Click to see the full picture

"Map of sections of the Saskatchewan River near Cumberland House", (1819) from "Sketchbook 1819-1821, folio 15" by George Back courtesy National Archives of Canada.

Saskatchewan River

By paddle: 354km; By air: 217km.

Satellite photograph of the Saskatchewan River from Grand Rapids on Cedar Lake upstream to Cumberland House (courtesy NASA)

Scale: 1pixel=1km

Drying socks on a windy day, Cedar Lake.

Drying socks on a windy day, Cedar Lake.

With the exception of Lake Superior, after Lake Winnipeg any lake would be a let-down. And although Cedar Lake isn't the reed-filled, marshy wasteland you may be led to believe it to be, neither is it lined with infinite beaches, towering cliffs or intimate coves. Instead it is like an overfilled bathtub, threatening to spill further into its spongy, vulnerable rim.

You can't cross Cedar Lake without becoming aware of its troubled past—built from 1960-68 across the outlet of the lake, the impressive Grand Rapids Generating Station swelled the area of the lake, displacing aboriginal and métis peoples into new townships, leaving tiny deserted islands where once there were large communities living from the surrounding land. A cacophony of broken promises, suspiciously mislaid documents, miscommunication and legal wrangling reverberates still. With so many divisive issues—energy vs. conservation, the many vs. the few, white man vs. aboriginal—it seems that no one near Cedar Lake won this polarised conflict.

Drowned graveyard memorial, Chemawawin Island, Cedar Lake.

Drowned graveyard memorial, Chemawawin Island, Cedar Lake.

Paddling past Kokookuhoo Island into a slight, but determined, headwind, we were approached by a small powerboat filled with, as they looked to our exhausted eyes, Filipino pirates. After guzzling the couple of Pepsis they offered us, we saw them for the kind-hearted, humourous crew they were. Though we refused the offer of a lift, we accepted their invitation to meet them at Chemawawin Island only a few kilometres away. A work-team from Easterville, led by Billy Walker, was converging upon the old post to collect the plentiful driftwood from the shores of the lake and maintain the few cabins left at this now deserted, but once thriving community. All that remains on the densely wooded island is a small wooden church, a few simple cabins and a recently erected monument to those buried in the graveyards that have since been flooded—coffins rose from the now soft earth beneath the lake.

Our cheeky Chemawawin hosts waved us off with a "Cheerio chaps!"

Maskwa Camp, near Barrier Lake, Saskatchewan River.

Maskwa Camp, near Barrier Lake, Saskatchewan River.

The mouth of the Saskatchewan River is notoriously difficult to find—this task alone justifies the inclusion of a GPS receiver in your kit. We were helped by locals, so had no problems, though the topographic map is mostly accurate.

Tip: To find the mouth of the Saskatchewan River, head towards Kettle Island. From there, the river channel becomes apparent.

It's a long paddle from the river delta on Cedar Lake, up the winding, muddy and frequently steep-banked, Saskatchewan River. Chattering otters taunt you with catch-me-if-you-can, and unprovoked agitations in the shallows hint at older, darker, Tolkeinien beasts living in the murky riverbed—sturgeon. The Pas offers a welcome haven of civilisation and a riverside campsite, but there's no letup from the steady, relentless current—you notice a drop in your speed. However, the real challenge is finding camping spots. In a jam, you could stop almost anywhere, but it could be a squelchy experience.

Tip: Cabins are strategically placed along much of the river and will provide a roof over your head, or at the very least, a clear patch of flat, firm ground on which to pitch your tent.

Arrival of autumn, Saskatchewan River.

Arrival of autumn, Saskatchewan River.

The traditional voyageur route cuts a corner to Cumberland Lake via the Tearing River, but with ever lowering water levels in the lake, this shortcut wasn't wet enough to dampen our finally-dry socks. So we took the long route, and canoeing across Cumberland Lake, a shallow, dirty lake, towards the hidden channel through the rushes that leads to Cumberland House, we hit a rock. Yup, the worst damage our canoe has sustained wasn't from a grand struggle with a monster rapid that we ran with courageous dexterity only to be foiled at the last moment. Nope, it was from a spiteful little pointy rock hidden in ambush below the perfectly flat, otherwise harmless, quaggy water.

Our Itinerary

DateFromToDistance (paddle/air)
22 AugCross Bay, Cedar Lake
(14 468995E 5886229N)
Shoreline, Cedar Lake
(14 447750E 5898402N)
31.0/24.5km
23 AugWindbound.
24 AugShoreline, Cedar Lake
(14 447750E 5898402N)
East of Paul Harbour, Cedar Lake
(14 434290E 5909235N)
27.5/17.3km
25 AugEast of Paul Harbour, Cedar Lake
(14 434290E 5909235N)
Chemawawin Island, Cedar Lake
(14 407898E 5908233N)
27.5/26.4km
26 AugChemawawin Island, Cedar Lake
(14 407898E 5908233N)
Cabin north of Elbow Lake
(14 386292E 5935519N)
44.0/34.8km
27 AugCabin north of Elbow Lake
(14 386292E 5935519N)
Cabin south of Mistikewapi Lake
(14 368428E 5956282N)
37.0/27.4km
28 AugCabin south of Mistikewapi Lake
(14 368428E 5956282N)
The Pas
(14 351427E 5966740N)
32.5/20.0km
29 AugDay off in The Pas and overnight bus to Winnipeg.
30 AugDay off in Winnipeg.
31 AugDay off in Winnipeg.
01 SepDay off in Winnipeg.
02 SepDay off in Winnipeg.
03 SepBus back to The Pas.
04 SepDay off in The Pas.
05 SepDay off in The Pas.
06 SepThe Pas
(14 351427E 5966740N)
Island near Big Bend
(14 335054E 5990347N)
43.5/28.7km
07 SepIsland near Big Bend
(14 335054E 5990347N)
Maskwa Camp
(14 316504E 5974892N)
33.0/24.1km
08 SepMaskwa Camp
(14 316504E 5974892N)
Pemmican Portage
(13 678596E 5979176N)
39.5/32.3km
09 SepPemmican Portage
(13 678596E 5979176N)
Cumberland House
(13 679092E 5982837N)
21.0/3.7km

All coordinates are UTM/NAD83.

Misty morning, The Pas.

Misty morning, The Pas.