What kinds of numbers of people should I expect in the Beaverhouse/Quetico/Jean area in late May or early June? Should I expect to find decent campsites readily available that time of year? Thank you for your input.

Number is modest, and certainly less that southern entry sites. That said, hopefully plan to travel at least a half day in to avoid campsite shortage near the actual entry site. This was our entry site last year and found it enjoyable. I do not recommend driving to the Beaverhouse lot in a small car with low clearance. Eyedocror

RoundRiver, you'll have no problems finding a campsite. Assuming you'll be paddling right away in the morning, you'll be a fair distance down Quetico Lake, if not into Jean, before you'll need a campsite, there will be plenty of options for you. I would say the same thing if it were mid-July, but in late May or early June, no problem whatsoever.

As for EyeDocRon's comment about not going in with a small car with low clearance, I'm not sure how low the clearance would have to be to be a problem, but it's 14 miles from Hwy 11 to the Beaverhouse parking lot. The first ten miles are on a gravel road so no problem there. The last four miles are windy and up and down - a mostly two-track road. A car can get in there with little or no problem. There might be a couple spots to watch for, but nothing major.

You should have seen that last four miles back in the 80s! Plenty of oil pan removers back then. Those have been removed now.

Eyedocron, we just got back from driving into the Beaverhouse parking lot and we found it to be a drive any car can take. I think your warning may relate to early spring travel before a road grader has "fixed" things up. After that yearly road improvement has been made, the half hour drive in is most pleasant. We went in a week before Labor Day and for four days we never saw a soul. Labor Day weekend, of course, was a different story, however, people then were satisfied to "hang around" the Beaverhouse area. No time for big adventures.

Jackfish, the Giles, owners of Indiaonta Resort which I highly recommend Beaverhouse destined people to stay at to get an early morning start, said that compared to years ago, the road in is a "super highway!" Indiaonta Resort is directly opposite the Beaverhouse road entry off Highway 11.

. I have been there twice in June on two different occasions and we nearly had the place to ourselves.... so I don't know what's superhighway means.

It has been several years ago (2008 as I recall) that I did a Beaverhouse/Quetico/Jean/Sturgeon/Walter/Orianna/Quetico/Beaverhouse loop beginning on Memorial Day.

Including the ranger when we picked up permits, we saw 5 people total from parking lot to parking lot.

One campsite I really enjoyed was on the point on the right as you exit the bay from the Conk to Jean portage. Great kitchen area with a large flat tent space separated just a bit.

The superhighway reference is to the relative smoothness/flatness of MOST of the road, certainly not to its traffic density. To the contrary, it seems like the Canadians overbuilt the road. I would caution those driving on the last/first 4 mile segment that the road is really a lane and a half wide with very limited sight distances. You must be cautious of on-coming traffic.

Agree with Canoodler. The gravel road from the highway to the BH parking lot was in best shape I had ever seen. Lots of road grading work had left it almost wash-board free and very well groomed. The final few miles were less friendly, but still better than ever since it is much more level with fewer high centers to rip out oil pans.

As a testimony that "almost any car can do it" - I witnessed a BMW Z-4 (convertible) in the BH parking lot when we took out on Aug 9. I seriously don't know why anyone would drive that particular car to that particular location, but I saw it with my own eyes.

Where do you put even one pack?
Not able to carry even a solo canoe/kayak.
Maybe carry one other paddler (if neither have gear?)

Not trying to offend anyone, but it made me laugh out loud.

You never know what to expect!

Old Hoosier

I would guess the companion car was filled to the rafters. Perhaps the BMW driver took chances and had fun skidding around the corners???
Yes, what you see sometimes. We saw a car parked in the lot with a wood rack on top that had "arms," like football goal posts sticking up 5 feet into the air front and back. Was that so that they could carry 4 canoes at one time????

No problems at all, but I wouldn't try to make Jean in one day, if it were me -- too much do/see on the way. Planning for say eastern end of Quetico would be my approach -- many good sites in that area. In June 2014 I could have camped just about anywhere I wanted, or so it appeared. (Jean looked completely, in fact.) Probably because they were all on Burntside! Road was the best I've ever seen it in last 15 years -- even looked like they had bush-hogged along the edges in places. --Goose