THE WINTER ROADS TO ATTAWAPISKAT

Driving across frozen roads only accessible two months of the year in the James Bay region was the off-road adventure of a lifetime.

To me an adventure road is one that will take you to some unique remote destination that few have ever heard of and fewer will ever reach. A few good examples in Canada are the Dempster Highway and the Trans-Labrador Highway.

There are also a series of roads in Ontario that I’d call adventure roads, which are so unique that most don’t even know they exist. I recently went on a trip along Wetum Road and the James Bay Winter Road in early March to Attawapiskat.

If you’re reaching for your maps now or Google, you’ll have trouble finding them.

These roads only have access for two months – from mid-January to mid-March. Driving to a place with road access just a few months of the year is a rare experience. Factor in driving across huge frozen rivers and you have a real adventure!

My adventure planning started in early 2019 when I first heard about these winter roads. After doing some online research, I planned a trip for mid-March of that year. When the time rolled around, the temperature rose and the roads were shut down for the season. I made a note to myself to try earlier in the season next time.

There is a fine line between leaving late enough in the year that the days are longer and the temperatures slightly warmer and leaving it too late that the roads will be closed for the season.

The First Attempt

Earlier this year, I posted on a couple of Facebook groups looking for anyone interested in driving to Attawapiskat. I managed to find a couple guys that were serious. We picked a weekend late in February and plans were finalized and reservations made. A couple days before our late February departure, the Weather Network reported that Ontario was preparing for the worst winter storm of the year.

The three of us had booked time off and essentially had one shot at this so we were still going. The night before I loaded up my Toyota Tacoma with five 20 l (5 gal) cans of gas, a sleeping bag, some food, traction boards, a shovel, GPS and maps – all the gear that might be needed in a worst case scenario.

Leaving London, ON, in the early hours in late February, I met William and his two friends in Vaughan. After enduring whiteout conditions, driving north on Highway 400, we met the third member of our group, Christian, in Parry Sound.

We stopped to re-evaluate the trip. While the weather had improved by Parry Sound, we