Hey everyone,

I have edited this post based upon feedback and having the route semi planned.

First I want to start by saying I love this website and have already read through numerous trip planning posts. I am already working with an outfitter to help plan my trip (Ely Outfitting Company - Ryan & Mike) and my uncle who has been 36 times and done the same loop 6 times. I have only been to BWCA once but have good backpacking skills, mediocre navigation skills, mediocre paddle skills and above average open water knowledge. The group I'm going with are all young, in shape and outdoorsy guys. They all have backpacking experience but only two have canoe experience. We have a total of 4 confirmed and 2 pending.

Entry Point #23 - Mudro Lake
Our rough route idea consists of:
Mudro to Tin Can Mike to Horse Lake to Basswood River to Crooked Lake (Friday Bay is our goal).
- (we may camp on horse lake depending on how everyone is feeling and weather)
Exit from Friday Bay to Wagosh to Fairy Lake to Gun Lake to Boot Lake and exit at Mudro EP #23.

My new questions consist of:

Campsites you would recommend?

Has anyone done this route?

How is this route as far as difficulty?

Best plan for inclement weather (i.e. good basecamps, etc)

Gear you would recommend that time of year? (gear to leave behind)

Thank you everyone for your feedback thus far and Happy Holidays to everyone.

Cheers!

All I can comment on is the weather. It is really variable that time of year. It has been below freezing with snow, and has been in the 80s F. It also can be windier on average.

How are you getting to Crooked? Via Mudro? Basswood? It's hard to recommend portages to avoid not knowing how you're getting in.

A good week's loop is to enter Mudro to Horse, then take the Horse River downstream to the Basswood River and portage around Lower Basswood Falls to get to Crooked. Then, portage South out of Friday Bay to the Papoose Creek and paddle that to the 300r portage into Gun. Exit via Fairy, Boot, and Fourtown back to Mudro.

Weather wise, the water will be cold and the air could be deceptively warm. You could still see near or below freezing nights. Bugs will be starting to wake up at that point so it could be feast or famine. Too many variables this far out to predict, but by the end of April you'll have at least a reliable ballpark of what it'll be like.

Weather can be cold or hot, wet or dry, storms or nice, be prepared for anything. The overall lack of experience is a concern. You didn’t go very far on your only trip. You will need above average navigation skills and above average paddling and portage skills.

At that time the fishing can be feast or famine. Go a month later and more of the odds will be in your favor.

We haven't landed on an EP yet but all signs put to Mudro.

mirth: "How are you getting to Crooked? Via Mudro? Basswood? It's hard to recommend portages to avoid not knowing how you're getting in.


A good week's loop is to enter Mudro to Horse, then take the Horse River downstream to the Basswood River and portage around Lower Basswood Falls to get to Crooked. Then, portage South out of Friday Bay to the Papoose Creek and paddle that to the 300r portage into Gun. Exit via Fairy, Boot, and Fourtown back to Mudro.


Weather wise, the water will be cold and the air could be deceptively warm. You could still see near or below freezing nights. Bugs will be starting to wake up at that point so it could be feast or famine. Too many variables this far out to predict, but by the end of April you'll have at least a reliable ballpark of what it'll be like."

Would you recommend Mudro or Basswood?

End of May you'll be fine. Granted weather can be difficult to predict at this time of year (last year there was snow on the ground just before opener).

You can figure out that stuff at beginning of May. (how to pack, etc)

Fishing should still be good. Going through Mudro you'll hit Tin Can then Horse and go up the Horse River to Crooked. Fish the currents on Crooked; you'll do just fine.
How far up Crooked are you going to go; what bay? Any idea?

Crooked is one of my favorite lakes.

Harv: "End of May you'll be fine. Granted weather can be difficult to predict at this time of year (last year there was snow on the ground just before opener).


You can figure out that stuff at beginning of May. (how to pack, etc)


Fishing should still be good. Going through Mudro you'll hit Tin Can then Horse and go up the Horse River to Crooked. Fish the currents on Crooked; you'll do just fine.
How far up Crooked are you going to go; what bay? Any idea?


Crooked is one of my favorite lakes. "

Crooked is one of my uncle's favorites as well.
We haven't planned a route yet - our trip is 6 days in the BWCA, would you suggest anything in particular? We want to fish and sight seeing is also important to us.

Loon or Moose are good entries for getting onto Crooked in a day. Good fishing/scenic sites on that part of Lac La Croix as an alternative. If your group is motivated, you can be on Crooked by day 2 via Iron although Iron is great spot to be as well. That is to say, you have a lot of options.

