I posted this on the solo forum also, I thought that it might get more views here.

I am hoping to make my 5th BWCA trip this June, but I am in need of advice or suggestions.
My first four trips have all been out of Ely and have all been different types of trips. The first trip was leading a group of Scouts, the second with just a friend, the third was with a group of friends and the last was my first solo.

I don't know much about the East side. I am looking at a 5-7 day trip in early to mid June, preferably starting about the 10th. Here's the tough part, it's not like I am asking for much, I just want solitude, good fishing opportunities, wildlife viewing and an outfitter for renting a canoe and bear cannister!
I have never caught a lake trout, so that would be a plus, but not a requirement. I want to catch fish on lures that I have made(and leeches, of course), so I'm thinking that small northern may be dumb enough for that.

My last solo I used a Northwind solo, and after figuring out how to balance it, I did quite well with it. How different does a prism act from the solo if that is all that the outfitter has?

Thanks

There are some good options up that way....are you interested in moving every day? Basecamping and then taking daytrips? Are you afraid of a 600+ rod portage? :)

Entering at Duncan or Daniels would be very doable, though loops out of those will require at least one long portage. You might consider heading up the Arrowhead Trail to John Lake, heading through the Pikes, before swinging back east.

With a bit more info re: your preferences, we can probably give better information.

I like the Prism. There is a reason outfitters use it. Most customers like it.
I'd avoid the extreme eastern part of the BW, i.e. east of the Gunflint. Solitude is hard to find. I believe every lake is within 2 port ages of an entry point.
I'd look at a B rant Lake entry, Tuscarora Outfitters. Travel through smaller lakes.
Poplar lake would be good, Rockwood Outfitters. Head West towards Rush and other lesser used lakes.

Clearwater or Pine to East Pike??? Not super east, but I hear that Snowbank to Thomas is a nice trip with lakers in/around Thomas.

Eastern, central or western BWCA, as well, long or shorter portages, the Prism has been an easy canoe to portage. (me: 5'6" / 168 lbs/ 68 yrs old/solo paddler)
I suck at fishing so can't help you there.
The solitude aspect is the toughie. Canoeist love to paddle the BWCA and almost everyone wants 'solitude' experience. I believe you are going at the right time of June to find some relative peace and even some satisfactory level of solitude.
On making assumptions:
Once, I went out of EP 64 and noted that the spacious parking area was near full. I expected it to be a challenge finding a campsite but to my surprise that's not what I experienced. Basecamp on Alder Lake and there was only one other campsite occupied. Hardly saw any new paddlers the next four days. All sites on Canoe Lake were unoccupied, too.
I often target the 3rd week of June because it seems to me to have less rain than the first part of June. Also, mid 60's to 70 highs transitions during that week. Not too hot; no cold nights. purrfect.

I'd look at a Brant Lake entry, Tuscarora Outfitters. Travel through smaller lakes.
Poplar lake would be good, Rockwood Outfitters. Head West towards Rush and other lesser used lakes."

These were the two that came to my mind.

You'll have some tough portaging, but if you target Tuscarora on Day 1 through EP 52, or Banadad, then on to Long Island through EP 49, you are checking a lot of the boxes you mentioned. You have a lot of options from those places....Lake Trout lakes, good chance at solitude, etc.

If you were willing to paddle at a relaxed pace, fish and explore along the way, stop for camp fairly early and maybe layover a day along the way, this could be a good trip although it is not a lot of miles.

Enter at Poplar through Rockwood for your rental. Go down through Lizz, Caribou and into Horseshoe...possible cmp but only a few hours from entry. Very nice and unique lake known for more moose sighting than possibly any other area of the BWCA and decent fishing too. Or continue on to Vista which is a beautiful lake with 3 campsites. The southern one would be your goal, a 5 star campsite with a great view. The western campsite sits high on a hill with a rough landing but the site itself is decent. If those two are occupied you should head back where you came from because the 3rd site is the worst site that I have seen or camped at in the BWCA . Vista has excellent fishing for smallies and walleyes with a few pike thrown in. Retrace your paddle strokes to Horseshoe and head over to Gaskin, a nice lake with good fishing and many sites to choose from.

At that point, depending on how much time you have left you could head north through Henson, Pillsbery and Swallow to Meeds, perhaps stopping for the night along the way if something strikes your fancy. Meeds is another very good fishing lake with walleye and great smallmouth fishing. Pretty quiet place too.

If you had more time to kill, instead of heading north from Henson you could check out Omega or Otto for a night, quiet and pretty lakes.

There would probably need to be a layover day in there somewhere or you would run out of lakes to paddle. It's really more of a 3-4 day route but taking your time to really soak things in and fishing along the way has never seemed a burden to me:)

For layovers i would suggest Vista if you get the southern site, perhaps Gaskin or Meeds to explore the excellent fishing. From Meeds you have two options to get back to Poplar; a long and fairly challenging portage into Poplar, or take the small river to Caribou and out through Lizz. The second option would probably be easier but the long portage would be an adventure and dump you right back into Poplar Lake.

