White River Canoe Trip - June 22nd to July 3rd, 2001
as reported by Céline Audette, Trip Leader

The White River Canoe Route starts at Hwy 17, goes to Lake Superior, and ends at Heron Bay. There are several starting points off Hwy 17. For this trip, we put in at the town of White River, west of the Domtar Mill.

White Lake Provincial Park is located approximately halfway on the route; about 60 kilometres east of Marathon and 35 kilometres west of White River on Hwy. 17. 

Pukaskwa National Park is at the end of route; near the town of Marathon, in northern Ontario, Canada. The only road access to Pukaskwa is at the north end, near Hattie Cove. To reach this park for shuttling purposes, follow Highway 17 (Trans Canada Highway) to the Highway 627 turnoff (10 km east of Marathon). Follow Highway 627 for about 15 km, until you reach Pukaskwa National Park.

192 kilometers - 10 days with approximately 58 portages. (The longest is 2.2km) Travel from start to completion can be done in 8 days, but 2 days will be freed for layover and contingency. Only 8-10 portages were required on this trip, with some lining of canoes as well on some of the ledges. The portion downstream of Umbata Falls involves mostly portaging. Water levels were low for the season, but high enough to have some fun on the rapids! 

Mainly a river route, with an eight-kilometer section on Lake Superior, the White River includes a portion of White Lake and the impressive Umbata Falls. The Pukaskwa Pits, an ancient rock cairns and pits, can be found on the Lake Superior shore.