Thank you so much for the advice and information! That is all super helpful. I was recently thinking about an electric fence, but have not travelled with one before. Is it pretty common to use in this area for bear safety? I have also heard of groups using small ones to specifically protect their food. There seems to be companies that are making pretty light set ups for backcountry travel, more specifically for grizzly bears. Will reach out to see if we can chat with a wildlife officer, great idea! Do you know anything about the weir, whether you are able to get around it easy enough? Our f ..read more

I'd say paddle right into town. You may want to get a map of Churchill to preplan a bit such as where is the best place to land, what you are going to do with your canoe (portage to the trail station), etc. Don't miss the opportunity to also canoe to the highlights like the Prince of Wales Fort and Sloop cove, which are on river left across from the community. Also look for whales, in the river near the town. You may see them swimming in the river. Bear safety would be the same of the other nearby rivers, the Seal, Knife, Hayes, Caribou, etc. Keep a clean camp, kept a watchful eye, stay as ..read more

JaimieR. wrote: Hey y'all! We are looking for more tips, and advice particularly in regards to polar bear safety. Specifically, whether it is best to get picked up on the river before Churchill, or if you can paddle right to town. Anything anyone knows would be great! Also any other thoughts, or suggestions about this route would be welcome and greatly appreciated too! You can paddle right to town and then it's a short hike (300 - 400 metres) to the hotels/lodges (you can probably flag a pickup truck to move your gear) the train station is a bit closer if you want to drop your canoes ther ..read more

I’m surprised nobody has replied yet. What was the post you mentioned titled(about helping to pick your route)? Statistics: Posted by Paddle Power — Sun May 12, 2024 11:52 pm ..read more

Hey y'all! I am part of a small group planning a trip down the Churchill River to Churchill this August starting on the Little Churchill (near Thompson). We are all pretty experienced paddlers and guides, having worked leading canoe trips for Outward Bound for years, with moderate whitewater experience. We have planned for approximately 17 days total, ending in Churchill to get the train back to Thompson. My friend posted earlier in this forum to help us pick a route, and got a ton of great and helpful information. We are looking for more tips, and advice particularly in regards to polar be ..read more

Look in the 70s page section here, as the old route booklets mention Bird and Chase. https://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~burchil/p ... ports6.pdf Statistics: Posted by Paddle Power — Mon Apr 01, 2024 7:33 pm ..read more

Hello, I included a file showing a possible small loop on the Bird river. I outlined it in black. I was wondering if anyone has any information or have tried that loop? I'm planning on heading up the Bird this summer towards Chase Lake. I can either enter the small tributary that connects to an unnamed lake and portage back to the Bird River route, or do it in reverse and portage from the other end and eventually get back on the Bird. Thannks Statistics: Posted by crowmaster — Mon Apr 01, 2024 5:52 pm ..read more

jmc wrote: There certainly has been "some damming" on the Churchill. Since the mid- 1970s, the Missi Falls dam at the outlet of Southern Indian Lake has diverted the great majority of the Churchill's flow south into the Nelson River for hydro generation purposes, as well as raising the level of the lake by some 15 feet. Nonetheless, parties have paddled the lower Churchill after the diversion - it is probably more canoe-friendly now than in pre-diversion days, when it was never a traditional route due to its huge volume. Another approach would be to paddle the Little Churchill river to reac ..read more

Yes, most things in the north are expensive. I suggest you try working backwards to your #3 goal (tundra/taiga—beyond boreal forest). Look at the tree line on a good map. Trace it along the borderlands of Manitoba/Saskatchewan and Nunavut/Northwest Territories. Are there any areas of interest, such as a lake? That’s your end goal. Now start working backwards, to find a route to and from your non boreal forest destination. Ideally a route that isn’t an out and back, rather a route that at least includes a loop or circle route where you don’t retrace your route. Hopefully you can figure out a ..read more

There certainly has been "some damming" on the Churchill. Since the mid- 1970s, the Missi Falls dam at the outlet of Southern Indian Lake has diverted the great majority of the Churchill's flow south into the Nelson River for hydro generation purposes, as well as raising the level of the lake by some 15 feet. Nonetheless, parties have paddled the lower Churchill after the diversion - it is probably more canoe-friendly now than in pre-diversion days, when it was never a traditional route due to its huge volume. Another approach would be to paddle the Little Churchill river to reach the Church ..read more