It is for this reason that I decided to create a website to share my thoughts and experiences; an attempt to reach out to a community of Ontario peakbaggers and bring awareness to my home province’s hiking potential. The following day, we were overjoyed at not having to break camp. Located on a clean sandy beach, beside a small babbling creek, this was the most picturesque wilderness campsite I had ever been to. The trail to the ridge is much easier to follow, roughly 2 hours up at a steady pace. Ishpatina Ridge on Summitpost I began the trip from Sudbury, left the city at the crack of dawn, and made my way north to 72 km of winding logging roads. Trip Report: Even though I had previously climbed the Ishpatina Ridge – Tower Peak on a canoe trip starting from the Montreal River in the north, I had always wanted to attempt the trip like many others sans canoe.What held me back was the condition of the Portelance Road beyond the Wanapitei river.There was no way I could take my Grand Am up that road! We spent a few hours up top, enjoyed the awesome view from the tower, and shared the days stories with those who made it to the top. 15 km from the road, at the midpoint of the eastern shoreline, is an excellent campsite, often referred to as the Kirsch memorial campsite. Once we were on the trail it was quite straight forward in terms of finding and following the markers. The highest point in Ontario! Camping within the park boundaries requires a backcountry camping permit. The Ishpatina Ridge, set in a remote corner of the Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater wilderness park, is a series of worn and rounded bumps spanning approximately 13 km. The final 1-2km is a steep ascension to the peak. We finally arrived on Scarecrow Lake as dusk was approaching. Guests were welcome. Do you know anything about the tower at Okiniada Lake just west of Lady Dufferin Lake? Ishpatina Ridge directions and trip report, Deseronto's Ishpatina trip report (canoe route), Ken Takabe's: pioneer of the overland route to Ishpatina, Andrew Lavigne's detailed day trip to Ishpatina via the overland route, Firla and Matt's adventures on the overland route to Ishpatina. Can't wait to go back! There is also a cabin on the northern shore of the lake. Camped at the peak, had a bear outside the tent over night. Also roads to get there are best suited for an SUV or larger! Next time I think 4days pack lighter. Complete with tables and chairs, no neighbours for miles, this was a destination unto itself. My friend and I just used your route to get to Ishpatina.
It is for this reason that I decided to create a website to share my thoughts and experiences; an attempt to reach out to a community of Ontario peakbaggers and bring awareness to my home province’s hiking potential. The following day, we were overjoyed at not having to break camp. Located on a clean sandy beach, beside a small babbling creek, this was the most picturesque wilderness campsite I had ever been to. The trail to the ridge is much easier to follow, roughly 2 hours up at a steady pace. Ishpatina Ridge on Summitpost I began the trip from Sudbury, left the city at the crack of dawn, and made my way north to 72 km of winding logging roads. Trip Report: Even though I had previously climbed the Ishpatina Ridge – Tower Peak on a canoe trip starting from the Montreal River in the north, I had always wanted to attempt the trip like many others sans canoe.What held me back was the condition of the Portelance Road beyond the Wanapitei river.There was no way I could take my Grand Am up that road! We spent a few hours up top, enjoyed the awesome view from the tower, and shared the days stories with those who made it to the top. 15 km from the road, at the midpoint of the eastern shoreline, is an excellent campsite, often referred to as the Kirsch memorial campsite. Once we were on the trail it was quite straight forward in terms of finding and following the markers. The highest point in Ontario! Camping within the park boundaries requires a backcountry camping permit. The Ishpatina Ridge, set in a remote corner of the Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater wilderness park, is a series of worn and rounded bumps spanning approximately 13 km. The final 1-2km is a steep ascension to the peak. We finally arrived on Scarecrow Lake as dusk was approaching. Guests were welcome. Do you know anything about the tower at Okiniada Lake just west of Lady Dufferin Lake? Ishpatina Ridge directions and trip report, Deseronto's Ishpatina trip report (canoe route), Ken Takabe's: pioneer of the overland route to Ishpatina, Andrew Lavigne's detailed day trip to Ishpatina via the overland route, Firla and Matt's adventures on the overland route to Ishpatina. Can't wait to go back! There is also a cabin on the northern shore of the lake. Camped at the peak, had a bear outside the tent over night. Also roads to get there are best suited for an SUV or larger! Next time I think 4days pack lighter. Complete with tables and chairs, no neighbours for miles, this was a destination unto itself. My friend and I just used your route to get to Ishpatina.
