Main River, Newfoundland

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The Main is a river at the southern end of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula, running about 57 kilometres from its headwaters in the tundra of the Long Range Mountains to its mouth at the coastal community of Sop's Arm. Short but swift, the Main is one of Canada's top whitewater canoeing rivers.

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• accommodation in Sop's Arm and camping on/around the Main River
  
• outfitters and guides serving the Main River
  

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Paddling

The main is short, swift and scenic, and can be run from start to finish, in 3 to 6 days. Along the way, the Main passes through barren tundra, old-growth forests, lush grasslands and deep valleys.

The lower half can be done in a weekend. A put-in point at the logging road bridge, west of Sop's Arm, launches the overnight journey to the Atlantic Ocean via a spectacular whitewater canyon.

River runners divide the Main into 5 distinct sections:
• Four Ponds Lake, a series of lakes at the river's headwaters in the Long Range Mountains, accessible only by float plane
• Upper River, a mixture of small ledges and rock-studded boulder gardens
• Big Steady, a calmer, more leisurely stretch
• Rapid River, where the river's turbulence resumes
• Deep Valley, the fast-moving, cliff-edged run to the sea

The rapids are generally Class I to Class III, but can quickly become Class IV or V in heavy rains. The Upper River section can be rocky and slippery, and the lower rapids and canyon require an advanced level of canoeing or kayaking skill.

Getting There

An unpaved woods road from Sop's Arm provides access 13 km upriver, to the Kruger bridge. A few points are accessible by float plane or helicopter, and by rough hiking tracks. ATV use is not allowed in the Heritage River area except on the woods road leading from Sop's Arm. Snowmobiles can be used during winter months.

The closest regional airport is located in Deer Lake (YDF) approx. 1hr drive from Sop's Arm.

Reaching the rough portage trails that lead to the Four Ponds Unit (near the river's headwaters) begins by taking a wood-harvesting road from Route 420, which leaves Route 420 about 22 km from the Trans-Canada Highway/Route 420 junction. (Note: wood-harvesting roads are best suited for four-wheel drive vehicles with high clearance only.)

Access to the Four Ponds Unit is by float plane, helicopter, or by a five-hour walk on a rough portage trail from the nearest forest access road.

Conditions will be wet; sturdy, waterproof footwear is a must.

Canoers, kayakers, and white-water rafting enthusiasts gain access to the Deep Valley Unit from the same, rough 17-km woods road that leads to the Kruger Bridge from Sop's Arm. In 2004, a small gravel parking lot and two outhouses were constructed adjacent to the bridge to accommodate river users. This area is for day use only, not camping.

Hunting and Fishing

The area holds black bears, Atlantic salmon that measure over a metre long, and other fish and game. Newfoundland black bears tend to be larger than their mainland relatives, occasionally reaching 270 kilograms. Moose are plentiful, even though they were introduced to the island just over a hundred years ago. And when it comes to woodland caribou, local outfitters claim a 100% success rate in bagging mature stags.

Atlantic salmon runs peak in early to mid-July, and brook trout are also in plentiful supply. Fly-fishers can access the river by car on the logging road that runs west from Sop's Arm. Outfitting and guiding companies will arrange expeditions by float plane to the Four Ponds headwaters and the upper river.