Paddling the Fond du Lac

To complement a Fond du Lac trip, canoeists can ply their paddles through the adjacent Waterfound River. Starting at Waterbury Lake, the Waterfound River flows northeast through Theriau (Unknown) Lake and Durrant Lake to join the Fond du Lac at Waterfound Bay. It is about sixty-five miles from the shore of Waterbury Lake to the confluence with the Fond du Lac, and this is by far a prettier trip than that from Wollaston Lake. The country is generally covered with low, soft, rolling sand and gravel hills rather than the abrupt, sharp, rocky granite terrain of the Precambrian Shield near La Ronge.

The Waterfound is a smaller river and follows the geological strike through the center of the sand-covered Athabasca Basin; you will often find yourself paddling for miles along the edge of spectacular sand eskers. As an added bonus, many of the rapids below Durrant Lake abound with grayling. And like the Fond du Lac, the campsites are world-class.

From Waterbury Lake to Waterfound Bay there is only one place I have ever portaged and only once at that. About two and a half miles from Theriault (Unknown) Lake (5200E / 647300N) there is a rapid that needs to be scouted. It is long and it is hard to see, as it starts in earnest after a tight left turn. The main portage is on river left before the turn, but it is easy to back-ferry down the inside of the turn and slide into a calm pool where you can regroup and scout the rapid. Years ago I cut a short twenty-yard trail from here up to the main trail; there were a bunch of sweepers in the river from a recent forest fire and it was easier to carry a few hundred yards than it was to find a way around them. I have never followed the trail to the bottom of the rapid, finding it easier to just carry a short stretch and run the rest. In any case, scout this one well, as it is fast and shallow and spills out into a rocky boulder field at the bottom.


Article copyright © Bill Layman, 2000. Photos copyright © Bill Layman, 2000.