I have been checking out options for a Lac LaCriox tow this spring and basically got a "sticker shock" over the price, and its extra money, since I got my own canoe too. Damn!

Does anyone have any ideas on how to not let the tow cost more than the rest of the trip through that area??

Take an extra 5-6 hrs. in and out and paddle up Moose from 16.

If you paddle in EP16, you still have to paddle to the Quetico ranger station near First Nation, which is about half way across the top of LLC. I'd say it would take you the better part of the day before you reached your Quetico EP on LLC. A lot of work.

It is expensive, but quite the treat.

The cheapest and best tow on LLC I have found was Randy Stern from Gateway, but it looks like their website is no longer active--so don't know if he still does them. His number is 218-993-2415. Leave him a message, but he will not get back to you for awhile. He drives truck in the offseason and isn't around. Very reliable once you get booked, ya gotta just keep calling. No extra charge for your canoe. I think about $70 per person is his price.

Another option is you can drive to the LLC ranger station and park there. I have never done it, but have seen others do it. I think they lock your car up in a compound to keep it safe.

You can enter through the BWCA but if you paddle form Crane that would add up to 4 days of travel and entering at another location would add at least 2-4 days. I don't know about you, but I just don't have that much vacation time.

I called Randy about a tow this morning. He quoted me $180 round trip and no charge for canoes. Best price out there plus you get to meet a true northwoods charactor. It's a wild ride!

"Another option is you can drive to the LLC ranger station and park there. I have never done it, but have seen others do it. I think they lock your car up in a compound to keep it safe. "

This option is probably a 5-7 hour drive beyond International Falls, including a 75 mile drive on gravel roads.

Not sure I'd do this. Zups out of Crane Lake is also an excellent tow option. Quite a ride - ask for Jan as your driver.

Rocket Randy. Highly recommended. It's not just a tow, it's an adventure.

We had our outfitter arrange the tow with Zup's....we just sucked it up and paid the bill......it was worth it to get into the west side of Quetico fast.....as you know we came out at Prairie Portage.

Thanks Guys, great info here!

Fishguts,
I was inspired to take this route by you, thanks. I'll be talking more about it to you later.

I am planning one of our trips through Zups this year. I want to get to Crooked in a day without putting to much strain on my dad who is 66....

Toby,
I'll send a private message to Journeyman....he just made reservations with Zup's and know the up to date information.

I have my permit taken care of with Zups now.... All that is left is 4 long months till we go....

Congrats! Toby the time will fly by....have a great trip...catch fish! :)

I finally got a hold of Randy Stern at Gateway this morming. Our tow is now written in stone. I was quoted $180 roundtrip with no charge for canoes. Coupled with the ride of your life.....can't beat it.

I wonder if Randy has a place to leave your vehicle?

We leave our vehicles there. He's VERY hard to get a hold of in the winter.

Yep. I tried last year all winter. Then he called me around this time and I'd already made arrangements. We talked for awhile and he sounded like a real character. He beats everyone else on price too, by a few bucks.

We were quoted 170 or 175 from Zups. I told her I have my own canoe so maybe I am not getting charged for the canoe?

That's a good deal. Is that from Crane Lake dock with no rental from Zup, or did you book an overnight stay with Zup? If so, how much is an overnight stay? Still planning, help would be appreciated.

Zups charges $80 extra for the canoe round trip (according to their website). If not - that is a great deal. Maybe they waive the canoe fee if you rent a cabin from them.

Just looked at Zup's website and it says 190 roundtrip plus 80 for each canoe not rented from them. These prices are Canadian funds of coarse, so 170-175 is probably how it converts out. Probably still looking at over 70 per canoe after conversion.

Over night stay with Zups will be an extra 90 a person. They'll pick us up at Crane Lake at 4pm the night before.....

Just talked to Zups and here is the low down on my bill.
175 per person for the tow
80 total for my own canoe
90 a person for a night stay in one of their cabins. We will get a supper and a breakfast with that.

They are also going to give us a day pass for a day trip into the Q so we can fish Lakers on Argo Lake. We will have to buy a canadian fishing licenses but hey it'll be fun to see another lake and actually fish lakers for a day....

We went with andersons, but had our outfitter make the arrangements. Came out to $175 round trip p/p. Stayed in a bunkhouse at La Croix Outfitters the night before the tow. Ron is one heck of a nice guy.

Well other then bad weather it was a good trip. I got to meet Journeyman and his girlfriend who are two very nice people. I hope to get out fishing with Journeyman later this summer....

Now as for Zups? I would not take them again. I was quoted twice on the phone at 175. Then when we received the bill on Friday it was 200 a person. I questioned it and she said that I requested a jet boat? Requested? hell up until we got on the boat I never even knew what one was. She gave us back half the difference but it still burns me a bit that she tried pulling something like that. Also, didn't care for the 6 dollar a day parking at Scotts or the 13% tax on the entire trip.... lol.... I guess I should've done a little more research ahead of time....

