BWCA Trip ideas for dad and 7 year old son Boundary Waters Trip Planning Forum
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07/19/2018 04:29PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Pretty excited! My boss noticed my new copy of BWJ and paged through it, we talked a bit about different areas and then he asked if i'd give him a few ideas for a 3 or 4 night trip for him and his 7 year old son who likes to sleep in a tent. the poor kid has 3 younger brothers ages 2 and twins that are just a little over a year, so he probably needs some quality one on one dad time.

so, i am mostly familiar with the gunflint trail side and think that's too far to drive for a short visit. the kid needs more time in the woods than he needs windshield time!

what would be some ideas of smaller lakes, FISHING, not much portaging. then i was thinking if it was a trip on the ely side then maybe the last night would be in an ely motel so they could take in the wolf center, bear center, that kind of stuff.

anyway, looking for some suggestions. Thanks!
 
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07/19/2018 04:55PM  
I just posted a trip report for the Lake One Entry point. It features 4 and 7 year old girls, but should have some ideas you could use. I see that my report is posted and you can find it to the right bottom of page where the heading says "Recent Trip Reports" Go to "View More"
Sandman2009
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07/20/2018 11:02AM  
I would recommend Hog Creek entry point. Only one short portage, 2 if you count the short carry down to the creek from the parking lot. The fishing for eater size walleyes is good. The lake is larger. If you camp on the east side of lake on one of the islands you can stay sheltered from the wind.

I took my then 7 year old daughter two years ago. She loved exploring the island, picking berries, swimming, and catching her first walleye.










SevenofNine
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07/20/2018 01:05PM  
I would suggest EP6 or EP14 depending on the number of portages the father thinks he and his son can handle. Fishing on Slim won't be as good as going in on EP14 but it's an easy trip. For a father with a son that might not be able to carry all that much Slim is a nice alternative. Some really nice campsites just past Slim lake.
07/20/2018 02:56PM  
Do either of them have ANY camping experience?
07/21/2018 06:02AM  
I would have him take a tow and then paddle to a camp site.
Basswood, Moose Lake, Snowbank, Big Saganaga, Clearwater all would work.
I would look into Moose Lake because the lakes are smaller and you can paddle towards Knife Lake till you find a camp site, and the portages are all easy ones.
babaoriley7
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07/21/2018 06:33AM  
I’m doing a bwca lite trip with my 7 year old. We aren’t actually going into the bwca but trying out some of the sites just outside the wilderness. Either Ojibwe lake or Dry lake as our destination.
GraniteCliffs
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07/21/2018 12:21PM  
Slim Lake is the safest and easiest trip you can get. If he has limited experience it is a great way to start. Slim has a couple of nice sites. Portage from the vehicle on a short flat trail and you are there. If it gets windy or whatever you are never far from the EP. great way to start with a seven year old. I took my son and a friend there when they were very young and it worked out very well. At that age they don’t care where they are if they are sleeping in a tent by the lake with a campfire.
07/22/2018 08:31PM  
babaoriley7: "I’m doing a bwca lite trip with my 7 year old. We aren’t actually going into the bwca but trying out some of the sites just outside the wilderness. Either Ojibwe lake or Dry lake as our destination. "

Ditto. My son and I did Bass Lake when he was young. We were able to take a can or Speghettios. :)
Easy access, cell phones are more likely to work, cans are allowed, ... No fees. No permits. Sometimes less busy than BWCA.
 
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