It is for this reason that I decided to create a website to share my thoughts and experiences; an attempt to reach out to a community of Ontario peakbaggers and bring awareness to my home province’s hiking potential. The following day, we were overjoyed at not having to break camp. Located on a clean sandy beach, beside a small babbling creek, this was the most picturesque wilderness campsite I had ever been to. The trail to the ridge is much easier to follow, roughly 2 hours up at a steady pace. Ishpatina Ridge on Summitpost I began the trip from Sudbury, left the city at the crack of dawn, and made my way north to 72 km of winding logging roads. Trip Report: Even though I had previously climbed the Ishpatina Ridge – Tower Peak on a canoe trip starting from the Montreal River in the north, I had always wanted to attempt the trip like many others sans canoe.What held me back was the condition of the Portelance Road beyond the Wanapitei river.There was no way I could take my Grand Am up that road! We spent a few hours up top, enjoyed the awesome view from the tower, and shared the days stories with those who made it to the top. 15 km from the road, at the midpoint of the eastern shoreline, is an excellent campsite, often referred to as the Kirsch memorial campsite. Once we were on the trail it was quite straight forward in terms of finding and following the markers. The highest point in Ontario! Camping within the park boundaries requires a backcountry camping permit. The Ishpatina Ridge, set in a remote corner of the Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater wilderness park, is a series of worn and rounded bumps spanning approximately 13 km. The final 1-2km is a steep ascension to the peak. We finally arrived on Scarecrow Lake as dusk was approaching. Guests were welcome. Do you know anything about the tower at Okiniada Lake just west of Lady Dufferin Lake? Ishpatina Ridge directions and trip report, Deseronto's Ishpatina trip report (canoe route), Ken Takabe's: pioneer of the overland route to Ishpatina, Andrew Lavigne's detailed day trip to Ishpatina via the overland route, Firla and Matt's adventures on the overland route to Ishpatina. Can't wait to go back! There is also a cabin on the northern shore of the lake. Camped at the peak, had a bear outside the tent over night. Also roads to get there are best suited for an SUV or larger! Next time I think 4days pack lighter. Complete with tables and chairs, no neighbours for miles, this was a destination unto itself. My friend and I just used your route to get to Ishpatina.
It is for this reason that I decided to create a website to share my thoughts and experiences; an attempt to reach out to a community of Ontario peakbaggers and bring awareness to my home province’s hiking potential. The following day, we were overjoyed at not having to break camp. Located on a clean sandy beach, beside a small babbling creek, this was the most picturesque wilderness campsite I had ever been to. The trail to the ridge is much easier to follow, roughly 2 hours up at a steady pace. Ishpatina Ridge on Summitpost I began the trip from Sudbury, left the city at the crack of dawn, and made my way north to 72 km of winding logging roads. Trip Report: Even though I had previously climbed the Ishpatina Ridge – Tower Peak on a canoe trip starting from the Montreal River in the north, I had always wanted to attempt the trip like many others sans canoe.What held me back was the condition of the Portelance Road beyond the Wanapitei river.There was no way I could take my Grand Am up that road! We spent a few hours up top, enjoyed the awesome view from the tower, and shared the days stories with those who made it to the top. 15 km from the road, at the midpoint of the eastern shoreline, is an excellent campsite, often referred to as the Kirsch memorial campsite. Once we were on the trail it was quite straight forward in terms of finding and following the markers. The highest point in Ontario! Camping within the park boundaries requires a backcountry camping permit. The Ishpatina Ridge, set in a remote corner of the Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater wilderness park, is a series of worn and rounded bumps spanning approximately 13 km. The final 1-2km is a steep ascension to the peak. We finally arrived on Scarecrow Lake as dusk was approaching. Guests were welcome. Do you know anything about the tower at Okiniada Lake just west of Lady Dufferin Lake? Ishpatina Ridge directions and trip report, Deseronto's Ishpatina trip report (canoe route), Ken Takabe's: pioneer of the overland route to Ishpatina, Andrew Lavigne's detailed day trip to Ishpatina via the overland route, Firla and Matt's adventures on the overland route to Ishpatina. Can't wait to go back! There is also a cabin on the northern shore of the lake. Camped at the peak, had a bear outside the tent over night. Also roads to get there are best suited for an SUV or larger! Next time I think 4days pack lighter. Complete with tables and chairs, no neighbours for miles, this was a destination unto itself. My friend and I just used your route to get to Ishpatina.
