A 300-kilometre-long river that flows through unspoilt virgin boreal forest and is called the Bloodvein conjures up strong images of violence. Its name may refer to a bloody skirmish between local First Nations or simply to the veins that can be seen in the ancient red granite rocks and riverbed. Either way, rafting or canoeing down this remote Canadian Heritage River is an adventure that paddles (and portages) its way onto our bucket list.
Rafters take anywhere from a week to 15 days to complete the journey, with some choosing to float plane in and out of certain lakes, carrying in all their gear as there is no road access. The Bloodvein corridor is a series of pools and drops, and as a result, it can be tackled in either direction, although most paddlers will go with the flow to exit at the Narrows on Lake Winnipeg, about 200 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. The river favours those paddlers with experience. There are more than 100 rapids, unmarked and wild enough to send you downriver on the wrong side of the canoe. Reading whitewater is a handy skill, one you’ll almost certainly have developed by the final stroke.
Glaciers scoured the area during the last ice age, and due to its inaccessibility, the Bloodvein was not used for trade or settlement. The result is virgin landscape, full of old-growth forest and wildlife that fulfill the promise of the Great Outdoors. Marshes, forests, lakes, and the ancient rocks of the Canadian Shield host an abundance of animals, several of which are rare and endangered. Besides the usual suspects — black bears, moose, deer, otters, beavers — you’re in the domain of wolverines, great grey owls, white osprey, and woodland caribou. Surrounding you is some of the oldest rock on the planet, and beneath you swim trophy-sized northern pike, walleye, lake trout, and sturgeon. During your paddle, you’ll also see signs of ancient human history, archaeological sites from hunter-gatherers dating back 6,000 years, and red-ochre pictographs in Artery Lake drawn between 900 and 1200 CE. The Ojibwa people did use the river as a trapping area, and their descendants still live in the community of Bloodvein, at the mouth of the river, operating a lodge that greets paddlers at the end of their journey.
Paddlers will tackle the river from spring until fall, with July and August being the most popular months. That being said, you won’t find that the campsites located on the spits and shores of Atikaki Provincial Wilderness Park and Ontario’s adjacent Woodland Caribou Provincial Wilderness Park are crowded. There are no facilities or services, and the remoteness that has largely protected the Bloodvein from human history will continue to reserve it for those seeking a water-bound wilderness experience. Fortunately, guided tours are available to help us novices navigate the river channels, the whitewater, and the challenges of a multi-day canoe trip. For a name steeped in blood and battles, the Bloodvein offers just the sort of rugged adventure by which to experience the true peace of nature.
START HERE: canadianbucketlist.com/bloodvein