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 Boundary Waters Quetico Forum Trip Planning Forum Oyster River Route to Oyster Lake from Nina Moose River Reply
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| Previous Messages: | |
| Author | Message Text |
| Jaywalker |
03/04/2018 11:06AM And be sure to get on Netflix and watch Boggie and Hepburn in "African Queen' before you paddle this route ;-) |
| schweady |
02/28/2018 01:25PM We've gone in at Moose N three times and have always wound up basing on Agnes. We do a half-hearted look for the best river route toward Oyster, but never pick out anything obvious. We might come out that way this year and lay down a gps track. :-) ! |
| muddyfeet |
02/27/2018 09:15PM I paddled it both ways as recent as 2016 without a problem. To find the channel going upriver: Look at the subsurface weeds and grasses. They grow and bend in a downcurrent direction. Also, occasionally standing up in the canoe can help to survey the path ahead. Paddle this area in early morning and be quiet: it is a good place to see moose. |
| ILcdr |
02/27/2018 07:45PM It's a rather easy portage. One time I came out to Agnes when it was pretty windy and had to bust through the surf to get going. Luckily there's a beach on the Agnes side. The river would probably be the way to go if wind and waves are a concern. |
| Schu4MU |
02/27/2018 07:03PM Came out south on the river which was a good decision, been that way twice and could never find the entry north to many reeds. |
| mr.barley |
02/27/2018 06:57PM My brother and I went in and out of Oyster in May about a dozen years ago. I thought it was adventurous and interesting. Finding the channel in would be most people's problem. |
| bpaddle |
02/27/2018 03:48PM I think it may also depend on the time of year you are going. As others have said, it could be difficult to find the entrance to the river from the Moose River end, and if you go later in the year after the vegetation comes up, it could be even more difficult. I did it in May, and was able to find the channel, but I may just have gotten lucky. As mentioned above, you will also be going against the current to Oyster (opposite from most other rivers there), so it would be more challenging in high water conditions with the winding nature of the river. There were several beaver dams to navigate like all other rivers of that type, so nothing unusual there. Can't really say if the river is faster than taking the portage, I guess it depends on how fast you are on the portages, and how much you like the small, winding river paddles. |
| Chlorin8ed |
02/27/2018 11:29AM Like everyone has said, doable going south. We did it in Sept. 2010?. It is fun and an adventure. When we emerged on the Nina, we looked back and I really doubt we would have found the entrance. It all blends in :-) BUT some have :-) |
| Jaywalker |
02/27/2018 10:59AM I'll suggest you study the satellite images carefully, or maybe print it out and tuck into your maps to help you find it. Others say it's doable and I believe them, but last time I paddled up toward Agnes I was looking for the channel and could not see it. Can't say I looked really hard, but it sure was not obvious. |
| cowdoc |
02/27/2018 09:43AM It's not a bad trip coming down from Oyster...with the current. Towards the bottom, it starts to "fan" out into a couple of little channels. You have to pick the one with the most current to be in the best one. There were numerous small beaver dams to push or float over and at the end, it dumped into the Nina Moose through a small reed patch that obscured it's mouth. It seemed to me that it would be difficult to find travelling up river. Further up the Oyster there is a very large beaver dam to pull over.....obviously much easier going down than up. I've only done it once, in late June, so others who have done it multiple times may know better. |
| egknuti |
02/27/2018 07:51AM The water levels should still be high through June and should not be a problem for you. The lower parts of the Oyster River are narrow and meandering and there may be a small beaver damn or two along the way, but this should not deter you. I'd take the river. |
| TominMpls |
02/26/2018 10:21PM My daughter and I did it southbound last July. It was clear the whole way, although very windey. The baby portages marked on the map are super quick. Going north I think your biggest concern would be finding the channel - at least when we passed through, the mouth was choked with reeds. It's definitely easier going south. But it's doable, just be persistent looking for the channel. It might be significantly harder when water levels are lower. We didn't assume we'd be able to do it, preparing to loop back to the portage if necessary, but with higher water at least it was no problem, and beautiful. |
| IndyElden |
02/26/2018 10:11PM Have any of you tried the Oyster River Route to Oyster Lake from Nina Moose River and skipped the 188 rod portage from Lake Agnes? I am inclined not to try it on my June 18 entry trip, but wondering what the experience of others was who did try it. From one of the photos posted on the entry point map with the caption "Should Have Taken the Portage", it looks like the water needs to be pretty high to be a viable option. |
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