(before waffling on : Mount Martin trail-head is at the extreme left/east of the beach in the cove west of Indian Point - refer: Finding the Mount Martin Trail head on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River by Canoe; Twilight and Summer Scenes around Deep River - 14th August 2003 - 2 of 2 ) Overall Canoeing Hints for crossing from Deep River Boat Launch to Indian Point - most of which were found out from experience (though the canoe (pictured here with Scottdroid on the Barron Canyon River) satisfied legal safety requirements for this trip!! - as well as food, drink and having a mobile/cell phone in a waterproof plastic bag - the mobile/cell phone reception from the Quebec side of the Ottawa River is far superior than at Deep River!) Canadian Coast Guard : Office of Boating Safety - The Safe Boating Guide : http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/obs-bsn/sbg-gsn/main_e.htm Also Refer: Office of Boating Safety; Canadian Coast Guard; Minimum Required Safety Equipment ; Canoes, Kayaks, Rowboats and Rowing Shells (not over 6 M in length) at: http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/obs-bsn/sbg-gsn/canoe_e.htm Personal protection equipment Boat safety equipment Navigation equipment Take bottles of drink; and food such as chocolate in the canoe. Make sure you are wearing shoes as mussels growing near the shore can cause deep and nasty cuts to naked feet. Using a spare rope, tie any non-floating equipment to the middle of the canoe (bags, tents (refer below), etc) so equipment does not sink to the deep bottom of the Ottawa River if the canoe capsizes. Get a compass as part of the canoeing kit. Just to the left (upriver) of Indian Point (on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River) are two green signs visible from the Deep River Boat Launch (signs are for the Du Ruisseau-de-L'indienne Ecological Reserve). To the right (downriver) of Indian Point are two porta-potty toilets. Using visual queues, it is easy to confuse Schyan Point (down river) with Indian Point. From Deep River Boat Launch, just canoe straight towards Mount Martin and you (in theory) will get close to the starting off trail. Do not try and read the map - as you will most likely misinterpret the landscape and end up far down river at Schuyan Point (an apparant ghost town(?)) on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River. Anytime you hit land, you will need bug repellent containing lots of DEET. At twilight, no matter where you are on the river, swarms of mosquitoes will find you and attack - so have the bug repellent ready. If you accidentally go to Schyan Point, it could be a long hard paddle against the wind to Deep River. From the stated experiences of others: It is best to wear a lifejacket while canoeing. It is supposedly not a current legal requirement to wear the canoe's lifejackets (just to have them present), but if the canoe capsizes, it could be moderately problematic and traumatic to put on a jacket while in the middle of the Ottawa River. This is especially so if the life-jackets are trapped under the capsized canoe/boat. Having spare life jackets can be good to use as impromptu padded seats to save getting a sore arse. Having an extra surplus paddle, plus a spare light jacket, allows for creating an improptu sail if your canoe is going with the wind. (just insert an ore in each sleeve). The Ottawa River at Deep River can get choppy very unexpectedly and quickly. If there are significant waves, and even if not exactly the direction you want to go, to minimize the risk of capsizing, paddle into the wind. If you can hear and see the "white gnashing teeth" of the Ottawa River (i.e., the waves breaking in the middle of the river), you most likely need to padding into the wind to avoid being capsized (personal non-statistically valid opinion - as (unlike other people this humble scribe has conversed with) I have never capsized on the Ottawa River in a canoe - as of 19th July 2003). Advice received from those who have been stranded on the wrong side of the Ottawa River during a storm: consider including a tent with the canoe (encased in a waterproof bag) in case a storm comes along and you get stranded in the rain on the Quebec side of the Ottawa river. Storms can come and go very quickly at Deep River. Consider bringing a mobile phone in a waterproof plastic bag (keep enough air in the bag so that it floats if dropped into the water). The mobile phone reception from the Quebec side of the river is far superior than at Deep River! Advise received from someone claiming to know: If you want to take a photograph while in the canoe - do not stand up in the canoe to get a better view. This will most likely cause the canoe to capsize. Canoe Trivia: It is supposedly possible to find yourself paddling great guns in a canoe if you are trying to reach the Ontario side of the Ottawa River and beat a breaking storm.