Temagami Outpost: Two Brothers Returned to Summer Camp and Built a Paradise

“Summer camp for adults” has become an overused cliché—unless you’re staying in a historical summer camp run by Nico and Leo de Ruiter, two brothers who spent their summers paddling and playing on this very campus. Welcome to Temagami Outpost, the three-year-old resort and outfitter where guests are swiftly sewn into a familial quilt that provides such warmth that they may never wish to leave.

Set on Lake Maskinonge in Chiniguchi Waterway Provincial Park, Temagami Outpost features a variety of lodging options, activities and amenities. A “full-service stay” includes meals, canoe and fishing tackle loans, guided nature walks, happy hour charcuterie boards and access to the wood-fired sauna. Full-service guests also receive complimentary parking and a boat shuttle.
The off-the-grid Outpost also remains committed to the paddle, offering a broad range of expeditions from partially outfitted day trips to fully curated multi-day guided expeditions in the vast Chiniguchi Waterway. The “Taste the North” experiences continue to expand, ranging from barge dining to floatplane flightseeing tours.

When I visited in September, I hadn’t given much thought to Temagami Outpost, the anchor lodge at either end of my paddling excursion, which an independent outfitter facilitated. As an outdoor adventure writer, I’ve stayed in a myriad of remote lodges, from über luxury among billionaire “co-campers” to, on occasion, dismal accommodations primarily occupied by resource extraction contractors. While each property is unique, rarely does an accommodation enter the story’s narrative arc, let alone my imagination.
Temagami Outpost tells a different story.

Like many kids from the Greater Toronto Area, Nico and Leo de Ruiter grew up attending wilderness summer camp where they learned to build fires, work collectively with fellow campers and paddle a canoe. Bit early by the backcountry paddling bug, the brothers’ roles evolved from impassioned campers to counselors to expedition leaders.
Eventually, as so many campers-turned-counselors know well, Nico and Leo “aged out” of camp life.

In 2020, the onset of Covid-19 forced the cancellation of summer camps province-wide. Nico and Leo partnered with Temagami Outfitters to hatch a plan to provide kids with an escape from the pandemic’s reach. They created 20- to 36-day wilderness canoe expeditions in northern Ontario’s backcountry.
That same year, the previous owners of Temagami Outpost listed the property for sale, a shaky prospect given the 55-acre Outpost’s dilapidated physical state coupled with the raging pandemic’s stranglehold on hospitality. However, Nico and Leo didn’t hesitate to secure the funds to purchase the property.

When most camps were cancelled again during the pandemic-laden summer of ’21, Nico and Leo expanded their operation, launching 14- to 50-day youth trips. Though unready to welcome “full-service” guests, Temagami Outpost was the launching point for most of these expeditions.
When restrictions ended, Nico and Leo, along with their parents and friends—many drawn like a J-stroke from their massive paddling network—threw their energy into rehabilitating the Outpost. The brothers integrated skills: Nico handles business and marketing, and Leo manages operations. They meshed perfectly to maximize their success.

Today, Temagami Outpost’s rekindled buzz is unmistakable, from the canoe expedition “lifers” who serve as trip guides to the heightened culinary offerings led by the kitchen team. In the summer of 2023, the Outpost received a $100,000 Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario grant to “modernize and expand.” The cabins are receiving a refresh; the infrastructure is being systematically updated.
“We’ve already sent out over one hundred canoe trips, including a dozen 20- to 50-day trips,” says Nico. “We’ve developed partnerships and we have built the property up to an unforeseeable magnitude. We have a massive community of friends that includes canoe-tripping experts, arborists, chefs, carpenters, doctors, lawyers, photographers and helping hands of all kinds. We’d be lost without them.”

The “summer camp for adults” vibe culminates most evenings with a long-table meal, a familial congregation highlighted by fellow campers’ enthusiasm. It’s clear that the brothers’ collective talents have established an off-grid gathering place for nature lovers in the heart of Ontario’s wilderness.
This article was sponsored by Temagami Outpost
Temagami Outpost is an off-grid outfitter and lodge located in the Chiniguchi Waterway Provincial Park. Situated on Lake Maskinonge, Temagami Outpost provides everything you need for your next canoe trip or northern getaway.
Book your stay here.