I did this trip a few years ago, maybe 6-7 years, not sure. I only know the pictures are from the first digital camera we ever had, one we got "free" by spending tons of money on Visa...
I became interested in ZEC Kipaw from Hap Wilsons book, Rivers of the Ottawa Valley. I searched around, made some phone calls and emails and found this site http://www.zeckipawa.com/canoe.html
Although the information is good on the site, I made copies of my emails with names, prices and phone numbers which I presented at the place you buy permits. The woman there only spoke French but she agreed ed with the emails and took my cash. They only take cash at the back country permit stations, so be prepared.
Here is the map of my 5 day trip. I started at Lac Ostaboningue in mid May. This is a big lake with motor boat traffic, but the days I was on the lake, boat traffic was almost zero.
I paddled down Lac Ostaboningue into a bay that leads to my first portage into Lac Cooks. On Lac Crooks, I found a small place to cook some dinner on some rocks.
I soon found a campsite after dinner, but this was a bushwack type of site on a flat spot I found on an island. At the outpost where you buy your permits they have a wall map with all campsites penciled in, I failed to copy any down, I had this thing about defacing my topos, no more.
I never had a real problem finding campsites, but a group would be wise to study that outpost map.
I found the portages with no problem, all where clear of major blowdowns and marked. The weather was nice, the fishing slow, (I might have been a week early) but I had a good time. Just after this portage I met two guys in a canoe. We stopped and talked, they where moose hunters who where scouting for the coming falls season via a canoe/camping trip. Nice guys, they where not having much luck with the fishing either, too early they said.
Fishing and Hunting in the ZEC's are popular, but somewhat expensive. I already had a season non resident fishing license and payed for the "ZEC" fishing permit. They do a good job keeping the area productive for the outdoorsman, so I was happy to pay. I never saw anyone else after portages. I did see a fishing boat on one other big lake. I saw boats cached on portage lakes, but no no one was using them. Here's a small dock built on the one other big lake I portaged into, it's there for paying fisherman built by an outfitter I would assume
The lakes where as wild as I have seen, a small vacant hunt camp here or there, but no big cabins. There was some logging evidence, but I never heard any logging machines. I did portage through a clear cut which was somewhat different, but I understand the need for a working forest and have no problem with logging.
After Lac Cinq Milles I entered River Cherise, which was a very pleasant paddle downstream. While on this river I came to a small cabin and saw a man outside. He waved me over and invited me in for tea and cookies. His wife was there, they came in via ATV to his trappers cabin. He was a First Nations person who had a permit to trap the area in the winter. He told me about old canoe routes, how it was trapping back in the day and other things about his life. I left feeling lucky to have met this couple. He said he saw no canoes the year before on this river.
ZEC Kipawa is a nice place to canoe camp, when you think of how many people visit Algonquin Park not that far away from Kipawa, it might be a good place to explore for a change of pace.
I became interested in ZEC Kipaw from Hap Wilsons book, Rivers of the Ottawa Valley. I searched around, made some phone calls and emails and found this site http://www.zeckipawa.com/canoe.html
Although the information is good on the site, I made copies of my emails with names, prices and phone numbers which I presented at the place you buy permits. The woman there only spoke French but she agreed ed with the emails and took my cash. They only take cash at the back country permit stations, so be prepared.
Here is the map of my 5 day trip. I started at Lac Ostaboningue in mid May. This is a big lake with motor boat traffic, but the days I was on the lake, boat traffic was almost zero.
I paddled down Lac Ostaboningue into a bay that leads to my first portage into Lac Cooks. On Lac Crooks, I found a small place to cook some dinner on some rocks.
I soon found a campsite after dinner, but this was a bushwack type of site on a flat spot I found on an island. At the outpost where you buy your permits they have a wall map with all campsites penciled in, I failed to copy any down, I had this thing about defacing my topos, no more.
I never had a real problem finding campsites, but a group would be wise to study that outpost map.
I found the portages with no problem, all where clear of major blowdowns and marked. The weather was nice, the fishing slow, (I might have been a week early) but I had a good time. Just after this portage I met two guys in a canoe. We stopped and talked, they where moose hunters who where scouting for the coming falls season via a canoe/camping trip. Nice guys, they where not having much luck with the fishing either, too early they said.
Fishing and Hunting in the ZEC's are popular, but somewhat expensive. I already had a season non resident fishing license and payed for the "ZEC" fishing permit. They do a good job keeping the area productive for the outdoorsman, so I was happy to pay. I never saw anyone else after portages. I did see a fishing boat on one other big lake. I saw boats cached on portage lakes, but no no one was using them. Here's a small dock built on the one other big lake I portaged into, it's there for paying fisherman built by an outfitter I would assume
The lakes where as wild as I have seen, a small vacant hunt camp here or there, but no big cabins. There was some logging evidence, but I never heard any logging machines. I did portage through a clear cut which was somewhat different, but I understand the need for a working forest and have no problem with logging.
After Lac Cinq Milles I entered River Cherise, which was a very pleasant paddle downstream. While on this river I came to a small cabin and saw a man outside. He waved me over and invited me in for tea and cookies. His wife was there, they came in via ATV to his trappers cabin. He was a First Nations person who had a permit to trap the area in the winter. He told me about old canoe routes, how it was trapping back in the day and other things about his life. I left feeling lucky to have met this couple. He said he saw no canoes the year before on this river.
ZEC Kipawa is a nice place to canoe camp, when you think of how many people visit Algonquin Park not that far away from Kipawa, it might be a good place to explore for a change of pace.
