Hi All -

I'm heading back up to the Northshore with my mom next week, and want to plan a day trip to share some BWCA magic with her. She is in recovery from a stem cell transplant (2 years, but it's a very long road), and can tire easily depending on the day. That said, she is active considering, spending most of her time down in the dirt gardening and going for 3-5 mile walks on hilly Wisconsin backroads daily.

I'm looking for a day trip where the paddling won't be too strenuous (or easy enough for one person to take on). A couple of portages are fine, but I want to avoid elevation or having to navigate around very rocky terrain. She is an experienced paddler (I'm here because she and my dad met in their college canoe club) but I'd like the trip to be as relaxing as possible for her as extremely active days can really knock her out.

We are staying south of Grand Marais, near the Tofte Ranger Station. Ideally we'd like to stay under 2 hours to an entry point to maximize time on the water.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Clearwater or Crocodile

From Tofte is doesn't get any easier that this:

Head up the Sawbill Trail to Sawbill Lake. The route is the Kelso Loop. The entry is on Sawbill Lake with a dock. Paddle north on Sawbill through the first narrows and you are in the BW! Follow the west shore north to the first large bay and at the west end of the bay is a very and easy portage into the Kelso River. This is a very moosey spot. Follow the Kelso River northwest into Kelso Lake and keep heading north through Kelso Lake to the Kelso River. Your destination is the Viking Dolman. (Ask at Sawbill Outfitter about the whereabouts.) . Were there actually Vikings here or is it a freak of nature? Opinions vary. Head back south through Kelso Lake to the south end where you will find the Kelso/Alton Lake portage. Here is your only tough spot. This take out is very rocky. Mom may need a hand getting safely to shore. This portage is not long with very little elevation change. The Alton Lake end is very easy put it. Alton Lake can get rocking and rolling on a windy day so mind your weather forecast. (If windy, then just head back through the Kelso River to Sawbill Lake.) Alton Lake is a beautiful BW Lake. The northern end (1/3) is mostly open with a few rocks sticking up here and there. The southern end (2/3) has some beautiful islands along the western and southern shore. The portage back to Sawbill Lake from Alton used to have railroad track on it. Very easy and smooth. The western end is in small inlet and is easy in and out of the canoe. The eastern end is more rocky, but not hard.

You can see the route on this map:
Voyageur Map #8

Make sure you fill out a day permit (no cost).

Hope this helps.

Head up the Sawbill trail and take a tour of Sawbill, Alton and Kelso Lakes. You can rent a canoe right there at Sawbill Outfitters. Otherwise rent one at Sawtooth outfitters in Tofte and explore Kawishiwi, Square, and Kawasachong Lakes. This entry was affected by the Pagami creek fire however.

EP #60 - Duncan Lake/Rose Falls. One portage from Bearskin Lake to Duncan Lake. Rose Falls is on Stairway Portage from Duncan to Rose. If I remember right, the first part of Stairway Portage is fairly easy to the falls area.

I'll second the Sawbill/Kelso/Alton loop, also the warning about the Kelso to Alton portage landing and the wind on Alton. I've done this a few times and I is a very nice trip with a lot of variety.

Thanks, everyone!

Sawbill/Kelso/Alton seems like just what I'm looking for. Bonus given the opportunity to rent from the outfitter right there. Appreciate all your input.

eroom: "EP #60 - Duncan Lake/Rose Falls. One portage from Bearskin Lake to Duncan Lake. Rose Falls is on Stairway Portage from Duncan to Rose. If I remember right, the first part of Stairway Portage is fairly easy to the falls area."

+1 . Easy paddling...the portage from Bearskin to Duncan goes up, then down, but it is short and well traveled. Leave the canoe off to the side of the portage from Duncan to Rose Lake. Take your lunch and eat it by the falls. If she has the energy, watch for the hiking path off to your left as you walk back toward Duncan. Walk just a little ways, cross over the creek on a foot bridge and then look for the fantastic overlooks just up ahead on the left. You can see Canada :) This also is a lovely place to eat lunch...has nice rock seating.

