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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Quetico Forum :: Waiwag River

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DancesWithTrees

02/03/2015 10:31AM

I've seen at least one trip report on here about going Wawiag upstream to hit Bellaire and into MacKenzie. It sounds like a pretty tough haul to get to Bellaire via a "portage" as I recall. But look in the trip reports or Google this domain, you'll find some useful stuff.

arctic

01/28/2015 12:08PM

I haven't been upstream from Mack creek, so can't comment there--but two years ago we went to Mack via Saganagons and went down the Wawiag to Kawa Bay, then up McKenzie Bay to McKenzie and Ferguson Lakes and down the Cache River. Nice paddle through scenic country (Kawa Bay sees a fraction of the people that the rest of Kawnipi does. Plus there is a lot of great water to troll through for pike and walleyes.

Two day's paddle from Mack to Ferguson via this route. Worth considering.

Kiporby

01/28/2015 02:00PM

Thanks Artic, I have looked at going that way as well through Kawa and McKenzie Bays. It is about 36 miles to go that way vs. 21 miles to paddle upstream the Waiwag and go through Bellaire. It would certainly be less portaging to go the long way around. Decisions to make, eh? :)

Kiporby

01/28/2015 11:39AM

I am looking at the stretch from Mack Creek upstream to the portage to Bellaire Lake. Who has paddled upstream this stretch? Lots of twists are turns but wondering how the current would by in May? Possible to get upstream in my solo canoe (Magic)?

There is part of my bigger trip plan to enter at Saganagons and head up to Mack, Bellaire, McKenzie, Ferguson and the Cache River back to Kawnipi.

Eyedocron

01/28/2015 07:22PM

Went up from Kawnipi to Mack creek a few years ago and looped back SW to Kenny Lake. A fine and remote loop. The Waiwag portion had very little current and a couple of big log jams to climb over. Beautiful. Glad my crew went.

Do you really want to do this as a solo? This could be fatal if you fell through a towering log jam and got trapped.

The most physically challenging (and disgusting) part of your proposed trip is the Ferguson - Cache River portage. This thing is nearly 2000m long and the northern half is waist deep muck. I have done it twice and the only comment is that I will never go there again, even though the Ferguson fishing is great. Much worse than the Yum Yum portage. See my thread about worst Portages in the Quetico from about Feb 2013.

Eyedocron

Eyedocron

01/28/2015 10:09PM

looking at my records, this was 8 years ago.. We left from north Agnes, up the middle Agnes River, and had a late breakfast up a passage north of main part of Kawnipi. (Sorry, map not in front of me.). We then went north east to what looked like a dead end, turned east into a passage and paddled an hour east . Thought it was time for a break, but instead narrowed to s channel we paddled up for two hours. , Narrow, several log jams, small moose on shore, kind of fun. Was ready to keep going, then my son said, "What about his channel to the right(south). Was Mack creek. I would have missed it. Great day.

Kiporby

01/29/2015 06:32AM

One can see the log jams if you look at the Waiwag on Googglemaps, but Bingmaps shows them gone.

Google Map - Waiwag

Bingmap - Waiwag

Kiporby

01/28/2015 07:41PM

Eyedocron,

Where on the Waiwag did you guys encounter the log jams? I heard in the high water last year, they may have washed out?

Yes, I have heard terrible things about the portage from Ferguson.

Kiporby

01/28/2015 08:02PM

Thanks Artic!!

johno

01/29/2015 08:47PM

quote Kiporby: "One can see the log jams if you look at the Waiwag on Googglemaps, but Bingmaps shows them gone.

Google Map - Waiwag

Bingmap - Waiwag "
Wow, there's an interesting difference between Google Maps and Google Earth. Google Earth shows that same imagery, but the Imagery Date is 8/31/2009. I haven't used Google Maps much and I was unable to find the Imagery Date, but the display kind of implies the imagery is recent.

I paddled the Wawiag River in June of 2009, and encountered the logjams. I paddled it again in May of 2011 and the logjams were gone. Ranger Janice told me there had been an odd day during the summer of 2010 in which the water level changed dramatically on the Wawiag and that broke up the logjams.

Here's a link to another discussion of the Wawiag River

Kiporby: I think you should be able to paddle up the Wawiag in a solo with little problem. I've paddled that portion of the river up to Belaire 3 times, but never solo. Like others have said, the portage from the Wawiag to Belaire is a tough one. And the portage from Belaire to MacKenzie is a long one. But those lakes are gorgeous and worth the effort. You've got a great route planned!

carmike

01/29/2015 07:40PM

Man, Google Maps is kind of amazing.

arctic

01/28/2015 07:36PM

The log jams on the Wawiag below Mack Creek are all blown out and no longer exist. There is one easy portage around a rapids, but that's it.

I've also done the Ferguson Cache River Portage twice--the last time in 2013. It is a tough portage (certainly tougher than the Yum Yum or any of the Memory Lane Portages), but not out of the realm of many other northern portages. Just make damn sure you don't get hurt in that area! I do love that part of the park because it is more like typical northern bush than managed park.