Headed into Mudro Sunday and plan to go up Horse River to Lower Basswood Falls. Anyone been there in the last few days that can offer info on the water levels? I know it can be tricky if the water is low. We are ultimately headed to the Thursday/Friday bay area so we can go the Fourtown/Gun route if Horse River is too low.

Thanks in advance for any info.

Just an FYI you'll be going down the Horse to Lower Basswood Falls. The Horse can be a bit of a pain in very low water levels but it is nearly always passable- I've taken it in extremely low conditions. Levels have dropped significantly in the last month but I'm sure there is enough water to make it through. Most difficult section in low water is the section from the last portage to the confluence of the Basswood river. Can get mucky and slow.

Banksiana: "Just an FYI you'll be going down the Horse to Lower Basswood Falls. The Horse can be a bit of a pain in very low water levels but it is nearly always passable- I've taken it in extremely low conditions. Levels have dropped significantly in the last month but I'm sure there is enough water to make it through. Most difficult section in low water is the section from the last portage to the confluence of the Basswood river. Can get mucky and slow."

Thanks. I experienced that mucky, slow area about 8 year ago when we did the Fourtown/Gun/Crooked/Horse loop. I don't recall having too much trouble on the rest of it. We went to that area 2 years ago and it was pretty easy to navigate. I ran into a family several years ago when we are headed out of Friday Bay and they said they tried to go down Horse but the water was too low and they had to back track and go the other direction. I am trying to avoid that...but it's possible it was just too hard for them because they had a couple of smaller children with them.

BCHooked: ". I ran into a family several years ago when we are headed out of Friday Bay and they said they tried to go down Horse but the water was too low and they had to back track and go the other direction.. "

Just to make sure you didn't miss it; Horse River flows from Horse Lake to the Basswood River. Travel from Horse Lake is going "down the Horse", travel from Basswood River is going "up the Horse".

Banksiana: "

BCHooked: ". I ran into a family several years ago when we are headed out of Friday Bay and they said they tried to go down Horse but the water was too low and they had to back track and go the other direction.. "

Just to make sure you didn't miss it; Horse River flows from Horse Lake to the Basswood River. Travel from Horse Lake is going "down the Horse", travel from Basswood River is going "up the Horse"."

Thanks. I actually did know that....up/down was just in reference to north/south. It is a good point for those doing the loop (we went the wrong way our first time doing the loop). We are going in and out the same way the year.

Hardest trip that I have ever done was when Horse was low but supposedly passable, and it was a boulder feild. It got dark, it started snowing, could not use headlamps and was slippery. Hit it early!

Just came out from there on Tuesday.We were going from Basswood River to Horse Lake, there were 2 tricky spots we had to pull through the rapids with ropes to the canoes. There were also a couple spots where the water level was low and rocks submerged just below the water level, but still ways to get around them without getting out of the canoe.