BWCA Crowds on Gaskin? Boundary Waters Trip Planning Forum
Chat Rooms (0 Chatting)  |  Search  |   Login/Join
* For the benefit of the community, commercial posting is not allowed.
Boundary Waters Quetico Forum
   Trip Planning Forum
      Crowds on Gaskin?     
 Forum Sponsor

Author

Text

squirrelMN
member (24)member
  
06/18/2018 11:12PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Hi all,

I had a quick question or perhaps more looking for confirmation of my suspicions. I am taking the family up and going in EP47 (Lizz) in the beginning of Aug. This is the first BWCA trip for my boys so I am planning a base camp style of trip.

The plan is to get an early start out of Rockwood and make it to Gaskin, base camping out of there. One of my main concerns on the trip is starting with an adventure and finding all the sites on Gaskin full. Any comments on what the odds of this are? My presumption is not small given we are entering on a Sunday?

Thanks!
 
Reply    Reply with Quote    Print Top Bottom Previous Next
Bumstead
distinguished member (332)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/19/2018 07:06AM  
Finding Caribou and Horseshoe sites full....could be a possibility, but I would certainly guess you would find a site on Gaskin. Maybe others will have a differing opinion for that time of year?

Beautiful area! Have a great trip!
06/19/2018 11:08AM  
I was on Gaskin once and found all the sites were full. I came from the south so we had to backtrack down to Winchell to find a site. That was several years ago now but the possibility always exists.

If you end up finding a really nice site thats empty short of Gaskin it might be worth snagging it and doing your basecamp from there. Better to stop a bit short and have a good site than push on and find all the sites are full or being stuck with a bad site.
treehorn
distinguished member(715)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/19/2018 11:27AM  
You'll be passing 6 sites on Horseshoe, then there are 9 on Gaskin, and Gaskin connects easily to Winchell & Henson where there are bunches of sites.

I know it's a popular area, but that's a lot of options.

B-Line for Gaskin, taking note of what you see on Horseshoe on your way through, and see how it goes. I'd bet you find something open on Gaskin, and if not, you'll just have to decide which other lake to try.
06/19/2018 11:47AM  
I've been to Gaskin numerous times and always gotten a site......but never the first week in August, which IMHO, is one of the busiest times. There are a lot of other options close by. Plan a route and strategy on when and where to start looking for a site and than adapt.
Northwoodsman
distinguished member(2059)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/19/2018 12:17PM  
The two portages from the north arm of Horseshoe are the easiest way into Gaskin, but it also won't allow you to check the other sites on Horseshoe; the long portage on the southwest arm isn't bad however. The portage to Winchell from Gaskin is very muddy at the Gaskin landing, at least it was last fall. Winchell is a tough paddle with a west wind. Not sure what the ages of your family members are so I'm pointing these details out. Figure on 4 - 4.5 hours from the EP to Gaskin, double portaging. Going in on a Sunday who should be able to find a site. Check out the second site on Gaskin when you enter from Horseshoe, it is a perfect family site; it is #628.

I love this area and am going back in mid September.
Twins87
distinguished member(1131)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/19/2018 12:25PM  
We went to Gaskin in early August two summers ago. We put in early on a Saturday morning and got our first choice for site on the lake but we were there before noon. The lake never filled up that weekend but there were people cruising by our site to see if it was open on their way down the lake and I suspect by Sunday evening there were only a couple of sites left on the whole lake. Caribou and Horseshoe are likely to fill up first so that means you've got a decent chance early Sun on a Gaskin site.

As others said.. be prepared with a Plan B and a Plan C but if Gaskin is your preference, no reason not to go for it.
squirrelMN
member (24)member
  
06/19/2018 09:52PM  
Thanks all for the advice and quick replies.

I was planning some backups just in case. Looking for empties in Horseshoe was one, but by the time we have checked out Gaskin and portage back, it would be later in the afternoon and they would probably be full. So unless Horseshoe is complete empty (unlikely), Henson was going to be my next stop should Gaskin be full. My boys are 8 and 10, so I don't want to risk wind issues on Winchell.

Thanks again for the advice! Can't wait to get back up there!
IndyScouters
member (41)member
  
06/20/2018 06:58AM  
SquirreIMN - I just got back from a weeklong trip and since we had two groups, one was 6 and the other was 7 we went in separately with different destination plans. My group was targeting Gaskin and either the island site (627) or the Mondel Site (628) on a Sunday. We got on the water fairly early and made it almost to Horseshoe when one of the boys rolled his ankle and we ended up on a nice point site (672) on Horseshoe so he could take it easy. On Monday two of us did a quick morning loop and did the 102 Rod portage to Gaskin, wasn't very bad really just seemed long but no real bad obstacles. We found the island campsite was open and the 628 site was taken but other sites on Gaskin were open so we decided to finish the loop back to our site on Horseshoe and move camp. the first two small portages out of Gaskin to Jump and Allen were short but had some steep exits that might be a concern for younger or those not as athletic. and the last portage back into Horseshoe had some blown down trees that the canoe had to be taken under and then over and generally was kind of tough because of the reroute around the mess. My opinion the 102 rod was far faster even considering the extra paddling than the three smaller portages, that is the way we went. We did get back into Gaskin in time to get site 627 and it is nice! I've had the good fortune to be on 628 and it would be a toss up which of these two sites I liked best. Good luck, be safe and have fun! PS - Saw two Moose and Calves on Horseshoe and a Beaver on Gaskin, plus the fishing wasn't too bad.

IndyScouter
Art mom
Guest Paddler
  
06/25/2018 10:57AM  
My husband and I hit Gaskin lateish two years ago on a very windy day and EVERY site was full, my husband is nervous in the wind and it was a brutal paddle against the wind the whole way until, voila, we got to the Island and it was open! We liked the site so much we totally changed our itinerary and stayed for 4 days! But last year my son and I stayed on Winchel, and that was great, lots of nice sites there. Maybe not good if your kids are younger, it's very windy.
TipsyPaddler
distinguished member (315)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/25/2018 03:29PM  
We just did the Rockwood Lodge to Gaskin route via the south arm of Horseshoe portage on Tuesday morning last week and it was an easy trip. We did it with two canoes and four packs between 2 adults and 2 teenage boys. The trip took us a little over 3 hours from the Rockwood Lodge beach to Gaskin site 628. Admittedly the weather was perfect and winds very light. We are pretty efficient on the portages but don’t paddle exceptionally hard/fast in my opinion. We left Gaskin Friday afternoon and most of the sites on Horseshoe and Caribou we passed were empty! Given it was a sunny Friday we were really surprised. On Wednesday we paddled the Winchell, Omega, Henson, Gaskin loop and most of the sites we passed were open as well. As previously said there are a lot of good sites in those lakes so have a Plan B and Plan C and maybe a Plan D (or pray for rain :-). Gaskin is a beautiful lake. Winchell and Omega were great too...Henson kinda “meh” in our opinion.
 
Reply    Reply with Quote    Print Top Bottom Previous Next