Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Quetico Forum :: Quetico Waterfalls
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Rob Johnson |
quote Wally13: "Sounds like a plan. Would you come up through the south? Get a tow to American point? |
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Rob Johnson |
quote billconner: "It would be hard to beat the Falls Chain - McEwen - Louisa - Agnes route for falls, among other attributes." Now I see why Jackfish asked about our daughters age. Love the sights on this route but that is a long way to paddle. I wish there was a way out of the south end of Glacier. |
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Rob Johnson |
quote Jackfish: "How old are the two girls? Probably would make a difference in how far into the interior you'd be able to go."One daughter is 15 the other is 12. Both are canoe camping enthusiasts. We solve the "power in the bow" problem by taking a Minnesota IV 4-person canoe. We actually clip along at a good pace with 4 paddlers. The 23' is a bit unwieldy but only weighs 64 lbs so portages ok. |
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Wally13 |
RobJohnson, I would just go to Louisa Falls via Prairie Portage. Early morning tow from an outfitter on Moose Lake (Canadian Border Outfitters, or LaTourells) to Prairie Portage Entry Point. Try to be 1st in line at Canadian Ranger Station. Paddle northeast into Bayley Bay ... get on the water as early as possible as Bayley Bay is big water and can get rough in late morning. Take sand beach portage into Burke Lake, paddle northwest to Singing Brook portage with short portage into Sunday Lake. Then long portage into Meadows Lake and short paddle to another rocky portage into Agnes. Louisa Falls is a 20 minute paddle to the northeast. You can camp there in big grassy campsite adjacent to the Falls and a few others not too far away. It is will be a long day but so worth it. Your daughters will really enjoy the Falls. I would hang there and just loop back the way you came. If you don't want to do it all in one day ... take your time and camp on Sunday or Singing Brook portage and then paddle to the Falls the next day. This route can get a little busy as Prairie Portage is one of the busiest entry points. Any questions ... drop me a line and I can help you out. I usually use this route when I head up thru Agnes to get to Kawnipi. The high cliffs on east side as you paddle up Agnes are very scenic. Way up Agnes is one of the best pictograph sites in the park. But Agnes is a long narrow lake and it can get very rough on windy days. If it looks to be calm the week you are there it may be worth traveling up beautiful Agnes Lake. |
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billconner |
quote Rob Johnson: "quote billconner: "It would be hard to beat the Falls Chain - McEwen - Louisa - Agnes route for falls, among other attributes."Now I see why Jackfish asked about our daughters age. Love the sights on this route but that is a long way to paddle. I wish there was a way out of the south end of Glacier." Perhaps. My son at 12 and I did PP - Man Chain - Falls Chain - Kawanipi - Agnes with day at Louisa Falls - and out PP. It depends on how much time you have. Either of those with your group is probably 6-8 nights out. |
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HansSolo |
As others have mentioned, there are several great choices for routes with spectacular waterfalls, but the "Falls Chain" from Saganaga Lake/Cache Bay to Kawnipi Lake has to be the best of the best IMHO. This past June, Canoe42 and I did just that during our "paired solo" trip. We traveled from Saganaga Lake up the "Falls Chain" to Kawnipi Lake. We then took a layover day for relaxing and fishing on Kawnipi Lake. Other than strong head wind for a few days mid-trip, our trip was relatively easy. It was the first time traveling the "Falls Chain" for Canoe42, but my third, although it had been a few years. Nevertheless, as beautiful as the "Falls Chain" is, it's beauty never gets old. We took seven-days to travel from the landing on Saganaga Lake to Kawnipi Lake and back, with one lay-over day on Kawnipi Lake. After our lay-over on Kawnipi, we traveled back to our entry point on Saganaga Lake via the same route. We could have done it in less, but the more relaxed pace allowed for short travel days and time to soak up the beautiful scenery. Hans Solo |
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Eyedocron |
When discussing waterfalls, don't forget Twin Falls at the western downstream end of the Malign River. A bit harder to reach this area since they closed the western ranger entry years ago. |
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Eyedocron |
I have always reviewed ahead with my crews the portage approaches when coming from upstream, especially Kennybas Falls. I would not have wanted to do that one with so much water. I was there the day 20 years ago when the search planes were looking for the crew swept over Kennybas Falls into Kawnipi. |
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Springer2 |
Lower Basswood Falls (spring, high water year) McIntyre Lake waterfall flowing into McIntyre Creek |
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Rob Johnson |
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OldFingers57 |
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dentondoc |
quote Rob Johnson: "Two dads...each with a daughter. Looking for a Q route with waterfalls and struggling to find much. I see there are some south of Kawnipi...there must be others..." By "south of Kawnipi" I assume you are referring to the "Falls Chain?" While the stretch of water from Silver Falls to Kennebas Falls is probably the most significant pattern of falls in Quetico, there are a couple of others that come to mind: Poets Chain, with falls from Shelley to Keats, Keats to Chatterton and Chatterton to Russell, with a long "spillway" from Russell to Sturgeon. (I suppose you could add the falls spilling from Kawnipi into Kahsashpiwi Creek, if you make Kawnipi your starting point. Outside of Silver Falls, I'd say that Curtain Falls (Crooked Lake to Iron Lake) is likely the largest. On Iron (Iron to McAree) lies Rebecca Falls. An nice little intimate set of falls separates Roland Lake from Middle Roland Lake (in loosely the same area as Curtain Falls. Basswood river from Basswood to Iron has a few. Darky to Minn has a few. The "B-chain" from Pickerel to Fern and then onto Olifaunt and then Sturgeon Lake via the Pickerel River has a few. Those are the areas that immediately come to mind. dd |
