Hello all,
I've been lurking for some time now and now that I have booked my entry permit it's time to get serious (er).

I first heard of the BWCA/Quetico from a fellow fisherman who has helped me on some of my Canadian fly-in fishing trips. He is visiting Quetico this summer with his son for 31 nights. Last year he did Algonquin for a few weeks. Needless to say I have been intrigued ever since.

I (43)discussed it with my step son Joe (26) and we decided to try our hand.
I have a lot of experience camping and planning as I have spent weeks upon weeks in the northern Michigan wilds chasing deer. We would pack everything we needed for a 7-10 day trip for 4 guys and head out into the bush. We never came out unless it was of dire consequence.

Recently I have been pursuing Canadian fly-in fishing adventures which are amazing. I love being the only people around and no way in or out except by float plane. Unfortunately my father's health will not allow him to continue on our adventures. I started looking for new adventures.

That brings me here and I apologize for the long winded post...

We picked Entry point 23 Mudro Lake for August 12th which is a Sunday.

It is a 14 hour drive from our place here in Michigan so we hope to arrive early afternoon Saturday so we can pick up our permit, get to the outfitters and be ready for entry Sunday morning.

I am not sure on our gear yet. I am in the process of buying a poly canoe made by Clearwater Designs. It weighs in at 64 lbs (ish). I know it's a little heavier than the Kevlar but for me I thin it will be OK.

Our plan is to put in as early as possible and try to get a campsite up by Basswood Falls first night.
From Basswood we will head up and around Crooked making camp in Friday bay area.
From there wqe will head south through Papoose and a few other lakes and make camp at Moosecamp Lake.
From there we will head east down the river and through to Fourtown where we will make camp for the 4th night.
The 5th day will be headed back to the entry point.

I have one full day built in for delays or bad weather and possibly two if needed although my permit has us out no later than Friday.

Any comments or suggestions would be much appreciated. If everything goes well we may head north and west after Moosecamp lake and hit those other few lakes and back to Mudro.

Thanks in Advance,
Bushman

I think your plan is good and you've done some homework. The only thing I will add is that those first couple weeks of August can be super busy so pick campsites early and be ready for "plan B". The closer you get back to the e.p., the busier it will be. Also, your exit date on your permit is an estimate.....you can stay longer than the date you put down for your exit.....no penalty, no extra money. More of a safety thing so park people can keep track of where campers are in case of tornado, wind storm etc.

Sounds like a great plan. Your first day will be a little challenging if you are not used to canoe trekking but definitely doable. I did it with a group of teenage newbies in the summer of 2016 with no issues.

I recommend the east campsite followed by the center campsite on Moosecamp. Lots of logging remnants behind the east campsite and great evening sunset viewing. Center site is also nice.

The Moosecamp river is a nice trip with lots of logging and other historical remnants but difficulty will really depend on water level and beaver activity. July of 2016 it was a piece of cake. October of 2012 it would have been a death march. Check conditions before you go in and plan from there. Not a problem if it is a no go. You can head west and south through Gun, Fairy, Boot, etc. Nice area.

As Cowdoc said, this area can get crowded in August. Sunday entry will help. You will likely have the biggest challenge getting a campsite on Fourtown so hit the water early that day and look for a site early. I'd probably take the first open one you find.

The flip side is that it is popular for a reason. It's a great area. There's lots to see on the entire loop. Lower Basswood Falls, pictographs, table rock, lots of logging remnants. There are remnants of an old resort in the southeast area of Fourtown near campsite 1110 that are fun to explore.

Enjoy!

Only thing I have to add is on permit pick up - most outfitters are "cooperators" and as such can issue your permit if you selected them as the issuer. If you didn't, you may be able to change it. That would simplify the process for you.

Thanks Cowdoc.

I've spent a few months doing a lot of reading. Our original trip was planned for 2019 and entry point was Little Sioux River. I couldn't wait that long so I am considering this trip an experience trip. It's one thing to plan on paper as you can always connect the dots. Real life experience will be invaluable for any upcoming trips in the future.

My biggest concern is getting a campsite on Basswood. With all the neat stuff there and being a Sunday I'm not sure on that one.

I have not done any distance trips or canoe camped. A lot of trips floating down a lazy river for 6-8 hours but no real paddling was required. I plan on hitting the gym and getting in a lot of cardio in the months to come. I usually run 2 miles in the morning before work during the non-freezing cold months.
I do cut a lot of firewood so my arms are used to working a heavy chainsaw. Stihl MS361. Not to mention hauling it all and splitting etc. I'm no wimp when it comes to hard work but I can almost bet on some muscles being worked up a bit because they are not used to that kind of movement.