It is for this reason that I decided to create a website to share my thoughts and experiences; an attempt to reach out to a community of Ontario peakbaggers and bring awareness to my home province’s hiking potential. The following day, we were overjoyed at not having to break camp. Located on a clean sandy beach, beside a small babbling creek, this was the most picturesque wilderness campsite I had ever been to. The trail to the ridge is much easier to follow, roughly 2 hours up at a steady pace. Ishpatina Ridge on Summitpost I began the trip from Sudbury, left the city at the crack of dawn, and made my way north to 72 km of winding logging roads. Trip Report: Even though I had previously climbed the Ishpatina Ridge – Tower Peak on a canoe trip starting from the Montreal River in the north, I had always wanted to attempt the trip like many others sans canoe.What held me back was the condition of the Portelance Road beyond the Wanapitei river.There was no way I could take my Grand Am up that road! We spent a few hours up top, enjoyed the awesome view from the tower, and shared the days stories with those who made it to the top. 15 km from the road, at the midpoint of the eastern shoreline, is an excellent campsite, often referred to as the Kirsch memorial campsite. Once we were on the trail it was quite straight forward in terms of finding and following the markers. The highest point in Ontario! Camping within the park boundaries requires a backcountry camping permit. The Ishpatina Ridge, set in a remote corner of the Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater wilderness park, is a series of worn and rounded bumps spanning approximately 13 km. The final 1-2km is a steep ascension to the peak. We finally arrived on Scarecrow Lake as dusk was approaching. Guests were welcome. Do you know anything about the tower at Okiniada Lake just west of Lady Dufferin Lake? Ishpatina Ridge directions and trip report, Deseronto's Ishpatina trip report (canoe route), Ken Takabe's: pioneer of the overland route to Ishpatina, Andrew Lavigne's detailed day trip to Ishpatina via the overland route, Firla and Matt's adventures on the overland route to Ishpatina. Can't wait to go back! There is also a cabin on the northern shore of the lake. Camped at the peak, had a bear outside the tent over night. Also roads to get there are best suited for an SUV or larger! Next time I think 4days pack lighter. Complete with tables and chairs, no neighbours for miles, this was a destination unto itself. My friend and I just used your route to get to Ishpatina.
