Manitoba’s
Road to Hudson Bay Hayes River
by Hap Wilson T
he Hayes River is Manitoba’s historic gem that seduces, tantalizes and trans- forms the soul. Located 500 kilometres northeast of the city of Winnipeg, the Hayes is the largest free-flowing river in the province. As a contiguous water
trail, it connects Lake Winnipeg with Hudson Bay. This was once the busiest canoe route in central Canada. Three centuries of white exploration by all the Canadian greats— Radisson, Kelsey, Thompson, Franklin and Tyrrell—matched with an impressive list of cultural and natural features easily explains its designation as a Heritage River. From outcrops of granite and greenstone bedrock along the upper reaches, the Hayes wends its way through the great boreal veld of the Hudson Bay Lowlands. Along the 650-kilometre route there’s plenty of whitewater but only 2,000 metres of portages, and that means more time spent riding the stallion and less time humping it on your back through the primordial slime.
How to do it From Thompson, arrange a shuttle to
Norway House or Sea River Ferry Crossing for three- to four-week ventures. Or fly direct- ly to Oxford House from Thompson and descend the lower river in two weeks. The first 100 kilometres, down the Nelson and up the Echimamish, is a veritable cakewalk. But from Painted Stone Portage to York Factory, the Hayes plunges an impressive 218 metres through 43 rapids. Whitewater skills are essential. Watch for polar bears in the Hayes estuary. At York Factory, Parks Canada oper- ates a phone-base to arrange flights back to Gillam, where you can hitch a ride on the Via Rail back to your start point in Thompson— paddling Hudson Bay back to Gillam not recommended.
Tips
Must see—historic York Factory. Have your paddle branded with the traditional YF logo.
Best campsite—“The Rock” at Whitemud Falls, where brook and walleye fishing is superb, tent sites are generous and there’s a wily class III play rapid. This is the final rapid before the 200-kilometre float trip to York Factory.
Headlamp reading—Simpson’s journal or any book on Lord Selkirk, who in 1811–1815 brought settlers up the Hayes in York boats to settle along the Red River near present-day Winnipeg.
Guidebooks and maps—Wilderness Rivers of Manitoba, by Hap Wilson. Purchase maps at
www.canadamapsales.com.
Outfitters—Northern Soul Wilderness Adventures,
www.northernsoul.ca; Wave Track Canoes & Kayaks,
www.wilds.mb.ca/wavetrack; Dymond Lake Outfitters,
www.webberslodge.com; Horizon’s Unlimited,
www.churchillrivercanoe.com; Wamair Service & Outfitting,
www.wilds.mb.ca/wamair; Sunrise Adventures,
www.sunriseadventures.com; Wilderness Spirit Canoeing Adventures,
www.wildernessspirit.com.
Campfire story— Sacred Ground
Painted Stone Portage, barely 50 metres long, is a hydrological anomaly. This narrow band of rock disperses the water of two great river systems—the Nelson and the Hayes— in opposing directions. The Cree once wor- shipped a “spirit Manitou” rock that was erected like an altar on the portage, but early explorers rolled it into the creek bog because, “the savages spent too much time loitering here and not attending to their duties.” Some say the portage is now cursed, so tread lightly and leave a plug of tobacco to appease the spirits.
2004 Annual 29
photo by Hap Wilson
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