I am heading back to the Q next year for my longest solo yet. The plan is for 14 days in the park. As I look at maps, I realize that in my hurry to get to my destination, I have paddled quickly through areas that probably deserve some more thorough exploring.

One such area is just south of Pickerel. Rawn, Art and Buckingham lakes. Anyone been through there? My research says that all three lakes hold all of the grand slam species, and that there are some nice campsites.

Worth a visit? Worth spending a couple days?

My crews have been through this area a couple of times. Easy to reach Rawn, as just a 3 hour paddle from the main part of Pickeral, and no portages. Rawn has a nice camping island at the west end, great day trips to Buckingham. If you want to explore, part way down the Rawn Narrows, go east and you can eventually get to a portage to the Howard Lakes. Pull up my thread about this.
Not hard to get into this area.
Fishing? We have had modest success in this area, no better and no worse than other areas. At least you will have no competing crowds.

gymcoachdon: "Worth a visit? Worth spending a couple days?"

Isn't every lake in Q worth a visit of at least a couple days? :) And those lakes look like a perfect off-the-beaten-trail destination to do just that.

I was planning a solo trip into the Howard Lakes this past September but had a death in the family so I couldn't do it. I will reconsider in 2020... I have spent a lot of time in the areas you are considering. Email me if you want intricate details.

Spent a couple days on Buckingham this past summer. Very worthwhile. Pretty lake, and good fishing for all four species. The only downside to Buckingham is there's only two good campsites. The others would work if necessary, but not deluxe.

Thanks for the info so far, I am leaning toward making the visit. I have found that as a solo tripper 4/5 star sites are nice, but 2/3 star sites serve me just as well. A decent takeout, a place to hang the hammock, and access to easily get water for the gravity filter, and it is a 5 star for me.

You can also do a circle of the no name lakes west of Buckingham which is another neat day trip. Hardly anyone ever visits, so the fishing should be pretty good. There are cut portages which are easy to find.

jdddl8: "You can also do a circle of the no name lakes west of Buckingham which is another neat day trip. Hardly anyone ever visits, so the fishing should be pretty good. There are cut portages which are easy to find. "

Interesting to hear, I had read that the creek at the southwest end of Buckingham had a portage to the unnamed lake it leads to. Are you talking about those lakes directly north of that lake?

No I am describing the three lakes basically west and a tiny bit south of Buckingham.

If you really want to be adventurous, you can pull up the discussion from about 10 year ago about the portage connection between Buckingham Lake and Montgomery Lake to the south. Not on the maps, but well described. A quick way to get down to the Falls Chain/ Malign River area. Apparently some pictoglyphs of a rather obscene nature are on some rock faces along the way.

I have seen the "obscene" pictograph on Montgomery Lake. I did a day trip from McDougall to see it, and the "new" pictographs found on the creek North of there. I did not have time to bushwack North, so those pictos are still on my list.
I will search for that thread.

The water in Buckingham is good. I've never filtered there but I guess some do as a rule. The fishing in all is decent but size isn't so great for Lakers or Eyes, though I haven't caught a Laker on Rawn. I have heard that there are some large trout on Art but no noted campsites. If you are hanging you could make a place work far down on the north side. There is an old fire-it there. When are you going?

I am entering the park June 6th or 7th, leaning toward camping at Dawson trail and entering early am on the 7th. I hammock camp.
The only mention I could find of bushwacking from Buckingham to the pictos was done without a canoe, as a day trip.

Think about this epic route...
Start from French Lake, spend a couple days exploring Rawn -Buckingham.
Bushwack all the way to Montgomery
Head to McDougall to revisit my trip of 3 years ago, then to Camel
Bushwack to Hoare, spend a night there, then back out to Camel.
Camel to Kawnipi, then Mckenzie,
Then exit with the Cache Lake portages and the French River back to the truck.

Whew. What a relaxing vacation!

Sounds like a great trip. You have time to do it. I presume you were joking a bit when you wrote about relaxing trip with the Cache Lake portages, but these will be at the end of the trip when the packs are lighter and the physical shape is better.

I'm envious!

Eyedocron: "Sounds like a great trip. You have time to do it. I presume you were joking a bit when you wrote about relaxing trip with the Cache Lake portages, but these will be at the end of the trip when the packs are lighter and the physical shape is better."

Yes, a bit tongue in cheek.
That would be a tough finish to the trip, but probably a lot easier than the bushwack to Montgomery Lake from Buckingham.
My wife finds it odd that I call my trips "vacations". No flushing toilets, no wife on the trip, lol. But I am sure a lot of people on this site get it.