ATTENTION TO DETAIL
At Goldseekers Outfitters and Wilderness Expeditions we pride ourselves in our attention to detail. Let us take the worry out of your next wilderness canoe or kayak adventure.
Wir Sprechen Deutsch
Our range of services entails everything a backcountry adventurer will require for a safe and successful trip; From complete or partial canoe outfitting for flat-water and whitewater trips, fully outfitted guided trips, base camp fly-in fishing trips, cabin based family retreats, route planning, maps, flight service, and the regions most reliable ground shuttle service to and from your chosen location. We carry satellite phones in case you feel the need to reach out and touch some one, or rent a Spot messenger beacons to allow family and friends to follow your progress. Logistical support for those hard to access places is our specialty; start your trip in Ontario and finish in Manitoba – we will have your vehicle waiting there for you at a date and time you specify. Our Bed & Breakfast service will spoil you at the start and finish of your trip. Join a guided wilderness expedition led by our knowledgeable guides, or venture out on your own. Whichever option is selected, as our guest you will always experience friendly, personalized service and meticulous attention to detail.
What Sets us Apart?
Why has Goldseekers been the Red Lake outfitter of choice for more Woodland Caribou Provincial Park paddlers than all other “outfitters” combined?
EXPERIENCE – There is really no substitution for it
CONSERVATION ETHOS – We believe we are stewards of the land
INTEGRITY – We won’t try to supply you with services you don’t need
EQUIPMENT – Quality equipment, some of the best in the business
SAFETY – Your safe and enjoyable experience is our primary concern
LOCATION – Red Lake, Ontario lies in the heart of the boreal wilderness
Experience
There really is no substitute for it. Living in this neck of the woods for nearly 40 years, we know this country and its secrets, a knowledge which we willingly with our guests. We’re paddlers first and foremost; you will find that in our commitment to providing our guests with the best possible canoeing/kayaking experience is unsurpassed.
Conservation Ethos
We believe that we are stewards of this land, not consumers, as such we strive to have a minimal impact on the land and we ask our guests to practice the same. We’ve dedicated years of our personal time sitting on the Woodland Caribou Park Advisory Committee where we, along with two conservation groups strongly advocated for the reduction of motor use in Woodland Caribou Provincial Park –a designated wilderness park, and for the elimination of snowmobiling in the park against a much larger contingent more interested in maintaining the then status quo and for some, increased motorized use of the park. This is a battle which to this day continues and your vocal support will be appreciated.
Integrity
This is a huge area we service and if we don’t know something we will tell you and then do our very best to find out –we’ve been here nearly 40 years so we do know who to talk to. We won’t try to supply you with services you don’t need. Our information and prices are accurate and our shuttles are on time –we don’t leave our guest wondering for hours if not days, whether or not their ride back to civilization will arrive.
Equipment
After years of paddling and outfitting we have selected top quality equipment that we know is some of the best in the business. It will allow you to enjoy the wilderness without fear of undue equipment failure. This is not to say we’re operating with leather and canvas (which we do still have available for the traditionalist tripper) since we continue to experiment and research new technologies for safety, efficacy and durability –unless it meets our Gold Standard, it will just stay on the shelf.
Safety
Your safe and enjoyable wilderness experience is our primary concern. We will advise you of hazards of which we are aware, help you select a route suitable to your skills and take the time to orient our guests in wilderness safety, skills and ethics. Our guides are Paddle Canada or ORCKA certified and trained in wilderness first aid. They are fully capable of dealing with all situations as they arise and should there be a need to end an expedition early they are equipped with satellite phones to call for pick up.
Location
Our base of operations is in the historic gold rush town of Red Lake. Located at the end of the most northwestern paved road in Ontario, we are situated in an ideal location from which to launch a canoe/kayak expedition into the vast multi million-acre wilderness of Northwest Ontario. It would be our pleasure to introduce you to this land.
MEET THE ROGALINSKI FAMILY
Our family has been exploring this far northern region for over 40 years. We have an intimate knowledge and a love for this land and its people that can only be developed by living here year round and taking the time to learn of them. Let us guide you through our incredibly wild back yard. You will not be disappointed.
