by Marc Wermager

Even though the BWCA/Quetico has long been cherished as a sacred ground for canoeists, there is a growing interest in exploring new canoe country. One such area is the Atikaki Wilderness of Woodland Caribou Park in NW Ontario, and Atikaki Park in Manitoba. This article will focus on the reasons for the intense interest, the fresh features, and what you need to know for a visit.

The solitude of Atikaki is overwhelming. It surrounds and embraces the inner core, silencing life's discordant noises, and focusing the cluttered spirit. The pervading solitude is the direct result of man's absence In 1998, Woodland Caribou Wilderness park saw only 800 canoeists all year. The park is 1.2 million acres in size. Atikaki Wilderness Park adds another 1.2 million acres for 2.4 million altogether. The BWCA/Quetico is somewhat smaller at 2.0 million acres. Most paddlers see only about one other group per trip. I remember one crowded 4th of July weekend; July 1 is also the canadian holiday. On the way back to the main access point, we encountered two turkey vultures, three bald eagles, three bear, a lynx and a moose eating contentedly at the access point. There were no people; but it was a crowded day at the most heavily used jumping off point.

Not only are there few canoeists, but there is little evidence whatsoever of modern man. None of the parks have ever been logged. Prospectors were not interested in the barren granites. Even fly-in fishing camps sought larger walleye lakes elsewhere, bypassing the small walleye hotspots and narrow trout lakes of Atikaki. Because the wilderness straddles the Manitoba/Ontario border, neither province saw a need for roads simply to reach the other province. Thus, nearly all the area remained virgin wilderness, unchanged from ancient times.

The pristine freshness here is a welcome contrast to other heavily used parks. There are no designated campsites, Even though most major lakes have one primitive site, I recommend making your own temporary campsite. With a few exceptions, good landings are plentiful. There is plenty of bare bedrock for fire rings. Open fires are permitted in Woodland Caribou. Manitoba requires stoves or metal fire pots. Firewood abounds, as fallen jack pine or beaverwood. A camp saw is helpful. Axes or hatchets are unnecessary added weight. Tent sites will be on soft untrampled ground, usually covered with thick moss. When you leave, the temporary campsite can then be left as you found it.

There are portages into about half the lakes; but many of the remainder have yet to be explored. The portages are unmarked and primitive. Their primary use is as game trails. Keep your eyes open for wildlife and the blazes that mark the trail. You will not find the open rock highways of other parks. Portages might need some clearing or rerouting. But because the easiest portages are cut first, the existing portages are usually shorter in length than in other parks.

Many of the mysteries of Atikaki have yet to be discovered. Flora and fauna studies are rare and incomplete. What fish are in the other unexplored lakes? I found an unknown prehistoric fish in 270-foot deep Sydney Lake. It had huge eyes and a sculpin tail, on a shiner-like body. Most interestingly, the fish was completely protected by a spine net. No one has yet been able to identify or explain the presence of this odd-looking fellow. Although limited to one or two weeks of tripping in recent summers, I have averaged locating at least one unrecorded pictograph each year. The unknown and new surprises add a rare dimension to Atikaki.

Atikaki is overwhelming solitude, fresh, unspoiled essence, and opportunity to uncover new secrets. This tantalizes those who have not yet met her and endears those who know her well. But it is the fascinating features which give substance and form to this mood.

Atikaki is one watershed- lake country in Ontario, white water rivers in Manitoba. The headwaters are just west of Red Lake, Ontario. The water flows northwesterly first through small, interconnected lakes separated by falls or streams. In Manitoba, the waters converge, forming whitewater rivers which cascade eventually into lake Winnipeg. The lake country is similar to the Quetico, ideal for lake canoeing. The whitewater rivers are, however, an added dimension. Depending on water levels, rivers like the Bloodvein, Gammon, Pigeon and Leyond, can be enough of a challenge for even the most experienced. However, since historically, freight was hauled upstream from Lake Winnipeg, every rapids has a portage, with the option to run or walk around. This is Canadian Shield river country, with slow water, then a rock barrier and frequent portages.