Thanks Tman. That was the main reason for picking this route. Lots of neat things to see. I will be checking in with the locals on water levels for the Moosecamp River. The mapping website automatically doubled the travel time for this particular segment for those reasons.

Thank you for the advice I will follow up on it.
I haven't decided on an outfitter yet. We will need a couple portage packs as I don't have anything like that in my arsenal. Almost everything else I have in one shape or form.
A lot of outfitters and all the prices are virtually the same and all seem to have good reviews.

With that many people in the BW that time of year would it be necessary to carry a sat phone or in reach?

Looks like your first day is around 10 miles.....that's not bad, as long as the Horse River don't hang you up with low levels in August. 10 miles is a good day for paddle and portage.....not a killer day......but a good day. You'll be glad you were working out.

That was my first concern after reading your day 1 plans.... The Horse River. Mid August it could be low & the 3 advertised portages on the map could turn into 6 including boulder hopping. It's a long stretch between Horse & Basswood w/o campsites and a fair distance between them after you get past the falls. Not impossible but you'll need to be quick on the water & on land.

I used Echo Trail Outfitters when I went in thru Mudro in 2011, got permit & boat from them. They were kind enough to open the office early for us so we could get our permit & get to the EP.

Your first day is actually closer to 14 miles with a bunch of portages. It will be a challenge especially if you double portage. The portages on the Horse River aren't that long but they slow you down and some are not on the map depending on water levels. The trouble is once your in the Horse River you're committed to making it to Basswood. I would highly recommend camping at Horse Lake the first night. Making it to Friday Bay is very doable the 2nd night from Horse Lake. I did this last October. I had good water levels on Horse River.

Blatz: "Your first day is actually closer to 14 miles with a bunch of portages. It will be a challenge especially if you double portage. The portages on the Horse River aren't that long but they slow you down and some are not on the map depending on water levels. The trouble is once your in the Horse River you're committed to making it to Basswood. I would highly recommend camping at Horse Lake the first night. Making it to Friday Bay is very doable the 2nd night from Horse Lake. I did this last October. I had good water levels on Horse River."

I have been through there a few times and second this advice. Better safe than sorry for a first trip. The Horse river is easy and beautiful in the spring/ early summer but can turn in to a real bear. Even in good conditions Mudro to lower Basswood is a tough day for most with few bail out options. Getting a campsite on Horse can be tough if late in the day. My advice, leave early, get to Horse early, camp , get up early and paddle to Friday B. with all kinds of places to stop. Once you leave Horse you may not see an open site until well in to Crooked that time of the year. Could end up being a 20 mile day. I know from experience:)

Blatz: "Your first day is actually closer to 14 miles with a bunch of portages. It will be a challenge especially if you double portage. The portages on the Horse River aren't that long but they slow you down and some are not on the map depending on water levels. The trouble is once your in the Horse River you're committed to making it to Basswood. I would highly recommend camping at Horse Lake the first night. Making it to Friday Bay is very doable the 2nd night from Horse Lake. I did this last October. I had good water levels on Horse River."

Thanks for the clarification on the mileage.....I did it roughly with memory maps and "rough" tracking. 14 vs 10 is a big difference IMO.....especially with the lack of sites towards the end. I think your advice is sound.

Could use a clarification.

He says, "Our plan is to put in as early as possible and try to get a campsite up by Basswood Falls first night."

Is it Basswood Falls as stated, or Lower Basswood Falls as most have assumed. I read it as their plan would take them down the Range River from Sandpit Lake to Jackfish Bay. Then paddle up to Basswood Falls. Still a long day, but much less portaging and mostly paddling, which would making it easier.

The first night campsite would be where the Horse River meets the Basswood River. Somewhere in that area.

Mudro, Sandpit, TCM, Horse, Horse River, Basswood river

Yes that would probably be easier but I'm not looking for easier. I am looking for as much of an experience as I can get.
Which can be tough to do if you do not know what you're doing. (me)

I have read a lot of trip reports and calculated a lot of mileages and minutes.
Everything looks great on paper. LOL
Thanks to sage advice I have gleaned from all of you now and in the pre-trip months I will morph my plan into hopefully a better and more fulfilling trip.