North French River
Information for planning a canoe trip down the North French River in Northern Ontario.
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Apparently, this river starts with the ultimate bushwhack, making it a rarely paddled river despite its many attractive qualities. It's got a lot of whitewater; not too many annoying long lakes (apologies if you're into long lakes); it weaves through the end of the Canadian Shield and into the James Bay Lowlands, giving paddlers an incredible experience of Ontario wilderness. (It's likely similar to the Kattawagami River we paddled in 2014, and that was incredible).
This river looks amazing and we need to run it. If you're fortunate enough to head there before we do, please let us know how it went and suggest any more information for this page.
We want to give a big shout-out to Bob Olajos and his excellent trip report posted on Canadian Canoe Routes. While this page will give you the basic information, if you're thinking of paddling this river, read his full report.
Full disclosure, Split Rock has never run this river, but we plan to someday. Despite Tim living up in that area for 6 years, he never managed to paddle this river. This page shares the research that we have done so far.
Resources
Nights
10 to 14 nights.
You'll need flexibility in your plans since the first day or two could involve some serious bush-whacking through Alders grown into the water, or potentially dragging your canoes through a sphagnum swamp.
Paddling distance
Approximately 300 km of paddling.
Portages
According to Bob Olajos (aka "Curly"), there are a total of 13 portages over a total portage distance of 3970 m. The longest portage is 1500 m.
Location pins
Shuttle
Shuttle to the river:
Brian Porter (705-272-8268) may be able to shuttle your car(s) from Cochrane, if he still does this sort of thing. It's about an hour and a half drive to the put-in from Cochrane. He'll take your car back and leave it at the train station for when you return.
Shuttle back from the river:
The entire shuttle home is on the Polar Bear Express train from Moosonee to Cochrane. The train departs Moosonee every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 5:00pm. Summer service may be different, so check the Ontario Northland schedule in advance.
While it's always best to book tickets in advance to ensure there's room on the cargo car for your canoes, you'll likely still be able to buy a ticket or move a ticket date at the counter if you end earlier than you expected.
On the train ride home, you'll see a different perspective of the James Bay Lowlands. All the trees grow taller near the water, so the land looks more forested from the water. From the train, you'll see the incredible, endless expanse of some of the flattest land you'll ever see covered by stunted, tiny Black Spruce.
Resources
Moosonee Tidal Chart - You're in tidal water when you reach the mouth of the Moose River. Bring a copy of the tide chart for your expected arrival and try to time your paddle down the Moose River to Moosonee. If the tide is coming in, the whole river flows backwards, and you won't be able to paddle against it. You'll need to wait it out. The most you'd ever have to wait for the tide to turn around is about six hours.
The ultimate trip report for this river. Bob Olajos' North French River Trip Report' on Canadian Canoe Routes.
You can learn all about the North French River from the Moose Cree First Nation's Protecting The North French River video.
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