Here are some thoughts, reflections and information on paddling the Saguenay Fjord:
PLANNING: This trip down the length of the Saguenay Fjord rates as one of my top five paddling adventures. What makes it even more special is that we did it on our own with out an outfitter or guide. The advanced planning by Marie-
Photo by Marie-France Piche
France Piche, Gaetan’s wife, was outstanding. She selected the route from the menu of options provided by the park service, contacted the company that would ferry our boats from Le Baie to Saint Catherine, and
found the campground for our first night’s stay. Through an exchange of numerous emails we were able to coordinate equipment and meal planning. The great unfairness of it all is that, after all that planning and coordinating, Marie-France could not join us on the fjord because of a last minute emergency at work. While I know she would have added much to the trip, we were fortunate to have Gaetan with us. We really enjoyed getting to know Gaetan over
the week of the trip. Bruce, Alan and I all feel blessed to count them both among our friends.
TRIP LEADER: Our decision to appoint one of us as “leader” on the water was a good one, and Bruce filled the role very well. One of the things he is good at is staying attuned to the concerns of all the paddlers and making decisions that are best for the group. He has
Our fearless leader standing watch.
a good sense of direction and can look at and understand a map faster than most people. I would gladly see him in that role again.
THE PADDLING EXPERIENCE: While there were moments of exhilaration, as when we were surrounded by whales, and moments of danger when agitated by wind and waves, most of our time
Yackman. Photo by B. Romanchak
was spent paddling in ideal conditions, surrounded by the beauty and wildness that is the Saguenay. For mile after mile, in silence and in quiet conversation, we paddled by beautiful waterfalls, towering rocks, deep valleys holding isolated farms, and the occasional village, looking like a primitive painting by Cate Mandigo. These are the things I remember and will return to many times. I have created a video that gives a sense of what paddling the Saguenay is like.
Click here to view that video.
MINIMUM NUMBER FOR TRIP: Our experience indicates
that the minimum number of paddlers needed to make a trip like this is four. This is mainly because of the need to move boats a hundred yards or more up boulder strewn, slime covered rocks to get them above the
Bruce, Alan, Gaetan and Yackman
high tide line. We always had four men on a boat; one front, one back and one on each side at the cockpit. It would have been impossible to safely move the boats with fewer people. (I’m sure Scott Keller, the leader of the Great Hudson River Paddle, is smiling if he is reading this as four men to a boat is the mantra he drilled into all GHRP paddlers.)
THE CAMPING EXPERIENCE: Every campsite was beautiful. I particularly liked the sites at the top of the fjord. They seemed wilder and more remote. They were also newer and had the bigger 12’ by 16’ tent platforms. Most sites were wet. Most sites required negotiating some sort of uphill climb to reach the platforms, often on a primitive trail. At least some platforms in most sites had views of the fjord.
One issue for us was that we felt trapped in camp once we arrived. We usually left camp for our next site at 8:30, shortly after the tide began to fall. To leave later would mean a longer carry of loaded boats over slippery rocks to get the boats to the water. Since distances between camps were short, we generally arrived at the new camp by noon, when the tide would still fall for several more hours. By the time the boats were unloaded they were high and dry. We could have carried them back out to the water to paddle some more, but that would have meant an even longer carry to above the high tide mark when we returned. So, once we were in camp, we stayed there. And only one camp (Delta) had any kind of hiking trails.
Our decision to get four platforms, one for each of us, was a good one as well. Originally we thought we could double up on the platforms, but as Bruce and I discovered at Petites Iles, that wouldn’t have worked too well. The individual platforms gave us some space away from each other. This space is more important than you might think when you are spending twenty-four hours a day for seven straight days with friends.
WEATHER AND PADDLING CONDITIONS: The weather
and paddling conditions on our trip were incredibly benign. Our days and nights were unusually warm. The only rain we experienced came at the very beginning of our trip. Conditions on the water were calm. When there was a breeze, it usually gave us a friendly push in the right direction. This is not the norm. Though you could experience similar conditions, you should not expect them.
LINKS: Here are some links that will help you in planning a trip on the Saguenay, whether on your own, or supported by a guide and outfitter.
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• SaguenayMaritimeTrail.PDF
Camping Circuits outlined cover 2 to 6 days of paddling
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• Our Camp GPS Coordinates and Data
GPS locations of our camps with trip data and other information
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• Float Plan format form the Maine Sea Kayak Guides
Useful format for leaving contact information.
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• Port Alfred Tide Charts (Best tide information)
The most useful tide readings we found.
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• Boxell’s Chandlery
You can get charts of the Saguenay from this outfit. Just be warned that they are slow and disorganized. We eventually got the same charts from a local bookstore, almost overnight.
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• The Fjord by Kayak (in French)
Useful, if you can read French.
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• Sea Kayaking Quebec’s Saguenay Region (AdventureCanada)
Useful information on paddling the Saguenay
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• Caribou Expeditions (Outfitter)
Have never used this outfitter. There is another outfitter that we used to ferry our cars but its site is all in French. The URL is below.
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• Azimut Adventures (Outfitter)
I’m sure my partners on this trip have other information to add here. I hope they will contribute through the comments section below.
If you head out for the Saguenay, I hope you will let me know and perhaps file a trip report here.
Yackman
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