The terrain encompasses several zones of canadian shield. In the east, high heavily forested moraine-covered ridges rise 200 feet directly above the water. Much of this band of cliffs and ridges lies outside present park boundaries. Going west, smooth rock lake country interwoven with open forest, presents a park-like pattern. Near the border, frequent fires have denuded rugged rock, creating an almost moonscape of barren rock frame by conifers. In the north, the upper Bloodvein has larger lakes with more clays and swamps. In Manitoba, the rivers follow fault lines, which overflow every mile or two. Near the river mouths, large swamps and mixed wood forests occur. A little off the east shore of Lake Winnipeg, the shield granites end, and the limestones of the prairies begin.

Atikaki is fire dominated boreal forest, with a few intrusions of prairie species from the west. Frequent lightning strikes in the dry rock and thin soils make fire the dominant force. Fire restarts the forest cycle, but removes most of any humus buildup. The result is the characteristic open jack pine-spruce forest. The openness is a real advantage for viewing wildlife, finding tent sites, or hiking without a cut trail. The widely spaced canopy permits sphagnum moss, wildflowers, and berries to cover the forest floor. Only in the eastern fringe, has a spruce balsam forest developed, as the jack pine die away before the fire restarts the cycle. The infrequent clay areas sometimes result in mixed wood forests primarily of poplar and birch. Prairie species such as prairie spike moss are interspersed, creating what is now called the Prairie Boreal region. Although never logged, fire and the species present determine that most trees reach only a moderate size. There are, however, a few exceptions where ancient relics reach a circumference of over 10 feet or a towering height over the surrounding forest.

The summer climate of Woodland Caribou is the warmest and driest of Ontario. Ice goes out around the middle of may, usually in a dramatic shift from winter to summer. Then begins the dry period, with cold nights but long clear, calm days. Uniquely, this is probably the best canoe season. It is bug free, and partially responsible for the minimal bug problems all summer long. The season is also the greatest forest fire danger. In late June or early July, weather patterns change with rains moving north from the US border and the BWCA. Most rains in Atikaki last only a few hours with clearing soon after. Summer temperatures range from lows in the 50s and 60s to highs reaching in the upper 80s Fahrenheit. Fall begins the last week in August and lasts until the first staying snow in early October. Fall may be overcast with rains lasting two to three days, or clear and summer-like all week. Peak colors occur during the third week in September.

The elusive Woodland Caribou is an important reason for protection of this wilderness and the source of the park names. Atikaki means "Caribou Country" in Saulteaux-Ojibwa. This woodland caribou is a threatened species one step up from endangered. The open jack pine forests with sphagnum moss floors are ideal habitat. Swamps and islands provide calving grounds and refuges. The caribou hoofs open and close, acting as paddles for swimming or snowshoes for deep snow or swamps. Hollow hairs float them high in the water and protect them from winter cold. Canoeists often see them in the spring to mid-summer. The caribou reach islands just before breakup and then make use of the natural moat until calves are strong enough to evade predators. Atikaki is the habitat of many other species of wildlife. Moose can often be seen in swampy bays at dusk or dawn. Beaver, otter, fisher, martin and mink all make use of the streams and ponds. Wolves, bears, lynx and even the rare cougar hunt these forests. Bald eagles, osprey, and turkey vultures fly the skies. When the Greater Canada Goose was thought to be extinct in the '70s, it was securely nesting east of Lake Winnipeg, planning its remarkable recovery. Fall skies can be filled with flight after flight of snow geese, lasting for three noisy days.

Fish here have probably not even seen a hook. About a third of the lakes are lake trout lakes, producing trout right through the heat of the summer. Walleye thrive in another third, generally those lakes of lower elevation with spawning rivers or shoals. Northern pike frequent nearly all lakes and reach record sizes. Bass occur in only two lakes. Muskellunge hunt the south west corner around Irregular Lake.

