BWCA First Trip Advice Boundary Waters Group Forum: Woodland Caribou Provincial Park
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04/08/2019 11:54AM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Hello all,

I am considering my first trip to WCPP the first two weeks of August. Planning a solo loop entering at Leano, traveling as far north as Rostoul via Mexican Hat, down thru Haven, Wrist, Welkin, Aegean, Paull back to Leano. Of course, the freedom of a solo allows for flexibility.

I have been reading my eyeballs off on the messageboard. While there are too many to list, I have really appreciated the insights of Kiporby, Marten, Oldzip, Masterangler, mpeebles, and jcavenagh just to name a few. I sincerely appreciate all of the information. I have contacted Claire at the park office, but I also wanted to ask a few targeted questions to these members. I will also be reaching out to Harlan at Red Lake Outfitters.

First, should I have any concern about finding unoccupied campsites during the first two weeks of August around those lakes? I know it is probably one of the busiest times to go (and possibly some of the busiest routes?), but I am hoping the repeated descriptions of WCPP's low usage hold true. I get frustrated in the BWCA when the only way to find a good site is to stop paddling at noon. I don't mind seeing other people; however, I love 8 hours of paddling, and I hope WCPP can remove some of the anxiety of finding an open campsite.

Second, was the Chrismar map enough for most folks? I will have a SPOT, but I am considering an upgrade to something with GPS as well. Also, I think the Inreach has a weather forecast function, and with no weather radio broadcast in the park, that might be handy. I do like the experience of "just dealing with it" but safety first. I also know that Red Lake Outfitters has some laminated maps with good information. Have paddlers found those worth it?

Third, what surprised you the first time you went? I know this is a broad/vague question. I am just curious about perception versus reality.

I have really enjoyed this site since joining about a month ago. Thanks for all the advice!

Rick





 
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solotrip
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04/08/2019 01:31PM  
Hi Rick,

Glad to hear you're looking at doing a solo in WCPP....it's setup so well for solo with smaller lakes and short portages. With regards to your question about campsites, I have never, nor have any of my guests (to my knowledge), had difficulty finding campsites along the way in August or any other month. Yes August is the busiest season but that is all relative. I'd doubt the park will see even 700 paddles in total this season so you should be good. Most of these lakes have several campsites available.

While I am biased (as we sell custom topo maps for the park), I would suggest you carry something else in addition to the Chrismar map. The scale on the Chrismar is simply not there in terms of navigation, although to be fair we have had people do it in the past. Our custom topo maps are 1:50,000 scale and include all campsite and portage info and they are in high res and waterproof. Whatever you do, please make sure you have a backup to the Chrismar in some form.

Hope this helps, feel free to email me or call anytime.

Harlan
 
04/08/2019 02:25PM  
Sounds fabu.

I'd say the over/under on number of campsites you are targeting but find already occupied is zero or maybe one.

Harlan's maps are the cat's meow...vey handy.
 
hobbydog
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04/08/2019 05:44PM  
That’s a really nice route. One thing you might keep an eye on is water levels. For example, if you are going from Rostoul to Haven via Cyclops, the stretch from Rostoul to the Cyclops portage can be shallow but easy wading on a hard bottom.

The Chrismar map was always more than enough. An Inreach is really nice to have fore the forecasts and text capabilities and the rate plans are very reasonable. I have spent over 50 days in the park, mostly in late June or early sept and have only seen one other group of paddlers. Check out the campsite on the eye in Cyclops and there is an island site on jigsaw that were memorable.
 
04/08/2019 06:47PM  
Rick, one other thing....you probably know the burn history but if not there are good maps that show each burn from the past 10 years or so, available from the Parks folks. Your route definitely includes decent time in a couple recent burns (2015 and 2016, I believe.)

If you want to avoid or minimize time in those zones, it is a good resource.
 
04/08/2019 07:51PM  
Thanks Harlan! As I firm up a route, I will give you a call for advice and the right set of your custom maps.

Thank you so much for the guidance. Your passion for both the park and helping others enjoy it is really obvious.

Regards,

Rick
 
04/08/2019 08:03PM  
SNS,

Thanks for those thoughts. I did get a burn map from Claire, and I have adjusted the route a bit. I do want to experience all aspects out there. I'm planning on some of Harlan's maps as well.

