Quetico Provincial Park: Beaverhouse Lake to French Lake (6 days / 82 km)
This is a six-day, point-to-point, 82 km canoeing journey through Quetico Provincial Park—a remote section of the classic Boundary Waters region, renowned for its natural beauty and solitude. From the first strokes across Beaverhouse Lake to catching lake trout on Pickerel Lake, this trip captures the essence of a traditional backcountry paddling adventure. Along the way, we’ll explore ancient pictographs, signs and relics from the early logging days, and enjoy some of the unique wildlife and landscapes that make Quetico special.
This route parallels most of the northern border of the Quetico, and was selected to give us a good sample of the park, taking us past some pictographs, through excellent lake trout waters, and with relatively little portaging for a route of this length. Campsites are plentiful along the route and can easily be adjusted to fit the desired pace of you and your group.
Trip Completed: September 2024
Trip Summary
Location: Quetico Provincial Park, Ontario
Traditional Territory: This route takes place on the traditional territory of Michif Piyii (Métis) (source).
Maps & Resources
Guidebook: While this route isn’t overlapped completely by routes in the book, I did find some useful information in the areas where overlap does occur in Kevin Callan’s book Quetico and Beyond.
Map: Gaia GPS Topo and The Adventure Map Quetico as a physical backup.
Permits & Reservations
Campsite Reservations: No reservations are required.
Permits: You need a backcountry camping permit. These permits are issued based on your entry point into the park and are limited to preserve the wilderness experience. They can be purchased up to five months in advance and must be picked up in person at a designated ranger station prior to entering the park, unless it’s outside the main canoeing season when paddlers are asked to utilize their self-serve permitting.
Know Before You Go
Season: The best time for a canoeing trip in Quetico Provincial Park depends on your preferences for weather, crowd levels, bugs, and wildlife experiences. We chose to go in late summer/early fall to avoid crowds and mosquitos, also hoping for cool nights and mornings.
Cell Reception: We did find a few areas along the northern border of the park with both Verizon and T Mobil reception, although I wouldn’t count on it as most of the park is without service.
Water: Good quality water exists along the entire route. Should be sterilized by boiling, filtering, or treating due to potential pathogens. Some areas had slightly tannin-stained water from decaying plant material, but it didn’t affect its drinkability.
Wildlife: Black bears, wolves, and moose inhabit the area.
Waste: Human waste may be buried. The possession of any non-burnable single-use food or beverage containers is prohibited.
Outfitters & Shuttles
Outfitters: There are a number of outfitters in the area. We used Linda at Quetico North for canoe rentals and shuttle. I can’t speak to outfitting services outside this if you need more comprehensive outfitting, but Quetico North worked great for us. I sensed it was more of a small outfitting provider. The canoes were well-worn, but high-quality Souris River kevlar canoes and fairly priced.
Shuttle: We were shuttled in a large passenger van, which pulled a trailer with our canoes. There was lots of room for gear in the back of the van and our two dogs were welcome. After loading up our gear at their shop, the shuttle picked us up at the parking area at French Lake where we left our vehicle, and then dropped us off at Beaverhouse Lake. It was approximately a 45-minute shuttle ride.
Trip Report
Day 1: Beaverhouse Lake to Quetico Lake (10.9 km)
There is a modestly sized parking area near the access point for Beaverhouse Lake, though we were told it fills up quickly during the summer. The portage trail to Beaverhouse Lake (513 m) was mostly flat, dry, well-worn, and wide. It offers access to a stream flowing into Beaverhouse, but not knowing if it was 100% navigable, we stayed on the trail which ends at the lake.
We faced a light headwind as we paddled toward the southeast end of Beaverhouse Lake, but we were happy it wasn’t strong enough to hold us back, as we’ve heard Beaverhouse is infamous for challenging south winds. As a bonus, we went late enough in the year to self-register, so we didn’t need to paddle all the way to the ranger station at the south end to acquire our permit.
The portage between Beaverhouse and Quetico Lakes is short (150 m) and easy. Both ends of the portage, and along the trail, are full of signs of the area’s logging history. We stopped to check out the old Model A car partway through, as well as other relics—axe heads, saws, chains, logging spikes, old barrels, and other metal pieces. Once on Quetico Lake, you’ll paddle through a long shallow cove. Watch for the many submerged logs and stumps along the shore, as more evidence of the logging that took place in the area.
Once the cove joins the main lake, turn and head north. It’s distant and can be hard to pick out from the shoreline, but we could see the island we were looking to camp on at this point. The elevated campsite has a rock but decent landing on the west side of the island. The site showed signs of frequent use, had plenty of spots to pick from to place our three tents (two 2-person and one 1-person), and a fire ring with a great view to the west, offering exquisite sunset views.
When we arrived at camp, there was a small supply of firewood left at the fire ring. This is a practice considered by many canoe trippers as ‘bush etiquette’, which we also followed throughout this trip. This goes against leave-no-trace principles, but I don’t think it applies to well-developed campsites with a large developed fire rink.
| Total Distance | 10.9 km |
| Portaging Distance | 663 m |
| Number of Portages | 2 |
| Campsite Reservation | Backcountry Permit – No Reservations |
Day 2: Quetico Lake to Kasakokwag (14.6 km)
Day two started out dead calm and beautiful. Our goal was to paddle along the northern end of Quetico Lake, portaging into Kasakokwag Lake, where we’d find a place to camp.
