah Lake portage and Shippagew is a very nice river paddle. Once you're on Shippagew you might as well visit Big Trout, and then paddle through Grassy Bay and McIntosh marsh, which is very pretty, winding, and you get to practice and refine your beaver dam lift over techniques! (You'll need a few days to move through all of that)

If you're looking to go deeper some day, the Nipissing River between the Loontail Creek junction all the way to the Luckless Lake portage is superb. I especially like the section from the Nadine Lake portage through to the Luckless Lake portage. It all has a very remote feeling to it. Like you say, none of that is particularly easy to get to, though...

muskokaJay

16d

Tim access to big Bob lake. Nipissing to loon tail back to rosebary then back up the tim. Quite a few portages but it is a nice loop. I would camp big Bob first night or one of the first spots on the nip. The alders between big Bob and grass lake are slow going.

sweatyleonard

16d

I don't have other winding routes, but would be curious to know the route you took if you don't mind sharing.

First_Utopian

16d

You can go Cache to Lake of two rivers (or the other way) via the Madawaska. Or you can head south to Head lake if you want to stay a night. There’s a few beaver dams along the way and low water levels could be an issue later in the season.

There is also a river at the other end of LotR that takes you south past Pog Lake campground into whitefish lake and then into rock lake. This is a super casual paddle on a lazy but wide open river. There is just one 150m portage past a (man made) dam.

graham464646

16d

Barron canyon area is kind of similar, the lakes you do paddle through are pretty small.

MWahaj

16d

Do you have to bring your own canoe

destp

15d

I enjoyed going up Potter Creek from Canoe Lake last year. A couple points for a little more closed in than my ideal, but overall good. Potter Lake stays pretty narrow and was a nice paddle.

unclejrbooth

15d

Not in the park but there is a nice half day down the Madawaska from a put in at the bridge on Major Lake Road into Bark Lake. You should have two vehicles and park on in JR Booth Memorial Park. And leave the other at the put in. You can rent canoes in town from Algonquin Bound, they may deliver you and the canoe. Its a flat water trip. You can start the trip by going up river to see the remains of the McCauley Central Railway bridge over the river part of the Canadian Atlantic Railway there is some gentle “white” water sections above and below the bridge.