The wabakimi area
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wabakimi provincial parkWabakimi Provincial Park is located in Canada's Northwestern Ontario some 240km (150 miles) north of Thunder Bay. It is one of the three most popular regional canoeing destinations, the others being Quetico Provincial Park and Woodland Caribou Provincial Park.
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beyond wabakimiIn the Wabakimi Area, there are many other wilderness canoeing opportunities both in protected areas and on Crown lands. Together with Wabakimi Provincial Park, these functionally roadless lands constitute the world's largest contiguous wilderness canoeing area.
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Camping Permits
Interior/Backcountry Camping Permits are required for any person to occupy an interior (or backcountry) campsite within an operational provincial park such as Wabakimi Provincial Park. These permits may be purchased from the park office in Thunder Bay or from any area licensed permit issuers. Fees vary by park and by a visitor's age and place of permanent residency. In Northern Ontario, residents of Canada may camp free of charge on Crown land for up to 21 days at any one site, except where posted otherwise. Non-residents of Canada 18 years of age or older must purchase a Crown Land Camping Permit to camp in non-operational provincial parks and conservation reserves or on Crown land that is not a regulated (green) zone or under some other similar restriction. Some Crown lands may have restricted travel zones for forest fire prevention, officially closed forest access roads and areas posted with signs to prohibit all or certain kinds of travel. Crown Land Camping Permits may be purchased from area licence issuers or from any ServiceOntario office. Some exemptions may apply. For example, non-residents who use a camping unit rented from a commercial outfitter in Ontario (i.e., equipment used for the purpose of outdoor accommodation such as a tent) or who own real property in Ontario are not required to purchase a permit. Members of, or persons in charge of, a charitable or not-for profit organization may be eligible for exemption by applying in writing to the appropriate MNRF District Manager well in advance. |
Fishing Licences
Every person who engages in recreational or sport fishing in Ontario must possess a valid fishing licence as well as an Ontario Outdoors Card. Fishing regulations go into effect January 1 of each year and are subject to updates. Anglers should check the current Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary, especially the licence options available for Canadian non-residents and international non-residents and the exemptions to the regulations for the fisheries management zone(s) in which they plan to fish. Non-resident anglers 18 years of age or older are required to obtain a non-resident Outdoors Card in order to purchase any Ontario hunting or fishing licence other than the one-day fishing licence. The non-resident Outdoors Card allows anglers and hunters to purchase Ontario fishing and hunting licences using the internet or the automated phone system. In order to improve service to both resident and non-resident hunters and anglers, an automated licensing system has been developed for more than 2,000 private provincial licence issuers. For more information, visit the Outdoors Card Centre website. Any non-resident 18 years of age or older who camps on Crown land in Northwestern Ontario must follow Conservation Fishing Licence limits in the following Fishing Divisions: 20, 21, 22, 22A, 24, 30, 31, 33 & 34 (except for the Border Waters Area). A Conservation Fishing Licence is a reduced catch and possession limit licence that is designed for anglers who wish to live-release the majority of fish caught. The eight-day non-resident Conservation Fishing Licence is valid for eight consecutive calendar days. A calendar day is a 24-hour period starting at midnight. Non-residents under 18 years of age may fish without a licence if accompanied by an adult who has a valid fishing licence. Any fish kept are part of the catch and possession limit of the person who holds the licence. Optionally, non-residents under 18 years of age may purchase a licence to catch and possess their own limits. For non-resident groups of at least five children under the age of 18 years of age, there is a special licence for members of an organized camp. This licence is available from any ServiceOntario office. |
Here are some important links used to prepare for The Wabakimi Project canoe trips that will also be of value to paddlers planning to visit Northwestern Ontario on their own. Suggestions for the inclusion of links to other sites are welcome!
