Hi all...

Group of 6 going in on Big Sag. We have a tow arranged, but will have the flexibility to choose where it takes us to start the trip.

What's in my head now is to tow to American Point and then begin paddling along the border. And I'm eyeing lakes like Ester, Hanson and Cherry for our 3-night basecamping spot.

Assuming decent paddling conditions, how long will it take us to get to those lakes? We will be double portaging, but have our system down fairly well and don't waste much time. It's a b-line for a campsite with no time spent fishing, etc.

What about staying along the border, to the western part of Ottertrack or north/eastern part of Knife, SAK, maybe Gijikiki or Amoeber?

Alternatively, we could go south on Sag and start our paddle into Red Rock. I'm not particularly interested in the burned areas of Alpine or Jasper...how long to get to the southern and western areas of Ogish?

Just trying to get a feel for the distances around here. We usually like to put in 3-6 hours of travel to get to a basecamping spot, whether that be after a tow drop or from the EP itself. Then we'll come out the same way.

Thanks!

Just back from Sag trip last week. Be aware both campsites on Englishman Island are closed…I assume due to overuse. Plenty of other campsites to be had. Enjoy!

it all depends on wind. it seems to be windy this summer.

also, what time does your tow drop you?

average paddle/portage is 2mph. i'd shoot for ester for a basecamp and do day trips from there, so you still have time to get back for your return tow.

ive never seen much for campsites along ottertrack.

I did basecamp on Ester in 2018. We got tow to American Point around 9 AM and were at camp on Ester by noon. We were single portaging, so my guess is you could do that in 4 hours.

We were on site 2008, south end of the island. Great site and loved the trip. We did day trips down to Cherry, Lake of the Clouds, and Over to Rabbit. Good trout fishing on Rabbit.