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BWCA Entry Point and Route Blog

March 19 2024

Entry Point 49 - Skipper & Portage Lakes

Skipper and Portage Lakes entry point allows overnight paddle only. This entry point is supported by Gunflint Ranger Station near the city of Grand Marais, MN. The distance from ranger station to entry point is 28 miles. Access is a 320-rod portage from Poplar Lake or a 230-rod portage from Iron Lake. This area was affected by blowdown in 1999.

Number of Permits per Day: 2
Elevation: 1865 feet
Latitude: 48.0517
Longitude: -90.5366
Skipper & Portage Lakes - 49

August 05, 2008

Route - Skipper/Davis/Meeds Route

Routes
This route would be described as: Challenging

The Destination: Davis

There will be a Hell Day

Day 1: Traverse the portage from Poplar to Skipper
-Paddle Rush Lake, crossing over to Banadad
-Spend the First night on the East end of Banadad
Day 2 (Hell Day):-Wake up nice and early
-Take on the 600+ rod portages amounting to Long Island Lake
-Head for a nice little portage to Muskeg Lake
(This is where things can get tricky)
-Decide wether to Spend the night on Kiskadinna or keep pushing through the very long portage to Davis
-Sleep on this decision
Day 3: Make your way to Davis (if you didn't make it the night before)
-Spend the rest of today fishing and thinking of how much you have accomplished over the last two days
-Get some shut eye
Day 4: Head for some quick little skips at the east end of Davis into Pup
-Then get ready for the haul into Winchell
-From Winchell a number of routes can be taken
--Either up to Omega, Henson, and Pillsbery
or
--All the way at the Eastern end of Winchell, Portage into Gaskin, then Henson, then Pillsbery, which could be bad if you're up against a westerly wind.
-Depending on which route you take, you will have different advantages and disadvantages
-You may decide to spend the night on any number of these lakes
or
-You can push on through to Meeds and spend the night there
Day 5: Hopefully you've made it through the past couple of days, and are ready to head out
Now, again with the choices
Choice 1:-Head North into Pillsbery If you aren't there already
-Head North again into Swallow
-Then North once more onto Meeds
-Then haul your gear another 290 rods into Poplar and out of the BWCAW
or
Choice 2: -Head East to Gaskin
-Take easy portages onto Allen and Horseshoe
-Then take another short trip into Caribou
-Head North, then two short portages to Meeds
Then
-from Meeds either spend the night if you don't want to negotiate the 290 rod portage back to Poplar
or
-Take the portage and kick it's but and go and spend the night in a hotel

Too many choices!


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