It is for this reason that I decided to create a website to share my thoughts and experiences; an attempt to reach out to a community of Ontario peakbaggers and bring awareness to my home province’s hiking potential. The following day, we were overjoyed at not having to break camp. Located on a clean sandy beach, beside a small babbling creek, this was the most picturesque wilderness campsite I had ever been to. The trail to the ridge is much easier to follow, roughly 2 hours up at a steady pace. Ishpatina Ridge on Summitpost I began the trip from Sudbury, left the city at the crack of dawn, and made my way north to 72 km of winding logging roads. Trip Report: Even though I had previously climbed the Ishpatina Ridge – Tower Peak on a canoe trip starting from the Montreal River in the north, I had always wanted to attempt the trip like many others sans canoe.What held me back was the condition of the Portelance Road beyond the Wanapitei river.There was no way I could take my Grand Am up that road! We spent a few hours up top, enjoyed the awesome view from the tower, and shared the days stories with those who made it to the top. 15 km from the road, at the midpoint of the eastern shoreline, is an excellent campsite, often referred to as the Kirsch memorial campsite. Once we were on the trail it was quite straight forward in terms of finding and following the markers. The highest point in Ontario! Camping within the park boundaries requires a backcountry camping permit. The Ishpatina Ridge, set in a remote corner of the Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater wilderness park, is a series of worn and rounded bumps spanning approximately 13 km. The final 1-2km is a steep ascension to the peak. We finally arrived on Scarecrow Lake as dusk was approaching. Guests were welcome. Do you know anything about the tower at Okiniada Lake just west of Lady Dufferin Lake? Ishpatina Ridge directions and trip report, Deseronto's Ishpatina trip report (canoe route), Ken Takabe's: pioneer of the overland route to Ishpatina, Andrew Lavigne's detailed day trip to Ishpatina via the overland route, Firla and Matt's adventures on the overland route to Ishpatina. Can't wait to go back! There is also a cabin on the northern shore of the lake. Camped at the peak, had a bear outside the tent over night. Also roads to get there are best suited for an SUV or larger! Next time I think 4days pack lighter. Complete with tables and chairs, no neighbours for miles, this was a destination unto itself. My friend and I just used your route to get to Ishpatina.
As the night approached, we were invaded by a small army of mice. Our 5 person team assembled at the Wilderness Dreams outfitter in New Liskeard, as Val, Matt and I had to rent a 3 person canoe for the trip. From Scarecrow Lake it is a 4.0 km trek to the summit. It was starting to get hot and I was getting anxious to set off to the northern peak. Just some other update info: We did the whole thing in two days, leaving the launch at dawn Saturday and getting back at 6pm Sunday. I was planning to get to the ridge in a day via Ken’s route, but predictably ran out of time and had to turn back. (Watch out for leeches!) Compared to our bushwhack back on the summit, the forest here was sparser and it made for easy passage. Many would ask why undertake such an endeavor at all and I can’t help but give the standard peakbagger reply: because it’s there. Dogs are also able to use this trail. The Montreal River was gentle and fairly wide; we made better time than I was expecting, considering that most of us were novice canoeists. Went in mid september, actually paddled in from the montreal river and did the last 5k or so of the hike from scarecrow lake to the fire tower. This is a bushwack marked by flagging tape. It is really important to note we downloaded AllTrails Pro and had the map downloaded so the gps kept us on track throughout the day. GPS measurements did not confirm that this point was any higher than at the tower and we headed back. Happy hiking! The trail starts where they took out an old bridge for logging. There was no way that we were prepared to descend these and it didn’t look we’d be able to go around them. We scrambled to react; closing up our bags and tents, and putting our foodstuffs away. Over the next 2 days, we made our way back to our cars on Beauty Lake road. Matt said he would join me, so we bid farewell to Rochelle, Darcy and Val and headed off through the bush.
It had been a long day, and we made good use of the remaining daylight.
