ALWAYS check Alerts and other information on the official website, as conditions and facility availability are subject to change.
NOTE: Either this is a backcountry camping and hiking park best enjoyed by experienced paddlers and adventurers or it may involve an exceptionally long drive. Accessing the park may be tricky. It is outside the scope of our website, and you should contact the park for information about activities and facilities.
Facebook and Website Links
Missinaibi Official website
Missinaibi Official Facebook
Information
Phone #: 1-705-234-2222 (mid-May to mid-September) 1-705-864-3114 (Park Superintendent)
Main entrance co-ordinates:
Address: 190 Cherry Street Chapleau P0M 1K0
Opening seasons: May 5, 2023, to September 17, 2023
Travel, Directions & Distances
Directions:
Toronto (Pearson Airport):
Ottawa (International Airport):Activities
Camping & Accommodation
backcountry camping
Missinaibi provincial park is a backcountry camping park click here for more information so you can keep yourself safe and have a great time
Car Camping
Barclay Bay boasts large, well-treed campsites in a campground with basic amenities such as water taps, vault privies, trailer dump and fill, animal-proof food storage lockers, a fish cleaning house, an extensive dock system capable of handling larger watercraft and a boat launch. There are no electrical hook-ups or comfort stations at Missinaibi Park as this is a true northern park.
Group Camping
There is one large, private group campsite located right on the water where you can keep canoes, kayaks, and boats moored right at your site. Your group will have your own private washroom complete with a sink with running water. Reservations can be made online or by phone.
Hiking, Biking & Paddling
Hiking
Borasso Logging Camp Trail: 3 km
Visit the remnants of a logging camp that operated in Baltic Bay, part of Missinaibi Lake, in the 1950s. The men who stayed in this camp cut timber over the winter, hauled the logs onto Missinaibi Lake and during the spring thaw drove the logs down the Missinaibi River to the mill at Peterbell on the railway. This trail is only accessible by water.
Biking
Paddling
There are five canoe route options within the park, some requiring train travel for access, with over 75 backcountry campsites associated with these routes. These are very remote sites, amenities are rustic (a privy toilet, a fire ring and some tent spots), therefore, self-reliance and backcountry experience is essential. The Missinaibi River itself is one of the longest and famous of the canoe routes in the Hudson Bay watershed – 500km of whitewater river from the Arctic watershed divide down to James Bay.
Trip options:
Missinaibi Lake to Mattice- advanced, 7 to 12 days
Start from the Barclay Bay Campground on Missinaibi Lake and end up at the town of Mattice, located north on Highway 11 (arrange to have your vehicle shuttled to that location). A classic pool and drop waterway, this section has some of the best whitewater paddling on this Canadian Heritage River.
Peterbell to Mattice- intermediate to advanced, 7 to 10 days
A few days shorter than the previous trip (Missinaibi Lake to Mattice), this adventure begins in the town of Foleyet (on Highway 101) where you board the VIA Rail passenger train and dropping you off at the rail-stop of Peterbell, on the Missinaibi River.
Mattice to Moosonee- advanced, 10- 12 days
Starting in the town of Mattice on Highway 11, this route takes you through some of the most spectacular scenery on the river, including Thunderhouse Falls, Stone Rapids and Hell’s Gate, as you transition from the rocky Precambrian shield to the James Bay Lowlands. This is a very remote section of the river, leaving roads far behind as you paddle north to James Bay.
Shumka to Missanabie- novice to intermediate, 5-7 days, circle route
Start in the town of Missanabie where you board the VIA Rail Budd Car that will take you and your gear to a rail-stop called Shumka, south of Bolkow Lake. There are several variations to this route, a lake-to-lake route, however the beauty of any of the options is that they take you right back to where your vehicle awaits you in Missanabie. This route travels through a remote part of the Chapleau Game Preserve.
Missinaibi Lake to Little Missinaibi Lake back to Missinaibi Lake again-novice to intermediate, 7-8 days, circle route
This trip starts at the main campground on Missinaibi Lake where you have the opportunity to explore many of the lake’s highlights along the way. This route combines whitewater when water levels are high enough, with both river and lake-to-lake paddling.
Maps & Resources
Ontario Parks has a park overview and campground map for Missinaibi provincial park click here for more information
There are several maps available from the Ontario Provincial Park’s Store with information about canoe routes.
Ontario Crown Land Use Policy Atlas: most Provincial Parks have excellent signage, maps, and marked trails. If you take up back-country adventures, then it’s not always clear. The Ontario Crown Land Use maps are an excellent resource. You might also want to join one or more of these groups on Facebook
Crown Land Camping Group
Crown Land Camping Ontario
Ontario Parks and Crown Land
Ontario Crown Land Campers
Sharing Ontario Crown Land Camping Spots