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      Trip Report - First BWCA Trip- Stuart Lake Entry
 
  Last Visit: 03/28/2024 10:24AM

Entry Point 16 - Moose/Portage River (North of Echo Trail)

Moose/Portage River (north) entry point allows overnight paddle only. This entry point is supported by La Croix Ranger Station near the city of Ely, MN. The distance from ranger station to entry point is 27 miles. Access is a 160-rod portage heading North from the Echo Trail.

Number of Permits per Day: 5
Elevation: 1348 feet
Latitude: 48.1230
Longitude: -92.0991
Author Message Text
onepaddleshort
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12/31/2012 09:36AM
 
New Trip Report posted by onepaddleshort

Trip Name: First BWCA Trip- Stuart Lake Entry.

Entry Point: 19

Click Here to View Trip Report
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Beemer01
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12/31/2012 10:59AM
 
Nice report with amazing pictures - you make it look like it's worth it to haul in a SLR with an array of lenses!


Seriously - nice bit of work, thanks for writing this up! BTW, usually by late July the bugs have died down a bit, or perhaps my memory is fading.....................................

"You're not serious about wearing sandals on this portage.... are you?"
onepaddleshort
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12/31/2012 01:48PM
 
Glad you enjoyed it. The flies were pretty bad on a 90 degree July day with no wind coming up the Stuart. We still had a good time, in fact we're trying to figure out a route for next summer this very afternoon.
GSP
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12/31/2012 07:04PM
 
Great report, will take Stuart river off my list.

German Shorthair Pointers Rule Serenity is found in your mind, not somewhere you seek.
onepaddleshort
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12/31/2012 08:12PM
 
LOL. Hey, a cool day, with more water (both in the river and in the water bottles), and single portaging would be a whole different thing. I'll go back in on Stuart. Though I have a whole lot of other entry points to try out first...
TuscaroraBorealis
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12/31/2012 08:34PM
 
I may be wrong??? But, it seems to me, I've read your trip report before.


Never the less, it was an excellent read & awesome photos! Thanks for taking the time to share your story & photos.
onepaddleshort
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12/31/2012 08:54PM
 
Could have. I shared it on a trip planning thread with pastorjsackett who was looking for information on the Stuart entry prior to his trip this summer.
TuscaroraBorealis
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12/31/2012 10:14PM
 
quote onepaddleshort: "Could have. I shared it on a trip planning thread with pastorjsackett who was looking for information on the Stuart entry prior to his trip this summer."


That must've been it.
nctry
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01/02/2013 03:32PM
 
Great read! Enjoyed it a lot. Your lucky to have a great trip partner and sounds like your kids are pretty great too. :) I paddled a little during July too, but my tripping partner was recovering from getting run over by my truck. In September I got to see the Lac La Croix Picto's for the first time in almost thirty years... and on a calm day to boot which was rare the last part of my trip. I have mixed feelings about the overuse of areas like this in the BW. But I'm glad people get a chance to see and experiance what we like to call wilderness. Thanks for sharing... and nice pictures btw.

Nctry
boonie
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01/02/2013 04:50PM
 
Nice photos and report - really enjoyed it. It confirms the wisdom of my decision to go in Sept. - fewer people and bugs, and a little cooler, too ;).
rertel
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01/13/2013 09:44PM
 
My husband and I did the Stuart-Moose River route during the last week of June. We even did the bike ride thing.


The flies were minimal and the water was very high after torrential rains just the day before we launched. The temperatures were pleasant and it only rained a little on one of the days we were out. We had a great time. Because of the high water, we got a PMA permit and spent the first night on Whitefeather. It is a nice little lake in high water, but still not very deep. We spent a couple of days on the same campsite as you did on Stuart and spent most of one day watching a pair of eagles that were using the point just across from the campsite as a fishing base.


What you saw as a calm waterfall on Stuart was raging when we were there.


Sounds like we were amazingly lucky. I wouldn't have enjoyed the trip nearly as much if the water had been low. It had begun to recede when we exited and the Moose River itself was a little hard to navigate in places.


Thanks for an interesting report.


PacksTooMuch
pastorjsackett
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01/21/2013 09:41PM
 
Indeed! This trip report was super helpful to us prior to our trip. I also wrote one up on Stu. It is an awesome, brutal, beautiful, lonely trail. I will do it again, but only with lighter canoes! That opener is a bear. We found the walleye to be very cooperative, and there are two gorgeous campsites (one on the island across from the portage and the other on the far north end).


Your trip report has some of the fantastic photography I've seen on any report or anywhere. Great job and thanks again for the help!


PjS
pastorjsackett
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01/21/2013 09:44PM
 
PS: While we were there, the falls were perfect for swimming and bathing. Our four teens really enjoyed that day! If one were to get up the Stu on a low water year, I could see it being tough. There were some places where we barely made it through the rocks!
onepaddleshort
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01/22/2013 05:11AM
 
Boonie: Very jealous of your September trips. Fall is my favorite time of year by far, and the thought of doing some photography there with the leaves turning would be fantastic (not to mention more photos of my titanium mug- ha!): but a Boundary Waters trip in September- or any month in fall- is just not possible for me. Maybe some day.


rertel: We attempted to get into Whitefeather but the water was too low to float through and we didn't have any reason to struggle our way in (as we had to get to Stuart and make camp) but I think that would be a wise choice to get the PMA permit on the way in to Stuart if you'd like an easier first day. Also, I've read something about a small sort of cave on Whitefeather? Did you see anything like that?


