Getting There

This section is very simple: If you want a guided or unguided trip; need to rent canoes, camp gear, or radios; arrange charter or scheduled air flights; or get a shuttle vehicle to take you to the put-in, phone Ric Driedeger. He is a real one-stop shopping center. But do him a favor if you want a guided trip — tell him you want him to guide you so he can get out of the damn office! This guy can paddle and he loves it!

If you insist on doing a trip on your own, Points North Air Services (PNAS) is the company you'll need to contact. They are located near the edge of Waterbury Lake; from there you can charter a float plane to get you on the Waterfound River. Check out their Web site and let them know what you need — they are always ready to help.

Points North Landing has secure parking and is located at the end of highway 905. Drive north from La Ronge for 290 miles on highways 102N and 105N. This is a gravel road and there are lots of BIG trucks — super Bs that look like small trains — so drive really slowly. It is a road best suited to half-ton trucks, so make sure you have basic tools along (including two spare tires) as there are no services to speak of; you can buy gas along the way, but that's about it. If you are at all in doubt about driving, get Ric Driedeger to shuttle you up to Points North in his heavy-duty, well-equipped van.

On finishing your trip at the community of Black Lake, you can easily arrange to rent a"half-ton taxi" to get you to the Stony Rapids airport some twenty miles away. There are any number of Dene entrepreneurs in Black Lake willing to take you to Stony, but for my money I'd find Boniface Robillard — get him to tell you about when he trapped far out onto the barrens looking for white fox. His stories alone are worth the cost of the taxi ride. Once in Stony you can set up a tent somewhere, but there is no real designated campground, so don't leave your gear unguarded. You can also stay at the hotel, but it is nothing to write home about and the meals leave lots to be desired. There are usually several daily scheduled flights from Stony during the workweek that will get you back to Points North or farther south, but the schedules change a lot. Phone Ric or PNAS to get the latest information.

Contacts

Ric Driedeger
Horizons Unlimited
306-635-4420
ric.crco@sk.sympatico.ca

Points North Air Services
306-633-2137
points.north@sk.sympatico.ca

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