BWCA How Busy are Horse or Fairy? Boundary Waters Trip Planning Forum
Chat Rooms (0 Chatting)  |  Search  |   Login/Join
* For the benefit of the community, commercial posting is not allowed.
Boundary Waters Quetico Forum
   Trip Planning Forum
      How Busy are Horse or Fairy?     
 Forum Sponsor

Author

Text

sylvesterii
distinguished member (164)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/14/2019 06:06PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Looking at a loop trip, likely wanting to camp on Horse and Fairy. I believe that this area is pretty popular. With that said, I don't want a repeat of last year (we had to leave a day early because every site on Lakes 1-4 were taken when we got there from Insula).

Busy, Super Busy, or reasonably likely to get a decent site?
 
Reply    Reply with Quote    Print Top Bottom Previous Next
01/14/2019 06:50PM  
I don't know about Horse although it has the reputation of being pretty busy. Been through Fairy a couple times and both times the lake was empty. There are two sites, both nice but the eastern site is a 5 star one. I loved Fairy lake and wanted to stay but I couldn't convince my trip mates to stop for the day there. Just guessing but I suspect some don't want to stop there because of how small the lake is. It does offer good fishing though, there are walleyes and nice panfish to be caught.

Depending on which direction you are going through Fairy, there are more sites on Boot to the South and Gun and Gull to the north, some of them very nice too. Kind of the luck of the draw, could be empty for 3 days until the day you get there and its full...or you might have it to yourselves for a couple nights. I think that stopping relatively early in the day is the best practice for getting sites, or for having time to move on if that becomes necessary.
01/14/2019 08:11PM  
I've been through Fairy four times. Camped there three times. Had the lake to ourselves. The one time we passed through one site was taken. It's a beautiful lake and the eastern site is top notch.
cyclones30
distinguished member(4163)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
01/14/2019 09:05PM  
Reasonably likely to get a "decent" site? You might be pushing your luck if you're between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Can you get a site? Almost always yes, but it may not be pick of the litter depending on a lot of things.

Will it be as busy as the Lake one area? No
salukiguy
distinguished member(597)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/15/2019 10:03AM  
I'm curious. When you went thru Lakes 1-3 did you check the sites on the southern parts of those lakes or just the ones that are on the main route? When I was on Lakes 1-3 last June we camped on the southern parts and there were several open sites.
01/15/2019 12:17PM  
We did a loop up through Fairy and down the Moosecamp river in mid June 2017.
We stayed on the eastern site on Fairy the first night. The western site was taken when we arrived. All sites except one on Boot were taken. The next day we went to Gun and all sites but one were taken after we claimed the trigger site. Based on how much traffic we saw go through, I thought it was possible Gun, Fairy, and Boot were full. Fourtown was however quite empty when we went through (both on the way in and way out) and had a lot of open sites. I didn't want to stay on the south side of Fourtown since it's known to be so busy but we did spend our last night there and ironically hardly saw anyone.
Tomcat
distinguished member(700)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/15/2019 02:06PM  
01/17/2019 11:06AM  
You're going to have the best luck in finding a site on either lake the earlier you can get on the water. In September 2011 me and a buddy were able to get the high site at the narrows of Horse.
01/17/2019 12:21PM  
Both Horse and Fourtown are pretty busy lakes. Both lakes are full of base campers. One summer day during August I took a day trip into Fourtown. In the morning, 90% of the sites were taken. By early evening, when I left, It appeared to me that no one had left. Gun Fairy and Boot are a little less traveled and you shouldn't have a problem getting a site on one of those lakes. If you choose Horse, I'd be looking for a site by noon.
sylvesterii
distinguished member (164)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/17/2019 07:31PM  
salukiguy: "I'm curious. When you went thru Lakes 1-3 did you check the sites on the southern parts of those lakes or just the ones that are on the main route? When I was on Lakes 1-3 last June we camped on the southern parts and there were several open sites. "


We checked every single site on Lake 1-3. Didn't check all of them on 4. Just the ones that were on the path.
salukiguy
distinguished member(597)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/18/2019 10:52AM  
Thanks for the response. It was a canoe highway through the numbered lakes for us but a lot of the traffic was moving through. It was quite chaotic with inbound and outbound when we launched at Lake 1. It was also interesting watching the various groups.
01/22/2019 01:31PM  
Lot of variables...will you be out over a weekend or during the week? We always plan it so we have get to our favorite spots by Thursday or Friday AM to have it secured by the weekend. Horse has always been a fairly busy lake but not like the numbered lakes...numbered lakes are super easy. I would say that's why they receive a bit more traffic. We stupidly left Friday bay on a Friday morning thinking we would camp on fairy, gun, or boot one year. Let me say there were no sites and we had to take an extremely undesirable site on Fourtown. There are some great sites on Horse but I have only camped at the Island on the North end. So do you feel lucky? Then make the long paddle up there and hope it is not taken.
 
Reply    Reply with Quote    Print Top Bottom Previous Next
Trip Planning Sponsor:
Cliff Wold's Outfitting Co.