ered pristine. And so, I spent six days last summer picking my way down the Dumoine with my family and Canoeroots contribu- tor Brian Shields. I wanted to see firsthand what all the fuss was about. Te Dumoine falls over 39 rapids along its


129 kilometers from its source in Machin Lake near La Verendrye Wildlife Reserve in western Quebec. Te jewel of the whitewa- ter canoeing Triple Crown, it flows south off the Canadian Shield into the Ottawa River upstream of its sister rivers, the Noire and Coulonge. All three are popular whitewater routes. Te Dumoine is considered the best. We drove two hours from our home in


ARE WE LOVING THIS RIVER TO DEATH? STORY AND PHOTOS BY SCOTT MacGREGOR


During the summer months of 2010, more people paddled down the Dumoine River than ever before. With incredibly low water levels in surrounding watersheds, vans and canoe trailers were rerouted from their local runs toward the rock garden rapids of this classic whitewater river. But low water is not the only factor con-


tributing to higher concentrations of pad- dlers on the Dumoine. Restrictions are eas- ing in school systems allowing whitewater back into outdoor curriculums. A relatively new forest road allows more convenient ac-


38 SUMMER/FALL 2011


cess. Financial and program objectives are forcing outfitters and camps to travel in larg- er groups—it’s cheaper to run one large trip than three smaller ones. And the Wild West management strategy on the Dumoine does little more than take a per-head fee to control access; so the more the merrier in their eyes. Tere is no maximum group size, no route planning and no staggered starts. Compared to rivers in surrounding provincial parks like Algonquin, the Dumoine is a free-for-all. Some worry this perfect storm is putting too much pressure on the area once consid-


the Madawaska Valley and camped our first night in Driftwood Provincial Park on the Ontario side of the Ottawa River. Tis would be our take-out where we’d leave our truck and where we’d meet Wally Schaber and the Trailhead shuttle van. Trailhead is one of three operators now running shuttles up the Dumoine. We’d planned to meet early so that we’d


be at Bridge Rapids, our put-in above Lac Benoît, for lunch. Ten it was a short paddle to Little Italy, a boot-shaped sandy spit and popular first-night campsite. Before the new access road you had two


options: paddle down from Lac Dumoine an- other 40 kilometers upstream or fly in with bush pilot and owner of Bradley Air Service, Ron Bowes in his 1951 de Havilland Beaver.


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