Albert and Kelly Rogalinski
Founders of Goldseekers
Reese Rogalinski
Goldseekers Bed & Breakfast
Katrina Rogalinski
Goldseekers Bed & Breakfast
HOW TO FIND US
How to Find Us – By Car
From International Falls USA cross the border into Fort Frances Ontario. Take Highway 11 east (right turn) toward Atikokan. Several miles outside of Fort Frances you will turn north (left) onto Highway 502 going to Dryden. Proceed along this highway to the end (approx. 2.5 hrs). At the T intersection turn right to the town of Dryden. You will pass by the paper mill and cross a bridge. Turn left at the first set of lights. Turn left at the 4 way stop. You will go through an underpass and come to another set of lights. Turn left at the lights onto Highway 17 west (if anyone needs a last junk food fix this would be the place. Turn right for McDonalds, Pizza Hut or A&W, turn left for KFC or Dairy Queen). Stay on #17 west until you come to the village of Vermillion Bay (20-30 minutes). Here you will turn right (north) onto Highway 105. The highway terminates at the traffic lights in Red Lake. Here you turn right and proceed to the Lakeview Restaurant where you turn left onto Goldshore Road, proceed up the hill and continue on to the stop sign and turn right, you are now on Forestry Rd. We are located at 75 Forestry Rd which is on next hill past the old mine on the right side of the road. Look for the wagon wheels by the road and the racks of canoes in the yard. If you cross a bridge you have gone too far. If you end up in the fire fighting base-camp you have really gone too far.
How to Find Us By Air
Regularly scheduled commercial airlines will fly you to Winnipeg or Thunder Bay. From either of these gateways you can book any one of several daily flights on Bearskin Airlines to reach Red Lake. For competitive rates contact Red Lake Travel and ask for their Fisherman’s Rate. 1 800-465-3305
Float Planes can be landed and docked at any number of facilities on Red Lake. Please contact us to make arrangements for you.
Private wheeled aircraft may use the Red Lake Airport at Cochenour. Just let us know your arrival date and time and we will be there.
Red Lake Airport information
Elevation: 1265 ASL
Location: Lat. N51.04.01 Long. W93.47.35W,
Cochenour, Ontario
Airstrip Type: Asphalt, all-weather surface · Length: 5000’ x 150’ · Direction: 08-26 ·
Lighting: ARCAL – 122.3 Type K, VASSIS, ODALS, REILS, – Rotating Beacon
Navigation Aids: · VOR/DME YRL 114.0 Ch. 87 · NDB RL 218 (M)
Airport Facilities: · Fuel: 100LL, Jet A and Jet B – Shell: 1-807-662-1177 ESSO: 1-807-662-7241 · Aviation Oil: All · Terminal: Comfortable, modern passenger terminal · 24-Hr. Services: Tie-downs, telephone · On-Call Services: Taxi, Rent-A-Car, and Aviation Fuel · Other Services: Licensed mechanics
NOTAM and Weather Service: · NOTAM: Thunder Bay FSS: 1-800-463-6377 · FSS: Thunder Bay Flight Service Station – 1-800-463-6377 or Thunder Bay Radio 122.3 · Weather: Red Lake Airport: 1-807-662-2339
How to Find Us – By Train
Daily Via Rail train service to Red Lake Road. The train stop is located two hours south of Red Lake so please arrange pick up ahead of time.
Local History
The Hudson’s Bay Company Charter of 1670 gave all trapping and trading rights on all land drained by rivers flowing into Hudson’s Bay to the company. This area includes the present day District of Red Lake. It was not until the late 1700’s that the area of was actually charted by a European, though some had undoubtedly already visited the area. From the late 1780’s on, the Northwest Company, the Hudson’s Bay Company and XY Company all operated trading posts on the lake on a more or less constant basis.
The only other major interruption to fur trade in Red Lake occurred in 1804. Donald McKenzie of the Northwest Company was operating a post on what was later to be known as McKenzie Island, located only a few lake miles from the present day town of Red Lake.
After McKenzies’ demise both the Hudson’s Bay Company post and the Northwest Company’s post remained unoccupied for the next ten years. Eventually the two companies merged and a new post was established at Post Narrows. This site was close to an ancient Native burial ground. Remains of the post structures as well as the cemetery can be seen there today. In the early 1900’s the post was moved to Johnson’s Island. From there it was subsequently moved to the Red Lake town site in 1933 where it remained until it was closed in 1998.