Blueberry Lake

Total Distance: 14 km
Number of portages: 1
Total portage length: 455m
Recommended time: 2 nights (3 days)

Blueberry Lake is the perfect destination for a short, overnight canoe trip. It’s a great trip for people looking for a casual backcountry experience; in this case, a short paddle and a single portage into a small, scenic lake. As you can guess, Blueberry Lake is rich in berries, which are part of an important Old Growth pine forest. While much of the surrounding area was logged in the early 1900s, ancient pines remain on Blueberry Lake as its shores were simply too steep to harvest in the days of horses and hand saws. Hiking trails on the north and south sides of the lake take you through a variety of Old Growth tree species, and are perfect day trips from your campsite.

While you will see a few cottages and motorboats before portaging in, Blueberry Lake offers lots of privacy as there are only two campsites on the whole lake, and not within sight of each other! If you’d like to experience Blueberry Lake as part of a slightly larger canoe trip, ask about the Blueberry-Sunrise loop. For those wishing to see Blueberry Lake as part of an even longer trip, the Blueberry-Sunrise route can be tacked on to the Rabbit Lake-Matabitchuan River route. For more information on the Blueberry Lake ecology trails (and Temagami area ecology in general), please visit the Ancient Forest Exploration & Research website.. You’ll be glad you did!

What you’ll love about it:

• Surrounded by Old Growth forest

• Very accessible

• Very private

• Hiking trails

• Crown land means no park permits

Other things to consider:

• Few campsites means taking a bit of a risk; if you’re shut out of Blueberry Lake you can camp nearby on Cassells or Rabbit Lakes and go into Blueberry for day hikes.

• One small cabin on Blueberry Lake

Perfect for:

• First-time or beginner canoe trippers

• Introducing kids to canoe camping

• Old Growth forest enthusiasts