Regards,

Rick
 
04/08/2019 08:06PM  
Hobbydog,

I have really enjoyed your trip reports, the pictures in particular. Thanks for the tips. I am starting to collect specific campsite research, so I will be putting your thoughts in the "book."

Happy Paddling!!!

Rick
 
hobbydog
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04/09/2019 01:45PM  
Here is something else for you to think about. When I went through Welkin in 2013 I took a picture of this nice rock face on the east end of Welkin. I did not occur to me at the time but when I got back and went through my pictures I wished I had taken the time to climb to the top and checked out the view. I am guessing you could see Aegean, Wrist and maybe Beamish, not to mention a nice view of Welkin from the top on a clear day. That was in 2013 and it may have grown up a bit but maybe not with the 2016 fire. Something to think about.....

 
04/10/2019 10:22AM  
Hobbydog,

Great idea! If I get up there, I promise to share some pictures. The fire might make it even more stunning.

Rick
 
dentondoc
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04/10/2019 11:31AM  
My first trip to WCPP was a decade ago, and I know things can change (as I perceive the park is getting more use ... at least from a board posting perspective), but the usage of BWCA vs WCPP is not an order of magnitude ... its an order of magnitude SQUARED! WCPP gets several hundred visitors per year. BWCA gets several hundred THOUSAND visitors per year (and the parks are of comparable size).

On my first few visits to WCPP, I did have to worry about campsites a bit. The worry was how long would it take me to clear the vegetation (including a small sapling or two on occasion) out of the fire pit. Literally, some campsites I've used involving some of the lakes you've mentioned, had not been used in years (or even decades). So, you might find that you have to spend a little time to do some brush/tree clearing.

So prepare yourself for a different kind experience in WCPP than you've probably experienced before. You can find the portages, but you might have to scout the landscape a bit on a few. On your route you will find Pike, Lake Trout and Walleye. (Most of the smallies are along the Bloodvein River flowage and you'll be well south of there.) Also be prepared for some lakes to have Lakers, but not Walleye (and vice versa) as there are sometimes differences in species based on the flowage connecting lakes.

ENJOY YOURSELF!

dd
 
yellowcanoe
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04/10/2019 02:32PM  
Its been a while but my first trip was on that route. I did have to brush out a few sites.. One site I wound up on Mexican Hat was on top of a frigging rock.. At that time the campsites were lightly used and infrequent. And took time to brush out.

You may need to start scouting mid afternoon with the mind that you may have to do a little brushing.
 
Marten
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04/10/2019 09:35PM  
I think others have made the point about finding a campsite not being a problem You may not get the one across from the rapids on Mexican Hat. There is just enough use on your route that you will be able to spot the portages, just do not be expecting to see a party ahead of you showing you where to head. You mentioned two weeks and 8 hours a day. Others need to help here but with no rest days you should get enough maps from Harlan so you can lengthen your route. I found the old park map OK but the Chrismar map hard as a stand alone map. Having Harlan's info on one map will make for much easier navigation. Accurate campsite info is worth the price of the maps. By noon you could have a known camp as your intended goal for the afternoon.
 
mpeebles
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04/11/2019 06:54AM  
Your first two questions have been answered by folks who gave you good advice. I would definitely get Harlan's maps.

As to your third question. The thing that struck me the most about WCPP compared to BWCA is the beauty , solitude, remoteness, scale, general lack of usage, and of course the fantastic fishing! I guess that's why I keep coming back.

I'm curious to get your take on the park when you return.

Safe travels and enjoy!........Mike
 
04/19/2019 08:10PM  
Thanks to all!!

I am going to order some maps from Harlan once I firm up routes. Going to lean towards more maps rather than less.

I don't mind seeing people; I just don't want the anxiety of finding open sites at the end of a long day paddling. Based on the responses, I am feeling pretty good about that! I hope I get to "brush out" some spots.

Really appreciate some of the perspectives regarding the unique nature of WCPP. I will be sure to add my two cents once I make the trip.

Hope all of your enjoy your summer of paddling!

 
joewildlife
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05/11/2019 04:53PM  
Good thread.
My first trip to WCPP last June. Second trip coming up.
I was in perhaps the busiest part of the park last June, for 11 days, and we only saw one occupied campsite the whole time, the big island site on Wrist. We stayed on a big rock site in a bay on the west side of the lake instead. It had been used before, say 20 years earlier.

