I have been to the Boundary Waters two times now. My first time, I went with an experienced friend. We entered on Snowbank and traveled about 16-miles both ways. My wife and I went together last July and entered on Burntside. We ended up being windbound and had to fight our way through the water to cross the lake (terrible time). This was a result of a lack of planning! I'd like to change that for our next trip in July!

We would ideally like to stay on smaller lakes and keep the portages manageable for us (my wife is 120 lbs, struggles to carry the canoe for long). Willing to do some paddling to get there but not 16-miles like my first trip, if possible. If anyone can give advice on what lakes we could make it to without my wife dreading it, that would be much appreciated! We're both 25 and willing to sacrifice some sweat to get to awesome spots!

Caribou, Horseshoe, and Gaskin. They are all accessible with relatively easy portages.

Another area easily accessible with short and easy portages is the East Bearskin entry. The south portage from East Bearskin to Alder is very short and easy. There are short easy portages from Alder to Pierz or Canoe and from Canoe to Crystal.

Help us understand your situation. You state that your wife has a difficulty carrying the canoe. Is she the one needing to carry the canoe? Can you take turns carrying the canoe? Are you doing a two person carry? (way harder than one person carry with a good portage yoke) How heavy is your canoe?

Figuring out how to portage safely and efficiently will expand your travel horizons immensely. Maybe a lighter boat is the answer. Packing is also an issue for lightweight folks. Better to have an outfit with more and lighter packs than packing a lot of gear in a huge pack. It may mean an extra trip across the portage, but those trips will not hurt so much. You don't have to get across the portage all at once. Break longer carries up into sections. That way you get a break going back for the second load.

Also dealing with windy conditions requires patience(and experience). Sometimes you just have to stay put and wait for conditions to improve. Some of us enjoy the challenge of a rough lake, some of us avoid it. Most do both depending on how we feel. Some days you don't make it to your intended destination. So what! Wherever you end up is likely to be beautiful.

Start at Baker Lake near Sawbill and head North. Can loop around to Sawbill as well. Smaller Waters, no killer portages, somewhat quiet area.

Hog Creek entry is easy, and I thought the winding creek paddling was fun even if it was frustrating. Hardest part of that trip was driving slow enough on the severely washboarded gravel roads on the way there.

My advice is mostly to go before children arrive. My wife and I had gone backpacking many times before kids, so I thought BW would be comparatively easy. Her first BW trip was when our first kid was 1yo, and our three night trip turned into two nights because momma bear missed her cub. Kids will be seven and five this summer, and I think we’re ready to go as a family now, which will be my wife’s first time back to BW since that truncated adventure.

Scott

scramble4a5: "Caribou, Horseshoe, and Gaskin. They are all accessible with relatively easy portages."

Good call.

If you started your trip with a windy paddle across Burntside, then the 400+ rod portage into Crab, almost anything will be easier next year!

Maybe Mudro up to Horse Lake for a base camp would be good? You could do a day trip up the Horse River to see Lower Basswood Falls, and since you'd have minimal gear, you can carry the canoe while your wife carries other stuff (and not a heavy pack).

The Granite River starting on Gunflint and ending on Saganaga is an easy route with moderate portages. I took 3 newbies on that route in 2016 (my 11 year old, a buddy, and his 15 year old) and it was fine for all to handle.

It's a 3ish day route if you take your time. Some do it in a day because they're light and fast. We spent a week with a day on / day off schedule. If you go in early August the blueberries will be all over the place.

I published a trip report, click the link under my profile to the left....

Start at lake one EP and go south instead of towards Lake one. Portages are good....nice sites. No wind or crowds. Don't make a loop out of it unless you want to portage at Confusion Lake (I think) to Lake One and out that way.
dr bob

DrBobDerrig: "Start at lake one EP and go south instead of towards Lake one. Portages are good....nice sites. No wind or crowds. Don't make a loop out of it unless you want to portage at Confusion Lake (I think) to Lake One and out that way.
dr bob"

I'd second this route if only for the simplicity of it and easy portages. However, several of the other routes are also good suggestions such as the Sawbill options and of course the short portages and easier-access lakes right off of the Gunflint.

These are all great ideas and options! Should have joined BWCA.com a long time ago. You guys know best!

Abbey: "
My advice is mostly to go before children arrive. My wife and I had gone backpacking many times before kids, so I thought BW would be comparatively easy. Her first BW trip was when our first kid was 1yo, and our three night trip turned into two nights because momma bear missed her cub. Kids will be seven and five this summer, and I think we’re ready to go as a family now, which will be my wife’s first time back to BW since that truncated adventure. "

My thoughts exactly! Thanks for the info

mirth: "
I published a trip report, click the link under my profile to the left...."

