BWCA Crown Land fans? Boundary Waters Group Forum: Other Canoe Camping Locations
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missmolly
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08/16/2013 01:52PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Anyone else who likes to canoe on Crown Land? If so, what do you like about it? Don't like about it? For those who don't know, Crown Land is the land between the parks. I like it because of:

1. The network of logging roads that allows fairly easy access.

2. You're free to camp wherever you wish.

3. The fishing can be fantastic, with very little to no pressure.

The drawbacks:

1. No one ever made or maintains portage trails.

2. No spiffified campsites.

3. As far as a I know, that's no site like this where one can accrue knowledge about a lake before ever setting canoe on it.
 
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yellowcanoe
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08/16/2013 04:17PM  
Sure..but there are portage trails. And some of them are maintained by local groups. The bad thing is that there is currently limited protection preventing the total obliteration of those trails by loggers. IE they don't have to restore the portage trails.

What I don't like is that getting a Crown Land camping permit is a hassle but we just finished camping on Crown Land (Pukaskwa Highlands) for a week. If you rent accommodation from an outfitter you don't have to pay Crown Land fees. Yes you have to rent. So we rented our own tent and saved some fifty bucks.

If you can find a copy of the Canoe Atlas of the Little North you will find tens of thousands of portage trails. True some are not maintained but its a blast to ferret out old blazes.

 
missmolly
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08/16/2013 07:36PM  
Yes, there are portage trails sometimes, but I've bushwhacked to lakes that had no portage trails.
 
yellowcanoe
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08/16/2013 09:07PM  
quote missmolly: "Yes, there are portage trails sometimes, but I've bushwhacked to lakes that had no portage trails."


In the St Raphael FMU we had the task of locating portage trails where it appeared there never had been any. Blowdowns made travel just awful. We spent one afternoon dragging gear 400 meters and clearing blowdown. We were not aware of any portage trail but looked at the map and used the GPS to calculate the shortest straightish line between lakes.

We felt like the first humans through. Taking a break someone leaned on a tree..looked around and had an old blaze staring him in the face.
 
missmolly
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08/17/2013 06:11AM  
I suspect that there are portage trails to most lakes that lead to other lakes, but I'm a fisher and have bushwhacked to little lakes that are dead ends. I'm guessing that no one ever bothered to make a portage trail to such lakes, but heck, you and I are only guessing about all of this, as even with your enormous experience and my aggragate two years in the Shield, we've only seen one bluhbillionth of the bush.
 
Frederic
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08/20/2013 06:21AM  
I belong to a community that is mapping canoe route on public lands in Quebec:

Cartes plein air Look under "Canot" then "Cartes".

There is no such thing as a Crown Land Permit in my neck of the wood but you have to take into account that it is not unregulated. We have ZEC and licensed outfitters territories where fishing and sometimes camping may be subject to regulations. Some First Nation communities also have a fair amount of control over their territory.
 
missmolly
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08/20/2013 08:11AM  
quote Frederic: "I belong to a community that is mapping canoe route on public lands in Quebec:


Cartes plein air Look under "Canot" then "Cartes".


There is no such thing as a Crown Land Permit in my neck of the wood but you have to take into account that it is not unregulated. We have ZEC and licensed outfitters territories where fishing and sometimes camping may be subject to regulations. Some First Nation communities also have a fair amount of control over their territory."


Thanks, Frederic! I'm closer to Quebec than Ontario now since moving to Maine, so this is hugely helpful.
 
yellowcanoe
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08/20/2013 09:02AM  
quote missmolly: "I suspect that there are portage trails to most lakes that lead to other lakes, but I'm a fisher and have bushwhacked to little lakes that are dead ends. I'm guessing that no one ever bothered to make a portage trail to such lakes, but heck, you and I are only guessing about all of this, as even with your enormous experience and my aggragate two years in the Shield, we've only seen one bluhbillionth of the bush."


Yep.. and Frederic thanks for the link. I have only been to Papineau La Belle and La Verendrye ( the latter quite a bit). I am glad to know that there is somewhere to go after Labour Day. (both parks have limited camping and canoeing after that date)
 
Frederic
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08/20/2013 01:00PM  
I have 2 weeks of vacation left this coming September and my partner just cancelled our planned trip so... If someone is available for a 17 days train-in train-out public land trip please let me know.

I will not do a solo and consider doing some trekking in the Chic-Chocs (Local name for the Appalachians) instead but would rather canoe.
 
missmolly
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08/20/2013 02:52PM  
quote Frederic: "I have 2 weeks of vacation left this coming September and my partner just cancelled our planned trip so... If someone is available for a 17 days train-in train-out public land trip please let me know.


I will not do a solo and consider doing some trekking in the Chic-Chocs (Local name for the Appalachians) instead but would rather canoe."


Do you fish? I love to fish. L-O-V-E.
 
Frederic
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08/21/2013 08:33AM  
I do not fish but... If we can come to an agreement where I can do some portage clearing while you fish...

Since planning details are probably a tad out of scope for this forum could you please send me an email to: frederic.boucher01atgmail.com replacing at by @
 
08/21/2013 04:03PM  
quote missmolly: "
quote Frederic: "I belong to a community that is mapping canoe route on public lands in Quebec:



Cartes plein air Look under "Canot" then "Cartes".



There is no such thing as a Crown Land Permit in my neck of the wood but you have to take into account that it is not unregulated. We have ZEC and licensed outfitters territories where fishing and sometimes camping may be subject to regulations. Some First Nation communities also have a fair amount of control over their territory."



Thanks, Frederic! I'm closer to Quebec than Ontario now since moving to Maine, so this is hugely helpful."


Don't forget that we residents of the colonies have to pay $10 a day to camp on Crown Land and must obtain a permit.
 
Frederic
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08/22/2013 05:55AM  
Public lands regulations are subject to change from province to province.

There are no fees and no permit to camp on public lands in Quebec unless the area is organized into a ZEC (Zone d'exploitation controlee - Fishing and hunting controlled area) or under specific First Nation management. The regulation is quite complex and cannot be summed up in a couple sentences. If you need information for an area let me know.

Fishing is a different story. Non-Quebec residants (Anyone who has not spent 6 months in Quebec) pay more than locals. Outside ZEC, licensed outfitters and some First Nations territories only the basic Quebec fishing license is required which cost 80$ (Non-residants) for a year. Again the regulation is quite complex and there are special rates for shorter period than a year and exceptions for some species.

 
10/18/2013 06:37PM  
Sooo....was a trip accomplished? I'm dying to see a trip report of the area!
 
Frederic
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10/21/2013 01:14PM  
I did 10 days hiking instead in the Chic Choc.

I am planning 2 trips next year with my regular canoe partners. We would be glag if someone wants to join but we are not really fishing oriented...

They are train-in, shuttle-out trips from/to Montreal.
 
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