Thank you everyone for the input! I greatly appreciate the feedback.

If your self assesment of paddling skills is about the same level of your co-travelers or better than theirs, you are going to be at severe risk of potentially deadly problems. Wind, rain, cold weather, and inexperience can lead to tipping over in very cold water. Plan an extra day at least for a wind caused layover, Do not attempt to keep a schedule if conditions do not favor success in traveling the waters and portages. Be late coming back if needed. Hypothermia should be a major concern and plans on how to deal with it should be understood by all going. Prevention by properly dressing both on and off the waters is paramount. What to do if tipped over should be determined before getting on the water. How are you going to get warmed up with a fire on the shore? sleeping bags should be double bagged so they can be used to help get the tipped folks into dry conditions if needed. A warm dry individual should get in with the wet one. Naked or very near naked for both helps transfer heat to the one who is in need. Wet clothes off. Forget modesty. Stay warm at night. Proper attire and quality gear at all times. Especially rain gear. If you go, paddle close to the shore line for safety and self rescue until sure of adequate skills by all involved. You may even see wild life along the way. If you do this, it will take longer to traverse any lake. Plan your time accordingly. Expect to take longer for the days travel no matter how direct the path you take to reach point B from point A. First timers are never efficient in paddling and portaging. Make sure the canoes are trimmed properly for best handling and efficiency.

If it were me, I would not attempt this trip this time of year with this group because of the variables and what may be a less than an adequate skill set by the group. Hopefully, I have concerns that are not really that much of an issue for your group and the questions raised are just a reminder to be safe and take proper precautions. Best of luck.

bwcadan: "If your self assesment of paddling skills is about the same level of your co-travelers or better than theirs, you are going to be at severe risk of potentially deadly problems. Wind, rain, cold weather, and inexperience can lead to tipping over in very cold water. Plan an extra day at least for a wind caused layover, Do not attempt to keep a schedule if conditions do not favor success in traveling the waters and portages. Be late coming back if needed. Hypothermia should be a major concern and plans on how to deal with it should be understood by all going. Prevention by properly dressing both on and off the waters is paramount. What to do if tipped over should be determined before getting on the water. How are you going to get warmed up with a fire on the shore? sleeping bags should be double bagged so they can be used to help get the tipped folks into dry conditions if needed. A warm dry individual should get in with the wet one. Naked or very near naked for both helps transfer heat to the one who is in need. Wet clothes off. Forget modesty. Stay warm at night. Proper attire and quality gear at all times. Especially rain gear. If you go, paddle close to the shore line for safety and self rescue until sure of adequate skills by all involved. You may even see wild life along the way. If you do this, it will take longer to traverse any lake. Plan your time accordingly. Expect to take longer for the days travel no matter how direct the path you take to reach point B from point A. First timers are never efficient in paddling and portaging. Make sure the canoes are trimmed properly for best handling and efficiency.


If it were me, I would not attempt this trip this time of year with this group because of the variables and what may be a less than an adequate skill set by the group. Hopefully, I have concerns that are not really that much of an issue for your group and the questions raised are just a reminder to be safe and take proper precautions. Best of luck."

I totally disagree with this guy's opinion. Just this last year I brought a group of 7 including myself, 5 of them never having been to the BWCA, and 1 having been only once when a kid, and then me, who has been several times. I brought them to Curtain Falls via Stuart River, it's a brutal route. We encountered all of the same dangers you would on your trip to Crooked, tough portages (way harder than the route you'll take btw), water with current (curtain falls), we ran into some white cap wind on Stuart our last evening in the BWCA, my canoe blew away and then by some miracle blew back to us in the crazy wind. We got good weather however save for some crazy wind, best I've ever had up there.

Here's how we had the greatest trip I've ever been on, despite having so many newbies:

1. I did a good job of making sure everyone knew EXACTLY what to bring, and EXACTLY what NOT to bring. I kept them to the essentials, plus a few luxury items I couldn't argue against. We single portaged, a feat not easily accomplished by a beginner group in my opinion. This was only accomplished because everyone kept their gear well packed, and at a minimum. Nobody showed up in clothes that don't dry well, nobody brought extra duplicate stuff. Make sure your group does NOT bring anything extra, and that you do a great job of bringing only the essentials. Don't everyone bring their own stove, only 1 person bringing a set of stoves that can cook for the group and no more. Dont everyone bring their axe's and hatchets, that's weight and room you'll need for food. 1 hatchet, 1 axe, 1 set of cooking stuff, use as few tents as possible, leave the hammock at home, distribute food equally, be a nazi about making sure they bring the right clothing,

