I've had my eye on the area west of Wabakimi and the Pickle Lake road for a number of years now. The San Raphael Provincial Park appears to be just a name, a "non operating park" with little or no actual infrastructure in terms of an office or personnel. A few of the lakes appear to have outpost cabins and a big lodge on De Lesseps Lake with a huge landing strip.

From the looks of it, the area would make for a great loop trip, but I can't seem to find any info on potential portages between lakes. Does anybody have ideas about where to start to research this area? Thanks, Mark

Here's the guy to contact...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b1U2JpCDxc

goatroti: "Here's the guy to contact...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b1U2JpCDxc

"

That's great, Thanks so much.

Mark

Hmmmm........ thnks

Try this website. Canadian canoe routes

jwartman59: "Try this website. Canadian canoe routes "

I looked on CCR for almost 40 minutes before I recommended the video created by Stajanleafs (on CCR). The website was devoid of any reference to St. Raphael.

I want that novacraft boat in the video!

I just saw this thread.
I was there two years ago and can fill you in about the place. Non-operating means pretty much anything goes. Quetico is managed.
Tom

In short,

It is very beautiful place, but it does not have wilderness protections. I saw motor boats. Campsites had tables and some had pots and pans for cooking. Big tables for cleaning fish.
There was a fly-in outpost on a lake I paddled through.

Definitely no canoeists that I saw and I just camped where I could find a spot since my maps didn't show campsites. There are scattered campsites since the fly-in camps have boaters make stops for fish cleaning and cooking based on what I saw.

I would call St. Raphael an extension of Wabakimi. I didn't portage much since the waterways are so inter-connected. Wabakimi is much more suited for canoe camping since it is more established and documented.

As you will find, there is not very much detailed info on St. Raphael which made it harder for me to figure out a trip. I did work with the Canadian Gov. to obtain an entry location and get some maps but I don't remember who I talked to. My parking spot was not desirable even though I was told to park there. My front tire was slashed while I was on my trip and I drove 50 miles to Pickle Lake on the donut tire to find a new one. I am surprised they didn't just burn my car since there were a few burned out vehicles not far from where I parked. I guess they left me off easy.

Tom