BWCA Angleworm in April? Boundary Waters Trip Planning Forum
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johnnyboy82
member (9)member
  
04/20/2017 05:50PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
New to the forums, lady from Voyagers recommended I joined the boards. Not sure why I have not done this years ago.

I was wondering if anybody has been on the Angleworm yet this yr? I was thinking of coming up in the next few days and doing the hike.
 
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Grandma L
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04/20/2017 05:56PM  
First of All - Welcome to the Board!
I am not a hiker so - not information from me. I hope others will post your answer.
04/20/2017 07:48PM  
I walked to the lake and a little beyond two weeks ago. Trail was in decent shape (snow covered for much of the way then) a few downed trees. nothing too difficult. Ran out of daylight so I didn't get any farther.
04/20/2017 08:50PM  
I haven't been in there this year but live nearby. The snow Banksiana mentions is all gone. The downed trees would still be there. I'd say this winter was a little bit rougher (not a lot though) on the trees than most, so windfall could be a more-than-average hindrance if you are planning on hiking the whole way around, since trail cleaning won't have happened yet. Also, water levels are going up and there's a lot of water still on the ground, and at least a few years ago the trail around the south end of the lake was under water in the spring; you could still follow it, but it resulted in wet feet (fortunately we did that part at the end of the day). I guess I've also encountered high water at the inlet from Home Lake crossing over a beaver dam in the spring too - not sure how that varies from year to year. So those are some of the things you might encounter on an early season hike.

If you time it for nice weather though, it's a great time of year to hike through the woods, with longish days and views unobstructed by excess foliage. A few years ago I hiked the whole loop in a day with some friends in early May and it was gorgeous. I don't think I would try that alone though.

Are you planning on hiking the whole loop? Camping along the way?
johnnyboy82
member (9)member
  
04/21/2017 05:49AM  
Thank you for the info. Yes, I plan on doing the whole loop. Not in one day though, maybe two or three. Debating on bringing a chainsaw with and clearing the path as well. Does that upset the forest service?
04/21/2017 06:40AM  
Check out the Trip Reports, there are several about the Angleworm Loop.

I do believe that the Forest Service would frown upon your use of a chainsaw.
johnnyboy82
member (9)member
  
04/21/2017 06:54AM  
Ok, Ill let the Forest service do their job.

Ive hiked the Angleworm before, I don't think there are any trip reports for the angleworm out yet for this hiking season on trail conditions
HappyHuskies
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04/21/2017 09:52AM  
I don't have any first hand knowledge of the trail this spring, but was planning to hike the Angleworm loop tomorrow. If I do, I'll post a short message concerning trail conditions.



johnnyboy82
member (9)member
  
04/21/2017 08:11PM  
that would be awesome!!!
04/22/2017 09:20PM  
You can't use a chainsaw in the wilderness. Nor would you want to. Lugging it around would be way more work than circumventing any deadfall.

Some parts of trails in this area can be hard to follow in the spring before green-up, but the Angleworm Trail is pretty clear. When we did it a few years ago as a (very long) day hike we did get off the trail for a minute or two around the northwest part of it where a deer path looked like the trail. But we soon realized our mistake and got back to the real path. Pay attention though.

On the west side of the lake, several paths lead off the main hiking trail to campsites that are on the lakeshore and can be used by hikers or canoeists. Those campsite trails generally aren't shown on the maps so they can be confusing. If you want to camp in that area keep your eyes open for them.

HappyHuskies
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04/23/2017 05:57AM  
johnnyboy82,

I took advantage of the great springtime weather yesterday and hiked the Angleworm loop. I took a full pack in case I needed to spend the night, but ended up finishing in one day. Probably would not have taken the extra gear, but the overnight forecast was for snow or a rain/snow mix and did not think getting caught in this without the right gear would be much fun. As it turned out, the weather was better than expected overnight, but better safe than sorry.

Overall the trail is in very good condition for early spring. The outlet creek from Home Lake is flowing pretty good, but not difficult to cross. Similarly, there is water flowing over the beaver dam crossing, but again not difficult to cross ... just some wet feet.

Quite a bit of snowdown from this past winter. Most of it consists of relatively small conifers and none of it is particularly difficult to get around or over. Probable the worst section, in terms of snowdown is just to the east of the outlet creek on Home lake. There is a section of perhaps 200 yards that has quite a few trees down, but again perfectly manageable.

I think if you go you'll enjoy it and not find the trail all that much different that the last time you hiked it. I've hiked it several times and it's always a favorite.


 
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