Hello everybody.

I'm just sitting here trying to plan the winter blues away. I'm looking for ideas for a two-week Boundary Waters trip around 200+ miles with two days of layovers. This will be a mid-June trip. That would be 12 days of paddling roughly 17 miles of travel per day. I typically like to plan one zero day / 7. These are typically left for emergencies, but are also used if there is wonderful fishing or a wonderful Lake and just some time off is wanted. I will be single portaging. I am a fairly experienced canoeist/ trekker.

As far as preferences go, I prefer not to double back unless I have to. I do love to fish. I also enjoy peace and quiet and don't mind working to get past where most people go. I would definitely like to see some pictographs of the area.

Thanks in advance for any input. If I left anything out please let me know.

Just a "heads up" for you. It sounds like it will be an awesome trip, however I think that you should be aware that those two weeks in the middle of June there is a world wide mosquito convention that is being held in the boundary waters where millions upon millions of mosquito's show up for this. I wish I had your energy and stamina, I would go with you but you would lose me half way into the first day. Plan well and have a great trip.

Thanks for the heads up on the mosquitoes. I typically go in the middle of June because the days are longer and there is more available daylight. I also feel that it wouldn't be a proper portage without at least a couple hundred thousand mosquitoes trying to bite you while you're carrying canoe the through a muddy bog. I am open to other times of the year, say if fall has spectacular colors that are worth the wait.

If you want a long trip with fishing and pictos.................I have no idea what the mileage would be but EP 14 or 16 to start and then head generally east along the border. Great pictos on LLC, another good set below lower basswood falls, and stay along the border to maybe the Knife area. Then head SE and find your way to Fishdance for those pictos and then head out.....Sawbill? Kawishiwi lake? Could head back west (but not repeat route) and leave at Snowbank. Then you'd still have Ely access to both entry and exit.

Sounds like you are planning a solo trip? With long days of paddling in the BWCA, that would mean looking for a campsite toward evening and the risk of everything being occupied. There would be more miles of remote paddling in the Q and more available sites... might be worth considering?

bobbernumber3: "Sounds like you are planning a solo trip? With long days of paddling in the BWCA, that would mean looking for a campsite toward evening and the risk of everything being occupied. There would be more miles of remote paddling in the Q and more available sites... might be worth considering?"

Solo or tandem, I really don't care. As long as my partner can keep up and single portage, tandem is fine. I have not yet considered Quetico but am interested in it. I generally get on the water about 6 a.m. and was planning about 8 hours per day of travel time puts me in a campsite by 4 or so. PMA's may be another option I would look at, but I would probably not make the mileage in those.

figboot74: "

bobbernumber3: "Sounds like you are planning a solo trip? With long days of paddling in the BWCA, that would mean looking for a campsite toward evening and the risk of everything being occupied. There would be more miles of remote paddling in the Q and more available sites... might be worth considering?"

... As long as my partner can keep up …. about 8 hours per day of travel time ... make the mileage .."

I enjoy seeing how people enjoy the wilderness outdoors while on vacation and the goals they set that define success on a trip. Your goals are clear. I can see we would not make good canoeing partners!

Seems like there are a lot of great options for you. Here is my .02.

To solo and single portage for 14 days is going to mean packing carefully, but you may consider adding a bug net for in camp. I did 10 days last June and did find he bugs pretty bad in some (but not all) of the places I went. It was a great refuge for me and especially for my dog.

As for route, I am not sure about the milage but this route popped into my head as a good long circle. Park at Sawbill and start there. Its a nice big lot right next to an outfitter and ranger station, so it's a pretty nice place to leave your car for a longer time. From Sawbill head west through the Lady Chain to Polly, Mahlberg and into Fishdance for some pictos. Then head up through Alice, Thomas, Ima, Jordan, Ashigan, Ensign. Only word of caution for crowds would be Ensign in June as I think the Boy Scouts pack in there a lot. From Ensign out to Sucker, turn north toward Birch and Carp to Knife. Follow Knife to south arm, then south Bonnie, Spoon, Pickle to Kekekabic for more pictos. From Kek head south to Wisini to Frasier and turn east through Sagus, Roe, and Cap. From there head toward Little Sag, either east through Hoe, or the better route IMO south through Boulder, Adams, Beaver, Pan, and Makwa. Only problem here is you then retrace a little bit of earlier journey by about 200 yards. From Little Sag, keep going east through Mora, Crooked, Owl, to Tuscarora. Then East a bit more through Snipe, CrossBay, then south through Long Island to Gordon. At this point, if you are feeling spent, head south to Cherokee and back to Sawbill. If you need a bit more adventure, turn west and go through the Frost River to Hub, Mesaba, Kelso, Alton, and back to Sawbill. There you have it! Lots of places to either add or cut out a bit, great fishing including plenty of lake trout lakes, pictos on at least two, and lots and lots of remote places. I did Frost River up to Gillis last June and went 9 days without seeing anyone on a portage and saw 2 groups in the middle 7 days anywhere.