We leisurely paddled and fished our way across the northern end of Quetico Lake. The smallmouth bass fishing was fantastic, and we even caught a few walleye and northern pike. But our main focus was spotting the many pictographs along the north shore. While we’re sure we didn’t see them all, we did manage to find quite a few.
These ancient artworks are typically found on steep, light-coloured granitic rock faces that overhang the water, accessible only by canoe. Often, they’re in locations protected from above. The pictographs are red, created from red ochre paint. This paint was made by heating microbial biogenic iron oxide, an orange-brown sediment, to between 1400 and 1500 degrees Fahrenheit, producing the vivid red we see today. Mixed with natural oils and fats, the paste was used to paint in places of deep spiritual significance. It’s incredible how well the paint has endured the elements over time.
Quetico Lake is vast, with endless fingers and coves to explore. I think we could easily have spent all six days here and never gotten bored. Even though we spent half the day paddling, we only scratched the surface of what the lake has to offer. We exited Quetico Lake via the stream on the northeast side, expecting to paddle up to a 460 m portage.
The stream was navigable for only a short distance before we found ourselves dragging and pushing the canoes through the shallows, with a thunderstorm creeping up behind us. In some spots, the bottom was mucky, but for the most part, we avoided any waist-deep surprises by finding the sandy areas. Eventually, the stream became too shallow to continue dragging the canoes, so we portaged alongside it to the start of the maintained trail.
Portage from Quetico Lake to Kasakokwag Lake (460 m): Halfway through the portage, the rain cut loose. It had been 80 degrees, and the effort of the portage had us soaked in sweat, so we skipped putting on rain gear. Of course, with the cold rain came plenty of wind to rapidly chill us down. All said and done, I believe we drug or portaged approximately 1,000 m.
Campsite: Once the lightning moved off and the wind died down just enough for me to solo paddle into the headwind, we headed into Kasakokwag Lake. We had the lake all to ourselves and found a campsite on the first Island we came to. The site is on the southwest part of the island with many landing options and also had plenty of room for our three tents. The fire rink offered obscured views to the west, nestled back into the trees.
| Total Distance | 14.6 km |
| Portaging Distance | 460 m |
| Number of Portages | 1 |
| Campsite Reservation | Backcountry Permit – No Reservations |
Day 3: Kasakokwag Lake to McAlpine Lake (15.8 km)
We received more rain overnight, so we didn’t rush to pack up our wet tents on Day 3. Our goal for the day was to make it across Kasakokwag Lake and partway through McAlpine Lake. We enjoyed fishing as we paddled across the scenic and quiet Kasakokwag Lake, as we had it all to ourselves. Despite its well-regarded lake trout fishing, we only caught more smallmouth bass and northern pike.
Our map showed two short-length portages along the stream between Kasakokwag and McAlpine, but after dragging through the stream the day before—and hearing past years had seen low water levels—we made sure to leave ourselves plenty of time for this one as well. We expected shallow waters that would force us to drag our canoes like the day before, but aside from a sizable beaver dam, it was smooth sailing. Perhaps the beavers were doing us a favour, keeping the stream navigable. We paddled right past the first portage on our map and only needed to take the second, smaller 85 m one at the end.
Campsite: Once we entered McAlpine, we noticed more signs of beaver activity as we paddled toward the center of the lake. By mid-afternoon, we found a great campsite on the north side, and with a bit of a headwind, decided to call it a day. The site had plenty of room for our tents, a nice landing, and a fantastic view from the fire ring.
That evening, we relaxed, watching ominous clouds drift by. There was rain in the forecast, and it looked like it might do just that several times, but luckily, we stayed dry all night.
| Total Distance | 15.8 km |
| Portaging Distance | 85 m |
| Number of Portages | 1 |
| Campsite Reservation | No reservation required |
Day 4: McAlpine Lake to Pickerel (17.6 km)
The morning of the fourth day marked the first day of fall. The setting moon was just as incredible as the sunrise, both happening at nearly the same time. This rare phenomenon occurs only when there’s a full moon near the spring or autumnal equinox, and it was cool to witness it in such an awesome location, with a camp that allowed us to watch both to the east and the west.
Our goal was to make it through three portages into Batchewaung Lake, and then our map showed one final portage into Pickerel Lake, where we planned to snake our way through some of the west end before finding a spot to camp.
The first portage was over 500 m long, gaining a noticeable amount of elevation heading east. Aside from one fallen tree and a small stream crossing, the trail was wide open and easy. The next two lakes and portages were progressively smaller (100 m and 70 m respectively) and simpler. We noticed poison ivy in spots along the last portage but was easy to avoid. It’s hard to believe this day had the most portages of our trip—we finished them all before noon and I’m not sure we even had to break a sweat.
