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 Boundary Waters Quetico Forum Trip Planning Forum Gunflint Lake to Saganaga Falls In One Day Reply
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| Previous Messages: | |
| Author | Message Text |
| johndku |
08/27/2017 04:30PM Congrats...sounds like you had a great day trip. |
| heavylunch |
08/27/2017 03:37PM Back from trip. Just thought I would share what happened. We did do the trip in one day going from Sag Falls to Gunflint Lodge. We booked an 8am tow to Sag Falls with Seagull Outfitters. Dropped off at Sag Falls about 8:45AM. My mom (73 years old) was pretty slow on the portages but we took our time and took at 20-30 minute "snack/lunch" break every 2 hours. Total trip took 9:10 minutes start to finish. We arrived at Gunflint Lodge at 5:55 PM and had a nice dinner there. It was a fun and even at our leisurely pace we never felt stressed. The wind was out of the north between 5-10 mph so we made good time down Maraboeuf Lake. Between Sag Falls and Magnetic Lake we only saw 1 canoe and not a single campsite was occupied. The one canoe we did see wasn't even on our route. They were dawdling by the entrance to Clove Lake on Larch Creek. I should mention that going upstream there were 2 portages that we had to take that were not on the map (Fisher or McKenzie). One was just before the "Granite River Portage" before Granite Bay. We walked up about 15-20 rods of shallow rapids). The other one was just after "Little Rock Falls" portage going into Magnetic Lake. That one was about 20 rods. Both looked like you could paddle down them without too much risk if we had been going the other way. For context, I guess for 73 my mom is in pretty ok shape and excercises a bit every day and I myself lead a generally active lifestyle but am by no means a fitness buff. Hope that helps someone. Also, we didn't bring any fishing gear as I figured it would be too much of a temptation and I was right. Looked like some great fishing spots along the route. |
| Jackfish |
07/11/2017 03:10PM One day? It'll be a VERY long day, especially with a 70-something person. Shall we presume that grandma just wants to do a nice paddle but doesn't want to spend a night sleeping on the ground? Anything is possible, especially with wind from the south and an early start. I question the 'why', but it's doable. You won't average three miles per hour though. Not with multiple portages, getting in and out of the canoe, portaging, etc. An average person walks three miles per hour on a sidewalk. |
| GreyOwl |
07/11/2017 02:33PM In the manner you described this can be done in one day. The shame is that it's a very beautiful route in most parts but you'll be flying past it. |
| MikeinMpls |
07/11/2017 08:37AM As johndku said, it is doable in a day, but make sure your paddlers are physically up to the task. You can do the route in reverse, though you'll be going upstream from Clove Lake to Gunflint. Mike |
| johndku |
07/11/2017 08:27AM I did it in two days as part of a longer trip a couple years ago, but that was having to triple portage a lot of gear with a 10 year old. Carrying just enough gear for the day it should be an easy enough trip if wind is not a problem. If the wind is up, depending on direction, you can consider reversing the trip from Sag Falls to Gunflint. A lot of this route is a more wind-protected "river" type than open water, so wind should only be an issue on Magnetic and Maraboeuf lakes. I know the staff at Seagull Outfitters and others sometime do this trip as a one day trip. Not having to lug tents, gear, fishing rods, etc. drastically increases your overall speed. Also longest portage on this route is 100 rods, the rest about 40-45. Seagull can also do the tow for you, Debbie and her staff are great. Nice scenic trip, you'll see some burn area but not too much,,I'd go for it. |
| heavylunch |
07/11/2017 08:05AM Will be up on Gunflint trail with experienced but aging parents in late August. Grandma wants to do Gunflint Lake to Saganaga Falls in one day. It looks doable on the map but I would like to hear from people who have done it. My plan would be to only do it on a low wind day and just bring the essentials. I would carry a medium size dry pack with quality rain gear, dry clothes, and extra food in case we got stuck for some reason. She is in pretty good shape for being 71 and regularly exercises. I would expect we could make 3 MPH paddling. I would try and arrange a tow pickup at Sag Falls. I am not opposed to doing the route in reverse if that would make more sense. I would carry the pack and the canoe in one trip. Grandma would just carry the paddles and her camera bag. She probably has 20 canoe trips in BWCA under her belt and I am probably over 40 canoe trips by now. Nearly all those trips are western/central/southern BWCA, I have not been on this route before. Any feedback appreciated, especially with regards to time the route takes, portage trail conditions, etc.. Thanks, Heavylunch |
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