That looked awesome! Thanks

ParkerMag: "

scramble4a5: "Caribou, Horseshoe, and Gaskin. They are all accessible with relatively easy portages."

Good call."

I agree. That area seems to hold a lot of moose as well. We saw a cow and 2 calves walk right through our campsite 2 years ago. Just a few simple portages to get the feel of the bwca experience. Plenty of small lakes to explore in the area. Best advice for keeping the wife interested is get a hammock and a compact chair for around camp. Keep her comfortable and she’ll appreciate it.

deepdish71: "

ParkerMag: "

scramble4a5: "Caribou, Horseshoe, and Gaskin. They are all accessible with relatively easy portages."

Good call."

I agree. That area seems to hold a lot of moose as well. We saw a cow and 2 calves walk right through our campsite 2 years ago. Just a few simple portages to get the feel of the bwca experience. Plenty of small lakes to explore in the area. Best advice for keeping the wife interested is get a hammock and a compact chair for around camp. Keep her comfortable and she’ll appreciate it. "

That's funny! We had the exact thing happen three years ago on the Brule River camp site attached to Horseshoe. Cow with two calves. We waited in our canoe a respectful distance from her until she moved on.

scramble4a5: "

deepdish71: "

ParkerMag: "

scramble4a5: "Caribou, Horseshoe, and Gaskin. They are all accessible with relatively easy portages."

Good call."

I agree. That area seems to hold a lot of moose as well. We saw a cow and 2 calves walk right through our campsite 2 years ago. Just a few simple portages to get the feel of the bwca experience. Plenty of small lakes to explore in the area. Best advice for keeping the wife interested is get a hammock and a compact chair for around camp. Keep her comfortable and she’ll appreciate it. "

That's funny! We had the exact thing happen three years ago on the Brule River camp site attached to Horseshoe. Cow with two calves. We waited in our canoe a respectful distance from her until she moved on."

We were in camp,they passed within probably 25-30 yards. Just sitting quietly in our hammocks. I happened to be facing that direction and peeked over the side of the hammock and there they were. I didn’t hear a sound. Didn’t have time or want to spook them scrambling for a camera. If I would not have seen the cow I would’ve never known they were there because I did not hear a sound . I’m sure she smelled us but we were tucked in the hammocks so she didn’t see any movement and probably assumed it was safe to sneak through real quick.

I did canoe-tripping with my husband for more than forty years, in the BW and also Quetico, as well as other places. I never carried a canoe on a portage in my life. He carried the canoe. We double portaged, so I carried two big packs and he carried another (heavier pack than either of mine.)

We started in 1973 and didn't buy a lighter canoe (Bell Northwind) until 1998, so he carried that Grumman for a lot of miles. Bless his heart. :-)

I never would have wanted to go if I had been carrying the canoe. Just sayin'.

Spartan2: "We started in 1973 and didn't buy a lighter canoe (Bell Northwind) until 1998, so he carried that Grumman for a lot of miles. Bless his heart. :-)


I never would have wanted to go if I had been carrying the canoe. Just sayin'."

Sounds like you would not have enjoyed helping my father, uncle and me carry a ”square stern” Lund into Mountain and back out again. That’s right, the kind with the bench seats. Did I mention the 5 hp Evinrude and gas can that also made the trip? (This was before motors were banned on Mountain.) All involved agreed that once was (more than) enough for that particular experience.

Spartan2: "
I never would have wanted to go if I had been carrying the canoe. Just sayin'."

We didn't really know you can get a lighter canoe that one person could carry since it was our first trip together, and my first time leading a BWCA trip! Like I said in response to one of the comments before, we had a very heavy aluminum canoe that (did not have yokes)! We did not have a choice! haha

But with the help of everyone who has commented, I will be renting a much lighter canoe with yokes and I WILL carry it solo haha Glad you guys liked your trips so much, hope my wife and I will be able to say that in 40 years! Cheers!

boonie: "Another area easily accessible with short and easy portages is the East Bearskin entry. The south portage from East Bearskin to Alder is very short and easy. There are short easy portages from Alder to Pierz or Canoe and from Canoe to Crystal. "

Just what I had in mind to suggest. Easy, easy, easy. You could easily manage the portages with the burden of an aluminum craft.
side trip: Leave your canoe on the east shore of Canoe Lake and do an afternoon hike northward to Johnson Falls. Bring a cable w/lock if you tend to stress out about leaving your watercraft unattended. However, I can't recall anyone having reported a problem with stowing their canoe there for the hike.