I'll second the Q suggestion - 200 miles without doubling back would be pretty difficult in the BWCA unless you want to pass through all the entry lakes and their swarms of people.

My third trip last year was 140 miles in nine days, so about the mileage you're looking for if you tacked on the other part we were thinking, going from Poplar (EP 49) to Mudro (EP23), by way of Quetico, where we entered at Cache Bay on a Man Chain permit, paddled down to Prairie Portage, then went north up to Lake Sarah, then west to Crooked and out. We had a longer variation that we'd considered, where we'd keep going up the border to LLC and then paddle out at LIS North (EP 14). That would have put us really close to 200 miles.

If you did that trip in reverse - the smarter way, really - you'd have a nice BWCA - Quetico - BWCA route that goes the entire length of Quetico-Superior. If you're feeling more adventurous you could head further up into Quetico instead of staying closer to the border like we did. But the trip up through Sarah, and of course the Man Chain lakes, were plenty secluded and beautiful.

One challenge with doing it west-to-east is that you have to enter Quetico at a ranger station, and the Lac La Croix ranger station is then your only choice, which means paying for almost the whole trip in Quetico. We only spent four days (three nights) in Quetico, entering at Cache Bay and exiting near Thursday Bay on Crooked. That wasn't a primary reason for us choosing to travel east to west, but in retrospect it was a definite perk.

Jaywalker: "Seems like there are a lot of great options for you. Here is my .02.


To solo and single portage for 14 days is going to mean packing carefully, but you may consider adding a bug net for in camp. I did 10 days last June and did find he bugs pretty bad in some (but not all) of the places I went. It was a great refuge for me and especially for my dog.


As for route, I am not sure about the milage but this route popped into my head as a good long circle. Park at Sawbill and start there. Its a nice big lot right next to an outfitter and ranger station, so it's a pretty nice place to leave your car for a longer time. From Sawbill head west through the Lady Chain to Polly, Mahlberg and into Fishdance for some pictos. Then head up through Alice, Thomas, Ima, Jordan, Ashigan, Ensign. Only word of caution for crowds would be Ensign in June as I think the Boy Scouts pack in there a lot. From Ensign out to Sucker, turn north toward Birch and Carp to Knife. Follow Knife to south arm, then south Bonnie, Spoon, Pickle to Kekekabic for more pictos. From Kek head south to Wisini to Frasier and turn east through Sagus, Roe, and Cap. From there head toward Little Sag, either east through Hoe, or the better route IMO south through Boulder, Adams, Beaver, Pan, and Makwa. Only problem here is you then retrace a little bit of earlier journey by about 200 yards. From Little Sag, keep going east through Mora, Crooked, Owl, to Tuscarora. Then East a bit more through Snipe, CrossBay, then south through Long Island to Gordon. At this point, if you are feeling spent, head south to Cherokee and back to Sawbill. If you need a bit more adventure, turn west and go through the Frost River to Hub, Mesaba, Kelso, Alton, and back to Sawbill. There you have it! Lots of places to either add or cut out a bit, great fishing including plenty of lake trout lakes, pictos on at least two, and lots and lots of remote places. I did Frost River up to Gillis last June and went 9 days without seeing anyone on a portage and saw 2 groups in the middle 7 days anywhere."

Man, that would be an epic trip. I've wondered about the Frost River, but it seems going west from Frost to Little Sag would be a bear of a day, and there's really nowhere decent to camp halfway, it seems (2star site on Bologna, 2star site on Afton, 2star site on Mora).

flynn: "I've wondered about the Frost River, but it seems going west from Frost to Little Sag would be a bear of a day, and there's really nowhere decent to camp halfway, it seems (2star site on Bologna, 2star site on Afton, 2star site on Mora). "

That’s what happens when you get stars in your eyes. You miss out on all the other stuff. Nice lakes. Beautiful gorge...

flynn: "Man, that would be an epic trip. I've wondered about the Frost River, but it seems going west from Frost to Little Sag would be a bear of a day, and there's really nowhere decent to camp halfway, it seems (2star site on Bologna, 2star site on Afton, 2star site on Mora). "

Yeah, that would be epic, but the guy says he wants to do 200 or so miles! I've done most of this, but spread over many trips.

