BWCA Agnes-East-Jeff-West Boundary Waters Quetico Forum
Chat Rooms (0 Chatting)  |  Search  |   Login/Join
* For the benefit of the community, commercial posting is not allowed.
Boundary Waters Quetico Forum
   Quetico Forum
      Agnes-East-Jeff-West     

Author

Text

msray53
distinguished member (184)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
02/15/2015 07:54PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
I'd very much be interested in your experience traveling from Agnes into East from the north portage then on to Jeff and most importantly the navigability of the stream from Jeff into West in the spring when water levels may be high and portages soupy. I've used the S-chain a few times but have not taken the East and Jeff alternative before and was wondering what others think about it.

Mike
 
Reply    Reply with Quote    Print Top Bottom Previous Next
GraniteCliffs
distinguished member(1981)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
02/15/2015 08:17PM  
I went through last year on my way out on my solo. Don't remember any issues with portages, but it was late in the year. Did not seem like many people pass through that way. None of the campsites I saw were anything to write home about, but I did not look real hard. I enjoyed seeing a few lakes I had always bypassed before.
old_salt
distinguished member(2547)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
02/15/2015 08:25PM  
Water levels should be good. It's a nice way to go.
Eyedocron
distinguished member(506)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
02/15/2015 08:40PM  
Been through there several times and a nice shortcut. No issues with navigation and portages. Don't recall any particular fishing great spots. Kind of a pretty way to go.
02/15/2015 09:45PM  
Much prettier and less traveled than the S chain. A couple of decent sites on Jeff. The north portage out of East into Agnes is relatively level while the south portage has a decent climb and descent.
QueticoMike
distinguished member(5280)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
02/16/2015 10:25AM  
Is this route easier then doing the S-Chain if coming down Agnes and heading to Basswood? Less portages I assume for one thing. How long are the portages? Are they easy to find?
02/16/2015 10:38AM  
It's a nice way to avoid the Meadows portages from PP.
QueticoMike
distinguished member(5280)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
02/16/2015 11:22AM  
quote TomT: "It's a nice way to avoid the Meadows portages from PP.
"

I take the Meadows portages on the way up and the S chain on the way down. Just wandering if it is easier and quicker to go this route rather than the S chain.
msray53
distinguished member (184)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
02/16/2015 07:46PM  
quote QueticoMike: "
quote TomT: "It's a nice way to avoid the Meadows portages from PP.
"

I take the Meadows portages on the way up and the S chain on the way down. Just wandering if it is easier and quicker to go this route rather than the S chain."
Thanks for all the responses and thanks to the moderator for correcting my spelling of Agnes! Like QueticoMike asked above, I too would like to know if the Agnes-East-Jeff-West route is faster and/or easier when traveling from Agnes to North Bay than going down the S-chain. Thanks again.
02/18/2015 06:56PM  
I would think the S portage to be faster.
billconner
distinguished member(8607)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
02/18/2015 08:48PM  
I'm not sure, but the S chain portages are pretty easy and fast. I think this could depend on the current conditions - water levels and weather in particular. You could spend more time thinking about it than the difference in travel time.
02/19/2015 09:14AM  
I've always wanted to take the east, west, jeff route just cause it looks cool and for a change of pace. I've done meadows 3 times so why not try a creek with beaver dams for the heck of it? I hear the site on Jeff is nice and there's lakers in there too.

QueticoMike
distinguished member(5280)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
02/19/2015 11:22AM  
I was hoping it would be a quicker and easier route than the S-Chain, but it sounds like it doesn't matter which way you go.
billconner
distinguished member(8607)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
02/19/2015 12:48PM  
It probably depends where you start on Agnes but in going back to maps, if you're up around the passage to Silence, I'd guess the S chain is slightly faster most often. In any case, it seems like a 15 to 45 minute difference one way or another in maybe 2 to 3 hours between Agnes and North Bay?
billconner
distinguished member(8607)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
02/19/2015 01:01PM  
Well - another site says I'm wrong - that from passage from Agnes to Silence to northwest corner of North Bay by Jeff and East is 10 miles and 4 hours (at my plugged in rates - slower than defaults) and that by the S Chain it's 11 miles and 6 1/2 hours. I'm not one for these text and computer acronyms but never has YMMV seemed more appropriate.

I stand corrected by myself.
msray53
distinguished member (184)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
02/19/2015 02:19PM  
quote billconner: "Well - another site says I'm wrong - that from passage from Agnes to Silence to northwest corner of North Bay by Jeff and East is 10 miles and 4 hours (at my plugged in rates - slower than defaults) and that by the S Chain it's 11 miles and 6 1/2 hours. I'm not one for these text and computer acronyms but never has YMMV seemed more appropriate.


I stand corrected by myself."
Thanks for researching the distance and time for both routes. Would you be willing to share the website you used to come up with these calculations?
billconner
distinguished member(8607)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
02/19/2015 04:31PM  
email sent
TheBrownLeader
distinguished member (282)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
03/25/2015 11:26AM  
I have done Silence to North bay via the S chain, and I have gone Silence to Sunday via the Meadows portages. The latter route was faster for me on a flat water day. I do suspect that if the way from Jeff to West is high water, that this way will be faster by a good bit than taking all the S chain portages.
mastertangler
distinguished member(4432)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
03/27/2015 08:05AM  
The trip through Agnes to Jeff and then to West is a delight.

Nice campsite on Jeff near the East lake portage. On the opposing bank downwards a little way is a short nifty bushwhack into a decent bass lake.

Beware the beaver pond.......my buddy broke not one but two of his rods in the snaggy brushy pond while looking for the portage.

When you come out of the creek into West try your hand at the walleyes which hang out in the weed beds near the creek mouth. I did well jigging a chatter bait in those weeds one afternoon.
OldGreyGoose
distinguished member(1757)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/12/2018 12:52PM  
BUMP...
I came out of Agnes this way in Sep. 2016 and it was awesome. Just wondering if anyone has gone this way more recently? (Low water level could be an issue in Fall I was told.) Thanks, Goose
 
Reply    Reply with Quote    Print Top Bottom Previous Next