Exploring the Chenaux
islands and channels by kayak or canoe can be a bit challenging. There are two public
access options from the Ontario side to the Chenaux Narrows - downriver at the
Bonnechere River ramp or upriver in Portage-du-Fort. It’s about 14 km between
those two public access points. The other challenge is serious currents during
high Ottawa River flows. We did encounter some fast-moving water, especially in
the channels around Compagnie and Chenaux Islands. You would want to
be careful in early spring when the water is still cold.
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After getting to the
Bonnechere ramp and paying our launch/parking fee, we were off across the
Ottawa River to the Quebec side. It was a very nice calm morning, so we made
good progress going upriver. We entered the channel north of Compagnie
Island and soon ran out of navigable water (i.e. rocks). Luckily, we were able
to sneak through along the Compagnie Island shoreline. Then, we took our first
break from the morning paddle. It looked ideal for bass, so we both tried a bit
of fishing, but no luck (lures only, no bait).
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As we got paddling again, I
was surprised to see more sandy beaches on islands than I remembered from past
trips in this area. In the channel north of Payne Island, we came across
a giant sandbar. After talking to locals, they confirmed that all
this new exposed sand was the result of the Ottawa River’s major floods in
recent years (2017 and 2019).
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Our final destination for
today and lunch spot was Sand Island (the long sandy island between Payne and
Reid Islands). This island has always had a sandy shore on its southern
(Ontario) side and a favourite stopping place for boaters of all kinds.
It was just us here today. We had lunch, and afterwards, John was brave enough
to have a short swim.
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After lunch, we started the paddle back to the
Bonnechere ramp. There was a light breeze but not enough to be a problem. We
did explore a bit around the northwest corner of Compagnie Island but soon headed
into the middle channel downriver between Compagnie and Chenaux Islands. At
this point, I regretted having undone my kayak skirt due to the warm
day. The currents in the mid-channel were quite strong/fast and
causing quite a bit of turbulence. But with some hard paddling and steering, I
managed to keep straight and upright! John was ahead and also got
through unscathed with his longer 17ft kayak. We then came to the SE
corner of Chenaux Island (bottom of the official boating channel) to try a bit
of fishing in the fast-flowing waters. No luck here either.
The 5 km paddle down the Ottawa River and up the
Bonnechere River was uneventful. I did follow the Ontario shore reasonably
close to see if I could detect any other public river access. I
didn’t notice any kayak/canoe launching options, but the locals might know of
some.
All in all, a beautiful day to be on the Ottawa
River!
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