My wife and I will be coming up at the end of May for our first trip to the BWCA. We are looking to base camp with the focus on fishing. We are both in good shape so a long trip won't bother us.

I am curious how far one can expect to be able to travel in one day. We are leaving out of Sawbill and are willing to travel all day to get to a nice area. Just thought I would get anyone's thoughts who may have been there in the past. Thanks for any input!

This is highly variable based on wind, portage amount and difficulty, wind, single or double portage, gear, canoe type, etc. I can only speak for our experience, ability, and tripping style. We are a mid 50's couple, double portage, fairly fit, and have typical gear. We figure 10-20 miles, depending on conditions and portages, per day. If we are traveling pretty hard and long with average conditions, I would say 15 miles, but we have done 20+, and have struggled to do 7-8. We are most comfortable at about 10 miles per day.

mgraber is correct, a lot of variables, especially with length and number of portages and the wind direction, and I think his 10-20 miles a day is a good rough estimate, depending on how hard you want to push. (you may be in good shape, but likely will be using different muscle groups than normal) I've done 17 miles max in one day, that was with myself and 2 youngish children, double portaging. That was a pretty solid day for us, roughly 7 hours of travel.

My advice would be don't push too hard, leave some flexibility in your schedule, on tripping day leave as early as you can in the morning to avoid the wind, and try to finish traveling by mid-afternoon so you can find a good campsite, (though I don't think you'll have much trouble finding sites in late May)

Enjoy.

Thanks guys I really appreciate the input!

Should you want to, most people are able to get to Cherokee or over to Grace Lake in a day. You might have a rebellion on hand if you try for Mesaba Lake in a day though.

Most people paddle at around 3-4 mph and portage at around 1-2 mph (slower because most people are double portaging, meaning 3 trips across a portage trail). With that said, depending on variables, I would say anything over 10 miles will probably leave you tired and ready to pitch camp. The longest I’ve ever traveled in one day was 26 miles and that was with single portaging and took about 10 hours with a few stops for fishing and lunch. What I like to do is a hard and long day the first day to get deeper into the wilderness and then move less distance on the ensuing days which leaves lots of time for fishing, exploring, and relaxing. With all of these things said, make sure and take the time to smell the roses. After 20+ trips, I still have to remind myself to slow down and soak it in sometimes. Enjoy your trip, I’m guessing it won’t be your last after you experience the greatest place in earth.

Tony

I've wanted to get to Wine Lake for a while. It's got lake trout and is off the beaten path. I suspect most people skip past it on their way to/from the Louse River, Frost River, or further north. You could definitely do it in a day if you're in half decent shape, though the almost-500-rod portage from Lujenida to Zenith will be a challenge on your first day of your first time in the BWCA. I'd say go for it. ;)

I just figure two mph average and add the extra miles to double portage. I usually just aim to travel 4-6 hours.

I am with mgraber I would plan for roughly 10 miles max. If ahead of schedule maybe push for the next lake or two.

I typically don't count the miles. They are a factor, especially on big lakes, but paddling is an enjoyable experience much like hiking. Instead, I count the portages. I find that most of our time and effort gets eaten up by the portages. You have to find the best approach, land the canoe, unload, put on packs, portage, drop off, go back, grab the rest of the gear/canoe, portage again, drop off again, put the canoe in the water, load the canoe, get in, and then you can finally get moving again. It's a long process that takes time to streamline. At first you are likely to spend 15-30 min between the two ends of the portage without going anywhere.

I think that 10 portages in a day is a long day. We will do more depending on the route, and it does depend on average lake and portage size.

I remember my first trip though. Paddling and portaging sucked. I was happy to reach the end of the lake to give my arms a rest and happier to see the end of the portage to give my back and legs a rest. Do yourself a favor and use a decent portage or even hiking pack. You also should get out and paddle a bit just to train those muscles.

My first trip was Sawbill to Phoebe. It was a great trip except for the weather. I might also recommend stopping at Grace instead of going to Phoebe because the extra distance can make a difference on the return trip.

First time I ever planned a boundary waters trip for my friend and I, we went from Sawbill to Cherokee on the first day. Cherokee is a beautiful lake with lots of islands. We ended up looping back through Temperance, Burnt/Flame/Smoke, but we definitely would have enjoyed a base camp on Cherokee.

midwesterner: "My wife and I will be coming up at the end of May for our first trip to the BWCA. We are looking to base camp with the focus on fishing. We are both in good shape so a long trip won't bother us.

Hahahaha! Just because you are in good shape means nothing. I did 3 Rocky Mountain backpacking trips before my first bwca canoe trip. I thought I was in good shape...I thought it would be a piece of cake. Wrong.

I am not trying to be disrespectful or discouraging. My advice is:

Have tempered expectations. Paddling and portaging is different than anything you have experienced. Being in good shape will help for sure, but don't rely on it for the quality of your trip.

Have fun! My first trip was a learning experience for sure. I wish I had better instruction and council. I kept coming back, 30+ trips and counting.

In conclusion: Have fun! Have a plan but be willing to alter the plan. Fish hard no matter where you end up, you will be rewarded. Blessings on a spectacular maiden voyage!

You don't say how many days you have for the trip...hope it's a lot:) Everyone is different and admittedly my priorities and abilities have changed over the years. I enjoy paddling and even portaging, generally speaking. But for me the best of the BWCA is finding a nice campsite with time to leisurely set up camp, filter water, gather firewood, explore the surrounding woods, maybe cast from shore some, definitely just sit and relax and take it all in while contemplating life and the beautiful scenery around me. My caution would be to not plan too aggressive of a trip that doesn't allow for the above.

7-8 hours of travel over lakes and portages is a long, enjoyable but tiring day when you are not used to it. And I would only do that long if you get an early start, like 6-7am, finding that good site I mentioned by 2-3pm. While unlikely, it is certainly possible that all sites in your desired camping area are taken and you might find yourself needing to go on further a lake or two so having time at the end of the day is a smart choice. If you get your desired camp then you just have more time to relax.

The other thing I would recommend you consider is to build in a layover day or two of for relaxation, exploration, fishing and lounging. If you have 7 days, plan a route you could likely do in 5 or 6, if you have 5 plan a 3-4 day trip. This also builds in a "weather" day which happens up there, especially on larger lakes.

Late May is a good time to go but weather can be variable. It is entirely possible to have both 70s and perhaps a light snow overnight on the same trip. Bugs can be minimal if you are lucky to starting to be a pain in the a** so plan for the worst and hope for the best. Water will be very cold, wear your PFD at all times. It is a good time to be fishing up there, generally very good.

After 40 some trips I have never gone out of Sawbill, one of the more popular entry points. But I have been through the area to the east, Baker Lake up to Temperance Lakes on several occasions and it is a beautiful area with good fishing, long river like stretches of paddling and better than average chances to see moose. You could likely make a pretty cool loop out of Sawbill and ending at Baker, or cutting across on the Fire Lakes, depending on how much time you have.

Hope you have a great trip.