Has anyone on this site been across the top of Lake Nipigon? I heard that it was possible but required about 10kms of Rail riding including a bridge, in order to hook up with logging roads on the other end. I'm not too thrilled about riding live tracks :eek1 So I am wondering if this is the only way or if there was another way? Looking for some Adventure this summer Thanks!!
Me and a buddy with his spankin new 2010 KLR plan on doing that same trip this sping, from Sioux Lookout, and around the Lake. ( Me on my own bike of course) If you haven't already, look for one of those "BackRoad MapBooks of NWO", find them at local gas stations, very handy when combined with a GPS... The MapBook shows a route from the west to a place called "Ferland", and then it may be some guess work after that? I'm sure the locals there have routes going each way from the top though....hopefully. If you go before the end of May, be sure to report, that's our plan so far... MFS
Probably won't happen before the end of May. My buddy is racing in the States thru May, so It will be later in the summer. Hopefully we won't get too much rain this year and it stays dry. So far I've come up 2kms short on Joining roads on maps, books, google, etc. I know it's been done a couple of different ways but I don't think there's a well worn route...yet. Will take some searching I'm sure. If you guys get thru before we do, drop me a line or post your RR. Good luck!!
I've talked to logging truck drivers who said that there was a road from Nakina which went west, but someone burnt the bridge a few years ago.A good topo map should show you what you'll run into, literally. Woodgrain
Thanks Woodgrain, I might have found a route thru coming out on 801 near Jelicoe. Looks like single track between logging roads and hopefully the creeks will be crossable without bridges. Don't need to ride the rails either. Got it all mapped out on GPS, need to double check a couple of things and plan backups. Then the only way to find out for sure is to go there!
It has been done! We've tried 3 times and made it once. The first time we tried was a success. The first attempt we headed about 100 km east of Armstrong on the haul road. You turn south at Laumane Lake and it's a good trail into the lake. From the lake it was a challege on a grown in logging road. There was a washed out bridge which with a lot of work we got the bikes across. It was fast ride to Auden and then south to Hwy 11. From T Bay around the lake and home was 700km. We tried the same route 3 years ago and got stopped at the bridge washout. The water was way to high. The bush road was grown in as to be almost unpassable. Last summer we tried a more notherly route off the haul road. There is a skidder trail that joins up 2 cuts. If we could get across the trail we would come out up towards Ogoki Falls and then ride down to Nakina. The day we tried it was cold and wet all the way. I think the high for the day was +9C. Anyways between the weather, horrible mosquitoes,and a long day we got our asses kicked. We did make it to the skidder trail. It was 2 deep ruts thru the muskeg disappearing into the bush:huh Walked in a ways and decided to try again in a dryer year. We've even thought about going up with chainsaws and clearing a trail besides the ruts. It is a km or 2 between cuts. Probably doable in a dry summer. Remember those. Both routes are about 100 km east of Armstrong so it makes for a long day. Might be better to camp or spend the night in Armstrong to get a full day in. We do a lot of this in the summer so keep in touch
Thanks CanuckAME I will remember! Your first route sounds a lot like the one I've scoped out. Deffinitely won't try it unless it's drier. Bushwhacking and river crosses don't bother me. But muskeg and Mosquito's....:eek1 I really hate the cold also, wish every month could be like last September!! Just got the KLR last August, so I'm still mastering the bigger dualsport. Been used to ridding MXers setup for the bush. The KLR is a big pig! My last ride in September ended upside down in a washout. I mean the bike was litterly standing on it's head in the rocks! Solo ride, so it took 45 minutes to get it uprighted and get out of there. If it had fallen on me, I'm sure I'd still be there. I'm over it now and don't worry about scratching the new bike anymore. I'd like to hook up with some ADV riders this summer, Everyone here sound like real Adventurer's and a great bunch of people. Lots of alcho...I mean bike knowledge there! rolf there kinda looks like me going into the washout!! Damn snow, melt already!! -33c in Lappe this morning
Link to the ride report. We'll have to get together. http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=484519&highlight=lake+nipigon
Thanks canuckAME Crappy weather last year for sure! One minute the water's low, next it was high. Rain, cloud, rain, cloud, su...nope rain!:huh Some pretty barren country up there, I've only been as far as Nakina from the other direction and up 527 to Armstrong to see the old Radar Station. Hopefully we'll get a decent spring and we can get out riding.
They might be running a new power line across the top of the lake soon, which may give you some different opportunties to get across.
Hey CanuckAME, did you guys see any old buildings down past Lamaune Lk? Old topo shows a bunch of buildings beside a lake near the road. Might be an old Logging camp? Also, what's in Auden and Ombabika? Anything? Or just a name on the rail system? Thanks!
Hey ZZR_Ron, might be able to hook up sections of that to get thru. Too bad they don't build bridges over the bogs and water crossing on power lines but I guess that's why we're ADV riders. Otherwise we'd just be...Tourists? You'd think by now the locals up there would've been hard at work building ATV bridges across some of these waterways to get to the good fishing. Gotta be good fishing up there if no one goes there!? :huh
We didn't actually go into Auden. I think it was a whistle stop on the CN line. There were some buildings around Joy Lake. I'd try and send you a map but the Garmin Topo stuff doesn't show many of the trails in that area. The Backroads Map book folks are supposed to have there maps out and GPS useable by spring. The GPS I had at the time was acting up and wouldn't record the route
Old thread brought to life. A small group of us are planning on giving this a go next summer. Did anyone try it out this past season (2010) ?
It was really wet in the Armstrong area last summer. We gave it a pass as either possible way through requires it to be fairly dry. Either that or take a skidder or raft. Depending on snow levels this winter we'll see how things look in the spring. Each time we have tried we headed west to east. We may head up and spend the night in Armstrong and then give it a try. That way you would have all day to try to get through. After seeing some of the Ride Reports of riders in Russia we should be more inspired to try again