This would be a relaxed route, perhaps not challenging enough for you. But it would definitely offer some very scenic lakes, good wildlife possibilities and very good fishing potential. Parts of the route (Poplar to Horseshoe) are pretty busy but parts could offer some quieter times too.

Just a thought...

I like lindylairs suggestion. This May will be my 3rd year in a row for that general route. I believe Rockwood has 3 different solo canoe models to choose from. Use their bunkhouse. There are also a couple good restaurants near by. One is Trail Center. I forget the other 2 or 3.

Even before this thread, my wife and I decided on a Rockwood Outfitters-Poplar-Lizz-Caribou-Horseshoe route for late June. Permit reserved and everything. (Well, you know how that went...)

The suggestions here are leaning toward that route, and I thank folks for the great posts. Indulge me, then:

How would folks rate Rockwood's bunkhouses? Our past bunkhouse experiences have been VNO in Ely (5 star - modern housekeeping cabin level of furnishings, fleece sleeping sacks and pillows furnished, bathroom w shower, and some amenities not totally needed but nice: A/C, TV, full kitchen) and Clearwater Lodge on the Gunflint (1 or 2 star - rustic cabin, bunks w bare mattresses, bathroom w shower, not exactly clean, poorly lit, certainly not soundproof from other bunkhouse rooms nor laid out with privacy in mind, no other amenities).

From what I'm picking up, Rockwood's bunkhouses might fall somewhere in between...?

I think they would rate a 2 star at Rockwood. Nothing fancy. Vno is more of a modern apartment style but with some shared common areas like the bathroom and kitchen area. We were the only one staying that night so we had the place to ourself. Rockwood is a little more primitive, but no shared common area. WiFi at Rockwood was great. It’s $20 a person I think at Rockwood and you get every dollars worth in the view and hospitality alone. That being said I can’t wait to stay there again this year before our trip!

Thanks for all of the replies and suggestions. I booked with Rockwood and they recommend their route number 5:



Start at Ham Lake, go through Cross Bay, Rib, George, Karl, Long Island, Muskeg, Kiskadinna, and Omega continuing to Henson, Pillsbery, Allen, Horseshoe, Caribou, Lizz and ending at Poplar. Very remote with sixteen portages. Excellent walleye, northern and trout fishing.

What are your opinions of this route, and since I will be fishing, should I make it a six day trip?


Thanks again for all of the help.

Rockwoods bunkhouses are clean but no frills. You get several bunk beds and a kitchen chair. There is heat, a couple of windows that open, and a private bath with shower. You won't get a table, TV, or AC. If you want something nicer, they have some beautiful cabins if you want to stay a couple of nights. Like others have mentioned, the service makes up for everything you don't get. You can paddle to several EP's right from their landing. If you rent a canoe they will also shuttle it to many of the EP's in the area for free.

duckcall - that's a perfect route. If I had one-two more days to spare this May I would do that route myself.

duckcall- I did that same trip in 2012. Make it as many days as you can, although it's not a really long mileage route. There are a couple of challenging portages, but otherwise moderately easy. Pack light.

The Long Island to Muskeg portage is not long, but it's a real rock garden. The portage is flooded out at the Muskeg end by a beaver dam. You'll need to cross the creek and go up over the dam. I saw a moose in Muskeg Creek when I went through. The Muskeg-Kiskadinna portage is a moderate distance, but has a steep section called "the wall".

There are some pictures in my photos here. There's also a trip report you might browse through for some info. I really enjoyed it. I've been in Cross Bay entry several times and gone different directions. I've been to Long Island a couple of times and gone different directions.

Depending on time you also have several options travel options. You can go south from Omega to Winchell then Gaskin, Horseshoe. Or you can go south from Henson to Gaskin. You can also go north from Pillsbery to Swallow to Meeds and exit from Meeds to Poplar or go from Meeds to Caribou and out through Lizz to Poplar. One longer portage from Meeds to Poplar and four shorter ones the other way. BTW, the portage from Pillsbery to Swallow is back in the corner of the bay to the east of where it's marked on the map (~500 yards) if you go that way.

I don't fish but I don't believe Winchell is known for much, although I think Meeds might be a popular fishing destination. Check on the fishing forum.

Have a good trip, you'll enjoy it.

Schweady- I've stayed in Rockwood's bunkhouse several times before and after trips. The information already offered is pretty accurate and complete. It's nice that each unit has its own shower/bath. You'll need your own linens/sleeping bag. The location is excellent right on Poplar Lake, and Trail Center isn't far down the road for food.

We're also planning a similar trip (Cross Bay to Poplar) this August/September based on the recommendation from Rockwood. We're looking at a more relaxed pace trip going 7 days/6 nights. There's some good information on the route/campsites here. Rockwood also has a good trip report on the route on their site.