Boundary Waters, Message Board, Forum, BWCA, BWCAW, Quetico Park

Chat Rooms (0 Chatting) | Search | Login/Join

* For the benefit of the community, commercial posting is not allowed.

Boundary Waters Quetico Forum

Trip Planning Forum

Trip outline for group trip (with kids) 8/2018

Author:

Date/Time:

Date/Time: 04/28/2024 03:07PM

Subject:

Trip outline for group trip (with kids) 8/2018

Enter Lake Name:

* Help stop spam. Please enter the lake name you see over the flying moose.

<quote>mketravelbug: "Hello!

We are in the early stages of planning a canoe trip for our family of four and another family of five (so four adults, five kids, ages 6-11).  We are fairly adventurous, the kids all have some camping/paddling experience, and the adults have all been on wilderness canoe/camping trips in the past.  We don't mind a few portages each day, although we would like to keep the longest of them under a mile (even better if shorter).

We are looking for spectacular scenery, some sense of solitude, wildlife, great swimming.  We might want to try our hand at fishing as well (all novices).  We'd like to avoid huge lakes with potentially big headwinds or waves.  We are thinking of starting on the Gunflint side; perhaps with Voyageur Canoe Outfitters.

We thought late August or Labor Day weekend would be good in order to try to avoid the worst of the mosquitos and yet still have a good chance at decent weather.

We will probably have only two nights in the backcountry; willing to pay for a tow from the outfitter in order to get a jump on the trip given our limited time.

I am looking for route suggestions and/or insight re: our basic plan, what to expect that time of year, etc.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.  (So excited!  Haven't been to BWCA in almost 20 years!)"</quote>

Previous Messages:
Author	Message Text
mirth	01/02/2018 05:05PM I did my first trip with VCO. We looped from Seagull to Sag via Knife & Thunder Point. You could do it easier on the kids and do a loop via Seagull to Red Rock to big Sag. You could start & end from their dock. Or, have them drop you off at Gunflint lake and paddle the Magnetic river back to big Sag & their docks. If you're into wild fruit, earlier in August would be just after peak blueberry and raspberry season, plus there's the Perseids meteor shower which peaks on the 12th.
paddlefamily	12/28/2017 07:53PM Entering at Poplar Lake and heading down towards Caribou and Horseshoe Lakes gets you into some very pretty areas with easy portages. There are some good day-trip options from either lakes as well. We've been going for years with our kids - they started as toddlers and are all now in their late teens. Aug is a great time with kids, as you said, few to no mosquitoes and still warm water for swimming. I'd do the end of that month as well. Get an early start and select a site early (by 1pm if you can) as most areas may still be busy.
	12/28/2017 03:45PM Thank you both! Very helpful!
johndku	12/23/2017 07:07PM You can also enter at Gunflint, and go north through the Granite River up to Saganaga. Then get a tow back to the outfitters from Saganaga on your exit, avoiding big water. Two nights on this route is just about perfect. This route is fairly well protected from the wind, avoids big water, has decent fishing all the way through, and if you can get the campsite at the north end of Clove Lake, it has a nice sandy beach area that is excellent for swimming. You can also find border markers and in early August, a great blueberry crop awaits you.
Tony	12/23/2017 04:40PM Start at Gunflint lake and head east to little Gunflint then North lake and then enter The Boundary Waters at South lake. From South lake head East to rat Lake then Rose Lake and then the stairway Portage to Duncan Lake and West bareSkin where you would exit The Boundary Waters. You would need someone to shuttle your car from the Gunflint to Duncan boat landing. Things to see along the way the beach at the East End of Gunflint lake the rail car that is still under water between little Gunflint and Northlake the height of land Portage between North and South Lake The Cliffs above rat and Rose Lake the waterfall along the stairway Portage and then of course the stairway Portage itself. The Border route Trail also runs along the top of the hills above Rose Lake and if you go to the east there is a good Lookout overlooking Rose Lake Tony
mketravelbug	12/22/2017 09:52PM Hello! We are in the early stages of planning a canoe trip for our family of four and another family of five (so four adults, five kids, ages 6-11). We are fairly adventurous, the kids all have some camping/paddling experience, and the adults have all been on wilderness canoe/camping trips in the past. We don't mind a few portages each day, although we would like to keep the longest of them under a mile (even better if shorter). We are looking for spectacular scenery, some sense of solitude, wildlife, great swimming. We might want to try our hand at fishing as well (all novices). We'd like to avoid huge lakes with potentially big headwinds or waves. We are thinking of starting on the Gunflint side; perhaps with Voyageur Canoe Outfitters. We thought late August or Labor Day weekend would be good in order to try to avoid the worst of the mosquitos and yet still have a good chance at decent weather. We will probably have only two nights in the backcountry; willing to pay for a tow from the outfitter in order to get a jump on the trip given our limited time. I am looking for route suggestions and/or insight re: our basic plan, what to expect that time of year, etc. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer. (So excited! Haven't been to BWCA in almost 20 years!)