You can also download this list as a PDF file. |
Wabakimi and Beyond
Canoeing, Camping & Fishing
Ontario Parks Crown Land Camping Crown Land Camping Regulations Fishing Regulations Hunting Regulations Online Maps MNRF Crown Land Use Policy Atlas MNRF Forest Plans Ministry of Northern Development & Mines (MNDM) Natural Resources Canada Google Maps (Canada) MapQuest ACME Mapper 2.0 Global Forest Change Equipment Suppliers Souris River Canoes - sourisriver.com Northstar Canoes - northstarcanoes.com Grey Owl Paddles - greyowlpaddles.com Eureka Tents - eurekatent.com Freeze-dried Food Suppliers Oregon Freeze Dry, Inc. (Mountain House) - mountainhouse.com Augason Farms - augasonfarms.com Thunder Bay Retail Suppliers Chaltrek Geological Supplies Inc. - www.chaltrek.com Wilderness Supply Company Ltd. - wildernesssupply.com Gear Up for Outdoors Ltd. - gear-up.com Take A Hike - takeahike.ca Paddling Events Wilderness Canoe Symposium (WC) - wcsymposium.com Canoecopia - rutabaga.com/canoecopia Quiet Water Symposium (QWS) - quietwatersymposium.org Adventure Guide Armchair Series - advguide.com Nova Craft Guest Speaker Series - londonspaddleshop.com Far North Symposium - mncanoe.org Outdoor Adventure Expo - outdooradventureexpo.com Toronto Outdoor Adventure & Travel Show - outdooradventureshow.ca Ottawa Outdoor Adventure Show - ottawaoutdoors.ca Paddling Forums Canadian Canoe Routes (CCR) - myccr.com Song of the Paddle - songofthepaddle.co.uk Paddling.net - paddling.net Outdoor Adventure Canada - outdooradventurecanada.com Ottertooth.com - ottertooth.com Canoeing.com - canoeing.com Quiet Journey - quietjourney.com Wabakimi Forum - BWCA.com Paddling Blogs Ramlin Boy (aka True North) blog - albinger.me/2016/04/10/wabakimis-top-six-places-to-see Charlotte and John's Travels - charandjohntravels.com The Wabakimi Project - www.kaydi.ca/?p=1300 Conservancy Efforts & Events The Great Wilderness Cleanup - wildernesscleanup.com The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup - vanaqua.org/cleanup Earth Day Canada - earthday.ca National Wildlife Week - nationalwildlifeweek.ca Leave No Trace Canada - leavenotrace.ca National Canoe Day - nationalcanoeday.net World Environment Day - unep.org/wed/2010/english |
Visiting Northwestern Ontario
Tourism
Ontario Ministry of Tourism - ontariotravel.net/outdoor North of Superior Tourist Association (NOSTA) - northofsuperior.org Sunset Country - ontariossunsetcountry.ca City of Thunder Bay - ThunderBay.ca City of Thunder Bay Tourism - visitthunderbay.com Thunder Bay Newswatch - tbnewswatch.com Armstrong Resources & Development Corporation (ARDC) - wabakimi.on.ca Commercial Passenger Service Air Canada (Jazz) - aircanada.com WestJet - westjet.com Porter - flyporter.com VIA Rail - viarail.ca Highway Directions, Road Conditions & Road Maps NWO Road Map - mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/map/images/pdf/northont/sheets/Map13.pdf NWO Road Construction Reports - mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/trip/construction_reports-northwestern.shtml Google Maps (Canada) - google.ca/maps MapQuest - mapquest.com Weather Information Environment Canada - weatheroffice.gc.ca/canada_e.html The Weather Network - theweathernetwork.com Northern Lights - swpc.noaa.gov/products/ Weather Radar - Superior West - weatheroffice.gc.ca/radar/index_e.html?id=XNI Water Levels Environment Canada Real-Time Hydrometric Data - wateroffice.ec.gc.ca/google_map/... Ontario Power Generation (OPG) Water Levels - opg.com/powering-ontario/our-generation/hydro/river-system-data Forest Fire Information Current Forest Fire Situation - mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/AFFM/2ColumnSubPage/268862.html Current Forest Fire Situation Map - forest.lrc.gov.on.ca/AFFM/fire/interactivemap/firemap_English.htm Crossing the Canada - U.S.A. International Border Canada Border Services Agency - cbsa.gc.ca U.S. Customs & Border Protection - cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel Foreign Currency Exchange Rates Bank of Canada - bank-banque-canada.ca/en/rates/exchange.html |