Our map showed a short portage to enter Pickerel. I’m not sure if this is for when water is low or maybe it gets rough when the difference in the stage between the two lakes is greater. But we were pleased to find out that it was navigable when we went through.
I was on a mission on this trip to get a picture of a lake trout. On the fourth day, I finally hooked on my first lake trout. I was able to net the trout and get it into my boat before it shook the barbless hooks necessary in this area. I have personally created a list of native North American freshwater salmonidae I would like to get a picture of, so checking this one off was a cool moment I’ll remember for a long time.
Campsite: We found a nice, but very heavily used campsite for our first night on Pickerel Lake. However, we were happy to call it home for the night as the tank was starting to run low and we were all ready to relax. This site had a lot of dead trees, I suspect from an infestation of some sort. Many had fallen and many had yet to fall. But we still found spots to safely pitch all three of our tents and had no shortage of firewood for the campfire which had a wonderful view.
| Total Distance | 17.6 km |
| Portaging Distance | 670 m |
| Number of Portages | 3 |
| Campsite Reservation | Backcountry Permit – No Reservations |
Day 5: Across Pickerel Lake (13.5 km)
Our goal for day five was to enjoy some fishing while covering a good portion of the massive Pickerel Lake. With its tremendous size, countless islands, narrow passages, and excellent fishing, all accessible without any portages from French Lake, it’s easy to see why Pickerel is such a popular spot. While we didn’t encounter many people while we were there, the signs of heavy use were abundant. Most of the decent campsites we stopped to check wore the signs of heavy use—making them easy to spot from the shore, with deadfall and vegetation wiped out. I imagine during peak season there are far more visitors than the half dozen we saw on the lake.
With no portages and a relatively short distance to cover, we had plenty of time to stop for lunch and soak up the surroundings. Stopping in random spots along the shore where people are unlikely to visit is a pleasant endeavour. If you spend some time slowly looking around and taking in all of the sights and little details, you’ll notice a lot of cool life that’s too fragile to withstand the visitation campsites and portages receive and probably goes unnoticed by many visitors. One thing I really appreciated about Quetico was the diversity in plant life. There were so many varieties of mosses, shrubs, aquatic plants, and more. My favourite was the white pines, which were abundant along our route in Quetico.
Campsite: After lunch, we continued along Pickerel’s southern shore, eventually cutting over to one of the eastern islands. We chose one of the well-worn campsites on the farthest east island for our final night. There was plenty of room for our three tents, a nice landing area on the north and also a decent area to the west. The campfire was nestled back in the island a ways in a cozy location.
| Total Distance | 13.5 km |
| Portaging Distance | 0 m |
| Number of Portages | 0 |
| Campsite Reservation | Backcountry Permit – No Reservations |
Day 6: Pickerel Lake to French Lake (9.3 km)
All that remained the last day was paddling across the rest of Pickerel Lake, down the stream into French Lake, and over to the landing where our vehicle was parked. We were lucky enough to have one of the infamous west Pickerel winds, which quickly pushed us across the lake. The sheer size of Pickerel’s east-west fetch meant that even a modest breeze stirred up sizable waves, but we made great time. Once we entered the stream, though, the waves disappeared, and everything felt calm.
We paddled slowly and quietly through this sheltered marshy stretch, hoping to catch a glimpse of some larger wildlife, as we’d seen none this far on the trip. Despite our hopes, the only creatures we spotted were turtles perched on fallen trees along the waterway.
As we paddled through this area it made me think of a Kevin Callan quote I’d heard. I don’t recall if it was in one of his books or a video, but I remember him saying something along the lines of ‘It’s not a postcard, it’s an experience’. I think that perfectly sums up our trip. This trip was defined by the experience itself. The collective sights, sounds, challenges, and sheer immersion in a landscape that can only be explored this way by canoe. Even the solitude we found—as we had a 48-hour stretch all to ourselves. It isn’t something that can be captured in a photograph.
After coming into French Lake, it was just a short paddle off to the right-hand side to the sandy beach landing near the parking lot where our vehicle was parked. The parking lot is a dozen metres or so from the beach, and has canoe racks where our outfitter asked us to leave the canoes we rented.
| Total Distance | 9.3 km |
| Portaging Distance | 0 m |
| Number of Portages | 0 |
| Campsite Reservation | N/A |
Reflections
Many of the lakes this route traverses are large and even a modest breeze from the wrong direction can generate large waves making it impassible. Know your limitations, monitor the forecast, and be flexible with your exit strategy or date if unfavourable winds occur. Knowing prevailing westerly winds make Pickerel Lake frequently difficult, we chose to travel west to east. Stanton Bay and Batchewaung Lake both have access points which could shorten this trip if necessary.
Author Bio
Colby Osborn is a hydrogeologist from Nebraska. He loves creating and building things, and all things outdoors. The most exciting trips for Colby are in places where he gets to explore natural wonders off the beaten path, and where he can appreciate them in their natural state, unaltered by man. He has the most experience backpacking in remote areas in the rocky mountains but has a passion for exploring wild places.
Instagram: @coosbo
YouTube: @AverageJoes-YT