On sheltered bare cliffs above the water, rock pictographs signal ancient peoples, trails and hunts. The Bloodvein Shaman is of international significance. It shows the shaman with power emanating from his head, making a sacrifice before a war canoe and many warriors. A bison far from his native prairies also stands out. Ancient campgrounds and rock shards dot the landscape. River "pots" show use in grinding wild rice. The various intriguing features of Atikaki should pique the interest of any canoeist to ply the waters of Atikaki.

What does one need to know to visit the Atikaki Wilderness? Park access is best through Red Lake to the eastern side of Woodland Caribou. Atikaki Park in Manitoba requires a fly-in to the border region, 4 miles of Portages to Obuckoqin Lake, or a two-day struggle through a sometimes dry stream to Aikens Lake. In contrast, the Ontario side does offer access to Woodland Caribou via a four-wheel-drive logging road. There are five different jumping off points, which are 20 to 55 miles from Red Lake. A ground shuttle is available.

From the headwaters one can then travel on to Manitoba whitewater and end up at Lake Winnipeg. A ferry runs weekdays to the roadhead on the west side of Lake Winnipeg from the mouth of the Bloodvein River. Seeing the river grow and run it's full course is much preferable for a complete experience. A minimum of two weeks is required for this trip. Any length of circle trips can also be taken through the lake country from these jumping off points.

Red Lake is where the highway ends and the wilderness begins. Red Lake is 540 miles or 10 hours driving from the Twin Cities, 15 hours from Chicago. The roads are good and the drive enjoyable. Most people find it much preferable to drive a couple hours further, than to fight crowds of other canoeists for the first and last three days of a trip. One can also fly through Winnipeg to Red Lake five times a day. The cost is roughly $400 US, from the above cities.

There are a few park regulations which apply to the two parks. Woodland Caribou Park fees are $10 Cdn per night per adult, or only $42 US for seven days on the water. Crown land camping fees outside parks are also $10 Cdn per night per adult for non-residents, and area restrictions may apply. This does not apply if you use local outfitters. A conservation fishing license is only $21 Cdn for seven days, $22.50 Cdn for the season. There are no quotas or required reservations. Permits can be obtained in Red Lake upon arrival from your outfitter, or MNR. The usual rules apply for life jackets, cans or non-burnable trash.

Regarding maps and route information, at present, no map contains the necessary information. One has portages, but is nagivationally incorrect. Topographic maps are 20-30 years old and contain no portages or current names. Colored provincial series maps are accurate for navigation, but not surface information. The best solution is to consult your local outfitter. He will match the goals of your trip with route options. He may also supply you with a hand produced map displaying names, portages, and features. It is easy to waste time finding access points, rerouted portages, or lakes with camping potential, and at the same time miss pictographs or good fishing spots. You will greatly enhance your experience by using a local outfitter.

The park systems at present are an excellent start, but do not as yet live up to their full potential. Woodland Caribou needs expansions to include the full range of the caribou, a really good access system and boundaries based on park values. Four additions were made in 1999, more can be anticipated through local efforts. A park master plan may be two years off. This will determine the fate of fly-in camps left in the park when it was established. At present, your outfitter can route most trips around the camps. Manitoba has set in motion an innovative voluntary plan which will see all camps on the Bloodvein gone by 2001.

Improvement of the parks is depended on local support. Canadians pay the taxes and have chosen wilderness protection over other more lucrative economic options. You can show your appreciation for an unequalled wilderness experience best by using the local outfitters and services. Everything you need is available in Red Lake. For particulars, including a free area map, write: Red Lake Publicity Board Red Lake, Ontario Canada POV 2MO.

Well, I hope to see you up in the Atikaki Wilderness of Woodland Caribou and Atikaki parks. Other areas are trying to cut back the number of users. In contrast, we need a few good canoeists who will appreciate Atikaki and leave a few dollars in the local economy. This will convince government planners and local citizens to support enhancement of these parks. It is a great joy for me to see the excitement and glow on the faces of those who return from Atikaki. A visit to the Atikaki Wilderness is a rare and exhilarating experience, and also a chance to ensure the survival of this spectacular wilderness.

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