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old_salt |
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Wally13 |
Rob Johnson, Like OLD SALT suggested I would recommend taking your daughter and your bud and his daughter to Louisa Falls. It is about a 75 foot drop from Louisa Lake from the top of the falls down to Agnes Lake. About 1/2 way down the falls is a large Jacuzzi tub big enough for 8 people. It a refreshing and relaxing spot to bathe and have the falls pop on top of your head. There are a few campsites nearby too. There is a large grassy site not far from the base of the falls that scouts often use. It can get crowded at Louisa Falls as it is a popular spot. I like to visit the tub when the water warms up in late June or July. Normally there is lots of water coming from Louisa Lake above the tub at that time of year vs. the drier months of August and September. Here is a YOU TUBE video of Louisa Falls that will give you a flavor of what the tub looks like. It is not my group in the You Tube video. Just found it on You Tube. There are plenty of other pics of Louisa Falls on line GOOGLE. Louisa Falls Quetico |
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HighnDry |
quote old_salt: "Don't forget about the jacuzzi at Louisa Falls just off Agnes." +1. |
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billconner |
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Jackfish |
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Rob Johnson |
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old_salt |
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dentondoc |
quote Rob Johnson: "HANS SOLO...is Kawnipi still nice in spite of the '95 fire? Trees big enough for hammocks?" Most everything west of McVicar Bay is fine, even the western half of McVicar has some good tree cover (as do many of the islands). The eastern shore of Kawa Bay also has some burned spots. dd |
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HansSolo |
quote Rob Johnson: "Thanks for the pics. That is a nice looking solo...is that a Bell?" Dave/Canoe42's solo canoe is a Sawyer Expedition Kevlar Autumn Mist @ 14' 10". My solo is a Wenonah Kevlar Flex-Core Voyager @ 17' 6". For what it's worth, Dave Yost designed both the Sawyer Autumn Mist and the Bell Merlin II; the Merlin II being 15'. It's my understanding that the Merlin II and the Autumn Mist share similar DNA, so to speak. The faded black gel-coat on Canoe42's Autumn Mist also makes it appear like a graphite lay-up. Canoe42 also did a custom woodworking job on his Autumn Mist by installing new gunnels, thwarts and end decks. All that being said, his Autumn Mist looks very similar to a carbon graphite Bell Merlin II. (Comparison of our solo canoes beached at a campsite shown below.) Hans Solo |
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HansSolo |
quote Eyedocron: "HansSolo, I enjoyed your pictures of the Falls Chain and have been through there several times, both up and down, but I never saw so much water crashing over as in your pictures. When were these taken? Spring floods? " Our trip up and down the "Falls Chain" was from June 18th through June 24th of 2016. During the second night of the trip, we experienced the Father's Day Storm that swept through the area. High winds and some of the strangest lighting I have ever seen. Water levels were not really a problem. That said, some strong head winds created some large standing waves below many of the falls from the wind blown waves clashing with the down stream current. It made for some sketchy water conditions that made reading the current tricky. Then again, most of our days were blessed with incredibly calm winds and water conditions. Hans Solo |
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HansSolo |
quote Rob Johnson: "HANS SOLO...is Kawnipi still nice in spite of the '95 fire? Trees big enough for hammocks?" Pretty much what dentondoc and old_salt said. Although I had been through the "Falls Chain" twice before this trip, both of those trips were prior to the 1995 fire. It was sad to see how the fire affected parts of Kawnipi Lake since my last visit. Depending where you call the night your home, there should be adequate trees for hammocks. My partner Dave, (A.K.A. Canoe 42), is a "hanger", although I'm not. Dave was able rig his hammock at our Kawnipi Lake campsite, despite the site not being blessed with very large trees. (Pictures of our site below) Hans Solo |
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Rob Johnson |
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Banksiana |
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HansSolo |
quote Banksiana: "Just to clarify for folks making their first venture to the Falls chain- Hans Solo's trip was "down" the Falls Chain to Kawinipi and "up" the Falls when returning to Saganaga. The flow is from Saganaga to Kawinipi." Correct! :-) My mention of "up and down" the "Falls Chain" was in reference to our direction of travel, not the flow of Maligne River from Saganaga Lake/Cache Bay north to Kawnipi Lake and back. Hans Solo |
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Rob Johnson |
quote HansSolo: "quote Banksiana: "Just to clarify for folks making their first venture to the Falls chain- Hans Solo's trip was "down" the Falls Chain to Kawinipi and "up" the Falls when returning to Saganaga. The flow is from Saganaga to Kawinipi." Good to know...I did actually take the previous post to mean it flowed the other way. |
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AdamXChicago |
AdamX |
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Banksiana |
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BnD |
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