My wife and I , are talking about bring out girls (5) and (4) on their first BWCA trip this summer. We are thinking of entering at EP #30 Lake one or EP #24 Fall Lake. Any suggestions on preference between these two Entrys with small kids. We would be looking to paddle in two or three lakes and base camp. Day trip to other lakes and area's for fun. 3 night trip idea's? Any info helps. My wife and I are experienced paddlers, but the kids have not spent alot of time in a canoe. Let me know your thoughts.

I've put thought into that myself but not for the Ely side. I plan on taking my oldest to Sawbill as soon as he gets old enough and head to the fire chain. Mostly paddling and short portages. Also not too far away from help if something does go wrong.

Hope the deciding factors I used can be of some help to you.

Ive brought my two toddler girls (2 and 4 years old) up a few times already. EP 6 -
Slim Lake right out of Ely was an awesome trip, a short portage to the lake, and close to town should things go awry. A couple of day trip options.

Last summer we did two trips, EP 37 - Kawishiwi Lake was another great option, camped on that lake and did more day trips. Some of the sites have some pretty awesome beaches for the kids to play. Good fishing. A little further drive from civilization, but you also have the forest service campground on the south side of the lake as a backup.

EP 32 - South Kawishiwi River - lots of sites, cool scenery, good fishing.

On one of the trips we ended up bailing close to sunset after a day full of rain, and a forecast of more rain, and it was very nice to not feel stuck several lakes in. The girls are hooked, and already helping me plan our trip for this summer.

Our two kids were that age when we first took them on a two night trip into the BWCA. We went in at #23 Mudro and camped on Fourtown. It was a great trip. A couple of tricky portages, but the kids were fine.

As for your two choices, I would pick #30 and maybe head down the Kawishiwi River. You could even plan a oneway trip and take out at #32, South Kawishiwi with the help of a shuttle. The problem with Fall Lake is that you would have lots of really big water to deal with before you get out of the "Motor" areas (if that's a concern). I know you said you are experienced paddlers so maybe big water isn't a problem for you, but high winds can quickly alter any plans you make.

The first trip I took my wife and kids on with me was Lake One simply because of the ease of entry and short portages and the options you have to go in a few different directions. The only issue is Lake One will be busy and you might have to go a bit further to find a campsite. You can always go down the Kawishiwi River depending as to what your trip objectives are. I've done the Kawishiwi a few times with a group of guys and had some amazing fishing near the split of the north and south branches of the river. But not sure that's your primary objective with your girls.

I haven't taken any kids that young but my cousins have. Their "go-to" first trip with youngsters is to enter at Lake One and go to Horseshoe (southeast of Lake 3). They have done that with their 4 kids and friends as well and always had a good experience. Sounds like that would pretty much match your criteria to a T.

Great to hear you are taking the kids. Best of luck!

We've been taking our kids since they were all 2 or 3. You'll enjoy it so much that the positives will far outweigh the negatives. We've also used the Lake One entry several times. The traffic gets a little busy at times but it's that way most places in the BW if your near an entry or a good fishing lake. If your only going for 3 nights it would be pushing the edge of how far you want to go but Insula is an amazing lake to take kids to, there are several sites with sandy beaches where they can play for hours. There are also some decent sites on the north end of Lake Four and there you would only have the 2 portages between Lake One and Two.