Dumoine River: Lac Benoit to Ottawa River (5 days / 75 km)
The Dumoine River is an excellent whitewater river in the Upper Ottawa Valley. The river has tons of runnable Class II and Class III rapids, so should only be paddled by intermediate canoeists; at least a couple of paddlers should be versed in whitewater rescue techniques.
The Dumoine River only has one long portage (around Grand Chute), however there are a few ledges to portage around or line. Overall, this is a very fun river and between the three sisters (the Dumoine, Noire and Coulonge rivers), the Dumoine is my favourite.
Trip Completed: October 2020
Trip Summary
Location: The Dumoine River is located north of the Ottawa River. The closest town is Deep River. The west side of the river is the border of ZEC Dumoine.
Traditional Territory: The Dumoine River is located on the traditional territory of Omàmìwininìwag (Algonquin).
Maps & Resources
Guidebook: Rivers of the Upper Ottawa Valley by Hap Wilson
Map: 31 K/13 Lac Dumoine, 31 K/12 Lac Russel, 31 K/5 Lac du Pinceau, 31 K/4 Rolphton. There is a free copy of the topographical maps from Carte Plein Air that you can download here.
Interactive Map: Click here to view and modify this route using the interactive Route Planner
Permits & Reservations
Campsite Reservations: Campsites are first-come-first-serve.
Permits: A permit is required to drive into and camp in ZEC Dumoine. We paid for ours at the ZEC Dumoine Visitor’s Office before we entered the park, but you can get more information by emailing [email protected] or checking the website.
One thing to be aware of is that only the west side of the river is in ZEC Dumoine. The east side is in ZEC Rapides-des-Joachimes. Our shuttle driver told us we only needed to pay for the nights we were in ZEC Dumoine, but we paid for all nights to maximize flexibility. I checked the ZEC Rapides-des-Joachimes website to confirm if you need to pay for those nights, and it’s unclear.
Outfitters & Shuttles
Outfitter: We had our own gear so we did not need an outfitter. I’m not sure of any outfitters that service the Dumoine River specifically.
Shuttle: We had our shuttle done by Noel Leclerc, who is based out of Centrale des Joachims, a small village on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River. It looks like he is no longer doing shuttles, but Dumoine Valley Guides do. Their prices and contact information is here.
He drove us and our canoes to our put-in upriver of Lac Benoit. We were able to leave our vehicles on his property for the duration of the trip. Our take-out on the Ottawa River was a short walk from his property, so we could walk to pick up the vehicles and drive back to our canoes.
Know Before You Go
Season: The Dumoine is great to paddle anytime from ice out to autumn. Water levels drop throughout the season, so some of the rapids may not be as fun in the late summer, but all should still be runnable. We had weirdly high water levels for the time of year.
Cell Reception: No cell reception. We brought a satellite phone.
Water: Water can be boiled, filtered, or tablet added.
Wildlife: There are black bears along the Dumoine River so keep your campsite clean and properly store your food overnight. We didn’t see any signs of wildlife except for chipmunks at our campsite.
Waste: All of the sites we stayed at had a thunderbox. Pack out all garbage.
Trip Report
Day 1: Access Road (km 64) to Canoe Eater (km 59)
For the longest length of trip, the put-in is either Lac Dumoine or Lac Dix Miles. We were originally going to put in around here (specifically around km 84), but one of the roads became inaccessible so we started 20 km downriver at the end of a logging road (km 64).
Our day started with meeting Noel. We got our gear and canoes loaded onto two pickup trucks (a van and trailer wouldn’t be able to handle the logging road). It was a 2.5-hour drive to the put-in. It was a seriously bumpy drive.
We put in at kilometre 64, at the end of a logging road. This put us directly downriver of Triple Sault, a series of 3 chutes/ledges and the portage Hap Wilson admiringly refers to as “Grunt Portage”.
From there, we had almost non-stop rapids-swifts-rapids to the first campsite.
Du Pont Rapids (CII) – The first rapid of the trip was Du Pont. This rapid goes underneath the bridge and was a bumpy ride in high water. It lasted almost a kilometer in length, alternating between CI and CII sections. There are no obstacles except for some large standing waves, so we didn’t need to scout this one.
During the last bit of this rapid, one of our boats tipped (around km 63 near the island). The river wasn’t deep here at this time of year, so we were able to walk out to it rescue-style, attach a rope and work together to pull the boat out. All this took about an hour.
Next, we had about 4 km of smooth water before the next rapid. I call it ‘smooth’ water because there is still current pulling the canoe forward, but there weren’t visible waves.
Rapides Crampe en Masse (CI / CII) – Because we had such high water levels, this rapid was more a high volume CI than a CII. Once again, we did not scout this rapid.
Ledge – Directly after this rapid, there was a ledge. There is a 100 m portage around the ledge on river right. Some boats chose to line and others portaged around it.
