Finding Portages?

[ADB]

I'm trying to find a portage route into a lake I've been told about. I'd love to take a drive out to it and try to find it, but it's around 4 hours away.

 

I haven't been able to find it on a few different maps I have looked at.

 

Where should I be looking?

 

[Paully]

google earth is a start.. not the clearest image but you can get a rough idea what your gettin yourself into.

[solopaddler]

Find the easiest route on google earth, use a GPS or compass and blaze your own way in.

Edited May 26, 2010 by solopaddler

[discophish]

It's a shot in the dark, but the backroadmapbooks are pretty good. They are pretty accurate with the portages around the cottage. They will only map the common, more frequented routes. Wouldn't hurt to give it a shot if you haven't already. But like solo has mentioned, it's fun to blaze your own trail and make a map of your own. Good luck!

[irishfield]

A "hint" to generally location might be a lot of help... to get help on this!

[camillj]

What lake ... we may have a map for you

[irishfield]

Exactly what I was gettin at Jon as I have a whole drawer of them at the lake! Failing that.. buy the 50,000 topo for the area.

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

portages will generally be built talking a transect that isn't necessarily the shortest distance, but that involves the least change in elevation. valleys and creeks connecting the waterbodies are often where you would expect the trail to be. if there isn't a portage, i bet the fishing is that much better.

[wask]

The back road map books are the best from what I've found, unless it is an unmapped portage. Best $60 I've ever spent (just because I've bought it three times, trying to keep track of this one, lol)

[troutologist]

Google earth to find and hint of a trail, best bet is a topo map, try using both the federal govt map set or topo canada.

 

some folks pointed out that the most direct route isn't where the portage lies, it will often meander to follow the path of least resistence.

[CLofchik]

If it's part of a canoe route, call up the local MNR and they may have some older canoe maps still available. I wish they'd start publishing them again, or at the least relax their copyright so they can be distributed online.

 

Backroad Mapbooks are the best that are widely available, but they only have about 1/3 of the most popular portages labelled.

 

Or you could just tell me the lake & location and I could sort through my uber secret cache of topo's and canoe maps

[kingjames_2nd]

I use the Atlas of Canada TopoRama webpage for a lot of my snooping needs.

 

http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/topo/map

 

Its data is a little old, and some new portages / roads / buildings will be missing but the bonus is that some old portages that may have grown-in are still on the map!

[chris.brock]

Post the question with specifics (lake name etc) on http://www.myccr.com/

it's a fairly active canoe trip website, if someone knows the area, they will likely help, and they won't steal your fishing spot,