La Vase Portages Canoe Day
Canoe Day 2017
Canoe Day for 2017 will be Saturday, July 22, 2017. Please keep an eye on this page for sign up details closer to Canoe Day - this year celebrating Canada's 150th birthday!
Saturday, July 21, 2016
Most memorable about 2017 was that a week prior to Canoe Day - a long dry spell had left much of the river unnavigable. Then four days of heavy rain in a row just before Canoe Day meant we were able to run everything - another great day for canoeing on La Vase Portages!
Saturday, July 20, 2015
Celebrating the 400th anniversary of Champlain crossing La Vase Portages, 40 paddlers joined us this year to share a traditional Voyageur lunch of burgers and fries and Billy Bob's and enjoy a great day of paddling one of Canada's most historic canoe routes.
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Twenty eight people paddled with us for La Vase Portages Canoe Day this year, the 399th year since Champlain first travelled through these portages. Guests from Ottawa, Barrie & Toronto all make the trip to join us this year.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Always a good day to paddle La Vase Portages! Great group of paddlers again this year, lots of sunshine and lots of water the day after some heavy rainfall in the area. Special thanks to David & Caroline Lee who travelled all the way from Deep River to join us.
Saturday, 20 July, 2012
Record low water levels made some sections of La Vase River more like a trail than a canoe route. Still a great lunch at Billy Bob's and all in all another great canoe day - thanks to everyone for toughing it out.
Saturday, 18 July, 2011
Neil Dellandrea's hand made birchbark canoe - and Neil traveled all the way from Peterborough to join us, his canoe was the highlight of this year's canoe day. Clear blue skies and a great day for canoeing.
Saturday, 17 July, 2010
Thank you to everyone who paddled with us for this years La Vase Portages Canoe Day. Special guests were Nipissing First Nation Chief Marianna Couchie and long time La Vase Portages advocate Paul Chivers. While community opinion for protection of the historic canoe route remains strong - aggregate mining operations continue to carve up the remaining pristine sections of the historic first nation and Voyageur canoe route.
In May of 2010 the Province of Ontario granted a twenty year mining claim along the west shoreline of the Coopers Lake area and is now poised to approve a doubling of aggregate extraction plans along the southeast shoreline of the same lake.
Paddlers are encouraged to get out and enjoy this thousand year old Canadian Heritage River System and one of the most famous historical portages routes in Canada before it becomes little more than a paddle through a quarry site.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
For our 2009 Canoe Day low water levels in the historic middle portage area meant an even longer portage than ususal with a carry of almost 1400 metres required along the west shore of North La Vase River. Thanks to volunteers Bernie Stockerman's, John Wipprecht, Jean Marc Filion and everyone who helped out to clear and brush the trails.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Not to be outdone by the destination Ontario group that paddled La Vase Portages earlier this summer, Friends of La Vase made sure to bring a flag this year.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Saturday, August 5, 2006
Twenty four persons joined in our first La Vase Portages Heritage Canoe Day, crossing under clear blue skies and hot weather.