Canoe Eater (CIII) – Right after the ledge is Canoe Eater. As the name implies, this is a gnarly rapid. There is ~300m portage on river right. We did some thorough scouting and chose to run the rapid, though I would only recommend doing this if you are very experienced. Canoe Eater is the rapid on the left side of the island and it has quick-moving water and multiple large, exposed rocks that could easily pin a boat. We paddled slowly, weaving in between the rocks as they came. Watch the video linked at the end of this report to see more about this rapid.
Campsite: For our first night we camped at the group site right after Canoe Eater. It was large enough to accommodate our large group and had ample flat tent spots and a decent fire pit. It was a nice site but paled in comparison to our upcoming campsites.
| Total Distance | 5 km |
| Total Portaging Distance | 100 m |
| Number of Portages | 1 |
| Number of Rapids | 3 |
| Campsite Reservation | ZEC Dumoine Permit – No Reservation |
Day 2: Canoe Eater (km 59) to Ile Burnt (km 49)
Day 2 was a super fun day. We were on the water a little before 10 am. There were so many fun sets of rapids to paddle! As you can see, this is not a river for novice whitewater paddlers. We had ~7 rapids with a rating of Class II or higher.
We did most of the rapids without scouting, but this was partially due to water levels and being with a very experienced group. All of these rapids occur within a 5 km stretch.
Unnamed CII Rapid – Right after Canoe Eater there is an unnamed CII rapid. It was very short and had a clear line down the middle.
Sleeper Rapids (CII) – Next up is Sleeper Rapids, which is also short in length but has a few big waves at the end of the V. We started center channel but moved to the right to avoid the waves.
Double Choice Rapids (CII / CIII) – This is a straightforward, wavy rapid. At our water levels, this rapid was more of a CII than a CIII.
Snake Rapids (CII / CIII) – Short, unnoteworthy (that is to say, I did not take notes on this one for it was not interesting compared to the others).
Thread the Needle (CIII) – Lots of large rocks to watch out for as these could easily wrap a boat. We weaved in between them. Not many large waves to avoid.
Log Jam Rapids (CII / CIII) – Long but straightforward rapid. More of a CII with our water levels, but there were a few large waves in the middle.
Gooseneck Rapids (CII) – This rapid hangs left around a bend in the river. There’s a very obvious V with a couple exposed rocks on either side. Hold center and you’ll be good!
Little Steel Rapids (CI – CII) – Wavy water, but super easy after everything else we’d just done.
Little Steel Falls – This is a CIV and an obvious portage. There is a 350 m portage on river right and a 300 m portage on river left. There is a CIII section at the end of the ledge that you could run if you want, but we just portaged the whole thing on river right.
Cliff Hanger Rapids (CII) – Short CII right before you enter Burnt Island Lake.
Since we’d shortened the total route length and had the same number of trips, we were able to have a few shorter days on the water. Since the weather was so nice, when we came across a campsite on a pretty island, about 5 km downriver from the last rapid, we called it a day even though it was only 3 pm.
Campsite: We camped at a site on “Ile Burnt”. This was the best campsite we stayed at. Actually, it’s probably in the top ten best campsites I’ve stayed at. I may be a tad biased because we had an amazingly clear night, so I could try photographing stars, and we had a gorgeous sunrise too. The campsite is really small and there is no thunderbox. We solo paddled to the campsite on the mainland for firewood and to use the thunderbox.
| Total Distance | 10 km |
| Total Portaging Distance | 350 m |
| Number of Portages | 1 |
| Number of Rapids | 9 |
| Campsite Reservation | ZEC Dumoine Permit – No Reservation |
Day 3: Ile Burnt (km 49) to Grand Chute (km 22)
Our third day had a few decently sized rapids, but the main event was Grand Chute. If there is ever a time to hug the shoreline and cautiously approach a portage, it is here!
We were on the water early again, around 9:30 am. There was about 4 km of flat paddling until our first rapid. There are two small CI rapids at km 46 and km 45, but they’re so small relative to the others that they didn’t even seem like rapids.
Big Steel (CII / CIII) – This rapid is very long and in high water, there were a ton of big waves. We didn’t tip but did manage to swamp our canoe. A spray skirt would have been helpful.
Horse Race (CII) – Sort of an extension of the previous rapid. Long in length, with some big wavy water throughout it. No obstacles. Easy peasy and opens into a big pool.
After Horse Race, we had about 8 km of regular paddling. There were a few open areas (like mini lakes along the river) that slowed down our pace a bit.
Z Rapids (CII) – This rapid is shaped exactly how you would expect – with a big right turn, then a big left turn. The center channel was good – no obstacles except for some waves at the end.
Tucker Rapids (CII / CIII) – After another 5 km we reached Tucker Rapids.
Grand Chute – Our most daunting task of the day was a 1300 m portage around Grand Chute. For the first trip, we followed the trail with our gear to the second campsite. The trail was very rugged and portaging with a canoe would have been difficult.