Also, I think the insect life we experienced on our trip may have been related to the heavy rains at the end of June.


pastojsackett: Glad the report was helpful. I wrote it immediately upon our return (hence the insects were fresh in my mind) :). I would go through Stuart again- we attacked it with too much gear, me with a bad back, on a hot day in the middle of July, with low water. The good news is my wife went through that and still bought me a canoe and we're planning another trip (maybe two) for this year. And though I would go back, as I've already mentioned someplace further up this thread- we have so many other entry points and areas to explore it may be a while before we ever go in that way again. We are going to be ready when permits open at the end of the month so we have more choice of entries than we did last year.



boonie
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01/22/2013 07:05AM
 
Fall is also my favorite time of the year. You will enjoy your trip in the fall. The bugs are gone along with the crowds. Will look like this: Golden tamaracks on Horseshoe Lake.
onepaddleshort
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01/22/2013 07:26AM
 
quote boonie: "Fall is also my favorite time of the year. You will enjoy your trip in the fall. The bugs are gone along with the crowds. Will look like this: Golden tamaracks on Horseshoe Lake."


Great photo! But, there will be no fall canoe trip in the BWCA for me. I'll have to settle for a weekend trip on the Manitowish or the Turtle Flambeau. Can't get time off in the fall at all and the BW is too far to make a weekend trip worthwhile. I'll just have to look at your photos...
boonie
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01/22/2013 08:53AM
 
Well, maybe when you retire...
onepaddleshort
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01/22/2013 10:47AM
 
quote boonie: "Well, maybe when you retire..."


Yep, I really hope so...
TomT
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01/26/2013 07:09PM
 
Really nice report and some great shots. I'm another of those who like to go in Sept. and your buggy experience brought back lots of earlier trip memories of headnets and cursing.


And I'll second the notion that you have a great partner there. Excellent attitudes all around. hopefully there's trips with the kids in your future. Thanks for posting.




"Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." --- George Bernard Shaw
paddlefamily
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01/27/2013 11:02AM
 
Great report and beautiful photography. Island site was pretty nice.
onepaddleshort
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01/27/2013 07:20PM
 
Glad you both enjoyed the report and appreciate the comments. Looking forward to writing another trip report later this year!
HangLoose
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05/02/2015 10:12PM
 
Im a little late to the party, but I just enjoyed your trip report. My wife and I are very familiar with that exact route and coincidentally, we stayed at the same campsites. There were times during your report that I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't reading my own report. It was especially familiar when you talked about finding a small rock to tie to your bear rope and the hassles of hanging a food pack. I have been there so many times. We also experienced the many occupied campsites and having to struggle to find the last open site in that area. When you are accustomed to some solitude, it is certainly different to camp within view and sound of several other campsites. If you are ever back in that area, then make sure to make a day trip to Rebecca Falls as that is a beautiful spot. Thanks for sharing your report and photos. It really brought back some memories of that area.
onepaddleshort
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05/04/2015 07:25PM
 
quote DuluthPak: "Im a little late to the party, but I just enjoyed your trip report. My wife and I are very familiar with that exact route and coincidentally, we stayed at the same campsites. There were times during your report that I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't reading my own report. It was especially familiar when you talked about finding a small rock to tie to your bear rope and the hassles of hanging a food pack. I have been there so many times. We also experienced the many occupied campsites and having to struggle to find the last open site in that area. When you are accustomed to some solitude, it is certainly different to camp within view and sound of several other campsites. If you are ever back in that area, then make sure to make a day trip to Rebecca Falls as that is a beautiful spot. Thanks for sharing your report and photos. It really brought back some memories of that area. "



Glad you enjoyed the report. Seems like a long time ago now. Our first trip with just the two of us. We have learned a lot since then and have upgraded packs and are now using a barrel to stash rather than hanging. This year we'll be exploring the east side of the BWCA and we've never been there- so we're looking forward to that.


But someday we'll get back that way and we'll check out Rebecca Falls. We didn't even know about it during this first trip.


Hope you have a great trip this year!
Knoozer
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05/12/2015 12:18AM
 
Tim,
I know you've talked to us about this trip before but it was great reading the story and seeing the pics. Gets me excited for my trip in a month. Maybe we'll have to get together before then and get in some paddling shape.

God let Peter walk on water. To the rest of us He gave knoos.
onepaddleshort
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05/12/2015 08:58PM
 
quote Knoozer: "Tim,
I know you've talked to us about this trip before but it was great reading the story and seeing the pics. Gets me excited for my trip in a month. Maybe we'll have to get together before then and get in some paddling shape."



Sounds like a plan. We've been out several times already both in the kayaks and canoes. We even got in a little canoe camping a couple weeks ago. Maybe if it ever warms up again...
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