This article originally appeared in Canoeroots and Family Camping magazine.
The York River’s initial surveyors called it the great-grandchild of the mighty St. Lawrence. They may have gotten the lineage—or at least flow direction—wrong but the route comes complete with beautiful cascades that plunge over unique geological formations as it twists its way along a deep and forested valley. But what’s most special about the York is that no one knows about it. Spotting the re-introduced elk herd living in the area is more likely than seeing another paddler on the York.
A perfect two-day novice outing is between Egan Chutes Provincial Park and Conroy Marsh. Egan Chutes is 11 kilometres east of Bancroft along Highway 28. The take-out is a public launch at the west end of Combermere on Highway 62. The first quarter of the route includes three major drops. Each have possible campsites but further downstream, between the Great Bend and King’s Marsh, are fantastic sand bars for campsites. Pack along a rock guide. Rockhounds consider this area to be the Mineral Capital of Canada. The three chutes abound in nepheline, sodalite, biotite, zircon, and blue corundum.
Need-to-know info:
Canoe Rental and Shuttle
Silgrey Resort, www.silgrey.ca
Canoe Rental
Trips and Trails Adventure Outfitting, www.tripsntrails.ca
Topographic Maps
31 F/4, 31 F/5
Route Information
A Paddler’s Guide to Ontario’s Lost Canoe Routes, by Kevin Callan.
—Kevin Callan
This article appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Early Summer 2009. Download our free iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch App or Android App or read it here.
