Good Day All - greetings from central Texas!

My wife and I had been planning our first BWCA trip for this year, but due to "mass work related chaos" she will be unable go. Now I find myself considering a fall solo for my first BWCA trip. I have long enjoyed solo adventures of varying ilk (canoe tripping, climbing, hunting, fly fishing, etc.) but this would be my longest solo canoe trip yet: something like 8 - 12 days.

Any suggestions, especially as far as a route goes? Being solo in a new place, I would lean towards more conservative as far as mileage goes. While portaging is not my favorite part, I tend to take them in stride. Not opposed to base camping either.

All thoughts and suggestions are welcome!

Hi, bct-

I enjoy my long fall solos; it sounds like you probably will too. I don't fish and seek solitude. I don't avoid portages and often seek them out to leave the crowd behind and find some solitude. I like to travel, but also build in some layover/weather days about 1 every 3-4 days, so I'll usually plan for 7-8 days traveling out of a 10-12 day trip. I double portage and usually plan to cover 10 miles (including the double portage mileage), give or take a couple miles, on travel days, which are usually 5 hours, give or take. There's often a little extra wandering around. I don't know if that would be conservative mileage and planning for you or not.

I liked my route last fall - see my 2016 trip report - and something along those lines might be what you are looking for. Or maybe a shorter route like in my 2014 trip report. There are a lot of entry/route options for 8-12 days, especially if you like to travel most days. Even with that relatively modest travel you could do an 80-mile trip. In 2015 I entered at Cross Bay, went to Snipe, Copper, Tuscarora, then south to Little Sag and back around to exit at Round Lake.

You can get a lot of ideas from reading trip reports - just click on the "Planning" tab at the top, trip reports, BWCA, and they are sorted by entry point.

If you're still looking for something longer/shorter/different, just ask; there are lots of options.

I would enter Little Indian Sioux north and head east once you reach Lower Pauness and then loop out thru Slim. Read up on entry point 14 trip reports.

I would enter Little Indian Sioux north and head east once you reach Lower Pauness and then loop out thru Slim. Read up on entry point 14 trip reports.

you don't mention when in the fall you are traveling. if it's during the leaf change i would agree with all the guys above me. LIS has a nice variety of forest types, also good chance to see moose if you are careful. the map below is from the forest service, 1977. outdated for certain but the basics are still good. red is pine, blue is aspen/birch, grey-blue is spruce fir.

When traveling solo be extra mindful of the wind. I tend to avoid big lakes or hug the shore a little more. Also, travel early when the water is calmest. The east side (gunflint trail) is beautiful in the fall.

Will you have a solo canoe or will you paddle in a tandem? I would take Boonie's advice and just start reading trip reports. Staying off the real big lakes like those on the border are a good bet too. A nice loop with variety would be entering at Mudro Lake and heading through Fourtown then the Moosecamp River to Moosecamp Lake. There's options from there, you can go further north on the Horse River to Basswood (maybe see the lower Falls?) or you can just loop west through Gun, Fairy, and Boot back to Fourtown.

I was solo in 2007 and did this loop and while staying on Moosecamp I saw and heard a big bull moose courting a cow in the shallow southwest bay. I was there during the third week of September.

quote SevenofNine: "I would enter Little Indian Sioux north and head east once you reach Lower Pauness and then loop out thru Slim. Read up on entry point 14 trip reports."

+1

quote jwartman59: ". the map below is from the forest service, 1977. outdated for certain but the basics are still good. red is pine, blue is aspen/birch, grey-blue is spruce fir.
"

It would be real interesting to see that same map updated today, after the blowdown/fires and the pagami fire.

I did my first solo last Oct. Just a 3 day. I went in at Moose, up to Birch where I camped. I did a day trip over to knife lake. If you like clear water, this is a great area. Only one short portage to get into Birch, and a few portages into knife.

Mudro is also a great entry point. Lots of options, smaller lakes, good fishing. We usually go Mudro, Fourtown, Boot, Fairy, Gun, and camp on Gull. They day trip up into Thunder and Beartrap.

I see you have a prism. Just got mine last fall.

quote IceColdGold: "I did my first solo last Oct. Just a 3 day. I went in at Moose, up to Birch where I camped. I did a day trip over to knife lake. If you like clear water, this is a great area. Only one short portage to get into Birch, and a few portages into knife.


Mudro is also a great entry point. Lots of options, smaller lakes, good fishing. We usually go Mudro, Fourtown, Boot, Fairy, Gun, and camp on Gull. They day trip up into Thunder and Beartrap.


I see you have a prism. Just got mine last fall."
Love my Prism. Great for most solo needs. Twisting narrow streams is not one of them, but it just takes a little longer, but with some skill/experience it works OK for those as well.

Tomster

Glad you went and hope you go again. I had fun during my first solo this spring. I've had mixed feelings since about whether or not I'd ever do another solo but I think I would now. It was great fun and I think the longer a guy goes the better it is.

Thanks for all the great advice. I've secured a permit for EP 14, September 19 - 28.

Can't wait!

You will enjoy that entry and trip - that's where I entered for my first solo.