Canoeing, The Massasauga Provincial Park, Three Legged Lake to Clear Bay

This canoe trip starts at the Three Legged Lake access point, then travels via Spider Lake, Frog Pond and Clear Lake to a campsite on Clear Bay, an inner bay of Georgian Bay. There will be a maximum of 9 participants.

Itinerary:

Friday, drive four hours to Oastler Lake Provincial Park, near Parry Sound, for car camping that night.

Saturday, 8:30 am, after breakfast at camp, acquire backcountry permits (your share of campsite fees must be paid to trip host at this time), load rental canoes if applicable and head for Three Legged Lake access point. 9:30 am start paddling. Paddle through Three Legged Lake, Spider Lake, Frog Pond and Clear Lake into Clear Bay to campsite 204. Angelfire says of this site: "Very nice site. 3 levels, Good wood supply. Soft tent pads (2 or 3). Fair swimming. Beautiful reverse sunset on quiet bay. No bugs, close to portage to Clear, very peaceful, good docking." (See Massasauga Provincial backcountry site ratings (http://www.angelfire.com/blues2/bcaron/campsite.html).)

Sunday, 8:00 am, be packed up and start paddling back to Three Legged Lake access point. People renting boats from Oastler Lake will need to get away in good time to have boats returned by 2:00 pm or pay for another day. A group lunch at a nearby restaurant (Parry Sound?) is a great way to finish the trip. Arrival time at KW will be approximately early-to-mid evening.

Difficulty:

First time and solo canoeists welcome. See Tim's Backpackers' Bootcamp Packing List (v2) (http://files.meetup.com/1606190/Backpackers%20Bootcamp%20Packing%20listv2.pdf) for a list of what to pack. The route is approximately 13.5 km of flatwater paddling each day plus portages of 370 m, 90 m, 165 m and 240 m (total 865 m) each day. No motorboats are allowed on Spider Lake, Frog Pond and Clear Lake.

The portages are not difficult, but proper footwear is required--no flip-flops.

Cost (estimate):

The $2 RSVP fee goes to support the KW Backcountry Travel Meetup. This fee will be refunded if you drop out before the RSVP deadline or if the trip is cancelled.

Approx. cost of campsites: $10 (Friday night car camping) + $12.43 (Saturday night backcountry camping) = $22.43

Additional cars $13 each (1 car parks free per campsite at the campground), to be shared by all campers.

Actual cost of campsites will be determined by how many people come on this trip.

Add 2 day canoe rental if required (half of 2 x $42) = $42

Shared gas is extra, arrange with your carpool.

Canoe rental:

Oastler Lake Provincial Park, 705-378-2401, $42/day. They don't deliver to our access point but provide straps to carry rentals on car roofs. Their rental day goes from 2 pm to 2 pm, overnight in other words. They open at 8:30 am. If renting for Saturday, if a canoe is available before 2 pm you can pick it up early. However, if you bring it back after 2 pm the next day, late fees apply for the first hour late. If late by one hour or more you'll be charged for an additional day. The office is open only until 4 pm Sunday. These are Kevlar canoes, approximately 50 lbs. Reservations are recommended and can be cancelled without penalty up to 48 hours ahead.

Swift Canoes (http://swiftoutside.com/stores/rentals.php), Waubaushene, 705-538-0881, start at $38/day, $10 for kit to strap to car roof. Hours of operation could be an issue.

Adventure Guide, Waterloo, 519-886-3121, $40/day ($90/weekend). For weekend rentals you can pick up Friday and return Monday. They also sell Massasauga Park maps, $10.

Note: Last year Adventure Guide, Waterloo, rented heavy Royalex canoes but given their liberal pickup/return policies they may be the best option. With only three short portages each day, weight isn't as big a concern.

Sojourn Outdoors (http://www.sojournoutdoors.com/about-us/rentals-services/rentals/), Barrie, (705) 739-9694, from $35/day, tie downs and foam blocks included. Open until 5 pm on Sundays. (Info not confirmed for 2015.)

NEW INFO: White Squall (http://www.whitesquall.com/rentals.html), 705-342-5324, rents canoes out of their paddling centre on Carling Bay near Nobel. Their standard Kevlar canoes are $42/day, ultralight $47/day. No refunds for cancellations within 21 days. They also will shuttle boats to our access point for $90 for the first 4 boats and $5 for each additional boat. That's $90 for delivery and another $90 for pickup. Boats may be returned to the store up till 9 pm on Sunday.

Car/Canoe/Tent Sharing:

Carpooling is encouraged. Feel free to use the comment space below to organize. When RSVPing "yes", please indicate whether you can offer or need a ride, whether you are bringing or renting a canoe or need a paddling partner, and whether you have a tent to share or need a spot in someone's tent.

Tent sharing is also encouraged. In the campground, we are limited to 3 tents per site. In the backcountry, more tents means more potential damage to the campsite. Let's practise "no trace" camping!

Please record arrangements in the linked shared document (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_Q1hp7p4tgyzrpJb3_lh9MZEsSeFmpyRBP5tDKLr7Ss/edit#gid=0). The event host will assist in matching drivers and passengers during the week leading up to the trip, after registration is closed. Participants are welcome to discuss arrangements and modify them.

Waiting List

Because we are charging members a fee to RSVP for this event, there is no waiting list. This is a feature of the Meetup.com system.

If the trip fills up, members who have not RSVPed will see, in the top right corner of the page for this Meetup, text saying "This Meetup is full. Want to know if a spot opens up?" and a button saying "Notify Me". If you click this button, you (along with everyone else who has clicked the "Notify Me" button) will receive an email if a spot in the trip opens up. The first person to RSVP and pay $2 gets the open spot. No consideration is given to the order in which people requested notification. This is how the system handles Meetups where an event fee is charged. To ensure your spot in a Meetup, RSVP early.

A beautiful series ofphotos on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zelcam/347618870/in/set-72157594234988366/) of Massasauga Provincial Park.

Massasauga Provincial backcountry site ratings (http://www.angelfire.com/blues2/bcaron/campsite.html)

Ontario Parks Reservation system (http://www.ontarioparks.com/reservations/)