Moisie River: From Lac DeMilles to Sept-Îles (21 days / 440 km)

Sometimes called the “Nahanni of the East”, the Moisie River lives up to the hype. Big whitewater, beautiful canyons and scenery, and its remoteness make this trip well worth doing. That being said, this is a serious trip, and it's essential to have experience of paddling remote rivers. Although renowned for being very wet, our trip was actually quite sunny and we generally had great weather. Our trip ran from August 3rd to August 24th, and we covered 440km’s in those days. Overall we had a wonderful time, with average water levels, loads of wildlife sightings, lots of really fun whitewater, and some big portages. There are a few ways to get to the Moisie, and this trip report covers the lake approach from Lac Des Milles (I’ll briefly mention some other ways below). 

Trip Summary

Starting Point: Small unmarked boat launch on Lac Des Milles (De Mille Lake on google) 53°02'29.2"N 66°34'10.6"W

Ending Point: Moisie Trailer Park (or paddle into the St. Lawrence)

Total Distance: 440 km

Duration: 21 days + 4 travel days

Difficulty: Expert. There is considerable whitewater & remoteness. Many long rapids and mandatory portages. Other than the put in and take out, river access is by floatplane or helicopter only. 

Location

The Moisie River is located in the Côte-Nord region of Québec. Lac Des Milles is located just on the Labrador side of the Québec/Labrador border. The nearest town to the put-in is Labrador City. The take-out is at Sept Îles, on the St Lawrence River.

Traditional Territory: This route is located on the territory of Nitassinan (Innu).

Maps & Resources

Map: WGS 1984 19U (topographic maps)

Cartes Plein Air - Pekans / Moisie / Kovac (these maps are from the Pékans approach, but from map 8 onwards are for the Moisie)

Cartes Plein Air - DeMille / Moisie / Goutier (these annotated maps are all in french, but accurately show campsites, portage locations, & rapids)

Campsite Permit...