Firday we sat on the rock at bottle portage waiting for our tow back. I talked to Andersons and it looks like we will be going that route next year. Zups had cold beer and good food but paying 90 a person for a night in a bunkhouse was a little much as well... The service of handling your packs at Zups was great. They have some really nice kids working there....

Toby,
It was good meeting with you and your group, looking forward to hearing how you guys held up with the weather those first 5 days.

Sorry to hear about your experience with Zups, mine was similar too.
Overall, I'd say going with was Zup's was good, and their service is very good.

We rolled with Randy Stern at Gateway again this year.His jet boat was down, so we took his prop boat. He's hard to get a hold of, but good tow service once booked. We paid 180 apiece roundtrip with no canoe charges or the surprise fees as I have been reading about.

We did the same as Mr. Barley. He has lodging as well and free parking.

I agree Journeyman going with them was good I am just a little pissed with myself for not doing a little more research on it. I told the guys that the total bill for each would be 320(with tax). The bill came to 380 a piece and I felt bad about that. I didn't expect the extra tax, parking, or the price of the tow going up.... The service by the people in camp were second to none though.

I think I'll have to get a hold of Gateway to check them out as well....

As for the weather? It was like "Ground Hog Day". Every morning you wake up and put on the rain gear before leaving the tent. The cold, rain, and wind everyday was getting to the new guy but we just took it in stride. We were wondering how your travel was. You said you planned on doing about 8 miles a day? Did the wind alter those plans?

We had our own "Ground Hog Day" - with the exception of entry and exit day showers, it seemed like everyday was sunny and in the 80s. Not good portaging weather :) which we seemed to do alot of this trip. We were praying for some cloud cover. We entered at Black Robe on 6/19 and exited Bottle on 6/27. Great trip despite the heat wave.

Toby,
We got to William Lake on the first day, then hunckered down there for the next 4 days waiting for a break. There's worse places to be stuck.

Sounds like you and Snakecharmer should have passed each other on the Bottle portage.

I went with Zups on my first trip and had similar problems with pricing. For what it's worth I never felt it was on purpose or they were trying to be deceptive. I just felt they were not thorough when quoting you the price. Also we were a group of three and were told we had to pay the price of a group of 4 unless they grouped us. Well we ended up getting grouped with a group of 8, but when I got my bill we were still charged the 4 person price. I was able to fix it and once again I never felt it was on purpose, just not thorough.

I have never used them again because I don't like having to watch out for mistakes in Billing.

Their service was good, I liked you did not have to go to the ranger station as they are a Canadian Outfitter and can pick up your permit, I just demand a little more thoroughness when I am paying that much money.

I am sure sometime in the future I will give them another chance. Heck it might be this year. I am currently playing phone tag with Rocket Randy :)

Snakecharmer, when did you get to Bottle? We did meet a group on the river part of Iron. I think they had 2 solo canoes a tandem....

Timatkn, I was wrong to say "but it still burns me a bit that she tried pulling something like that." That was not nice to say as they were nice people that didn't seem shady. That was said in haste and I am truly sorry people.... Most of this was indeed my fault by not researching and it was a lesson learned. In the future I will be dotting the i and crossing the t....

Toby - Our pickup at Bottle was scheduled for 10-10:30. We would have been on Iron just prior that...in 2 solos and a tandem :)

So were you one of the solos or the tandem? Come to think of it we met two groups on the river? One halfway down and the other by one of the islands at the mouth of the river. The first group was the tandem and two solos. I talked to the canoes in passing.

Hell, don't be sorry about reporting something that would give someone (myself) a heads up. Nothing burns my ass more than that crap about last minute charges. I've been burned twice with that petty bullshit and now I'm getting ready for another. I don't believe for a second that these surprises aren't planned. To be in business for 10, 20, or 30 years and not know what to charge, or not know that a customer doesn't like surprise fees? I wonder if some outfitters have ever been customers of their own product, or did they inherit a business minus the passion of running it.

Yeah Toby I did not find anything wrong with your post. I was relaying a similar experience with the same outfitter.

Timatkn, I took your post as you stated I just wanted it to be known that I did phrase it wrong. When there is a lot of people reading the forums sometimes some will read it differently then it was meant.

At any case I am going to do something for one of the young lads working there. I am going to tape the UFC 100 this weekend and send it to him. The kid was wearing a tapout shirt and said he loved UFC but they didn't get it there. I know it is against copyright but since they don't get it there I figured I would do this for him....

Used Zup's for our first-ever LLC tow, week of June 21 and want to add my 5 cents worth: 1)Zup's and their staff are First Class; 2)The tows are an "adventure" and I'd say if you have a choice, take the Beatty route rather than the Dawson(it includes a 4-mile 45 minute ROUGH ride in an old beat-up Suburban over a "road" that shouldn't exist); 3)Our $90 room was not in a "bunkhouse," had real beds/linens, included a steak dinner with all the fixings and strawberry shortcake dessert, plus a breakfast of hotcakes, sausage and fruit; 4)I glanced at the bill and handed over my Visa card -- it was worth every cent! 5) I'll be back.