Wilderness North is FAMOUS for its high numbers of big fish, people come from all over the world to experience world class fishing at Wilderness North. It draws anglers in, it’s the lure.
One of the unforeseen benefits of booking a trip with Wilderness North is the way you access all the lodges. Be it an outpost camp or a week at full service Miminiska, you have to get there before any of the fun happens. Wilderness North has a saying: “Here, there are no roads” Well, that’s actually true, no matter where you go you have to fly. You can’t boat in – it’s that remote. You have to take to the air to get there.
At Wilderness North you have three options for air travel. Depending on the lodge or outpost camp you’re booked at, you may access via Pilatus, Otter or Beaver. The Pilatus leaves from Thunder Bay and lands on the grass runway behind Miminiska lodge and the Otter and Beaver are used for all the other camps.
The Pilatus is similar to flying in a commercial airline, and landing on a grass runway is amazing. Flying in the Otter and the Beaver is remarkable. (Even if you land at Miminiska via Pilatus, you can still experience the Beaver as a day trip). They are iconic and behold an experience you won’t soon forget.
The Beaver is a Canadian marvel. Built in the 1950’s there are a finite number of these birds around. Wilderness North’s Beaver is in fantastic shape and works every day from ice out right through till freeze-up
What’s great about these planes as well, is they are perfect for exploration in the north. Our pilots have a saying. “if we can take off again, we can land and see what’s there” How amazing would it be to fly into a lake which has never been fished, with inflatable boats and see what monsters call it home? Master angler fish which may have never seen a lure or fly. That’s pure adventure!
The modes of transportation to and from any Wilderness North lodge, coupled with the fact that you can explore, ensure the planes are as much a part of the integral story that is Wilderness North as the lure of excellent fishing. When you go, make sure to take some time to appreciate the incredible modes of transport. Not only are they iconic to Wilderness North, but they are iconic to Canada.
