This will be our 7th year in a row making the yearly pilgrimage to the haven of all that is good we all call the BWCA. Our group is made up of 4 guys all 31-32, all in good health. All six of our previous trips have started out of Ely, this year we're checking out what it's all about in the Grand Marais area.

Several suggestions have come my way to check out Hughies Tacos, so I think we will be stopping there for dinner and maybe finding a spot where we can find some suds. Anyone have a spot to grab a good craft beer and some good sights?

Down to what what the trip will be like, I've heard that this little "island" of the BWCA is quite a bit different from the rest, especially from what we have seen going out of Ely all these years. We will be starting out of EP 69 John Lake, and then ending over on Bearskin. How we get there is still TBD. Johnson Falls is the only sight that we have on our can't miss list. Any great campsites in this area that we could target? Great fishing spots in this area?

Either way we will have a blast and look forward to sharing our trip via a trip report, hoping to do my first trip report. If I can be diligent with my notes.

Happy Paddling!

Beer......Gunflint Tavern or Voyageur Brewing

Great food at the trail center! Marc

Trail Center burgers rule. Great place to relax after a trip, have a meal, and a couple of drafts before you head back to "the world". They don't mind stinky campers, so no need to shower before you go there. I'll be there on my day-before I go out day and the day I come out of the woods the first two weeks of September. Late afternoon both times.

Tomster

There's a great campsite right when you enter John lake, it's the NE corner of the lake. There are a couple of very nice ones on the North shore of West Pike. If you loop down to Caribou from the East end of Clearwater, the two campsites in the bay you end up in are both quite nice.

On your way up there I'd suggest grabbing tacos to go from Hughies and walking the 1 block to Voyager Brewing's taproom to enjoy some brews with your tacos.

if the trail center isnt busy get a milkshake, the peanut butter one was amazing

I did the johnson loop last year and stayed 2 days on Pine. Beautiful lake, we stayed at 735 campsite and it was perfect. Just beware Pine is massive and seems like it takes forever to cross West to East, plus you might be paddling towards the wind.

Thank you for all the responses.

Any good lakes in this area for Lakers or Walleye? Or just overall good lakes to catch some Northern and Smallies cruising the shores?

I was just in this area. It is different. The north-south running portages are very up-and-down/strenuous. East-west ones are more level. When you get to Moon Lake to go to East Bearskin, check out the Moon to Flour Lake portage. The start of it has a beautiful cascading waterfall. It all looks like a fairy glen or something.

There is a great (yet very popular) campsite on Little Caribou Lake. We saw people catching walleye on Little Caribou (east side of lake)

Here is my trip report/photo album:

East Bearskin loop

That's one of the most beautiful trip reports I've ever seen.

Also, I envy your tarp skills. That's something I'm still struggling to get right. I can never figure out how to get the knot right so it doesn't loosen over the days.

A+

quote Zanzinger: "That's one of the most beautiful trip reports I've ever seen.


Also, I envy your tarp skills. That's something I'm still struggling to get right. I can never figure out how to get the knot right so it doesn't loosen over the days.


A+"

Thank you.

Not my tarp skills. Those belong to my traveling partners. I appreciated them though