Abbey: "Hog Creek entry is easy, and I thought the winding creek paddling was fun even if it was frustrating. Hardest part of that trip was driving slow enough on the severely washboarded gravel roads on the way there.


My advice is mostly to go before children arrive. My wife and I had gone backpacking many times before kids, so I thought BW would be comparatively easy. Her first BW trip was when our first kid was 1yo, and our three night trip turned into two nights because momma bear missed her cub. Kids will be seven and five this summer, and I think we’re ready to go as a family now, which will be my wife’s first time back to BW since that truncated adventure.


Scott "

What? You've denied your children the opportunity to grow up in the BWCA? We took our first trip as a family when our son was 2 1/2. 3 years later we added out daughter and took here when she was 6 weeks. I don't think kids are ever too young (if in good health) to take the trip with you. I think our daughter caught her first walleye pike when she was 4 years old. She wanted help but I made her do all the fighting only to discover that her small walleye had been attacked but a northern pike and that is why she needed help.

deepdish71: "

ParkerMag: "

scramble4a5: "Caribou, Horseshoe, and Gaskin. They are all accessible with relatively easy portages."

Good call."

I agree. That area seems to hold a lot of moose as well. We saw a cow and 2 calves walk right through our campsite 2 years ago. Just a few simple portages to get the feel of the bwca experience. Plenty of small lakes to explore in the area. Best advice for keeping the wife interested is get a hammock and a compact chair for around camp. Keep her comfortable and she’ll appreciate it. "

I also agree. This was my first trip with my wife. We entered at Meeds and besides that portage they were all easy. You could enter at Lizz instead to skip the Meeds portage.

I also second the hammock suggestion. My wife spends a ton of time in ours as you can see in one of my photos from that trip report.

gravelroad: "

Spartan2: "We started in 1973 and didn't buy a lighter canoe (Bell Northwind) until 1998, so he carried that Grumman for a lot of miles. Bless his heart. :-)



I never would have wanted to go if I had been carrying the canoe. Just sayin'."

Sounds like you would not have enjoyed helping my father, uncle and me carry a ”square stern” Lund into Mountain and back out again. That’s right, the kind with the bench seats. Did I mention the 5 hp Evinrude and gas can that also made the trip? (This was before motors were banned on Mountain.) All involved agreed that once was (more than) enough for that particular experience."

No, I would not have enjoyed that. Probably would not have DONE that! LOL!

RunningStream: "

Spartan2: "
I never would have wanted to go if I had been carrying the canoe. Just sayin'."

We didn't really know you can get a lighter canoe that one person could carry since it was our first trip together, and my first time leading a BWCA trip! Like I said in response to one of the comments before, we had a very heavy aluminum canoe that (did not have yokes)! We did not have a choice! haha


But with the help of everyone who has commented, I will be renting a much lighter canoe with yokes and I WILL carry it solo haha Glad you guys liked your trips so much, hope my wife and I will be able to say that in 40 years! Cheers!"

Good for you! One of the best predictors of future success is to learn from your mistakes and correct them. And I do hope that you will get a lighter canoe with a yoke and learn to carry it properly. I can actually count on the fingers of one hand (not kidding here) the number of times I have seen anyone do a two-person portage of a canoe in the BWCA. That includes aluminum canoes. My husband started his canoe-tripping experience at a boy's camp near Ely, and they taught the boys to carry the canoe by themselves when they were 9-10 years old. This was back in the mid-60's, long before lightweight canoes. If you have a carrying yoke and the proper technique, it is much easier than a two-person carry, and with the footing that is available on most portages, it is also much safer. That is the only point I was trying to make.

I hope your wife gives canoe-tripping another chance, that you have favorable weather and a beautiful, fun trip. I envy you your youth and inexperience--I would love to be in my 20's and starting it all over again. Lots of wonderful memories. :-)

PS: The Caribou/Horseshoe/Gaskin suggestion is a good one. Enter at Lizz. One of my favorite trips.

A couple more ideas for you:
Seagull, Alpine,Red Rock, Big Saganaga, back to Seagull
Take a tow to Indian Portage then head to Knife and stay there.

Number lakes around to Snowbank - One, Two, Three and Four - easy portages and easy to navigate.

Looks like you have great route advice. Thumbs up on the hammock advice too, double hammocks are nice for 2 & are not much bigger/heavier than singles. Also for longer trips I like the Sea to Summit shower. Fill with lake or filtered water, add 1 pot of water heated on a stove. Hang away from camp using leave no trace rules & camp soap. Luxury in the woods. Epic.
Also nice for handwashing etc.
Pocket shower