I knew of Swift Rapids Road for a while and even tried to drive it early last winter. Being somewhat of a remote trail, I ended up turning back as I was not comfortable in the snow that had piled up at the time.
Here is what Parks Canada has to say about Swift Rapids:
"Lock 43 is isolated with a sense of wilderness and therefore not practical to drive to by road. This is the deepest single chambered lock on the Waterway. An impressive ground surrounded by lush natural vegetation makes a quiet stop for boater camping and picnicking for the self-contained boater. It is a pack-in pack-out station."
However, we know that "not practical to drive by road" doesn't apply to Trailvoys, right? In actuality, even a stock 2 wheel drive would have no problem on the gravel road. However, due to what I would think is very rare grading of the road, everyone is in for a very bumpy ride.
The weather was great, the first real hot days of the season, and the large birds were sure out there. Some Trumpeter Swans and of course some Canada Geese:
At the end of the trail, there is a gate with no vehicles allowed past. A short 5 minute walk brings you to the river. You can see the dam, looking down river from the dam, the lock doors, and then the lock full and empty.
The trail (Swift Rapids Road) is fairly flat but interesting in its own way. When the water is high, there are some still water crossings but no higher than 18 inches. A couple of places the trail crosses flat rock but nothing serious. And there are plenty of lakes and bogs along the way.
If you look carefully on the rocks, you will see tire tracks from some hard-core wheelers trying to climb that rock. This one would be too extreme, but I did take note of 2 or 3 other places where the trail diverts from the road in order to present more of a challenge. If I were not solo that day I would have tried a couple. Nothing worse than being stuck in the middle of nowhere with a broken u-joint.
Off to Big Chute!
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