River & Sky Music/Camping Festival, which takes place this July 18 to 21, has partnered with Pine Falls Lodge and Temagami Outfitting Company to help audience members canoe trip to the festival.
“River & Sky is happy to be partnering with both Pine Falls Lodge and Temagami Outfitters to help people paddle to the festival and explore this part of North Ontario,” said River & Sky director Peter Zwarich, in a press release.
“We want to encourage alternate modes of travel besides cars. In the past, our family and others have canoed to the festival. Thanks to these partnerships, we’re hoping others will also be able to share this experience — of course undertaking it on their own risk as the routes are definitely for experienced paddlers.
“That being said, R&S and Temagami Outfitting Company are setting up canoes at the festival for folks to take out on more leisurely paddles.”
Paddlers can start their journey at Pine Falls Lodge, on Murray and Washigami Lakes, in Markstay.
New owners Patrick and Amy Yawney, long-time River & Sky supporters, are busy working to renovate and rebuild the lodge, which they purchased last year.
While the lodge hasn’t officially reopened, the couple do want to encourage paddlers to the festival and have offered their property as a launch site.
If canoers are lacking gear, River & Sky can help them out there as well. Through a new partnership with Temagami Outfitting Company, people can rent a variety of gear from canoes to barrel packs to water filters.
(Temagami also does food packages for those who don’t have time to pack for a canoe trip.) Temagami Outfitting can be hired to drop off the gear at Pine Falls
Lodge and then later pick it up at River & Sky’s venue at Fishers’ Paradise, in Field, West Nipissing.
The trip from Pine Falls Lodge is around a two-day paddle through Murray Lake to Murray Creek and then onto the Sturgeon River.
There are rapids on the way so paddlers are advised to either portage around them or only attempt if they have the necessary skills.
This route is part of Hap Wilson’s Lake Wanapitae - Temagami Route. Another option for paddlers would be to take the Temagami River (near the Temagami Outfitting Co.) which flows into the Sturgeon.
This route is considered a more advanced one, with plenty of white water and longer in length. Here is a general overview of the two routes.
After the trip – and the four-day festival has ended – River & Sky staff can help paddlers back to their vehicles if they don’t have an alternate way back.
To find out more about how to paddle to River & Sky, email [email protected]. Paddlers undertake the trip on their own risk and assessment of their abilities
To check out these year’s lineup, including skill-building workshops, go to www.riverandsky.ca.
