Dungarvon for Newbies

[commando1854]

I was wondering about the Dungarvon as a two day run for 2 canoes with more likely to be added. I am a moderately experienced canoeist, but with an inexperienced new girlfriend in the bow. My buddy, in the other canoe has less experience in canoes than I do and would have his 12 year old son in the bow. Thinking about early spring. Apparently the run from Ledgy Landing on the Storeytown Rd. to the mouth of the Renous is pretty safe for newbies. I was wondering first of all, if this is a two day run. If not then what would be a good put in point upriver to make it a two day run, bearing in mind that I am the only one ever to have done more than Class II and at least two of the group should not see anything above a good class I, or at least have a safe and easy to find put out for a portage.. I understand that the Dungarvon has more whitewater upriver from Ledgy Landing.

[Ken Corbett]

There are no rapids below Ledgey Landing, mabe a turn with a rock by the bank here and there. The river is wide with good current, though.

Watch out for fallen trees where the Dungarvon meets the Renous. The channels change there every spring, and the poplar trees block the odd turn.

It's a three-day run or maybe even more from Ledgey Landing to the mouth of the Renous, if you want to fish a bit and enjoy camp. The flies can be murder once the hatch is on. It's a great float when the water's high, and murder when she's low. But you know this already.

Hope this helps,
Ken

[commando1854]

Thanks Ken, that does help. Yep, fishing would definitely be part of the plan. I guess for a two day run we'll look for something about a third of the way downriver, from Ledgy Landing.
Just for fun, does anyone know roughly where the site of the alleged Dungarvon Whooper is?

[tgneal]

He'll find you.

[commando1854]

Hah! Cute. Nice Lightfoot quote.

[Dave]

Could some one provide some rough directions or coordinates for storytown road and ledgy landing? I can't find either in google earth. How is this road in the spring?

Thanks,
Dave

[commando1854]

Google earth uses the "Storeytown" (note the "e") spelling. Assuming you are coming from Fredericton, you get to Stroreytown by driving through most of Doaktown, and not long after crossing the bridge, (You will know it. It is a significant bridge that goes uphill), you turn left. I will send you a link to O'Donnells cottages that shows a map for getting to Storeytown per se. Note that google earth and the people at O'Donnells seem to disagree about where Storeytown is! (I'd believe the people at O'Donnells obviously).
Anyway the road follows the north bank of the river, and at some point you have to turn north to get to the Dungarvon. Where you turn there I don't know but this will put you in the general are[ftp][/ftp]a.
I will also send a link that has little road detail but shows "ledgie landing" from some old D.N.R. salmon maps.
On that one click "Dungarvon River Map", and then click on "Plan 3". About 3/4 of the way down the river is Ledgie Landing.
I also am curious about where one turns off the Storeytown Road.
www.odonnellscottages.com/contactus.htm

manzer.org/fish/index.html

Not really all you need to know but I hope it helps a bit.

[Dave]

Thanks for the info commando. If you find a way to do the Dungarvon as a two day run please post the details. I'd like to try this river sometime but I'll never convince my buds to do a two nighter.

Dave

[riverrat]

When you go back the Story town road, you stay on it util you hit dirt road. Keep going until you hit a fork in the road, take the right hand road. This road had been plowed most of the winter as Irving was cutting back there. This road gets very soft in the spring, been awhile since I have been back there. It does have a name but I can not think of it right now. This road hits onto another, turn right, take you to the camp ground on the Dungarvon. Hope this helps, if I am talking to anyone in Doaktown, will ask what the roads are like.

[mitchell]

Its actually a bit quicker and a better road now to stay on the hazelton rd and go up over the hill instead of turning left onto the storeytown rd. The dungarvon rd crosses the hazelton somewhere between 6 and 7 kms from where you left rt. 8. Take a left here, you can't miss it. Its a wide irving rd and there may or may not be a sign there saying the dungarvon rd. Just stay on this rd until you reach the dungarvon river. At around 13kms you'll cross over the south branch of the bartholomew and then the north branch. You are only a couple kms from the dungarvon from here.
To canoe from the bridge at ledgy landing to the furlong bridge is 30kms. From furlong bridge to where it meets the renous is 14.5kms. You could also put in under the power lines above furlong bridge to give you a distance of 23 kms from here to the renous.
Mitchell

[commando1854]

Just a quick update to Dave re: road conditions: On May 3, I finished some work in Newcastle and got to leave early. On the way back to Fredericton, in Blackville I drove off # 8 onto the "Lockstead Road" (immediately North of the bridge over the Bartholomew), and from there (maybe 100 meters from that last point), onto the "Dungarvon Road;which I guess runs along the north shore of the river for much of it's length. Anyone with a decent map can see where there is a bridge over the Dungarvon about 15 to 20 K from there. Anyway I pursued this for another 15 or so K after the bridge, (about 4 or 5 k past the big power lines) and had been getting deeper and deeper into mud and snow. Towards the end was slewing around quite a bit in the muck. (with inappropriate winter tires I might add.). Finally came upon a downed tree fully blocking the road. I was going to remove it with the always handy axe but the mud was geting deeper and I was wearing a suit and the better half was expecting me. Discretion being the better part of valour I turned around (maybe a 35 point turn in my little Rav4-hey don't laugh-good clearance, 4wd and manouverable enough to do that) and headed back from whence I came. I think the road you are talking about is better, but there is still a lot of snow in that part of the country. Of course the "road" I was on seemed marked mostly by snowmobile signs so maybe I was just being out of season. Anyway Dave, depending on what you are driving, you might want to wait for things to dry up a bit.