You can rent a canoe from Hungry Jack Outfitters. To get there, head to Grand Marais, go halfway up the Gunflint Trail and turn right on 65 (just before Trail Center restaurant).

AmarilloJim: "Clearwater "

if she has never been there before, this would be the best possible place for a day trip, fantastic views, IMO, if she doesn't like this lake, no point in showing her any others

There are lots and lots of really nice lakes in that area that are not within the bwca, but are within the SNF and are de facto paddle-only lakes.
Your mom is a gardener; the pitcher plants on the above-mentioned Kelso trips are destination-worthy, too. My gardener wife freaked out. :) They're carniverous.

ZaraSp00k: "

AmarilloJim: "Clearwater "

if she has never been there before, this would be the best possible place for a day trip, fantastic views, IMO, if she doesn't like this lake, no point in showing her any others"

I don't think there's the slightest chance that she won't find Clearwater stunning IRL - she's looked at many of my photos of it with envy. Unfortunately I'm not sure she'd be up for the portages, and we'd like to hit a couple of lakes. But if she's only up for paddling it will definitely be a contender.

Sounds like you already have gotten great advice. I would have suggested Lake One but it is further from the North Shore. But it is a very easy put in and there is also an outitter right there. But Sawbill is great.

Just thought I would add that I'm 5 years out from my allogeneic stem cell transplant. Yes, it is a long road and mine got longer with a relapse after a year and then some GVHD. But I'm doing great now and last year took our niece and her husband back to the BWCA along with a first trip for their two young boys. It's a long road but worth it. I'm now doing great and I hope your Mom gets all the wonderful benefits that I've experienced.

andym: "Sounds like you already have gotten great advice. I would have suggested Lake One but it is further from the North Shore. But it is a very easy put in and there is also an outitter right there. But Sawbill is great.


Just thought I would add that I'm 5 years out from my allogeneic stem cell transplant. Yes, it is a long road and mine got longer with a relapse after a year and then some GVHD. But I'm doing great now and last year took our niece and her husband back to the BWCA along with a first trip for their two young boys. It's a long road but worth it. I'm now doing great and I hope your Mom gets all the wonderful benefits that I've experienced."

Andy,

Thanks so much for your message. Mam had an allogenic stem cell transplant as well, and has unfortunately been struggling with GVHD. This will be her first getaway to a new place since the transplant, so I'm excited and nervous. It's so wonderful to hear you're doing great and able to trip with your family - I'm hopeful an overnight is in the future for my mom as well. All the best!

My GVHD started after I had to get a dose of t-cells from my donor, 2 years after my transplant. They got it under control pretty quickly but there was about a year when I had to eat pretty bland food due to mouth sores and another 1.5 years before I was off all the immune suppression drugs. Both the gvhd and the drugs cause fatigue. I’m sure the day trip will be great. We have a cabin outside of Ely and doing daytrips from there kept me in touch with the northwoods when I wasn’t up to more. I got a lot of joy from those days.

Hope your Mom keeps improving and have a great time.

Hi all,

We're back to civilization (I'm afraid) - I wanted to hop on and thank you all for the suggestions. Mam had the time of her life and I couldn't be more pleased. Next time, she says, we're bringing a tent.

Photo for proof of bliss.

Love that smile!! And love that attitude. Day trips are great but being in a tent is my favorite.

Awesome, glad to hear it went well.

Very cool! Hopefully she'll be back!

Wonderful. You should compose a Trip report to document her bravery and tribulations. This looks like sawbill? If she's interested in "a tent next time" consider a hammock adventure. Man what I'd give for the opportunity to go back in time and show my dear Mom how to hang.
Beautiful story. Please write about it and consider sharing it!

jillpine: "Wonderful. You should compose a Trip report to document her bravery and tribulations. This looks like sawbill? If she's interested in "a tent next time" consider a hammock adventure. Man what I'd give for the opportunity to go back in time and show my dear Mom how to hang.
Beautiful story. Please write about it and consider sharing it! "

You are absolutely right. A perfect task for the stormy evening in I'll be having tonight.