So for the second trip with the canoes, we didn’t follow the trail. Instead, we went up the road a bit and then turned onto an ATV trail. This made the portage a little longer than 1300 m, but the ATV trail was wide, very flat and had no obstacles. I recommend taking this route.
Campsite: We stayed at a campsite off the portage along Grand Chute. This was another excellent campsite. There are two campsites here; we stayed at the one slightly downriver because it was a lot bigger.
By the time all the gear was portaged, it was getting close to 5 pm. At this time of year (October) it gets dark early so factor that into your route planning. We ended up doing dishes in the dark.
| Total Distance | 27 km |
| Total Portaging Distance | 1300 m |
| Number of Portages | 1 |
| Number of Rapids | 4 |
| Campsite Reservations | ZEC Dumoine Permit – No Reservation |
Day 4: Grand Chute (km 22) to Campsite (km 8)
We started the day by portaging the rest of our gear to the end of Grand Chute. We were on the water a little later than usual, I think around 10:30.
We had our last couple of rapids on this day. Walrus Rapids (CI/II) was a short and easy one.
Red Pine Rapids (CIII), on the other hand, was a kilometre of alternating Class II and Class III rapids. There’s a Class II/III rapid at km 17 – I considered this the start of Red Pine Rapids. The top of Red Pine goes around this really sharp right turn; if you’re not careful you’ll get pushed into the shore and go down the rest of the rapid sideways.
The last sections of Red Pine were center channel, careful rides for us. Pay attention to the map and the water in front of you; apparently, there is a ledge you’ll need to line around (I think our water levels were so high that we just went right over the ledge without noticing).
Examination Rapids (CIII) – This was a super short rapid for us with some wavy water and nothing else. Maybe in lower water, there is more of a drop.
Panet Chute – The map marks a Chute at km 12 with a 50 m portage on river right. Seemed more like a ledge to me. We were able to line instead of portaging.
Just after Panet Chute is Bald Eagle Rock, an incredible rock face!
Campsite: We stayed at a group campsite at km 8. This was a decent campsite. It was a good size for our group and had plenty of good tent spots. Although it didn’t have the same views as Ile Burnt and Grand Chute, we did get the best sunset of the entire trip here.
| Total Distance | 14 km |
| Total Portaging Distance | 50 m |
| Number of Portages | 1 |
| Number of Rapids | 3 |
| Campsite Reservation | ZEC Dumoine Permit – No Reservation |
Day 5: Campsite at Km 8 to Take Out
Between our campsite and the takeout, we had 8 km of paddling on the Dumoine and 12 km of paddling on the Ottawa River. There were no rapids in this section, however there was one quick portage around a beautiful chute (the most beautiful one of the trip, in my opinion).
Portage around Chute Ryan (100 m): Quick portage on river left. There’s a large step to get from the water to the trail, but after that, it’s the portage trail is very flat.
Take Out: According to the trip reports I read, the most common place to take out is Driftwood Provincial Park, which is on the south side of the Ottawa River, a little east of the mouth of the Dumoine River.
We, on the other hand, took out at the portage near Centrale des Joachims. You’ll see on the map that the Ottawa River splits into two sections and both sections result in a dam. We took out on the left shore of the river right section, and there’s a huge yellow portage sign to indicate it.
| Total Distance | 20 km |
| Total Portaging Distance | 100 m |
| Number of Portages | 1 |
| Number of Rapids | 0 |
| Campsite Reservation | N/A |
Reflections
Overall our trip on the Dumoine River was excellent. We had great weather, excellent food, tons of fun rapids to paddle and relatively few missteps.
What Went Well
We only had a couple of tips: Although we did very little scouting, we only had three tips on the entire trip. Two tips were pretty straightforward, although one did require us to cross a rapid to unpin a boat. Thankfully we were all experienced with whitewater rescue and this went smoothly.
We had whitewater rescue experience: Multiple people in the group had rescue experience, which made dealing with the three tips very easy. Ensure you and your group have the ability to do this river!
Drysuit was critical: If you’re paddling in spring or autumn, wear a dry suit. The water was so cold – I did go swimming one evening, but if I’d not had the drysuit when we helped to unpin the canoe, I definitely would have felt hypothermic.
What Could Have Gone Better
A spray skirt would have been nice: In our group of four canoes, one had a spray skirt. When we paddled the Dumoine River we had surprisingly high water levels, so some of the waves were big. Although my boat never tipped, we had a lot of close calls. If I did the trip again, I would probably do it with a spray skirt.
Trip Video
Author Bio
Mikaela is the voice behind Voyageur Tripper, an outdoor adventure blog that enables people to improve their skills in the backcountry. She previously worked as a wilderness guide, leading canoeing and hiking trips in Ontario, Quebec and Nunavut. She now works in business by day and crafts outdoor education resources by night. Mikaela is also the founder and operator of Trip Reports.
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