Kabinakagami Lake

Hydrology

The primary inflows are the Kabinakagami River at Little Kaby Bay at the southwest, and the Oba River at the east of the lake. There are a number of secondary inflows. Left tributaries, clockwise from the Kabinakagami River inflow to the Kabinakagami River outflow, are Bear Creek at the southwest near Picard's Point; Stoney Creek at the top of Boot Bay at the west; and Fairy Creek at the west. Right tributaries, clockwise from the Kabinakagami River outflow to the Kabinakagami River inflow, are: Ermine Creek at Little Whitefish Bay at the east; and Noisy Creek and Five Mile Creek at Five Mile Bay at the southeast.

Schist Bay is a large bay that forms the northwest corner of the lake. Rocky Point lies between it and the large bay that forms the north end of the lake, where the Kabinakagami River leaves over the Big Rapids. The Kabinakagami River flows via the Kenogami River and Albany River to James Bay.

Portages connecting to other drainage basins

From Five Mile Bay at the southeast corner of the lake, the Five Mile Portage leads south over Five Mile Creek to the north end of Esnagi Lake on the Magpie River, which empties into Lake Superior, thus providing a connection between the James Bay / Hudson Bay and Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence River drainage basins. A second route from the lake to James Bay is via the Oba River. The Pine Portage leads from Pine Portage Bay to Pine Portage Lake on the Oba River, avoiding several rapids between that point and the river mouth at Kabinakagami Lake. From there, one can travel upstream to the Albany Forks, from which the Mattawitchewan River flows downstream as part of the Missinaibi and Moose rivers into the bay.