highway 808 northern Ontario resource trail

[badcompany]

Hello every one, hear is a short video i posted on YouTube of a trip i took in summer of 2016. It's the road from Pickle lake in northern Ontario to Windigo lake. We were in a Dodge Ram 2500 diesel. When I was planning this trip i could not find any video so I thought I post one for future explores to that area.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibTMpTKJHEo


enjoy.

edit. someone please move this to the forum for lasting less than one week, sorry.

 

[Dalko43]

Hello every one, hear is a short video i posted on YouTube of a trip i took in summer of 2016. It's the road from Pickle lake in northern Ontario to Windigo lake. We were in a Dodge Ram 2500 diesel. When I was planning this trip i could not find any video so I thought I post one for future explores to that area.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibTMpTKJHEo


enjoy.

edit. someone please move this to the forum for lasting less than one week, sorry.

Wow! Yeah, that's pretty far north in Onatario and looks to be very remote on the map. The furthest north I've been is Chapleau. I really want to get get back there next summer though and do some more camping and exploring. The country-side is remote and beautiful and there is no lack of roads to explore.

And I'm always a bit confused as to why there aren't more trip reports from overlanders exploring Canada. Having spent a few days in Ontario this past summer, it seems that the rural countryside and extensive road network lends itself to this kind of activity.

 

[badcompany]

Well, going up there we talked to everyone that would talk to us and we got alot of "bad" reports of the area.
Everything from bear's to the natives dont like strangers up there.
To our surprise we met 2 guys from Wisconsin there.
They said there were 2000 people living there at one time, they were coming up there for the past 20 years.
They spend 2 weeks camping there. They had a boat with them and lots of extra fuel. I don't know if this is a big fish tale or not
but they said the day before we got there they hat caught 100 fish and let all of them go. they only keep what they are eating for the day.

anyway i hope you get up there one day, don't forget to visit Souix Lookout small and not exciting but since your up there its worth the drive to see it.

happy travels.

 

[Bushcoat]

You probably heard some bad things I'm sure, I'd be more worried about driving through hwy 599 through silver dollar up to pickle. I used to work up in savant lake/Sioux lookout area, loved spending that time there. I'm not speaking on everyone's behalf, but it's an isolated area (along with pretty much everywhere in the north) and I think I can understand people maybe feeling intimidated and maybe wanting to stand their ground, feeling like outsiders maybe have some sort of secret plan. The people are usually really good people, they want you to converse with them, support them, etc, but there likely is going to be a bit of a barrier. Usually just a matter of treating others how you want to be treated, supporting these reserves and small northern towns, maybe learning a bit of their background. I've spent almost every summer of my life living in the north, all across Ontario, the biggest irritating thing for me is seeing these Americans coming in with every last bit of food and gas they might consume, not spending a dime locally, other than a fishing license, camping for weeks on crown land and leaving things as a disaster. Same goes for the guys coming up from Toronto for hunting, big truck, trailer, bus, ATvs,boats, loaded down as far as loaded down can get, they don't want to spend a dime locally because everything costs too much.

Anyhow, yes some of the roads are endless, scenery is amazing, people are great. You never have to get too far out of the city to see trees and wildlife and even wild people doing wild things! My brother does a group ATV ride annually from Thunder Bay Area to Sioux lookout and back on the ol grand trunk railway, I've only been on the rail end a little ways to Upsala and have done a ton of snowmobiling up that way. Anyhow, I'll likely be spending my holidays this year doing things around Thunder Bay, probably a couple trips to Chapleau, maybe even that trip up to chisasibi QC to dip my toes in James bay that I've been planning the last couple years, rather than traveling too far anywhere else.

 

[Dalko43]

The people are usually really good people, they want you to converse with them, support them, etc, but there likely is going to be a bit of a barrier. Usually just a matter of treating others how you want to be treated, supporting these reserves and small northern towns, maybe learning a bit of their background. I've spent almost every summer of my life living in the north, all across Ontario, the biggest irritating thing for me is seeing these Americans coming in with every last bit of food and gas they might consume, not spending a dime locally, other than a fishing license, camping for weeks on crown land and leaving things as a disaster. Same goes for the guys coming up from Toronto for hunting, big truck, trailer, bus, ATvs,boats, loaded down as far as loaded down can get, they don't want to spend a dime locally because everything costs too much.

You sound a bit jaded there. And this narrative of the obnoxious outsiders coming in and spoiling the land for the locals is a bit cliche. I'm not saying that doesn't happen, but on my last trip up through Ontario, I didn't anyone for hundreds of miles (Canadian or American), and the only "disaster" I saw was a locally-run hunting lodge out in the middle of nowhere (trash was everywhere).

Although I do agree that the countryside is beautiful and worth a visit. If anything, more visitors, not less, would benefit the local economies.

 

[Pntyrmvr]

Interesting question as to why more people don't overland in northern Ontario. I live in the GTA and Pickle Lake is a 23 hour drive from here and still in Ontario.

I could make Florida or Texas in that time. The distances involved make these destinations way more than a weekend or even week long event.

That said I always thank the local businesses for selling gas at any price. Food too. Lack of support means the resource disappears.


"Talk is cheap. Whiskey costs money."

 

[Northern Explorer]

Thanks for the post. I'm planning on doing this road next September.