TLDR: Pack efficiently and bring only the essentials. NO EXTRA GEAR

2. We went on a route that was BRUTAL in terms of portaging. 5 of the guys in our group were introduced to the BWCA with a 1.5 mile portage to Stuart River. I prepared everyone as best I could as far as making sure everyone knew what they were getting into. I knew every inch of the trip, even though I had never been there. I read everything I could on this website about our route, which was more than enough btw. And I prepared them for MONTHS prior to the trip. I'd say in the group text all the time how long our portage was, and always stressing to keep gear to a minimum due to what we were doing, and that they wouldn't need it, etc.

TLDR: As group leader, and most experienced person there, you MUST know your shit. And you are obligated to make sure everyone knows that it will be no cake walk, and it won't. You're looking at one of the most coveted, and challenging routes in the BWCA.

3. You gotta do most of the work. For our trip I told everyone to bring no food, they still snuck in some candy and jerky, but I did ALLLLLL of the food. This way there was nothing that was extra, taking up unnecessary space, and we ran out of food EXACTLY the final morning of our trip due to excruciating planning on my part. If you're with a bunch of newbies. You gotta be the guide. Tell them to bring their clothes, tents, and NO MORE FISHING GEAR THAT CAN FIT IN A 5X8 LURE BOX. If your trip sucks for anyone, it'll be the guy who's trying to carry paddles, and his giant ass tackle box that he uses 3% of the lures from the entire trip. The first time I went to the BWCA, I went with a guy who had been many times, but was super busy with work that summer and thus the planning and food p rep for the trip fell on me. The route was great, I knew that much, I love this website and got a ton of info from it. We were great with navigating, my friend had told me what to buy and what was necessary. Part he didn't help with at all was food, that fell on me. And long story short, we were out of food 3 days before the end of our planned trip. Leave any of the food up to someone who's never been or knows what food to bring, and you'll pay for it.

TLDR: Do all the food yourself. Carry 80% of the group because due to their experience, they'll only be able to pull 20%.

4. Don't go with idiots. I brought a bunch of coworkers, we all work in a hospital together, I kinda knew way beforehand that everyone had solid potential to be in the wild. All are pretty outdoorsy in their own way, and I knew that before I invited them. If you bring someone that gets claustrophobic and freaks out at 9pm on an island in the wild one night, it's gonna be a horrible trip. If you bring someone that's cocky, and reckless, and paddles wrong in the wind and tips over, your trip will suck. The newbies I brought were open minded, and listened to every tip I told them because they knew I was saying it for their safety. I taught them a brief lesson in how to paddle a canoe in dangerous conditions. One night we had white caps on Stuart and I had paddled with my friend back to camp before the rest of the group, and I swear I thought someone was going to capsize. They didn't. All were safe and paddled well in the worst conditions to get back to camp. Strong paddlers, it was a crazy day. Bring people that you know have a level head, and know the risks of dunking, and danger in the middle of no where, and thus heed your expert advice and don't act recklessly.

TLDR: Bring people you trust to stay safe. If anyone in your group has any cause for concern, do NOT invite them. One spilled canoe, and you're the one saving their lives and their gear and their canoe....one injured person and you're the medic that takes care of them....it's great to be a leader, but you're the one in charge of keeping everyone safe too...You need to prepare them to paddle correctly, and to avoid danger, and to know how to split wood without cutting their toes off or hands off.....idiots who cut their hand open with a hatchet being overzealous cutting wood on night #1 are the worst, there goes your trip. Absolutely zerooooooooooooo room for any recklessness. All who join must know to risk nothing, because they're bodies will hurt best case scenario anyways.

Last note: My group had the time of their lives. Nobody regretted the route, they knew it was a rough route, and we all laugh about "well any other entry point we go into, it'll be easier than Stuart River". On the other hand, we also say stuff like "No other entry point will come close to curtain falls" with a sad face. Don't be detracted from Crooked Lake. It will probably be the trip of your lives if you do your due diligence as a group leader, and prepare everyone in every way how to be successful.

Yikes. This is making crooked lake out to be a dreaded killer. In fact the terrain provides ample opportunities to avoid the strongest winds, if needs be. You really don’t want to swamp your canoe in may. Just use caution, be prepared to be wind bound, that means bringing food for an unplanned day. I’ll add that the Stuart river entry is far from the most challenging entry points, not even close.

