Got a new puppy this year, took my eye off the ball and did not get my permit when I usually do. No Gunflint for me this year I guess.

Going in on May 27th, so, I've narrowed down my options to 1) Brule EP and base camp. 2) Sawbill and get up to Cherokee and base camp. or 3) Baker and get up to South Temperance and base camp.

Any opinions?

Scenery and campsite quality top the list, fishing on the list too. The wind on Brule scares me.

Thanks in advance.

Daniel

If you can get on (and therefore off) Brule early in the day, you can avoid a lot of the wind. I don't know how it is in May, but when we started there in September, we had little wind to start, and just made a beeline across the lake to get across the big water before the wind picked up. The lakes north of there comprise one of my favorite areas. There are several routes you can take to get up to Winchell early in the day (I prefer the Cone lakes series,) which is my favorite lake in the BWCA, and an awesome basecamp option. Or if you want more solitude, Davis lake to the West for basecamp gives you almost as many easy options for basecamp tripping with fewer campsites on the lake.

Alternately, if permits are a problem on Brule, use EP 40 on Homer to enter in the same general area, but a less-used EP. Easy paddle and a few portages to Juno and next thing you know, you're on Brule.

I have not done Brule so I can't compare that one but have done the other 2. One of my best trips ever was Baker to a Jack basecamp with my then 9 yo daughter. Saw 5 moose from the E.P. to our campsite on the 1st day and saw moose a couple of times each day on Jack. Also caught a lot of eater size walleye on Jack. I would love to see the stretch between Jack and Cherokee someday.

Cherokee is a gorgeous lake.

Never been on Brule, but spent a few days on Cherokee last fall and a night on S. Temperance. Lots of day trip options on both. Cherokee is lake trout and pike water. ST is walleye, SMB and Pike. I don't think you could go wrong with either. We had great camp sites at both.

The paddling to each is very different. I probably enjoyed the river like setting from ST to Baker more than the paddle from Sawbill to Cherokee.

If you decide to go to Cherokee from Brule. There are some challenging portages

quote Blatz: "If you decide to go to Cherokee from Brule. There are some challenging portages"

+1 100%

Thanks all for the input, I think Baker/South Temperance is the winner. Small water for a first time pup.

Daniel