Planning a day trip with my old man to Johnson Falls from Clearwater lake. Question: Does the 80rod portage from Little Caribou to Pine Lake connect to the Johnson Falls trail or is the only access to the trail from Pine Lake? If so I was planning on stashing the canoes at Little Caribou and hiking to the falls vs portaging over to Pine. Can't Really tell from the map. Thanks!

I'm not aware of a connecting trail from that side. You have to paddle across Pine to get to the trail. If coming from Canoe Lake, you can leave canoe there and do the Pine portage and take a spur trail to Johnson Falls, but not the Little Caribou side.

Definitely need the canoe, otherwise you're looking at a several hundred yard swim.

Good to know,

Thank you!

quote bposteve: "Definitely need the canoe, otherwise you're looking at a several hundred yard swim."

3 weeks ago we decided it was toooo cold swim. ;)

You do need the canoe but when you get to the end of the portage it is a 1 minute canoe ride across the very western end of Pine to where the portage from Canoe ends. You will be taking a 10-15 minute hike back through the woods to Johnson Falls that is not the best, but not the worst either. It is well worth it.

Im pretty sure you could bushwhack from the Little Caribou portage to Johnson Falls but the trick would be knowing where to enter and what direction to go. Easier to do the portage and take the trail.

quote lindylair: "You do need the canoe but when you get to the end of the portage it is a 1 minute canoe ride across the very western end of Pine to where the portage from Canoe ends. You will be taking a 10-15 minute hike back through the woods to Johnson Falls that is not the best, but not the worst either. It is well worth it."

Good to know the Johnson Falls trail is actually down the Canoe lake portage a bit. Thank you!

The trail connects at Pine Lake. It is a full portage from canoe to pine. The spur isn't up the portage at all, just on the edge of the lake.

Sorry if I misled you, Vader is right. The 10 minute hike to Johnson Falls is from the very end of the Canoe to Pine portage on the shore of Pine Lake. By the way, there are two sets of falls there, make sure you go up to the second one too. You wouldn't know it from the base of the first falls. Also a great swimming hole at that first falls. Enjoy.

If you get to a bog with a small stream coming down that feeds the falls you've reached the end of the road, but the road does go all the way there.

Thanks guys. This one is definitely on the bucket list can't wait to check it out.

If you're into fishing, the fishing right below where the river enters Pine is great. If you want a fun fish to catch, try portaging (not as hard as you think) to Pierz lake and catching a Splake.