BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog
January 05 2025
Entry Point 25 - Moose Lake
Number of Permits per Day: 27
Elevation: 1356 feet
Latitude: 47.9877
Longitude: -91.4997
Labor day weekend 2024.
Entry point was 25-Moose lake. Went north, and then west onto Ensign Lake. Camped on eastern end of Ensign lake. Very busy and lucky to get a campsite. Day 2, went to Cattyman Falls and on down to Disappointment Lake. All sites full. Had to get off the water due to inclement storm. Ended up on Parent Lake on day 3, western camp site. Beautiful site. Exited from Snowbank lake on day 4. Overall fishing was poor. Some small mouth bass on Parent lake.
Nothing elsewhere. Approximately 20 miles of paddling/portaging. 11 portages in total. Already planning for 2025.
Moose lake to Sag
Entry Date:
July 17, 2012
Entry Point:
Moose Lake
Exit Point:
Saganaga Lake (55)
Number of Days:
6
Group Size:
2
Wednesday was a day of rest only after paddling about 9 miles and doing 6 portages the day before. Our senior bones were tired. We finished the day watching a gorgeous sunset develop.
Thursday we were up early and on the water by 7AM, a portage and 10 miles of paddling later we were on Ottertrack, a most beautiful lake indeed. The next day was also a day of rest and fishing, although we were not nearly as tired as after the first day. The thought of moving on occurred to us. I have always noted that the first days of a trip kick my butt, then the mind and body seem to catch a second wind. The strong westerly wind would have made east travel a joy, but rest we did, hoping the wind would not change the next day. It did.
Friday on again at 7AM. Wind not a strong factor, but not at our back either. Monument portage is not one we want to see again, once was enough. We just burned rubber (for two old farts like us) and wound up at the west end of big Sag at 11AM! Hook island was in sight, just past Cache Point, the lake was uncharactistly quiet, so off we went. Cache Bay had rolling white caps coming out of it, so we quartered into them and soon were in the safety of the wind shadow of the Canadian shore. Got to Hook island at 12:30 PM, three days before our scheduled pickup. Confident there would be a pickup or drop off of someone, and to avoid the whitecaps of Cache Bay, we decided no to stop off and have the Canadian ranger radio our outfitter for an early pickup. Best decision at the time, but never saw another soul at Hook island that day. After a forced night of camping on Hook, a party arrived the next AM, and 1/2 hour later we were on our way home.
In reflection back, we accomplished what we wanted to, faster than we expected to. We planned 8 days for a trip that wound up taking 5. Yes we double portaged, Yes we used a 35lb Kevlar, But the wife carried the food barrel every portage except one. She never put a pack down on a portage, nor did I put down the canoe or a pack. She only fell over once, me twice, (since my stroke balance is not my strong suit anymore) all more rollovers that hurtful falls. Near the end of Ottertrack I told her "in my fifty years of canoeing I have never felt more stable in a canoe that I do right now" We are both short, low center of gravity, and we had the weight distribution in the canoe just right by that part of the trip. Mission accomplished. That being said, we have also decided that base camping is more our style now. The wife loves to set up a base camp, and I love to explore a new lake and face the challenge of catching supper on a lake I know nothing of. We found the frequent setting up tearing down tedious for us at this point in our lives. In the future, we will likely do 2-3 maybe 4 portages in and stay a week or so, and return via the same route. We are looking at Quetico possibilities next year. Still go what it takes I guess with some modifications.