There was no bridge and no trails beyond the ATV trail east of the Sturgeon in 2008, so the last bit of the hike in was an adventurous bushwack, to say the least. Easy to follow, easy to hike, beautiful at the top. The northern end of Mihell Lake is very shallow, but deepens at the southern end. 23 km past Elk Lake, we found the turn off onto the more arduous Beauty Lake road. Most hikers begin on foot or by bike at a rugged road crossing of the Sturgeon River and follow the road north to a series of overgrown bush trails. Had mechanical trouble with the bike early in the trip so ended up walking more than planned. This was to be a 5-day canoe trip: 2 days for the canoe in, 1 day for the hike and 2 days for the canoe out. It is the highest point in Ontario, a lonely place in the Northern Ontario wilderness with no road access near it. From here, it is a short distance to the fire tower and 360 degree views on the summit. Canoe trip to Ishpatina Ridge Part 3 Going for Ishpatina Up early had breakfast and packed up for the paddle to Scarecrow Lake where the landing is to take the 3 hours hike to the top. After that, I managed to convince everyone that according to internet rumors the height of land was actually 250 m to the northwest and we had to check it out. Over the September Labour Day long weekend of 2007, this trip became a reality; I was joined by Rochelle, Darcy, Val and Matt. After the 2nd lake, the trail begins to climb moderately and then crosses a beaver dam at Dick Lake. At the southwestern end of the lake, a short portage leads to another small lake. My goal was to not only climb the main tower summit, but to traverse across the ridge to the northern summit (#3) and the smaller southern knob (#5). I mean, say what you like about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it's an ethos." Non-residents of Canada may require a Crown Land Camping permit. From scarecrow lake up to the top is a very obvious trail up to Ishpatina Ridge. Unlike our trip down from Smoothwater Lake, we left early enough to arrive at the Kirsch Campsite at a decent time, despite the rough waters awaiting our return to Smoothwater. Bring a compass and use it might cut off 1 to 2 off the bushwalking. You can then save about 15km off the trip. Slowly everyone departed, until there was only 4 of us left, and we realized we wouldn't have enough time to get back to the Sturgeon before dark. We decided we would hike out along the shoreline, in the dark, as we had friends camping on Scarecrow Lake, if we needed help. We began the journey back and enjoyed the remainder of the day in the relative comfort of camp. Long trail, worth the hike for the novelty of being at the highest point in Ontario. The Smoothwater site we had was a multi-firepit one too. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. We paddled past the cottage and memorial cross on Lady Dufferin and then onto a calm Smoothwater Lake. It stays fairly level for the first half and passes by 2 small lakes and some swampy areas. So after what seemed an eternity of bushwhacking for a whole 250 m of gain, we decided that we had found the other height of land. From the trail head to midway of the peak there is a lot of bushwhacking and lake crossings. It was during this haul, that I enjoyed a close encounter with a leech. Canoe-expericed siblings spoke haughtily of the art of the J-stroke.
It is for this reason that I decided to create a website to share my thoughts and experiences; an attempt to reach out to a community of Ontario peakbaggers and bring awareness to my home province’s hiking potential. The following day, we were overjoyed at not having to break camp. Located on a clean sandy beach, beside a small babbling creek, this was the most picturesque wilderness campsite I had ever been to. The trail to the ridge is much easier to follow, roughly 2 hours up at a steady pace. Ishpatina Ridge on Summitpost I began the trip from Sudbury, left the city at the crack of dawn, and made my way north to 72 km of winding logging roads. Trip Report: Even though I had previously climbed the Ishpatina Ridge – Tower Peak on a canoe trip starting from the Montreal River in the north, I had always wanted to attempt the trip like many others sans canoe.What held me back was the condition of the Portelance Road beyond the Wanapitei river.There was no way I could take my Grand Am up that road! We spent a few hours up top, enjoyed the awesome view from the tower, and shared the days stories with those who made it to the top. 15 km from the road, at the midpoint of the eastern shoreline, is an excellent campsite, often referred to as the Kirsch memorial campsite. Once we were on the trail it was quite straight forward in terms of finding and following the markers. The highest point in Ontario! Camping within the park boundaries requires a backcountry camping permit. The Ishpatina Ridge, set in a remote corner of the Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater wilderness park, is a series of worn and rounded bumps spanning approximately 13 km. The final 1-2km is a steep ascension to the peak. We finally arrived on Scarecrow Lake as dusk was approaching. Guests were welcome. Do you know anything about the tower at Okiniada Lake just west of Lady Dufferin Lake? Ishpatina Ridge directions and trip report, Deseronto's Ishpatina trip report (canoe route), Ken Takabe's: pioneer of the overland route to Ishpatina, Andrew Lavigne's detailed day trip to Ishpatina via the overland route, Firla and Matt's adventures on the overland route to Ishpatina. Can't wait to go back! There is also a cabin on the northern shore of the lake. Camped at the peak, had a bear outside the tent over night. Also roads to get there are best suited for an SUV or larger! Next time I think 4days pack lighter. Complete with tables and chairs, no neighbours for miles, this was a destination unto itself. My friend and I just used your route to get to Ishpatina.
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