Does anyone has any experience with a fly in - paddle out ???

I'm just sitting here considering options, after footing the bill for the crane lake jet boat last year, it seems anything is okay to put on the table for consideration.

Only once a couple of years ago, courtesy of a well off friend. We flew from Ely to Beaverhouse. The flight was truly awesome. We were able to track where we were by map and memory and the pilot dipped around several spots and falls to allow us good views. We landed on Beaverhouse and taxied right up to the dock at the Ranger Station. I have to admit it was a great flight and certainly opens up the option of leaving a vehicle in Ely and then dropping down however you want through the Quetico and BW.

I grew up in the area and fought fires one summer in the BW with the US Forest Service. We usually went in by boat/canoe or four wheeler but did fly a few times so it was fun to do it again.

I think of it as a once in a lifetime experience. As fun as it was the cost for four of us was in the neighborhood of $1,650.
We booked the trip through Piragis in Ely. There was a fair amount of waiting around time for the flight which cut into our paddling time. It might have been just as easy to drive to Beaverhouse or the other entry points and make a circle in that part of the park, which we have done a number of times.

Joe!

I have always wanted to fly in to Clay and come down into Kawnipi, for me that is the only one I think I'd be up to paying for.....

We did get a van ride to Nym and do the Cross Quetico trip....awesome but the van ride was OK.

And of course we have gone to Crane Lake like your trip last year...an excellent experience.

You pays your money and takes your choice.

In 2008 we flew to Clay Lake and paddled out to Stanton Bay, using Canoe Canada in Atikokan. I think the flight itself was $600. --Goose
http://www.bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=trip.report_view&sel_trp_id=1619 Fly-in trip report

Thanks for the input, it sure looks like something that has to go on the "to do list" at least once!

With the few calls I made so far it looks like you need to have a party of four to make it cost effective.

Old Grey, Nice report, the flight alone seems like a real value! Great route, I am a little surprised to hear you ran into so many people on it.

quote Journeyman: ". . . I am a little surprised to hear you ran into so many people on it."

"So many?" From Clay to Sturgeon, I think we only saw 2 people. From Deux Rivieres to Stanton Bay, a different story. --Goose

opps my mistake, 2 people sounds better. I guess it seemed like more with the fly over and the moose boy incident.

I went through part of that area a couple years ago. Traveled up through Kawnipi and down Kash creek to Kash lake without seeing anyone, 5 days in a row. It's a Great area!

I would have to say that the Clay lake fly in is the best trip I have ever taken. My father and I flew into Clay lake a few years back (1997) as a gift for my 18th birthday/graduation. We flew from Ely into big Sag to the customs/ranger station then took off for Clay. There is nothing like the experience of loading your gear into your canoe from a beecher, then watching the plane take off, then the silence and solitude we all long for as the hum of the engine fades. We paddled to Kawnipi, Agnes, North Bay and out through Prairie Portage. My favorite campsite in the world is the one on the north end of Agnes. There was a stretch of 6 days where we saw no other people, only moose, bear, bald eagles, ect. Someday I hope to take my sons on the same trip. I will never forget that trip as long as I live. I'd be glad to give more details if you are interested.