I'm heading up to Smye (west side of park) in a week and a half and wondered if anyone has taken this road?

It's a bit of shortcut from 11 to 622 but looks like 75 or so km, dirt or gravel road. Not sure of the condition of the road and whether it's faster to head north to Dryden on 502 or go all the way to Atikokan to pick up 622 in town.

Anyone ever gone up this road?

You might want to ask Hoop over at https://www.youtube.com/user/Wintertrekker
I believe he went up that way last year or maybe 2013?
EDIT: Oops...I already made that reference to you.
This entry sparks my interest as well.
I look forward to a report from you H&D.

quote jcavenagh: "You might want to ask Hoop over at https://www.youtube.com/user/Wintertrekker
I believe he went up that way last year or maybe 2013?
EDIT: Oops...I already made that reference to you.
This entry sparks my interest as well.
I look forward to a report from you H&D."

Thanks! Left a message for him on his board. My thought is this might be a time to "not trust mapquest" :). Driving the extra 45 min to Atikokan or going due north to Dryden might be the safer bet but thought I would check here first. I'll post if I get an answer from wintertrekker.

I just looked closer and realized which road you are talking about.
I agree that discretion might be the better part of valor.
I would stay on pavement all the way to Savant Lake.
From Chicago, I am looking at going through Grand Portage and then take 17 to 599 to the intersection at 50.222675, -90.697180. Then take the gravel track around and up to Smye.

Getting a trip report together as I just got back this weekend. Didn't get as far as I wanted but was traveling with someone else and we decided, out of prudence to basecamp on Wilkie.

It was still an excellent trip.

A word of advice about finding Smye entry/parking: As you travel north on the 702rd, look for kilometer marker 43. Just after that marker on the east side of the road (your right) there will be two four-wheel drive tracks heading off into the woods.

Choose the second track (the furthest north heading up the road). This track leads about 25 or 30 meters back to a small clearing with the portage trail/ATV trail at the back left that will carry you down to the water.

My paddling partner arrived earlier, went to the first 4 wheel trek, bushwacked on a grown in trail, circumnavigated a swampy bog and came out the entry that I just described....all with a kayak on his shoulders! Not a lot of fun.

I needed 3 hours to find the entry through a lot of head scratching, puzzled looks from the locals in Savant lake and a bit of luck :)...

We also cut our way through the last 131meter portage from the last no name lake into Wilkie. Lots of blowdown on that last trail. All others were in relatively good shape (thanks Wabakimi Project).

Thanks for the info!!
This whets my appetite...........

I am dong a solo in a month in the BW.

My canoe is currently on sawhorses as I put a new coat of poly resin on. Then spar varn on the gunnels and I can take her out for a spin.

So I re-read my Wabakimi report from 2011. Man, what a great trip that was!!! I cannot wait to get back up there.

I'll take a look at your trip report as well. I just got back from a long weekend with my family in Brule (BWCA) and decompressing from that time. My paddling partner wants to go back into Wabakimi from that western end (either Smye again or Sassenach up/over to Wabakimi L.) in late August.

So we might be heading back up there again before the end of the season. Beautiful area. Sees a lot of outfitter fly-ins and a bit of boat traffic but once you are off Wilkie and Flindt it thins out depending on where you are headed. We definitely had the feel that no one really comes in from that direction -- at least by canoe.

Can't wait to go back!