Just be aware of cold water immersion. Make sure everyone knows it.

Have a plan. Make sure everyone knows the plan.

If you are going to head up through the Horse River; in all honesty you can be on Crooked Lake in a day. Friends and myself have done this route MANY times and we are at a campsite between Wednesday and Thursday bay in 6 hours. 4.5 hours to Lower Basswood Falls and then it's a 1.5 hour paddle up Crooked (you are going with currents on the way up). We stop at lower basswood and usually grab something to eat/ take a little break then it's back in the canoe and paddle up.

Yeah, be careful. Not a lot of dangerous stuff on this route; Horse River has some rapids that some will run but it's also easier to pull over the portage and call it good.

You'll hear / see lower basswood falls...we portage on the Canadian side. After coming out of the Horse river, paddle straight across and you'll see a beach type landing. Easy portage and that way you can put in for most part your our of any rapids / current of the falls. If you take the American side you have to paddle around the rushing water.

On the way back it typically takes us 7 hours to be back at our vehicles at Murdo parking lot.

gearguy: If you and your group travelled in mid summer, we do not really disagree on much of anything. I would lead in a different manner, to each their own with good results. Did your group go in May? In fact, you stated much in more detail of what needed to be stated. I do not much care if they double portage or get hungry. Too much stuff and the group makeup is not my concern. The level of planning for them is not much of an issue for me. My only concern with this group is the time of year which can be very unforgiving. As stated in my initial response, if they are better than presented, no problem. If not, I would not take them this time of year.

bwcadan: "gearguy: If you and your group travelled in mid summer, we do not really disagree on much of anything. I would lead in a different manner, to each their own with good results. Did your group go in May? In fact, you stated much in more detail of what needed to be stated. I do not much care if they double portage or get hungry. Too much stuff and the group makeup is not my concern. The level of planning for them is not much of an issue for me. My only concern with this group is the time of year which can be very unforgiving. As stated in my initial response, if they are better than presented, no problem. If not, I would not take them this time of year."

Both your posts provided concerns I have taken into consideration. I am a very modest person and believe in research, planning and preparation. I also believe in safety first and have already set a date to get my group together to do some cold water training and paddling on a river near my house that has rapids and a few larger open areas. I will make sure to stream line gear and BWCADAN I absolutely lol'd when you said you don't care about if we got hungry, that's something my uncle would've said. All of the comments are helping me plan and prepare to make this one of the best trips myself and my group have ever been on. Thank you guys for taking the time to write such thorough posts.

Fun route.
Check out my trip report on that same route in August of 2018.

Warmer weather for sure but it was our first time canoe camping and we had little difficulty.

Many options of routes, starting points and destination that include Crooked. I tend to like going from Fall Lake and then heading up to Lower Basswood Falls. Then the long portage in spring as water is high. End up on Crooked in long day or two and break it up. There are several sites that will support groups and rate high on scale for me. Crooked up to end of Wednesday is travel time generally. I have more luck catching fish top of Wednesday, Thursday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Generally avoid Sunday as it has limited protection when windy. You can go south out of Friday and its possible to be back to mudro in a day. A few up hill portages but nothing that will kill you.
The next option is to come out of Mudro and go north to Friday Bay, heard of good fishing on several lakes that make for shorter day and gives newbies a time to adjust with portaging, paddling and setting up camp. Then second day mostly down hill after mile portage and there is Friday Bay. Loop west through the bays listed to Iron Lake and see Curtain Falls which is spectacular in the spring. Then a day on LLC or two and then a day out through Alice and Nina Moose and Moose River North. Good area to see moose.

Fall Lake to Crooked 1 to 2 days
Mudro to Crooked 1 to 2 days
Crooked to Friday 1 to 2 days
Friday to Mudro 1 to 2 days
Friday to Iron 1 to 2 days
Iron to LCC or Alice 1/2 to 1 day
Alice go out 1 day

Be wise and avoid the heavy currents, travel the shore lines on the travel to bays and going out. If you need more information let me know. 25 trips going one direction or another. Ten days and I choose going from Fall to Moose River north. I like following the sun and tracking the clouds and storms as they come in.
Brian

PS pack a good tarp 10 x 14 or 12 x16 gives you more options if windy and rain. Hate standing in rain or being stuck in tent. Sitting there and sharpening my hatchet, thinking of Howard Sprague