We are heading out Sunday from PP through North Bsy, Sarah, Macentyre, Brent, Elk, Robinson, Sarah and back to PP the same way.

6 nights , 7 days camping in Lost Bay, Mac, Brent, Elk, Robinson, Nirth Bay

I have traveled some if this route several times with experienced paddlers but I have a shirt memory and a couple of new guys and one younger guy and have a couple of questions about some of the portages we will encounter.

Isabella to Sarah. I have always taken the big hill portage into Sarah but planning on the several short ones out of unnamed to Sarah. My question is the toe prior from Isabella to unnamed, Side, etc. are those difficult or any suggestions?

From Sarah all the way to Brent I do not remember any difficult portages. I am familiar with the Brent to Cone, have been there both ways and know it's somewhat if a bigger.

From there through Robinson ( which I have not been) anything g to be concerned about??

In May, from Izz, we went through the 2 no-names to Side. We also did the 2 portage, beaver creek route from Side to Sarah.
Izz to no-name is straight forward. No-name to next no-name starts by paddling up a NARROW beaver cut until you almost get to the beaver dam. Short lift over into a beaver pond (I drew in), then you line through a small rocky chute into small no-name. It's a pretty straight forward portage from there up to Side. Looks like a beaver dam blew out a little and dried this portage out some.
From Side to Sarah, you paddle into the small channel (sometimes you have to lift over some rocks), paddle down the little channel to portage (on left), short portage down the hill to beaver creek. Follow the bend around to left. Then, there is a downhill portage to Sarah on either side of the cascade.....both were very open and easy downhills.

For the route from Isabella to Side and Sarah, see this thread, which discussed the different options to get to Side. All the lakes between Isabella to Side are Unnamed which makes it hard to describe the different routes. There is a map that I posted toward the bottom of the thread which labels them for some clarity.

From Isabella to Unnamed 1, as cowdoc says, it's straightforward, but I only recently learned that there is a portage on both sides of the creek. I've always portaged on the right side of the creek (coming from Isabella), but I'm told that the portage on the left side is easier. I always wondered why the one I took between those two lakes seemed less maintained than other portages in the area!

From Unnamed 1 you have two choices to get to Side. The route through Unnamed 2 is the one most people take, I think, and the one I've taken most often. The portage from Unnamed 1 to Unnamed 2 is very steep going uphill, but not too hard, and the portage from Unnamed 2 to Side is steep and hard and long.

The route via Unnamed 3 avoids the steep parts but as described in my post toward the bottom of the linked thread, it had its own issues. However, I'm told by Banksiana that when he went through very recently, there was a dry path around where the portage was flooded going out from Unnamed 3 into Side. That would solve the biggest issue with this alternative route and probably make it easier than going via Unnamed 2.

The route from Cone to Robinson via Elk is pretty straightforward, but the final portage into Robinson tends to be mucky.

Have fun!

quote Ho Ho: "
For the route from Isabella to Side and Sarah, see this thread, which discussed the different options to get to Side. All the lakes between Isabella to Side are Unnamed which makes it hard to describe the different routes. There is a map that I posted toward the bottom of the thread which labels them for some clarity.


From Isabella to Unnamed 1, as cowdoc says, it's straightforward, but I only recently learned that there is a portage on both sides of the creek. I've always portaged on the right side of the creek (coming from Isabella), but I'm told that the portage on the left side is easier. I always wondered why the one I took between those two lakes seemed less maintained than other portages in the area!


From Unnamed 1 you have two choices to get to Side. The route through Unnamed 2 is the one most people take, I think, and the one I've taken most often. The portage from Unnamed 1 to Unnamed 2 is very steep going uphill, but not too hard, and the portage from Unnamed 2 to Side is steep and hard and long.


The route via Unnamed 3 avoids the steep parts but as described in my post toward the bottom of the linked thread, it had its own issues. However, I'm told by Banksiana that when he went through very recently, there was a dry path around where the portage was flooded going out from Unnamed 3 into Side. That would solve the biggest issue with this alternative route and probably make it easier than going via Unnamed 2.


The route from Cone to Robinson via Elk is pretty straightforward, but the final portage into Robinson tends to be mucky.


Have fun!
"

Yes.....unnamed 3 to side has appeared to have "dried up" some. You can see the dead, once flooded brush along the valley that is now high and dry. In May, there was a small trickle of water flowing onto the portage trail a few rods in, but it was only a couple inches deep. It was not a bad portage at all.

I think the route via unnamed three is less strenuous but also less obvious and entails the muck and minor hassles of paddling small waterways (I did both routes last week).

You could consider skipping Sarah on the return route and heading from Robinson to Kett to Ranger Bay.

Thank you all, that is perfect information!!!!

I am going to look into the alternate route into Ranger bay this afternoon. If nothing else it will keep us from backtracking and as long as its not terrible we should be pretty light by then.

Your map is excellent. We would have likely chosen a different route. Thank you!!!!

I apologize if repeating but one year I did 1 to 3 with just one lift over. Maybe the dam has been "moved" but seems it was just over an old dam from pond into 3. Much easier than Heart Attack Hill (2 to side).

FWIW if you get stuck, I think the site on 2 - south west between in and out portages - is about best and near only good choice between Isabella and either Kahs or Sarah.

bing maps view

Going in the direction from Isabella towards Sarah the portages on the 1,3,Side route were all located on the left side of the "streams". There were two minor beaver dams between 1 and the first carry (to an unnamed and unnumbered pond), a little pull through and over rock and dam into 3. The portage between 3 and side spent a good hundred yards underwater, but the ground was firm and only about ankle deep water.

There is a nice unnamed lake between Ranger and North Bay. Portage between Ranger and unnamed is a little tricky but obvious. One campsite near the portage to North Bay.