Started planning the 2016 WCPP trip. Looking at about a ten day trip Starting at Lund entry:

Lund
Indian House
Gammon
Royd to Larus threw Irvine area or Dunstan/Simeon
Murdock
Knox
Lund

Looking for everybody's thoughts on travel direction, best scenery, campsites you name it I'm open.

Thanks

First thought was direction is good to be lightest on the portage on south end of Knox. But then your direction is the North Prairie to Prairie... Maybe two days to Indian House. The island in the middle with a middle finger (haha) pointing SW has an ok campsite. Third day past Prairie but before seasonally shallow area. Campsites? Not sure how the shallow area will be... Gammon is big and wind typically will be coming at you. If you were good you could get on Royd. Then Split Rock three lakes north of Royd has a better campsite. Larus Creek will have some blow down. You'll have to get out some. There is a campsite on the first kidney lake up the creek. A good day could put you on Murdock on day seven if your on schedule. You could potentially get to lake south of Knox... Good island site. And potentially out another day. These are pretty full days in my opinion. A twelve or fourteen day time frame would give you better time. We did fifteen days opposite direction using the (minjim) route. It was really very easy for fourteen or fifteen days. Ten would be really moving. Magic Paddler was slowed some because of his weak partner. :) See his trip report on 15 days Woodland Caribou not too far down the list. Come to canoe copia... I get to hang at the woodland caribou booth. Another option if water is lower is to go east to west on minjim. It would be a good idea to talk to someone who's been through there to know what to look for. Lot of options... My opinion going up Dunstan would add another day yet. Just my thoughts not knowing your experience and abilities... Not really a walk in the park, but a good adventure.

A better ten day is going your direction and minjim out. I did Johnson entry to telescope to Glenn to Hanson, rostoul,gammon, Royd and minjim back to johnson in ten or eleven with some time to fish.

Hey Ben,

We did the same route you took in 2014. We have covered a lot of the park from Royd south and were trying to put something together in the north.

Thanks much for the reply.

NCTRY makes a lot of good points. Most important that it would be hard to do it and still enjoy it in 10 days. The route Indian House to Gammon used to be the only way but I would recommend the [Minjim] through Lightning. You fight small creeeks either way but better scenery via Lightning. Check some of my videos in [ TheNorthwoodsman1 ] youtube channel to see if it is a fit for you. The park can E-mail you a PDF with the detail because the latest Chrismar map only shows a rough outline of the Minjim route. It was not finished when the map went to press.

The Irvine area is great and allows some exit options. My suggestion would be to do the Irvine Loop and then paddle the narrow chain of lakes NE to Murdock. This would still be more than most would want to do in 10 days. If you use a GPS I can send you a lot of detailed info that will ease your planning.

For the trip on Larus creek I only had a pocket saw. I would recommend a buck saw to cut some of the bigger trees.
A short/smaller canoe does wind through some of the switch backs in the small creek easier but you are going to use what you got and it will work fine.

We did the 2014 trip (same route as yours) in eight days, but we should have slowed down and taken ten. We have good intentions every year and say were going to travel two and take one off, but wanting to see what's around the next corner always gets the best of us.

thanks for your input guys...keep it coming.

thanks Marten for the Irvine loop idea...that's one I had not considered (looking at old map). We do use a GPS so any data you want to share would be greatly appreciated. Doing the Minjim again would put me back on Constellation...not a bad thing for sure.

Have you considered a fly in paddle out? It really opens up some options. If you were ever going to do it this would be the year with the exchange rates what they are.

quote hobbydog: "Have you considered a fly in paddle out? It really opens up some options. If you were ever going to do it this would be the year with the exchange rates what they are. "

No guarantee you're going to pay in Canadian dollars just because you're in Canada. If it matters check first.

Alan

Have always used credit card up there and paid Canadian and a little fee from the bank. No big deal... For a bit there we were pretty close. The one time we paddled in and was going to fly out I saw what it was going to cost, I made the 14 day onto a 26 day and still came out ahead. :) When the plane came for the other two guys, I had them bring in a resupply. You guys obviously like to cover some ground. Marten's idea to head up the lakes from Royd to Murdock would make your trip more doable I think. If it's really wet, I'd do the minjim to avoid the portage out of Knox. Of course that has it's wet spots. But not the whole body sucking mud... Haha! A fly in to Royd would give you time on the Irvine loop... Have you been through Poodle? Good options...

Murdock is pretty burned... You got a bit to chew on here I think.

Hi Bill,

I would love to do a fly-in someday but for now it would mean giving up one of my other adventures during the year...not ready to do that yet. Have you decided on a route yet ?

Hey Ben,

Martin sent me some files I have to look at, but I like the idea of incorporating the Irvine loop and the small lakes to Murdock into the trip. Not sure if I have been to poodle...where is that located ?
Is there a yearly rendezvous anymore ?

On the new park map you will see Poodle listed east of Constellation. It amounts to a connection between the Minjim route and the chain NE to Murdock.

Poodle really opens up some options. Kind of a neat lake. Portages are ok... The one I really liked in 2012 was not as good this year. The other into the minjim was greatly improved. Both were very passable. Pretty cool that Marten has scouted all these additional lakes. You could even start the minjim out of Royd and head up through poodle to the Royd Murdock chain. With your time restraints, Irvine would be tough without a fly in. On my 2012 trip I was at Irvine on the first leg bit opted out on the second leg because of one portage that had heavy damage. It was a walk in the park this year... Thanks portage Crews!

quote scot320: "Hi Bill,


I would love to do a fly-in someday but for now it would mean giving up one of my other adventures during the year...not ready to do that yet. Have you decided on a route yet ?"

Yeah, I had to make some tradeoffs last year to do a fly-in. I'm still not sure where I am going this year. It will be on the west side. One thought is to go in Garner or Wanipigow and head south to Irregular, east and explore Trident Lake, maybe out Jan Lake EP an back in on the Bird River EP. I will probably go around Sept. 1. My other option is to go in Wanipigow and go north. I might not decide until the last minute depending on water levels and how I am feeling.