Price: $12.95 Cdn

Description:   Located within a day's drive of Vancouver and Victoria, the Sayward Canoe Circuit invites city-weary paddlers to crystal clear lakes, lively streams, and quiet ponds, all linked to each other by portages wide enough to accommodate canoe or kayak carts.

The route is just right for beginners who want to experience the joy of canoe tripping. Intermediate paddlers will also enjoy the secluded places on the circuit. Ease of access, a choice of managed or unimproved campsites, and world class scenery reward both novices and old hands with a great wilderness experience.

This 90-page guidebook is long enough to provide all the necessary information for the outdoorsman/woman to complete the circuit, and yet it remains light enough not to be a burden to the paddler when carrying it in his/her pack on the portage trail. It provides maps, GPS waypoints, detailed descriptions of every campsite and portage on the circuit, and information on the history, topography, flora and fauna of the area

Author:   Michel Gauthier has paddled thousands of kilometres on Canadian waterways. His canoeing articles have been published in Kanawa, Canada's Canoeing and Kayaking Magazine. He is a member of Paddle Canada and past president of the Comox Paddlers, a club based on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. See Michel's Bio

Specifications:   Book, perfect bound, 90 pages, 5.5" x 8.5"

ISBN: 978-0-9865095-0-6

Reviews:

Excerpts from a review by Alistair Taylor, Editor, Campbell River Mirror

Michel Gauthier’s A Guide to the Sayward Forest Canoe Circuit ... will prove to be one of the definitive guides to the famous circle of lakes just north of Campbell River.

...

“Canoeing, not kayaking, is my passion,” he says.

So, in his retirement years, he has satisfied his canoeing passion with famous western routes, notably the Bowron Lakes Chain in the B.C. interior.

“But when our thirst for canoe tripping has to be quenched with a minimum of fuss, we return to the Sayward Forest Canoe Circuit.”

...

Although this is a guide book, Gauthier’s prose reflects his love for canoeing, the outdoors and even the Sayward Forest Canoe Circuit.

His writing style is entertaining and he’s willing to wax poetic in his descriptions. One evening on Amor Lake, idling the time away on a beach camp, “the tangy aroma of Labrador tea wafted up on the breeze while the setting sun wrapped a golden veil over the islands in the middle of the lake. Then a pair of loons wooed the coming darkness with long, haunting calls. I wish you many such evenings.”

...

The book is divided in sections focusing on each of the lakes of the circuit, beginning with the most common starting point, the boat ramp on Mohun Lake that is actually part of Morton Lake Provincial Park. It then describes the segments of the route with specific descriptions of campsite locations and points of interest.

...

I’ve read the 90-page book through and feel well informed about the circuit, even though there are many parts I haven’t paddled...yet. Armed with this resource, I look forward to tackling the circuit and, like Gauthier, allow myself to become further entranced by this fantastic recreational resource on our doorstep.

Mark de Bruijn of Courtenay, BC, wrote:

Hi Michel,

Just wanted to tell you that I've read your new book, and it is a real gem! It is so thorough and clear. For eg., your description of how to read MGRS coordinates is just excellent. And I love your writing style: the little personal anecdotes, the beautifully descriptive passages of the wonder of old growth forests, and water shield flowing under the canoe -- these are so satisfying!
So, thank you for this book. I treasure it!

Ralph Shaw, Outdoors Writer for the Comox Valley Record, Friday, March 12, 2010,:

. . . It is a delightful little book and map combination written by a canoeist who has much love and appreciation for our Island wilderness areas. The details of each camp area and lakes of the circuit are excellent.