We are planning a 5 day loop from Canoe to Bigtout lake in mid July. Day 1 Canoe to McIntosh,day 2 into Bigtrout where we will spend day 3 then continue to Burnt Island Lake and back to Canoe Lake on day 5. Wondering if there would be any advantages to doing the trip in the opposite direction. Are there any considerable currents to contend with on Otterslide or McIntosh Creeks?

I did the loop the other way around last August, didn't notice any particular currents at all. You'll love that loop . We were always ahead of schedule and ended up dipping across highway 60 to Tanamakoon for our last night. South of highway 60 seemed a lot quieter on those small lakes from Burnt Island onwards.

The only thing that comes to mind, is you might have wind in your face paddling across Burnt Island from east to west. The wind on that lake can be relentless sometimes. Very beautiful area of The Park, McIntosh and Big Trout Lakes are nice, and the view emerging from the last portage onto Otterslide lake is nice too.


Markus
Etobicoke, Onterry-airy-airy-Ohhh!

On this loop the two places where you might find high winds would be on Big Trout itself, usually out of the south or west to east AND Burnt Island Lake, usually from the west down the lake towards the Otterslide portage.Canoe Lake can have good wind but more in the shoulder seasons.If you paddle "clockwise" you will want to hit BIL early to avoid a headwind.

There is no current to speak of in the creeks, Grassy Bay, the Petawawa (if you take the northern route either way) and Otterslide Creek.If you leave BT you might want to camp on Otterslide's island so you have a short paddle back to the BIL portage and then you can be at the southwestern end before lunch and beat much of the breeze.

If you paddle counter clockwise you won't care about head winds but should pay attention to the weather conditions on the larger lakes and watch for strong winds on BT. The channel out of White Trout Lake can be quite fierce and caution is urged if you cross the channel where lots of waves pour out into BT.Either way, the area is nice and there are some lovely areas with a variety of paddling opportunities and wide expanses along with nice meandering through lush green spots.-

Jester

I favour the counter-clockwise direction. As well as avoiding the prevailing west winds on Burnt Island Lake, the longest portage (Ink Lake - Tom Thomson Lake , 2300m) is done towards the end of the trip when packs are lighter.

Stainless

I've gone upstream grssy bay to McIntosh twice both times with very strong headwind. Blew one of our conoes 50 feet sideways....strangist thing I seen....the canoe never tiped. Bruntroot...grassy bay depends on the time of day and wind...which one would be better

Thanks for the input. I may rethink my route and indeed do it in a counter clockwise direction. Tackling the longest portage on the last day opens up more options for our menu. My main concern was that traveling from McIntosh to Canoe, then driving home(3hrs) would be a long day. We are efficeint travelers and will single carry the 2300m portage, so I think it might make more sense to finish our trip this way. After all enjoying the trip is more important than worrying about how much work it was to get there, or the harsh reality of returning home.

McIntosh is a really lovely Lake. Coming onto it from McIntosh creek, the waters are crowed with "hippo" rocks..watch out.

I would also recommend the counterclockwise option because of the ten foot high beaver dam on Otterslide Creek.

Counter-clockwise. Markus is right about the wind. Plus the grassy bay area of White Trout is easier to navigate counter-clockwise. Clockwise there is a chance of making a wrong turn in the grassy bay.

Carl