The Manicouagan Reservoir is one of the most unique and intriguing locations that I’ve ever paddled. An impact crater created more than 200 million years ago, flooded by a now 75 year old dam. The strange combination of natural (though rare) geologic phenomena and human tinkering makes for a unique paddling environment. If you look at an aerial or satellite photo of the reservoir you can see the nearly perfect annular structure of the impact crater and the remnants of the river which passed through the site. But the lake is so massive, that it’s almost impossible to tell that you’re paddling on a perfect ring of water when you’re actually floating on its surface.

I first paddled Manicouagan on my own - my first ever solo trip in a sea kayak. I had been interested in the lake for quite a while after wondering about it while pouring over a map of Canada. After a little research it seemed like a great destination for a kayak journey, and since I couldn’t find anyone at the time who was interested in going, and I’d had such success on my first solo trip on the Attawapiskat, I figured I could manage this one alone.

Solo Trip - 2018

I drove from Kingston to the Reservoir over the course of a day and a half, stopping briefly to sleep. The trip is long, but a beautiful drive along the north shore of the St. Lawrence River after passing through Quebec City. The northern highway towards Labrador was winding and covered in wildlife. In the round trip I saw several moose, three black bears, and plenty of porcupine. I also witnessed one transport truck that ended up in the ditch, spilling its load everywhere.

Setting off I had the same general anticipation that I usually do on trip - excitement building into a visceral head buzz and butterflies in the pit of my stomach causing just a touch of queasiness. I paddled along the rugged blasted rock shores until I rounded a long point of land and the bay in front of me opened up into a wide wavy inlet. Islands dotted the water about 5km ahead, and I knew that beyond them lay the main body of the reservoir. I paddled to the western shore of one of the bigger islands and made camp for the night on a sandy beach with an incredible view of the lake stretching away to the south, gently curving around in its infinite circle.

I had budgeted a week for the trip, 5 full days of paddling and two half days as partial driving days. My goal was to paddle the full loop of the lake - at minimum a 235km circuit. If I wanted to travel any portion of the outer shore, rather than stick to the inner island only I’d be adding 10’s of kms to the journey. The weather was cold, but my second day was calm so I set off on the 11 km crossing to the inner island, figuring I’d better make some progress in the first couple of days to guarantee I could make the loop around and hedge my bets against bad weather. I was glad in the end that I did, as the weather became a little rough for a couple of days in the middle. One afternoon I pulled off the water as thunder and lightning zipped by overhead in a single celled storm, racing by in less than 15 minutes. I camped that night on a spit of land with waves lapping around my tent on 3 sides. In the night the wind picked up intensity and woke me. I tossed and turned for several hours with visions of my tent becoming swamped even though the water was at least 40 feet from my door on the closest side. As anyone who has camped, and especially anyone who has camped alone in the wilderness will know - everything sounds louder at night when the imagination is prone to run free.

The next day I needed to make distance as I was less than half way around the circuit and this would be the middle of the trip. I groggily woke to a mostly sunny morning and set off with high hopes of serious distance ahead. Unfortunately by noon the wind was howling out of the north, bitter and fierce. There were individual cloud formations floating around like a swarm of jellyfish, rain pouring out of them in arcing sheets like their stingers below. Each time a cloud was about to envelop me in rain it would be preceded by a burst of even colder air shocking my with its iciness. The waves built up steadily, especially as I began to round the 9pm position on the clock in the later afternoon. The quartering seas were crashing over my deck with every wave and I stuck very close to shore for the remainder of the day, an extra precaution in the event of an unexpected capsize. Though I managed to make good distance and stay upright all day, by the time I pulled into shore to make camp for the night, my hands were exhausted from gripping the paddle fiercely for hours. I was a little nervous that the weather would keep this up for the coming days and I’d be forced to attempt the crossing back to the mainland in rough water, or else delay my return home and be late for other commitments. I was in luck however, after one more glorious day on the central island I woke early on my last morning to find the lake like the surface of a mirror. Slipping into my kayak and breaking the stillness with the bow was one of the most satisfying feelings that morning. I cut the mercury surface for the 12km crossing in just over two hours, and paddled my total distance of 40km easily, getting to the takeout just before 5pm.

Paddling the Reservoir with friends - August 2020

After careful travel to the reservoir in the summer of 2020, avoiding physical contact with people en route, stopping only to fill up with gas and for washroom breaks, 4 friends and I set off for two weeks of paddling. In the end we traveled a little over 70 kilometres in that time - making this one of the most relaxing wilderness excursions I’ve been a part of. It was the perfect balance of relaxing in camp, dealing with the cold temperatures and winds that can occur in the region, and having plenty of time to take photos and cook delicious meals. We managed to eat incredibly well throughout the trip. We also succeeded in reading an entire 800 page book aloud as a group before returning home. We played plenty of games and built some incredible temporary homes. Though we didn’t explore many of Manicouagan’s nooks and crannies, we saw some beautiful areas and skies. It was a journey to remember, and it certainly won't be my last adventure in the Manicouagan Reservoir.