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Kampynkate
member (40)member
  
08/03/2019 10:15PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Entry point info: Been 30 plus years since I ventured into the Boundary Waters. How is Moose North for an entry departure?
 
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hoosconnie
member (15)member
  
08/03/2019 11:15PM  
Are you talking about EP 16: Moose/Portage River? If so, it's a pretty long portage to the river from the parking lot, but it's not especially difficult. The paddle to Nina Moose is nice and you have some great options from there depending on how far you want to go. If you have any other questions, happy to try to help.
mgraber
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08/04/2019 01:03AM  
It is a great entry point, but it is pretty popular so you will have some company.
08/04/2019 05:58AM  
mgraber: "It is a great entry point, but it is pretty popular so you will have some company."


+1 Depending on your dates (if soon), there may not be a permit available . . .
08/05/2019 11:17PM  
We've been up that way several times. It depends on how long you have. You get to Nina Moose pretty soon. The river winds around and has a few portages, but mostly it's pretty well protected from wind. Agnes is reachable in a day but it seems to be a party lake. Lac la croix can be reached too, but getting there late can be hard to find campsite. You might want to stage on Agnes to get to Iron or Crooked though. Oyster is quieter and has Lake trout. You can also go up to Gebeonoquet if you are looking for a litle more solitude. We had the lake to ourselves for a couple of days. Decent portages, but some of the landings are rocky. We saw a moose on the river past Nina Moose. You can also loop and come out a different entrypoint if you have someone to pick you up. We've looped back to Mudro once and thru Basswood out Moose lake. That took 10 days but can be done in less. Take the oyster river to Oyster if you go that way, its a little like being on the African Queen, but kind of fun.
08/10/2019 06:48AM  
Just came back from there and I will give that entry point a pass in the future.

I didn't care for the Moose River or the Nina Moose River and that is most of your first day. Nothing but twisty turny skinny little creek.

Yeah at first it's pretty and it's quiet but after awhile it gets old.

Our first day we hit the entry point right before 5 am and portaged the 1/2 mile in while it was almost still dark. You could just see the trail enough to not need lights. We saw no one else until Nina Moose Lake and that couple was exiting. The portages on this route are really nice with good photo opportunities of what you are portaging around.

The plan was to maybe lay up on Agnes and hit LLC the next day but we were at Agnes plenty early so we took the single portage up into Boulder Bay. We passed the first campsite in Boulder Bay and continued on with Tiger Bay being our sought after destination. After that first site everything was taken all the way to Tiger and into Tiger Bay except the one site high on the bluff on the island that sits between Boulder Bay, LLC and Tiger Bay. While not the best site the views form that high up were awesome and the centralised location made it great for everything we wanted to do.

Yes there were a lot of people but it wasn't as if we were running into each other. I saw a lot of new folks coming thru the area looking for camps and even clued one large group that there was nothing available where they were headed.

That area is great for fishing and we caught a bunch of walleye and smallmouth and even a 37" Pike.

Never Fail Bay was really nice and good fishing and we floated by the pictographs on the Canadian side.

We were wind bound one day after the morning fish but other than that the weather was almost perfect.

On our way out we laid up on the northern end of Agnes for our last night. Lots of open sites and the lake was fairly quiet. I caught a 14" Crappie out of Agnes.

My next trip to LLC will be from a different entry point.

Kampynkate
member (40)member
  
08/24/2019 11:27PM  
How about Moose South entry point? That's just a one-way venture to Big Moose? Is its easy to circle around and return to one's origin?
08/25/2019 08:06PM  
Bushman: "Just came back from there and I will give that entry point a pass in the future.


I didn't care for the Moose River or the Nina Moose River and that is most of your first day. Nothing but twisty turny skinny little creek "


+1

We went in the 12th. I think the rivers were way down making navigation more of a struggle. We camped on Agnes and I wasn't particularly impressed. Stained water and a tough bite.
08/26/2019 09:47AM  
I think this has been my favorite EP thus far. Going next week.

Is the creek dried up and difficult to paddle?
08/26/2019 11:36AM  
Kampynkate: "How about Moose South entry point? That's just a one-way venture to Big Moose? Is its easy to circle around and return to one's origin?"


Most people don't venture beyond Big Moose because of the long portages. It's possible to circle around through Duck, Big and cross over to Stuart river portage and down through Agnes, but I'm not sure how the permit would work as you would be leaving and entering the park twice. I've paddled some of the Moose River south of the Echo Trail and finding portages might be a challenge. I think you would have to do some bushwhacking.
08/28/2019 11:30AM  
Aldy1: "I think this has been my favorite EP thus far. Going next week.


Is the creek dried up and difficult to paddle? "


I'm sure it's not dried up. For us it was tougher as we were paddling a 20' canoe with 3 people heavily laden so those tight turns took some effort.

I love the portages though. Quite scenic and easily traveled.
The single portage into Boulder Bay was tricky but doable as things were not so wet. I imagine that landing on the Boulder bay side could be quite a bear when it's wet!
08/28/2019 12:31PM  
Great, thanks for the report! I can't wait to put in next Thursday.

I remember the portages between Nina Moose and Agnes along the creek were quite pleasant.

scotttimm
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09/03/2019 08:25AM  
Aldy1: "Great, thanks for the report! I can't wait to put in next Thursday.


I remember the portages between Nina Moose and Agnes along the creek were quite pleasant.


"


As a head's up - just saw a posting on another board that there is a persistent bear on the NE side of Agnes. We went through this way in July - there is a message board at the head of the portage that lists current bear info. Loved our first trip to this area this summer, have fun!
scotttimm
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09/03/2019 08:34AM  
 
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