BWCA Badwater - Fair Lake Portage Options Boundary Waters Quetico Forum
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AdamXChicago
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08/24/2017 06:18PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Heading out in another week. Noticed there are two options: direct 167r portage or two 30r (one having a challenging landing?) in and out of unnamed lake. Would like anyone's take on which is the preferable option. Thanks.

AdamX
 
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08/24/2017 09:46PM  
We did this last September and I just double-checked the 2014 edition of the Chrismar Adventure map to confirm my memory. I think the two shorter portages through the unnamed pond are the only actual route. They are the route we took, and they are the only ones shown on Chrismar, which is 99.9% accurate about Q portages. (Most of its errors relate to places where beavers have messed with portages, not situations like this.). So that makes the choice easy.

Where are you going from there? I may have some additional portage and other info of use if you are interested.
AdamXChicago
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08/24/2017 10:34PM  
Thanks Bill. How were the 30r portages?

We're headed from Beaverhouse > Quetico > Badwater > Fair > Your > Snow > Trail > March and into Bentpine. Hope to spend a night or two on Bentpine. Then via Bentpine Creek > Sturgeon > Maligne River > Poobah Creek with a couple nights on Poobah. Then back to Maligne and out at Lac La Croix. Nine days.

Never been to most of this area, so any portage info is greatly appreciated. If you have knowledge of any "honey holes" along this route, that would be a bonus! Please email me if you want to provide that info in private. Thanks again.

AdamX
MagicPaddler
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08/25/2017 07:23AM  
If I remember correct the Badwater end starts in a grassy area following a beaver ditch.
08/26/2017 08:43AM  
I don't remember much about the two portages into Badwater from Fair, but that's probably a good sign because they were at the end of a longish day coming from Bentpine, so if they weren't memorable they must have been pretty average I think? Both Badwater and Bentpine are very nice lakes with good camping. We enjoyed the day of travel in between going in the opposite direction as you will be going, but I did not think any of the lakes in between were nearly as attractive as those two. My recollection is that the *marked* portages were pretty straightforward. The one between Trail and March is littered with artifacts from logging days which is pretty cool.

Where we had more trouble that day was having to portage where you should be able to paddle, in and out of Little Pine. I'm guessing that a dam went out at the outlet of Little Pine (further west than the travel route), lowering the water level between it and Trail as well as Snow. We were forewarned about it coming from Trail but not going to Snow and got confused trying to paddle through there, before we found the makeshift overland route next to the dried up creek. So if conditions are the same as last year, just look for a make-shift carry as you come from Snow. Similarly, as you go up toward Trail Creek, if the water is too low, there was a path beaten through the bog vegetation next to the creek up to where the beaver dams provide enough water to float again. (Last year there were several dams to pull over.) The boggy ground next to the creek was pretty solid and easy to carry on last year, although my leg did punch through up to my thigh where it's floating at the Little Pine end, so watch your footing there.

Bentpine Creek downstream from Bentpine and March Lakes is pretty scenic. Quite a bit of poison ivy at the brushy downstream end of the last portage heading toward Sturgeon.

We camped on Tanner, Sturgeon, Bentpine, Badwater and Beaverhouse. We did not go into Poohbah, and we portaged into Tanner from the Darkwater River, so that's the end of our route overlap with yours. If you want campsite info shoot me an email. Sorry I can't help you with the honey holes since we don't fish. Enjoy!
AdamXChicago
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08/30/2017 10:51PM  
Thanks guys!
 
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