5 Days Fall Camping in Heavy Rain – Magnetawan River

The conditions for this trip were terrible but that’s exactly what inspired us to get out and challenge ourselves. Mid October, Cold and Wet!
It was a tough one but this 80+ K 4 night loop was beautiful and one to be remembered. The rain we experienced raised the water level of the Magnetawan significantly and made access to the dock at our takeout inaccessible.

At the end of our Portage, it was getting late as the rain built up – at the first opportune window we made a dash for the nearest campsite. Our map indicated it was on a peninsula but the only campsite we could spot was the island. Not an ideal spot to be in during a Tornado Warning but its what we had :/

We flirted a bit with the elements but in all, we made great judgment calls and managed this brutish trip well.

This loop, inspired by Keven Callan in his book “Top 60 Canoe routes of Ontario” is definitely one to explore. While the headwinds convinced us to skip the long route down the Magnetawan, the short route held such beauty and is definitely one to get out and explore!