WCPP is best described by one word: raw. That is the beauty of it. Very little human impact, great fishing, remote, huge.

Joe


 
05/13/2019 10:40AM  
Wcpp was my best place to go for adventure. Your trip will be awesome! Working with Harlan is a must... I don’t know of another outfitter as engaged with the area he is serving. His passion for that area has made him the go to guy. His maps, his knowledge, and his desire to make everyone’s trips the best just makes it... he has quality equipment if you need any. As far as the park itself, there are many options... your doing a great first trip. You’ll never look at the BW the same... campsites are no problem. Fishing is by far the best I’ve had... the one tip I’d have is try as remote of trips possible. Keep changing it up... and keep going back!
 
05/13/2019 05:54PM  
I was planning a very similar trip last year but felt I had to cancel at the last minute due to the fires. I can't add much here but do appreciate learning from all the responses as it would be my first trip there too. Fingers crossed I'll be able to make it up there late July to early August this year.
 
waywardsoul
member (16)member
  
05/20/2019 08:12AM  
Hey GoBlue,

Last year was my first trip up to WCPP around the same time (second week of August). We got a float plane out to Carroll lake and picked up at the Leano Entry/Exit point through Red Lake Outfitters. Harlan is a real laid back guy, really friendly, and knows A LOT about WCPP.

We used a set of maps made through "MyTOPO," I've been using this service for several years for both canoe trips & backpacking trips, it continues to be incredibly useful, we also bought a route set from Red Lake Outfitters once we were up there (they're really just laminated open source topo maps with a little extra route information - but handy none the less), we also had a Garmin InReach Explorer for peace of mind (but that is currently resting at the bottom of Aegean Lake RIP).
Navigation seemed to be reasonably easy in WCPP, portages were super easy to find (almost all of them are marked, especially through the more populated routes), even portages that had massive blowdown or recent fires were marked with tags. If you're used to navigation in canoe country, WCPP will be a breeze. Especially compared to Wabakimi, spent more time there wandering around trying to find portages than portaging...when the portages were cleared :,D.

Really you're not going to have to worry about crowded lakes in August, what you will need to worry about is fires. New fires pop up every day it seems, and spread really fast, and the smoke can make navigation tricky. We woke up one morning to grey skies and an orange sun - talk about ominous. As we paddled, the lakes filled up with smoke, and we thought we might get caught in a burn. Luckily it was just smoke blowing in from Manitoba and BC, but we spent all afternoon/evening on an island ready to paddle as fast as we could.


On our trip we only saw 2 groups of people on Paull Lake. That was it for a 9 Day trip! (with more than half the park closed to forest fires, and "tons" of people supposedly being rerouted our direction). remember WCPP get's maybe 1,200 people a year, it's no BWCA..for all the right reasons :) The only bummer is the outpost laden / motorized lakes. My solution is to just avoid them.

Aegean was a magical lake. By far my favorite - best trout fishing on our route! Also best campsite! If you have time, go up the Aegean Creek towards Wrist - it's just a great place to paddle.

Headed back to the BWCA this year after years of Quetico, Wabakimi, and now WCPP... I'm afraid I've been spoiled by the solitude and amazing fishing, and it just wont be the same..

You'll fall in love with WCPP, it's hard not to.
 
waywardsoul
member (16)member
  
05/20/2019 08:42AM  
Oh and I forgot to add...

Blueberries. We literally had BAGS AND BAGS of blueberries every day, just casually picking while we walked the portages. Ate them with every meal (on oatmeal, in tortillas, hell we even made a boreal cocktail with gin, juniper berries, spruce tips, and blueberries).

The portages through the burn areas (even old burn areas) are chalk FULL of blueberries. I've never seen anything like it.
 
waywardsoul
member (16)member
  
05/20/2019 08:42AM  
Oh and I forgot to add...

Blueberries. We literally had BAGS AND BAGS of blueberries every day, just casually picking while we walked the portages. Ate them with every meal (on oatmeal, in tortillas, hell we even made a boreal cocktail with gin, juniper berries, spruce tips, and blueberries).

The portages through the burn areas (even old burn areas) are chalk FULL of blueberries. I've never seen anything like it.
 
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