Access

Wabakimi Provincial Park may be accessed by road, rail or air from the nearby communities of Armstrong, Savant Lake and Pickle Lake where canoe tripping services, supplies, permits and licences may be obtained from area outfitters.

Road & Rail Access to Wabakimi

(Click on map to enlarge.)

By Road

No roads lead directly to Wabakimi. In order to protect remote tourism values and resource extraction interests, travel on many area forest access roads is restricted to all but authorized vehicles under authority of the Public Lands Act. Depending on the insertion/extraction points chosen, access/egress by road will involve paddling across Crown lands to reach the park. For the sake of security and safety, visitors should leave their vehicles with a licensed outfitter and arrange road shuttles to/from their canoe trip insertion/extraction points.

Two paved secondary highways link the Trans-Canada Highway to the communities that serve the Wabakimi area. Highway 527 starts just east of Thunder Bay and leads 260km to Armstrong; Highway 599 begins in Ignace 250km west of Thunder Bay and leads 125km to Savant Lake and beyond to where St. Raphael, Albany River and Wabakimi Provincial Parks may be accessed.

Several forest access roads provide alternate links to area canoe routes. One of the most popular of these gravel roads is the Caribou Lake Road that leads northwest for 12km from the terminus of Highway 527 in Armstrong to Little Caribou and Caribou Lakes. The Pikitigushi and Little Jackfish Rivers are accessible from the Pikitigushi Road that runs east from Armstrong.

South of Armstrong, three forest access roads lead west from Highway 527. The Obonga Lake Road and the Garden Lake Road--an extension of Highway 811-- each lead west towards the Kopka River and Obonga-Ottertooth canoe areas. A third road leads to the headwaters of Gull River.

The Graham Road extends north from the Trans-Canada Highway northwest of the town of Upsala and provides opportunities to access to the Brightsand and Kopka Rivers. Several forest access roads leading east from Highway 599 near Savant Lake lead to waterways that link to Wabakimi.

By Rail

One of the most popular and inexpensive ways to access Wabakimi is by train. VIA Rail provides tri-weekly trans-continental passenger service in each direction along the Canadian National Railway (CNR) northern line which crosses the southern part of the park. Day coach fares are quite reasonable and seniors in the company of a full-fare paying adult travel free. There is no charge for a reasonable number of canoe packs, however, there is a charge for each canoe.

With a minimum of 48 hours notice, VIA Rail will make unscheduled stops for canoeists on request. The only two conditions are that there must be visible evidence of direct access to a navigable waterway or a portage trail at the proposed drop-off location and the train crew must be given the exact mileage to the drop-off or pick-up point accurate to the nearest tenth of a mile from Armstrong. There is no extra charge for an unscheduled stop; the fare charged is what would normally be paid to the next scheduled stop.

Space in the baggage car is limited and during the peak of the canoe season, the demand for this service cannot always be met. Advance reservations are strongly recommended and should stipulate the number of canoes none of which should exceed 18' in length. Loose items such as paddles and fishing rods should be securely lashed below the thwarts as canoes are often stacked one on top of each other in the baggage car.

VIA Rail westbound service departs Armstrong each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday; eastbound service departs Savant Lake each Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. There is no service in either direction on Monday or Saturday. Effective December 1, 2008, the schedule in each direction will change: westbound service will depart Armstrong at 10:19pm and arrive in Savant Lake at 11:23pm; eastbound service will depart Savant Lake at 07:35am and arrive in Armstrong at 10:23am. During the summer months, Armstrong is on Eastern Daylight Saving Time (EDST); all points west of Armstrong are on Central Daylight Saving Time (CDST).

VIA Rail Schedule to Popular Insertion Points

The following chart lists the mileages west of Armstrong to popular canoe trip insertion/extraction points along the CNR line as far west as Savant Lake. Scheduled stops are indicated in bold typeface.

By Air

By far, the best way to reach the more remote, less-travelled parts of the park is by air. Several area outfitters offer charter float plane service as well as overnight accommodation, vehicle parking and road shuttles. Most issue fishing licences and camping permits; some rent canoes. A few offer full and partial outfitting as well as trip planning and route orientation.