Does anyone know if you can see the lone campsitse on Flame from the portage, or do you have to paddle over to see if it is taken? Has anyone stayed at this site? I realize this probably a busy weekend spot. We are coming in on Sunday and crossing our fingers. We are doing a basecamp type trip the first week of June with another couple who have never been to the BWCA. My wife has also never been to the park. I have been a few times 10+ years ago, and we decided to do a real easy trip for them to feel it out. If the Flame site is taken would you basecamp on Smoke or Burnt for a second choice. Would Kelly or Jack offer any seclusion? It seems like the area would see a lot of traffic from the Cherokee loop. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!

Pretty sure you cannot see the campsite from the portage, we went there on our very first ever trip and base camped and flame. our concern was that the campsite would be taken so we just portaged the canoe first to check it out and once we knew it was open we brought our rest of our gear

Not sure if you are entering from Sawbill or Baker. Assumption is you want the Flame site for solitude? Sawbill has 14 entry permits per day going north, east and west. Baker has 3 per day, all going north. I can tell you that the route north from Baker is very nice, scenic with good fishing and known for moose sightings. Kelly has 4 campsites and Jack has 2, all are well spaced from other campsites. The portages are much shorter. North of Jack there is a site on Weird lake that is the only site on the lake too.

Entering from Baker you will have 112 rods of portaging and 8 campsite options to Weird Lake. To get to Flame Lake from either Sawbill or Baker you will have approximately 260 rods of portaging with less campsite options. Maybe the Fire lakes are worth it. I have been north from Baker on several occasions and it is a great area and not busy at all. BTW at the north end of the Kelly to Jack portage there is an old abandoned gold mine off a short trail, kinda neat.

If you got the north campsite on Kelly Lake, for example, you would have all the solitude you could want with a small creek on one side and a rushing river on the other. The southern site on Jack is a good one. The long river like paddling stretches on the north end of both Kelly and Jack are very nice.

I was in this area last year beginning of August. Although we did not check the Flame site, all the sites on Burnt and Kelly were taken. As we traveled north to Jack/Weird/Temperance, very few sites were taken.

I'm never quite sure if this is just how it happened to be when I was there, or if it is consistently busy in the same areas. My suggestion is nab a spot early on in the day on the Fire lakes!

Suggest Baker Lake entry to Kelly or Jack....or Weird. I think you & friends would enjoy this paddle. The northernmost site on Jack (#929) is lame so stay away from that one if possible. Latrine is way too close to tent & firegrate area which likely contributes to the abundance of bugs. The other site on Jack (928) is nice & elevated. A sighting of momma moose and baby last year on the southern side of that site.
The elevated 'peninsula' site on Kelly is nice, too.

We have an entry pt 38 permit, but im second guessing it and thinking maybe we will get a 39 for Baker.

deepdish71: "Pretty sure you cannot see the campsite from the portage, we went there on our very first ever trip and base camped and flame. our concern was that the campsite would be taken so we just portaged the canoe first to check it out and once we knew it was open we brought our rest of our gear"

^Agree with this--you can't see the campsite from the portage. It's been awhile now but I do remember enjoying this lone site on Flame. I always wonder if it's one of those situations where few people try for it because they all assume it will already be taken?! Here are a couple pictures taken from that lake.

If your heart is set for the Flame site, I'd enter from Baker.

However, there are a lot of advantages from Sawbill. If I had newbies going, I'd enter at Sawbill and portage over to Smoke and then make my way towards Flame but take advantage of the first open, nice site.

Newbies will feel the wilderness even though they are not the only ones on the lake and may see a couple of canoes throughout the day. In fact, it may make them more comfortable.

Heck, even staying on Sawbill and taking day trips to area lakes can be very satisfying for those new to it.

Iownawenonah: "We have an entry pt 38 permit, but im second guessing it and thinking maybe we will get a 39 for Baker. "

If your friends want significant BWCA portages experience--then trek from Sawbill to Smoke to Burnt then onward to Kelly via 206 rods for a hill-climbing portage. woohoo! A nice challenge while not discouraging the spirit. Did that trek while in my early 60's--on my Cherokee counterclockwise loop. I recall, I slept very well that night.

Gotta say.....it's a coin toss on which entry. I do enjoy ending a trip at Sawbill Lake landing because of the store's supply of ice cream, beer & hot showers available. ;-) Nice, quiet campground too.