A friend and I are heading up the Beartrap river this summer. Has anyone tried this recently? Thanks

Many have tried and many have failed from what I have heard. However almost anything is doable so give it a go.

From what I know of it the portage is considered lost and now over grown. You may be able to find sections of it to follow but my guess is that it may take multiple attempts to make it through there.

Much quicker, easier to go to Burke to Sunday.

Found lots of info after I posted this. Sounds like nature took it back. Definitely want to investigate when we go through.

I did it probably 6 years ago. Sort of in the middle for difficulty best I can recall.

The portage between Sunday Bay (Bayley Bay) and Sunday Lake is known as the "North Portage". Search the site for "North Portage".

The North Portage has had a bad reputation for mud and elevation. However, we took the North Portage last year on our way in because it was rolling pretty good in Bayley Bay. It was not a big deal. There had been a lot of trail improvements over the low lying parts of the trail, so it was not really that muddy. It had rock retaining walls, and the trail was crushed rock. There was a little elevation, but nothing challenging. The entrance from Sunday Bay was a little obscured ... it was kind of like a chute that would only allow one canoe with overhanging shrubs. The Sunday Lake side was a little more open like a normal portage.

It is not the "Yellow Brick" road, but I would take it again if Bayley Bay was whipped up. You do save some paddling over the Yellow Brick road, but it is probably a wash.

I'm assuming you mean Sunday Lake in the BW..Sundial PMA. Talk in the PMA Forum says that old portage is grown over and hasn't been any talk of anyone using it recently (Sunday Lake to Sunday Bay of Crooked)

It's really too bad that it can't be opened. That'd be a great day trip from a base camp on Iron. Paddle the Beartrap, catch some walleye on Sunday and take Sunday Bay back to Iron.

Found this while searching. Interesting little read with a neat picture. http://www.sundaylake.com/

quote PaddlinMadeline: "Found this while searching. Interesting little read with a neat picture. http://www.sundaylake.com/ "

Cool

Call the ranger station in Ely, Becca Manlove ( what an awesome name) put me in touch with someone once who had gone through the gypo,niki,chippewa,pakween,sauna route. I cold called the dude up and he was more than willing to tell me all about it.

She may know of someone who has busted through the Sunday to Sunday bay route in recent years. You never know!

+1 for Linkster. I have done this portage and while a bit longer and muddier, it is pretty doable and allows you to get off Basswood Lake much quicker, which can be important on a windy day. There are also some decent campsites on Sunday Lake once you get there.

The original poster is NOT referring to Quetico, but to a route leading to Sunday Bay of Crooked Lake.

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but was just wondering if the OP or anyone else has had any luck trying to find this portage since then. I am going in through Angleworm in late June, and have my name in "the book" to stay on Sunday Lake in the Sundial PMA on the first night (planning on trying Spring Creek if there appears to be enough water). Toying with the idea of trying to find this portage if it is at all possible.

We tried it near ten years ago. We gave up. It's just pretty much not there anymore. Had we been younger we may have wacked on through but it became no fun.

quote Porkeater: "Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but was just wondering if the OP or anyone else has had any luck trying to find this portage since then. I am going in through Angleworm in late June, and have my name in "the book" to stay on Sunday Lake in the Sundial PMA on the first night (planning on trying Spring Creek if there appears to be enough water). Toying with the idea of trying to find this portage if it is at all possible. "

We looked for the portage for an hour or 2 with no luck. On the plus side there was a pair of swans on Sunday lake. It worked out good because the best part of the river is between Sunday Lake and Iron. Very pretty area. A few portages around some nice rapids. Coming into Iron is really nice. Iron is my favorite lake in the BW. The island spot as you come in is wonderful! If you end up finding the portage I would like to hear about it. Good luck!

I take the Yellow Brick Road whenever possible, smooth, easy, and the portage from Burke to Sunday is nothing. But on a trip we took in 2010 heading across Sunday Lake trying to get to Prairie Portage the wind was howling and blowing whitecaps so we opted for the North Portage from Sunday straight to Bailey Bay.

The portage was certainly harder than the other option, there were some steep rock steps that challenged my thighs. (One of our group had to back into one of those steps, take her pack off, make the step, then put the pack back on.) It is kind of an up and over portage, but certainly doable.

But I don't recommend it if you don't have to use it.

Dave

There are two Sunday lakes. I think the one posted about is in BW ; south of crooked's west end.

Thanks PaddlineMadeline and Overthehill. Sounds like I will plan on continuing down the Beartrap river to Iron. The portage certainly won't have gotten clearer in the meantime. Someone off the board told me that it gets use a winter portage. I might try and find it if I feel really ambitious that morning. I'll post a report.