The Frost River is wonderful, but remote. I stayed on the Bologna site and its a bit primitive, as are most that don't get used much. Still it had a nice place for my tent pad and tarp next to it, and a big bull moose near by. Its a beautiful lake. The site on Afton deserves more than 2 stars, and certainly on Mora I stayed at a 3 or 4 star worthy site. Definitely not worth avoiding the area because the sites can be a bit more rustic.

Good to know those sites are OK. I don't like to stay at overgrown bugfest sites and I've seen some 1-2 star sites that I would definitely not stay at (heck I stayed at a "4star" on Ima in June that I wouldn't put as any better than a 3, esp with a widowmaker over the only tent pad). It seems some people rate differently than I do; for example, I would never stay at a 2 star hotel, yet I've seen some campsite ratings for 2 star sites where people say it's decent. I don't understand how 4/10 is a decent score - in school that's a failing grade, on a performance review that's a "let's talk", for a movie that means I will likely never watch it again and maybe even regret watching it to begin with. 2/5 seems like a pretty bad score to me. To me, 2 stars is "this sucks, but it has just enough stuff that doesn't suck to prevent it from being the worst score I can give it."

Generally I would not think to even consider sites that are below 3 stars unless I absolutely have to, even though *I know* that there are probably many 2 star sites and unrated sites that are more than good enough (I really don't have that high of requirements). My only other concern with the Frost River sites, then, would be that they're taken after traveling all day (like Frost to Afton) and then having to go even further and really stress myself/the crew, or ask to share the site (unlikely to even have room). Not many options along the Frost River. If I did it, though, I would only do it in early summer (lots of daylight) with a group of experienced/semi-experienced folks who know it won't be easy and are OK with that, or welcome the challenge.

flynn: "

Man, that would be an epic trip. I've wondered about the Frost River, but it seems going west from Frost to Little Sag would be a bear of a day, and there's really nowhere decent to camp halfway, it seems (2star site on Bologna, 2star site on Afton, 2star site on Mora). "

As a solo or duo camping in Quetico-Superior really any place that holds a tent is fine, and choosing to avoid an area because of poorly rated sites seems like a waste. Especially on a long trip where you travel regularly, you're not going to remember three quarters of the sites anyway. Some will be great and some will suck, but most will just hold you for a few waking hours anyway. For a big group, or for base camping, I can see why it might be worth worrying about; but for a solo traveler wanting to cover 200 miles, that's not really going to be a concern of his, I don't think.

Jaywalker: "Seems like there are a lot of great options for you. Here is my .02.

To solo and single portage for 14 days is going to mean packing carefully, but you may consider adding a bug net for in ...... ....... 2 groups in the middle 7 days anywhere."

Thanks Jaywalker. Looks awesome. I am not really concerned about repeating the 200 yds. I am just trying to avoid long repeats (like the same 20 miles twice). This will definitely be in the running.

TominMpls: "I'll second the Q suggestion - 200 miles without doubling back would be pretty difficult in the BWCA unless you want to pass through all the entry lakes and their swarms of people.


My third trip last year was 140 miles in nine days, so about the mileage you're looking for if you tacked on the other part we were thinking, going from Poplar (EP 49) to Mudro (EP23), by way of Quetico, where we entered at Cache Bay on a Man Chain permit, paddled down to Prairie Portage, then went north up to Lake Sarah, then west to Crooked and out. We had a longer variation that we'd considered, where we'd keep going up the border to LLC and then paddle out at LIS North (EP 14). That would have put us really close to 200 miles.


If you did that trip in reverse - the smarter way, really - you'd have a nice BWCA - Quetico - BWCA route that goes the entire length of Quetico-Superior. If you're feeling more adventurous you could head further up into Quetico instead of staying closer to the border like we did. But the trip up through Sarah, and of course the Man Chain lakes, were plenty secluded and beautiful.


