It has bee many years since I went into Iron Lake from entry 16. Only a few since I went into Crooked Friday Bay from entry 23. Do yo recall which is more physical? I will be taking my boys in August. 9 & 11. Thanks

I did a quick check and E.P. 16 thru Agness, Tiger Bay, Bottle Portage to Iron, (Peterson Bay) island site #1837 is 21+ miles and 565 total rods with 170 R. of those being from the parking lot to the water.

Enter at #19 north thru Stuart, Rush, Dark into Peterson Bay on Iron is 19+ miles and 1,252 rods. One just has a lot more portage distance.
Great area and good fishing. Hope you have a good trip.

I have done both and I would say the Mudro to Friday Bay is more difficult just because of the 320 rod portage between Gun and Wagosh even though it will be one of the easiest mile portages you will take because the terrain is so flat but it is still a mile long.

It is possible to make it to Iron in one day from Moose River entry but there will most likely not be a camp site waiting for you on Iron because that lake fills up fast. Get there early. Do this in 2 days and take the single 115 r portage out of Agnes then stay on Boulder Bay or Tiger Bay for the first night and push on to Iron early the next day.

If you are in for a bit of adventure to get to Iron go via Mudro to Beartrap lake to Sunday to Peterson Bay. There will be several portages that are not maintained but it is not like bushwhacking. It is passable. To stay on Sunday Lake you will need a PMA permit.

UPBoy

from 16 to Iron:

if the moose river is low - you may have to walk the boat for a fair stretch - not that physically demanding, but it will slow you down. You may well get to iron and not have a campsite available due to the fact that its a very popular destination and base camp lake.

23 to Friday:

you got the 'mountain goat' trail to contend with...its short but painful. You'll be hitting it early in your day when your fresh, but with kids involved, I'm thinking you'll be doing some double portaging. Then there's the 320 portage at the end before you get to crooked, but honestly its about the easiest mile you'll do - very little elevation gain/loss and its real gradual. Since you'll be hitting crooked late in the day, wind could be an issue.

bear in mind you'll be pushing those kids pretty hard. I'd pick 23-Friday just because the thought of not getting a site on iron late in the day is enough to make a grown man cry, let alone a couple tired boys. Crooked might be easier to stop early and/or backtrack if lack of sites or wind gets too challenging.

good man to take the kids though!

Depending on the time of year and water levels, the PMA Beartrap River, Beartrap, thru Sunday can be more than challenging. "Passible" is a very optomistic analsys. On the one portage you actually walk the river bed and then there is the one where we had to pass the canoe vertically to get over the cliff. Just saying - kids will be "tested" and then some.

I took my 10 year old a couple years back through 23 up to Friday Bay. We did the 320 on the way out and he rocked it. Yes we double portage most of the time. I have enjoyed Crooked Lake for years and have vague memories of Iron.


if the moose river is low - you may have to walk the boat for a fair stretch - not that physically demanding, but it will slow you down. You may well get to iron and not have a campsite available due to the fact that its a very popular destination and base camp lake.


23 to Friday:


you got the 'mountain goat' trail to contend with...its short but painful. You'll be hitting it early in your day when your fresh, but with kids involved, I'm thinking you'll be doing some double portaging. Then there's the 320 portage at the end before you get to crooked, but honestly its about the easiest mile you'll do - very little elevation gain/loss and its real gradual. Since you'll be hitting crooked late in the day, wind could be an issue.


bear in mind you'll be pushing those kids pretty hard. I'd pick 23-Friday just because the thought of not getting a site on iron late in the day is enough to make a grown man cry, let alone a couple tired boys. Crooked might be easier to stop early and/or backtrack if lack of sites or wind gets too challenging.


good man to take the kids though!"