Getting the Adventure On In James Bay

An epic overland mission in Canada’s true north.

by

Words and Photos by Alain Gagnon @azimuth_overland

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We had been contemplating an overland trip up to Northern Québec and the James Bay area for quite some time. Our main reason for planning such an adventure was to discover the area and capture some images of the Northern Lights, which are considered to be some of the best and brightest light formations of its kind in Eastern Canada.

Travelling this far north meant we had to do some planning. Our goal was to accomplish the trip in four days with a destination of circling The Rupert River, which crosses the James Bay Road, 925 km (575 miles) from our home in Ottawa, ON. Keeping a simple checklist, we brought only the necessities including food, water, assorted beverages, essential clothing and gear, plus extra fuel. Since we would be sleeping in our Tacoma, we also included the necessary bedding and extra blankets.

Just a day before our departure, the forecast reported nice, clear weather towards the end of the week. This was in accordance with two websites I use to monitor Northern Lights activity including aurora-alerts.com and stellarium.org. Both stated a 90 percent possibility of seeing Northern Lights in the James Bay region during our visit.

Day 1

We left Ottawa early the next morning in heavy fog and made it through La Verendrye Wildlife Reserve Park, which covers an area of 12,589 sq km (4,861 sq mi); Val d’Or (Valley of Gold), one of the richest mining territories in Québec; and just past Amos, QC, where we found a nice spot to camp for the night.  It was a boat launch park on the Harricana River and was the perfect place with a flat site, picnic table, and a couple of fire pits.

Day 2

After waking up in this lovely area, our travels continued north on QR 109 and we made a stop in Joutel, a ghost town approximately 12 km (7.5 mi) off the main highway.  Joutel was established in 1965 with the opening of a mine and its population peaked at more than 1,200 residents. When the mines dried up, the community was eventually abandoned in 1998. Today, the streets, sidewalks, stairways to the church, and even the yellow paint for crosswalks still exist. Needless to say, it’s quite eerie. However, camping is allowed, and it’s known as a ‘very quiet spot.’

Back on the QR 109, we made our way another 80 km (50 mi) to the town of Matagami, a small mining community with a population of 1,400. Since this was the last stop with services for 381 km (237 mi), we fuelled up and bought some groceries, ice, and propane. We also received and sent the last of our text messages and emails as service would soon be non-existent. The only other communication we had was our CB radio with channel 10, the James Bay Rd commercial truck channel, and channel 4, which is used on the logging roads.

Outside of Matagami, we crossed the bridge over the Bell River and entered the James Bay region at kilometre marker (KM) 0. The James Bay Rd is 620 km (388 mi) and ends in Radisson. We were officially in Cree Nation Territory. To put the vast expanse of the area in perspective, the whole James Bay area is as large as Germany!

At KM 6, we stopped at a checkpoint where they asked us for our names and where we were going.  The road was nice and smooth for about 250 km (155 miles).  There were many picnic areas and several main logging entrances with warning signs. They were commonly identified with a bush road number and all had “no entrance unless authorized” signs.

James Bay Rd. is about as remote as remote can get. There are no towns or residences, except for a few hunting cabins. The only traffic we saw were transport trucks and that was about every 15 or 20 minutes. The greenery, too, became scarce. It consisted of dense forests at first, and then eventually thinned-out to just traces of taiga and caribou moss.

In overcast and windy conditions, we turned at KM 189 towards a remote campsite by Rodayer Lake. The area was clean with ten sites, each featuring a fire pit, picnic table, and pit toilet. There was also a nice boat launch with a great view of the lake.  There wasn’t a soul around us. After admiring the area, we set up camp and enjoyed dinner before it started to snow, ruining the chance of admiring and photographing the Northern Lights.

Day 3

The next morning we woke early to – thankfully – no snow, but it had been a cold night. Even our dog was snuggled under the covers and didn’t get out of the truck until I had a fire going.  After a big breakfast, we continued on our adventure.

The mighty Rupert River at marker KM 257 was stunning with a full rest area (although no camping is permitted) complete with covered picnic tables and a viewing platform, offering great views of the wild rapids, which are known as the Oatmeal Rapids.

From this point, we crossed the Rupert River Bridge and the road became very bumpy before turning at KM 324 where a 7 km (4 mi) dirt road led us to the shores of Mirabelli Lake. The area was very scenic and again, not a soul was around. We decided to drive along some of the trails around the lake and to our delight, we discovered an excellent site to camp for the night next to the water. Rather than setting up camp right away, we drove to KM 381 to refuel, explore the area a little, and then made our way back to Lake Mirabelli before nightfall.

The Relais Routier at KM 381 is managed by the James Bay Development Corp. and is the only place for fuel on James Bay Rd. The next closest place for fuel or supplies is in Radisson, 208 km (130 miles) away at this point. The complex also offers shower and laundry facilities, a service centre, and even WiFi. This provided the chance for us to check the online weather forecast. To our disappointment, we realized that Mother Nature wouldn’t cooperate with our plans of admiring the Northern Lights. The forecast was calling for rain that night, and the next four days.  Let down, we returned to our campsite at Lake Mirabelli, set up camp, and started a campfire when it started to rain, which soon turned into snow with no visibility in the sky whatsoever.

Day 4

When we left Lake Mirabelli the next morning the rain continued and the temps were as low as 2°C (35 °F).  With an urge to still explore, we found a 10 km (6 mi) dirt road just south of the Rupert River Bridge, which took us to the shores of the Rupert River on the other side of the rapids. We found another gem of a campsite that we took note of to enjoy during our next visit to the area. Tracing our way back to Matagami, where we encountered a large moose crossing the main road, we stopped for fuel and found a nice campsite to settle in for the night.

Day 5

Following a good night’s rest, we packed up our site in 0°C (32°F) weather (wearing a few layers of clothing) and made our way south through Amos and arrived at the La Verendrye Provincial Park about 250 km (402 mi) later with warmer and better weather.

Although I was disappointed for not being able to photograph the Northern Lights, this was not our first battle with Mother Nature. In the end, we experienced a unique area we had never visited before and realized the entire region is a paradise for all types of outdoor activities. We discovered many interesting off-road trails, quiet off-grid campsites, a variety of rivers and lakes, and many well-kept trails for hiking.

I will most definitely do this trip again to enjoy the off-road trails, as well as the fishing and canoeing. I also made a note to visit Radisson and view the massive LG2 Hydroelectric power generating station. It would even be interesting to explore some of the local villages nestled along James Bay – and further discover what the area has to offer.