Dumoine River
Information for planning a canoe trip down the Dumoine River in Quebec.
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Dumoine is an incredible whitewater river in Quebec that flows into the Ottawa River just north of Algonquin Park. It vies for the top spot in our list of favourite whitewater canoeing rivers. There are only two mandatory portages (and a few carryovers) and some surprisingly long and ridiculously fun rapids. The river provides an exceptionally beautiful experience of the Canadian shield and is a mix of both open lake and tight river paddling.
The Dumoine is considered an intermediate level river, so please don't start with this river if you're just getting into whitewater unless you have an experienced with you. Many of the rapids are drop and pool, but there are still several that will eat your canoe if you screw up. Including incidentally a rapid called "Canoe Eater."
The campsites on the Dumoine are excellent—most have beautiful exposed granite features and conifer needle flooring. You won't find any sandy sites along this river. Split Rock has added the sites to the public Google Maps for easy planning. Please feel free to add pictures to reviews of sites to help others out. Note that it's a long paddle between site 16 and the Chute, so you'll need to plan accordingly.
There are three main put-ins, described below. Unless you get a boat shuttle at the end, you'll end the trip by crossing the mighty Ottawa river and land in Driftwood Bay, Ontario, which is a cool experience itself. The exact take-out location depends on your outfitter or wherever you left your car.
Lac Dix Milles to Driftwood Bay
Put-in: 10 Mile Lodge on Lac Dix Milles.' There's a spot to launch just after
Take-out: Driftwood Provincial Park on the Ontario side of the Ottawa River (parking arrangements can be made with your Outfitter or the park). Or at Pine Valley Resort and Campground.
Length: 93 km, 5-7 day trip.
Rapids: Plenty of class 1-3. There's a couple that might be class 4 in higher water, but they have easy portages. And of course some crazy 5's at the giant Grand Chute, but that's just for those crazy kayakers.
Shuttle distance: 98 km.
Portages: 2 with a few carry overs around large ledges.
IMPORTANT PORTAGE INFORMATION:
Please note that there are two portage trails around the Grand Chute (1.16km)—an easy one and a scenic one. For your way downriver and carrying gear, turn right when you get to the road with the bridge. Follow it up the hill, past a few buildings and watch for the marked left turn to portage down a very reasonable dirt road. The last third of the trip is back through the bush on the left and is also well marked.
For your return trip, there is a beautifully scenic (but brutally rocky) trail along the river that's a real delight. There are some excellent lookout points along the way to take in the incredible power of the Chute's massive rapids. Definitely don't make the same mistake Tim did on his first Dumoine trip and carry his gear down this one.
Lac Benoit to Driftwood Bay
Put-in: Lac Benoit near an abandoned bridge. Note that a long set of rapids will start right after the put in. If you're with a group, the canoes launched first should paddle upstream and wait, then run it when everyone is loaded and ready.
Take-out: Driftwood Provincial Park on the Ontario side of the Ottawa River (parking arrangements can be made with your Outfitter or the park). Or at Pine Valley Resort and Campground.
Length: 65 km, 4-5 day trip.
Rapids: Plenty of class 1-3.
Shuttle distance: 77 km. The last couple hours of the shuttle road are pretty rough and slow going. It's not for cars.
Portages: 2 with a few carry overs around large ledges.
See the note above about portaging around the Grand Chute.
Bonus tip:
If you're launching at Lac Benoit, you'll pass over the Grand Chute bridge. It's a perfect place to hide a cache in the bush near the take-out since you'll be back that way in a few days portaging around the chute. We hid some beer that would otherwise be very heavy to carry that far and it was a delight that evening.
Grand Chute to Driftwood Bay
This might be great for locals over the weekend, but if you can, at least start at Lac Benoit to really experience the Dumoine.
Put-in: Grand Chute bridge
Take-out: Driftwood Provincial Park on the Ontario side of the Ottawa River (parking arrangements can be made with your Outfitter or the park). Or at Pine Valley Resort and Campground.
Length: 23 km, 2-3 day trip.
Rapids: Some class 1-3. Many of the best rapids are upriver of this put-in.
Shuttle distance: 27 km
Portages: 2. You start with the 1.1 km portage around Grand Chute.
See the note above about portaging around the Grand Chute.
Resources
Outfitters
Dumoine River Expeditions (Location) (This is the fellow that we use. Remind Noel of your booking a few days before your trip).
Dumoine Valley Guides (starts cheaper but gets pricey with additional canoes)
There's a boat shuttle service across the Ottawa. If you don't want to do the last paddle across the Ottawa River, which we think is pretty awesome, you can hire an outfitter to come pick you up in a boat at the last rapid (Ryan's Chute). (Feels a little like an embarrassing finish!)
River data
The Dumoine is always paddlable, but it gets kind of scrapey and more technical in August.
Physical maps
Take a map. You need to know where the rapids are that will kill you. There are no warning signs.
Rivière Dumoine (foldable map)
Information about the river
Everything you need to know to paddle the Dumoine… and fun bits you didn't need to know. (By Wally Schaber)
ZEC: Part of the river flows through a ZEC, which is Quebec's unique conservation area system called "zone d'exploitation contrôlée". You'll need to stop at the ZEC gate just as you start your shuttle and pay the fee for the number of days you'll be in the ZEC part of the river.
Video
This video by Martin G serves as a great example of what the river is all about.
Custom map
Trip story
"Want a fresh donut?"
Stef 2023
There are so many great memories from my first Dumoine trip, but there is one story I will keep telling (to people who have probably already heard it and are tired of it).
We were midway through our trip and Jacob made fresh donuts for breakfast. Like, 100% from scratch, making and rising the yeast dough that morning. I hadn't realized what was missing from my life until the moment I ate that glazed donut still warm from deep-frying, two days from anything civilized and the rapids just above our site providing the setting.
A group across the river was gathering after their portage, breaking out of the forest just where the whitewater became runnable in open canoes again. As the group of young teenagers started downriver, one or two canoes capsized. I raced to one of our boats and paddled out to the pool below the rapids where the river had deposited the paddlers and their belongings, to see if I could provide any assistance. Everyone was fine and gear accounted for. Safely at the riverbank, I asked the group if they cared to join us for freshly-made donuts. The enthusiasm of the leader's "Oh my god! Yes!" more than made up for the insecure silence of the 13 or 14 year-olds in their care.
As the young campers arrived at our camp and tried the donuts, their shy nervousness gave way to smiles and laughter and expressions of disbelief that such a wonder could be had so far backcountry. It was so rewarding to be able to provide such a great experience to them, knowing they would go home telling their families stories not just of the river but of the incredible donuts they had with the super-cool old guys.
Likewise, as we reflected later, our group agreed it was absolutely one of the highlights of our trip.
As an aside, we were blown away by the capability of the trip leaders. The two 20ish-year-old women hauled the canoes and the bulk of the shared gear across the portage, enough for their entire fleet of eight or nine boats for a seven-day trip. I was very impressed by them, if a little less proud of our own accomplishments as 40ish-year-old men. I should also mention the group leaders reciprocated, paddling over to us to share some of their candy with us as we passed their group further downriver. What a great paddling community!
Yes, this was freshly made from scratch minutes before this photo.
Photos from our July 2024 trip
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