BWCA Devil's Casade Portage Boundary Waters Listening Point - General Discussion
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Sam12155
Guest Paddler
  
03/29/2018 02:01AM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
If anyone could help, this will be my first time going to Loon Lake but I heard the portage at Devil's Cascade is pretty steep, is that true? I looked on YouTube to see if there's any video of it but so far none of them showed the whole portage. Please help. Thank you.
 
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billconner
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03/29/2018 06:49AM  
I went both ways on it last June and don't recall it as particularly difficult. Maybe a little easier than average.

Went through it in 2009 after a 12 hour rain and floated the center section where there is normally a stream and stepping stones. It was hip deep.
 
03/29/2018 07:37AM  
Just to build on billconner's points, when you are heading north the Devil's Cascade portage is a gentle climb up to the height-of-land that overlooks the cascades below. Great place to eat lunch! The trail down to the river that leads to Loon is a fairly steep incline. You will huff and puff a bit when you climb back up this way on your way out. However, it's not that difficult and well trodden with a few switchbacks if I recall. Just watch your footing particularly on the way down and you will be fine.
 
KarlBAndersen1
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03/29/2018 07:59AM  
I heard it was uphill in both directions.
 
Arkansas Man
Moderator
  
03/29/2018 09:13AM  
Not a bad portage at all... if you go around through little loon, then Slim, Section Pond over to South and then portage into Steep, then you will find a steep portage!

Bruce
 
03/29/2018 09:30AM  
It is a pretty easy portage. You can also use the maps feature on this site to locate the portage and see if anyone has commented on it.
 
03/29/2018 10:14AM  
Don't forget to look at the mill stone
 
wetcanoedog
distinguished member(4442)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
03/29/2018 11:37AM  
I have always wondered what that was.with the fire tower close by I thought it might be
a leg anchor of some sort.i would really think it' left over from the logging or something that was used to hold a cable for pulling power boats over.from the size and weight it was not just tossed down as a stepping stone.
 
03/29/2018 01:29PM  
Yeah, coming off a forty day trip I noted coming up from the river it made me "huff and puff" a bit. Not real bad, but enough to note. The trail isn't bad at all. I remember one time they were having trouble with a young bear. So when I solo I don't get real far from my stuff there.
 
MikeinMpls
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03/29/2018 05:20PM  
I'll echo what others have said. I've done it many times and it's an average portage. Nothing arduous about it at all.

Mike
 
03/29/2018 05:21PM  
Agree that the stone is probably left over from the logging days or similar. From wetcanoedog's pic you can see the slab is octagonal and made of concrete. Definitely not a millstone. It's fun running across all the old artifacts in the BW and wondering what their purpose was.
 
03/29/2018 09:27PM  
It is a steep, but short stretch on the Loon side. It is down hill going to Loon. Uphill going to Lower Pauness. The biggest issue going uphill is the bow of the canoe hitting the hillside as you climb. You'll survive. A nice portage. Be sure to take your time to check the cascades and take some pics.
 
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