One challenge with doing it west-to-east is that you have to enter Quetico at a ranger station, and the Lac La Croix ranger station is then your only choice, which means paying for almost the whole trip in Quetico. We only spent four days (three nights) in Quetico, entering at Cache Bay and exiting near Thursday Bay on Crooked. That wasn't a primary reason for us choosing to travel east to west, but in retrospect it was a definite perk."

TominMpls, this looks great. Thanks for the input. This one will keep me busy for a bit. Do you have a link to a trip report or photo album?

TominMpls: "

flynn: "


Man, that would be an epic trip. I've wondered about the Frost River, but it seems going west from Frost to Little Sag would be a bear of a day, and there's really nowhere decent to camp halfway, it seems (2star site on Bologna, 2star site on Afton, 2star site on Mora). "

As a solo or duo camping in Quetico-Superior really any place that holds a tent is fine, and choosing to avoid an area because of poorly rated sites seems like a waste. Especially on a long trip where you travel regularly, you're not going to remember three quarters of the sites anyway. Some will be great and some will suck, but most will just hold you for a few waking hours anyway. For a big group, or for base camping, I can see why it might be worth worrying about; but for a solo traveler wanting to cover 200 miles, that's not really going to be a concern of his, I don't think."

Very true. If you're traveling all day every day and you're just gonna eat dinner and crash once you get to the site, then all you really need is a flat spot for a tent or trees for a hammock. I intend to stay 2 nights minimum at most of the sites I visit unless I'm specifically planning a long travel route so I want the site to be nice enough to spend the day at. Room for a tarp, good fishing from shore, trees for a hammock, not next to a mosquito hatchery, etc... that's where I don't think a 2star would qualify, but in the case of the Frost River route, I'd be passing right through so maybe it wouldn't be an issue.

inspector13: "

flynn: "I've wondered about the Frost River, but it seems going west from Frost to Little Sag would be a bear of a day, and there's really nowhere decent to camp halfway, it seems (2star site on Bologna, 2star site on Afton, 2star site on Mora). "

That’s what happens when you get stars in your eyes. You miss out on all the other stuff. Nice lakes. Beautiful gorge..."

Well said inspector13.

cyclones30: "If you want a long trip with fishing and pictos.................I have no idea what the mileage would be but EP 14 or 16 to start and then head generally east along the border. Great pictos on LLC, another good set below lower basswood falls, and stay along the border to maybe the Knife area. Then head SE and find your way to Fishdance for those pictos and then head out.....Sawbill? Kawishiwi lake? Could head back west (but not repeat route) and leave at Snowbank. Then you'd still have Ely access to both entry and exit. "

Thank you cyclones30. Sounds intriguing. I will definitely be looking into this route.

This is a trip I did some years ago with my two kids in a MNIII. No idea of mileage. Start at Mudro, up to Gull and Beartrap, Beartrap River to Sunday, then head west from Sunday Lake to Stuart. Some of this is a PMA. At that time, I had no idea of PMAs. You need a special permit to camp.

From Stuart west to Pauness. At this point, we headed north to avoid the west end of Lac la Croix. Too much motor traffic for me. We entered LLC at Gun Lake. From there, it is a gorgeous trip along the big border lakes to Basswood Lake. At Basswood, stay on the border. At this point, you have the whole main section of the BWCA available. Returning to Basswood, we did the southern bays. Did not have to retrace any of our route.

Sounds like a "Hunter's Island" route to me.

AmarilloJim: "Sounds like a "Hunter's Island" route to me."

Oh man... great idea. I would love to take two weeks and do that route.

figboot74: "

inspector13: "

flynn: "I've wondered about the Frost River, but it seems going west from Frost to Little Sag would be a bear of a day, and there's really nowhere decent to camp halfway, it seems (2star site on Bologna, 2star site on Afton, 2star site on Mora). "

That’s what happens when you get stars in your eyes. You miss out on all the other stuff. Nice lakes. Beautiful gorge..."

Well said inspector13."

The other thing to consider is that the people giving these campsites ratings might be looking to set up more than one tent. I've noticed that when tripping with just my buddy and me that some sites are great for the first tent but the second tent pad would not be fun to sleep on. Also, I think I saw a 4 star site on Mora.

If you want to see less people go in May, on my two week solo I did 72 portages and seen people on one portage, I'd go 3 or 4 day's and see no one, I started at Sawbill and went west and came back from the east to Sawbill, next big adventure I'd like to do a 30 day trip, have fun and be safe, think before you do.