James Bay and Caniapiscau

Just back from a month-long, 4000 mile trip to the James Bay area in northern Quebec and thought I’d share some photos. We were gone the month of July, a seemingly good time to go. The weather was fairly good and the bugs weren’t nearly as bad as they’re reputed to be.

We drove the entire lengths of the James Bay Road, Trans-Taiga road and the Route Du Nord as well as a trip out to Long Point and Chisasibi. All told we were on gravel road for 1100 miles. A beautiful place and very remote but not nearly as scary of a place as I imagined it to be. If you’re considering a trip to the area, don’t be afraid to do it. And if so, go soon. The Rupert River is being diverted for hydropower in ’09 and seeing the river in full-force is worth the trip alone.

We took our old ’74 Land Rover and besides a broken weld on the muffler and a leaky water pump on the way home it performed flawlessly.

Jim

Very nice trip, I’m thinking of going there in the winter.

Hi Jim,
just completed a similar trip at the end of August. We added in Troilus Mine Road and a trip out past Mistassini to Lake Albanel. Totalled 4,347 miles with 1400 miles of gravel road. I've been detailing it here, with a lot of photos:
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/20250980.cfm

you make me want to go back home!!!!



haven't been back in Quebec for a full year now. it is time...

What a classic expedition rig, the vintage Land Rover.

Cool pics. Welcome to ExPo - :beer:

Looks like a great trip. I love the Rover and that shot of the rig with the deadfall on top against the forest green background is terrific.

Were you camping then? I've got a Jeep TJ with the back seat removed and by the time the cooler, stove, all camp gear and such are in with two people up front, I don't know where two good sized dogs would fit.

Great stuff. Thanks.

With careful packing and we can be in that truck indefinitely. This was the second 1-month trip we’ve been on, the first with one dog, this trip with two dogs.

I’ve built a platform that rests even with the rear fender wells and has a ramp so the dogs can get in easily. Under this platform are two “under bed storage boxes” from Home Depot. They’re exactly the same length as the bed floor and swallow all our dry food, cooking gear and small items. Above the platform is an aluminum shelf that has about 10 inches of room between it and the roof and is about 4’ x 3’. Up there goes all the light and soft gear like clothes, sleeping bags and pads, etc. Under the shelf on each side are elastic nets that are a catchall for soft, misc. things. Along the two sides are the fridge, two tool bags, water can and the Zodi shower. Under the front seat is a storage box that also gets tools. The only things on the roof are the stove/grille, camp chairs, empty fuel can, tent and laundry bag. Maybe 75lbs at the most and very short to cut down on wind resistance.

All said and done the dogs have pretty much the space of the platform to be in. They seem pretty happy back there.





jim

Sounds like a great trip... I've been following your Rover on the net over the years. I particularly like your sandal mount on the rear.

Were there many opportunities to pull off the road and tent camp on the long gravel sections? Is it primarily crown land or logging company owned?

Thanks for the photos.....


Henry
www.4x4freedom.com

Shower shoes!

There are a fair number of established, however primitive campsites along the James Bay road and a couple on both the Route Du Nord and Trans-Taiga roads. There are also clearings all over that can function as campsites as well but you need to you caution that they are not First Nation/Cree tribal land. From what I hear they take offense to people camping on these lands.

jim

Looks like you had a great trip. I really like your truck setup. Someday I will go back and explore this area more thoroughly.

Looks like a great trip - one I've been looking forward to for a while. Great use of space in the LR too - my Jeep TJ also fills up quickly. Couple of questions...

How easy is it to take dogs into Canada?

What fuel range do you need?

Cheers,
Graham

A rabies certificate is all you need. My wife is Canadian (so is one dog!) and we're across the board all the time. Maybe one time in four they'll ask for papers crossing in one direction or the other.

The longest stretch without fuel is from the Mirage outfitter at km 358 of the T-T, out to Caniapiscau and back to km 358. 616 km or about 400 miles. We carried 500 miles of fuel just to be safe.

jim

Thanks for the details on exceptional use of space in the rear of the Rover. Excellent. My mind is whirling a mile a minute with an assortment of options for the Jeep.

There was a reference made by another poster to following your Rover and adventures for some time. Where would one find that? I like that machine and I like the travel style. I'd like to learn more. Thanks.

www.seriestrek.com

www.seriestrek.com is Jim's site.

Henry

Thanks ShearPin. I sure do like Jim's Rover, and their adventure program seems to be exactly where I want to go with my Jeep... unless of course Land Rover starts selling Defenders here tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath.