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Maerbear
  
01/04/2019 11:11PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
I have tons of experience planning backcountry hiking/camping trips, but this planning is eluding me. Need help. Want to be on the water June 24 - June 28 2019. Need an outfitter for put in take out logistics. Have gear (other than the rental of a Kevlar canoe). Would like to limit portaging without scarifying solitude, immersion in the BWCA. Does not matter entry point; east or west. Any insight would be appreciated. I know that open permit application is 1/30/2019. Would like to have a plan by then.

Thanks.
Mary from Missouri
 
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cyclones30
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01/04/2019 11:24PM  
Tons of advice here for similar questions. I'd pick your entry before your outfitter since you're leaving pretty much everything open. So you want paddling into isolation without much for portaging.....Little Indian Sioux river -south is very isolated but a fair paddle on day 1 to the first campsites.

Usually a long or hard portage will find you solitude the fastest from an entry.
mjmkjun
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01/05/2019 06:08AM  
the suggestion is slightly off center (eastward) of the BWCA, geographically.
Sawbill Outfitters (full or partial outfitting) on Sawbill Lake #EP 38. They also manage the campground located there at end of Sawbill Trail. Put-in right there at the landing/dock of the campground and take-out same. There are several route options with only short portages involved from that entry point. My suggestion has 3 portages with one 180-rod portage involved but it's not tough. Some slight up and downs on a well travelled path. I did this portage easily when I was 67 yrs. of age.
Route: Head straight north from Sawbill Lake to Cherokee Lake and back same route. Check it out on the map section on this site. Cherokee is a gorgeous lake with a good selection of sites to choose from.
You reach Cherokee Lake in half a day of paddling/portaging. Six hours if you're a slow traveller, photo bug, drop a line or two to fish, etc.
01/05/2019 09:40AM  
From one Mo (St. Louis) citizen to another, welcome to this site for usage and to acquire a lot of good info. Plan on about 10 hours travel time from KC or 11 or so from St. Louis to Duluth. From there add about about an hour and a half to Ely or 2 plus to BWCA on east side. Probably about 2 to Crane Lake on West side. All times dependent on speed and stops along the way. Definitely line up your outfitter after getting your trip planned and permit. Most if not all of them are reputable and will rent you a canoe(s) of the size needed. Any of the outfitters who sponsor here would be a good place to start looking for one. Plan on $45.00 plus or minus per day and each partial day for canoe rental. How many are with you? A good plan is to spend a night at an outfitter bunkhouse before your trip and after too. Check rates per person and whether a minimum or maximum fee exists. A wide range of perks from quality of mattresses to kitchen items is available. What you need can make a difference as to your attitude about the place when you leave. An early start around dawn is possible if you plan your own breakfast of pastries and juice and on the return, you can do all the travel home with an early start as well. Plan to view the mandatory BWCA film the evening before if possible to save time the entry date. It is difficult to get off the water and then travel to Mo in one day if you want to be home before it is late.

I would suggest you consider base camping to ease portaging after you set up your camp. Travel from a base and return each day reduces set up and take down time. Security has not been much of a problem over the years if you are not camped next to an exit spot and even there, not much either. See Base Camping Basics at the bottom of the message board page for many ideas for base camping.

Enjoy your trip. I suspect you will return. Many, including myself, go every year at least once.
Tomcat
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01/05/2019 10:18AM  
Hi Mary from Missouri, We also live in Missouri and it is about a 13 hour drive to northern Minnesota for us. We like to trip out of Ely and when we were younger would sleep in our car in the dirt parking lot near the ranger station then pickup our permit when it opened first thing in the morning for an early start. Like you we had all our own equipment except the canoe which we rented after picking up our permit. If you have the time and money I recommend that you spend the first night in town at a motel. You can arrive in time to pickup your permit, rent a canoe, purchase any last minute items, visit the town, eat, return to your room and pack for an early start in the morning.

My wife and I are planning a July trip out of Ely and will spend one night at the Canoe On Inn in Ely before and after the trip.
Northwoodsman
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01/05/2019 11:44AM  
Welcome Maerbear,

I like the EP #38 idea however there are a couple of difficult portages to Cherokee. Also once you leave Sawbill Lake there are no campsites until you hit Cherokee. Sawbill Outfitters offer great advice, have anything that you need, and are generally just top-notch friendly people. They are right at the EP and the campground is beautiful. Cherokee is gorgeous.

Another option is to use Rockwood Lodge & Outfitters on the Gunflint Trail. They have a bunkhouse to stay in the night before, have a huge selection of rental canoes and last minute equipment, and are also the nicest people you will ever meet. If you get a permit for EP #47 you can put it from Rockwood and have a 20 minute paddle across Poplar Lake. You will have an easy portage into Lizz, then a 20 minute paddle down Lizz to the next easy and short portage into Caribou. Caribou offer plenty of campsites or you can paddle 20 minutes across Caribou and take another short easy portage into Horseshoe (moose country). You can stay on Horseshoe or paddle 30 minutes and take a moderately easy portage into Gaskin Lake. With this route who can go as close or as far as you want. Once you leave Rockwood you could be on a campsite on Caribou in 1 hour, or on a campsite on Horseshoe in under 2 hours, or on Gaskin in a total of about 3.5 hours. There are lots of campsites along this route and many opportunities to visit other lakes for day trips on this route.
01/05/2019 12:03PM  
After you get a couple of possible entry points in mind, click on the "Maps & Entry Points" above in the center. Then click "Route Guide". There are a bunch of trip reports for each entry point. You can read up on what you can expect from an entry point. Lots of info here!!
01/05/2019 02:55PM  
Hi, Mary-

Some good advice so far. I always have difficulty knowing how to answer. I assumed from your opening sentence backpacking experience, but not so sure after you said limit portaging. Don't know anything about your group or its canoeing experience.

Solitude usually increases with portage difficulty and distance. It's hard to tell how fast you/your group will travel and how many miles/hours would be reasonable. In 5 days, 4 nights, you'll only get so far before you need to head back. Paddling is usually faster than portaging and you can limit portaging by traveling bigger lakes, but wind can be more problematic.

It has already been noted that you'll need to pick an entry first since outfitters on the Gunflint Trail (out of Grand Marais) wouldn't service Ely entries and vice versa. You can click on the "Outfitters" tab above and there will be a link to their websites. If all you need is a canoe, they'll all do that. Accommodations range from nothing to campgrounds, bunkhouse, cabins, or lodges. Some will be more conveniently located to your entry.

You may also want to read trip reports about different entries by clicking on the "Planning" tab above, then trip reports and BWCA. They can be sorted by entry point. You can also click on "Maps" for an entry point and then on the portage lines for additional information on them.

Sawbill and Rockwood are both good options. Sawbill has a campground, Rockwood a bunkhouse. I have also used Sawtooth Outfitters (no accommodations) on the way to EP#37, Kawishiwi Lake, which is another entry you might consider.

Another entry to consider might be EP #50, Cross Bay.

Check out the information, come back with questions and more information, and you'll get some more specific advice.



Grandma L
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01/05/2019 04:16PM  
QueticoMike: "Call my buddy Drew at Piragis Northwoods, he can help you out with everything you need and can answer all of your questions for a short, isolated trip. Good luck, welcome to the BWCA.com!"

Great suggestion, Q.M. Drew is very knowledgeable and gives good advice.
scramble4a5
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01/05/2019 10:51PM  
Northwoodsman: "Welcome Maerbear,


I like the EP #38 idea however there are a couple of difficult portages to Cherokee. Also once you leave Sawbill Lake there are no campsites until you hit Cherokee. Sawbill Outfitters offer great advice, have anything that you need, and are generally just top-notch friendly people. They are right at the EP and the campground is beautiful. Cherokee is gorgeous.


Another option is to use Rockwood Lodge & Outfitters on the Gunflint Trail. They have a bunkhouse to stay in the night before, have a huge selection of rental canoes and last minute equipment, and are also the nicest people you will ever meet. If you get a permit for EP #47 you can put it from Rockwood and have a 20 minute paddle across Poplar Lake. You will have an easy portage into Lizz, then a 20 minute paddle down Lizz to the next easy and short portage into Caribou. Caribou offer plenty of campsites or you can paddle 20 minutes across Caribou and take another short easy portage into Horseshoe (moose country). You can stay on Horseshoe or paddle 30 minutes and take a moderately easy portage into Gaskin Lake. With this route who can go as close or as far as you want. Once you leave Rockwood you could be on a campsite on Caribou in 1 hour, or on a campsite on Horseshoe in under 2 hours, or on Gaskin in a total of aboutr 3.5 hours. There are lots of campsites along this route and many opportunities to visit other lakes for day trips on this route."


We did this route last year and were fortunate enough to get the Mondale site on Gaskin. Comparatively speaking these are easy portages. It's not remote but it is a nice place to basecamp and explore.

The folks at Rockwood Outfitters are super nice as well.
01/06/2019 10:33AM  
"Mondale site"?

I'm not familiar with this term or story. I assume a reference to Sen/VP Mondale. Any further details would be appreciated.
Northwoodsman
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01/06/2019 06:25PM  
Supposedly back in the day the US Forest Service/Secret Service "improved" this site on Gaskin for Mondale to stay at. I have stayed there and it's a very nice site. It's site #628. Nice water gathering rock, several tent pads, nice area for tarp, bear bag trees, very large and one a peninsula but generally facing west. Great kitchen area. It has two (possibly three) nice landings. Several large sitting rocks by the water. Nice trail to the latrine (it even has a cover) and lots of firewood in the area.
Maerbear
  
01/06/2019 09:37PM  
Thank you, those who posted. Plz, what is "EP#". It was referenced a lot.
Also, when obtaining a request for a permit; is that for an available campsite on a particular lake, or is that for a particular site on a lake. (again, use to NP reservation system).

Thx again. Appreciate the help.
01/06/2019 09:56PM  
Mary-

EP is just an acronym for Entry Point; each entry point has a name and a number. The Lizz Lake entry is EP #47, EP #38 is Sawbill Lake entry, Cross Bay entry is EP #50, etc.

You'll find some information such as this on permits when you click on the "Planning" tab at the top of the page. You can also get information on the USFS website.

Permits are for entry, not campsites. A permit is specific to both the date and the entry point. In other words, a June 24th permit for Lizz Lake, EP #47, allows you to enter only at Lizz Lake, EP #47, and only on June 24th. Each entry has a daily permit quota, which varies from one entry point to another.

The permit doesn't restrict you to camping on a particular site or lake, although you are required to camp at a designated site. Those are first-come, first-served. All members of the permit group must camp at the same site. Otherwise you can travel anywhere you want and camp at a designated site on any lake.

There are other rules you'll want to be aware of such as the maximum group size of 9 people and 4 watercraft, limitations on glass and cans - basically prohibited except for things like bug spray - LNT (Leave No Trace) regulations.

Hope that helps.
lundojam
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01/08/2019 07:57PM  
I'd take a couple of evenings and call two or three outfitters. Many of them take time to answer questions and give advice. Take notes.

If you don't mind spending more money, the best way to get pretty secluded without portaging much--or at all-- is to get a tow (a term that means a motorboat ride for you and your canoes and gear) in to Lac La Croix. Call Anderson's Canoe Outfitters.
Maerbear
  
01/10/2019 07:03AM  
Thank you so much. That clears it up!
05/22/2019 02:56AM  
Missouri Mary, I don't know if you ever got a trip planned, but I am leading a 5-night trip entering EP 35 (Isabella Lake) on early Monday morning, June 23 and coming out EP 32 (South Kawishiwi River) early Saturday morning, June 29. We are planning to camp on the last night near the exit so you could actually come out on June 28. We only have 5 people now for our trip, so we are looking for a sixth person. You would be welcome to join our group and have your own tent and share a canoe with one of us. We are from Indiana and Ohio, ages 30ish, mid-50's, mid 60's and early 70's. You would have to carry some common gear as well as your own in a portage pack we provide. We do group meals and share chores. If you are interested, you can message me on my profile link, and I can give you more details.
 
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