First post here – planning my third trip into the BWCA with my wife. We enjoy moving and we travel light, fishing is not a focus, but we do it when there is time. We have a seven day trip planned in mid-June entering EP14 and exiting EP23. Current plan out of EP14 will take us through Loon/Finger/Ge-Be/Oyster/LLC/Iron/Crooked/Gun/Fourtown and then out. This list omits a bunch of lakes along the way but gives an idea as to the overall planned route. I’ve mapped the route on Google Earth and it looks to be just over 70 miles which shouldn’t be a problem. Wondering if anyone has insight into sections of this route that we shouldn’t miss and or sections to avoid. Tips about any portions of the trip would be much appreciated. Getting very excited to head back up north!

That's a heck of a route. Lots of cool places and things to do/see. And good fishing for those times when you want to.

Early on...EP 14 to Pauness is a cool area especially if it's calm and early in the morning on your way in. The one portage is very scenic and of course a garden walk. Don't plan on camping on Loon, the motor boats there can suck. It is an easy way to get to Slim and beyond though so don't fret.

Any reason why you're going from Gebe back down to Oyster and then up to LLC? I'd hit Gebe and then head out to LLC and you'll have the great picto's and warrior hill right on your way to Iron. (and miss busy Agnes)

Curtain Falls is great, you won't miss it. :) Depending on water levels, do some searching here and read up on the alternate portage landing below the falls. Plenty of people have dumped at a small pinch point that has some current before they get to the main landing. The alternate is in a bay to the south and doesn't really add much for distance. I highly recommend it when heading upstream.

Crooked you shouldn't have a problem finding a site. I'd plan on going from there to at least Gun on whatever travel day that is for you. It will get busier as you get closer to Fourtown. (show up late there and you may not find a site in the busy months)

Also...If you haven't checked it out before (not sure where your other trips have been) Devil's Cascade between Pauness and Loon is kinda cool. The portage goes up a hill to get around it. You can see it somewhat from up there as there's a nice overlook/stopping spot at the top (it's actually a campsite). You can also get down near the rapids if you find a trail that heads that way before/after climbing the hill.

I second what cyclones 30 said about using the alternate landing for Curtain Falls portage at Iron lake. The bay landing only adds a few rods to a very pretty portage and is a MUCH safer landing.

If you find that you are ahead of schedule you can travel all the way to Lower Basswood Falls on Crooked Lake and then exit thru Horse River/Horse Lake to Mudro Lake.

Great insight Cyclones30 and UPBoy, thank you. This is our first trip out of Ely, we've spent the previous two on the Gunflint side. We are excited to check out Devils Cascade on the first day. We'll mind the Curtain Falls landing, great advice. The reason we were planning to go from Gebe down to Oyster and then back up to LLC is because we wanted to add some mileage. From your two posts, maybe we will head straight over to LLC from Gebe and add in Lower Basswood Falls. Perfect advice, thank you both!

I prefer that route over the lakes(Gun, Fourtown etc) all the way back to Mudro. You'll see table rock on Wednesday Bay, pictos a little past there, and then you get lower Basswood falls. Even then you have 2 options to get back to the EP. Paddle up the Horse river which has a few marked portages and depending on water levels many other unmarked or pullovers. Horse Lake is usually busy if you're needing a last night stop.

Instead, keep heading up the Basswood River and you'll soon take short portage around Wheelbarrow falls. Then a mile long portage around Upper Basswood falls. Your food pack will be light and you'll have had only 4 portages since LLC and none very long. This portage is super flat and wide, but long. Then turn SW and head down Jackfish Bay of Basswood. A couple easy portages and you're back to Mudro. It's less total portages than the Horse river and far more campsite availability usually. If you need a camp on Basswood, do it somewhere near the border as motors are allowed on the south portion of Jackfish Bay.

Nice route and with a number of areas without a ton of portages, so 7 days should be just fine.

If you can (& want to), maybe travel longer a day or two so you can appreciate some of the views you'll want to spend time at.

Do you have a shuttle help for #14 and exit at #23?

nice route, we did EP23 to 16 three years ago, in addition to the other points noted, at the mid-north point of Iron lake is Rebecca Falls-actually two falls around an island with a campsite on it
tom

tommyc: "nice route, we did EP23 to 16 three years ago, in addition to the other points noted, at the mid-north point of Iron lake is Rebecca Falls-actually two falls around an island with a campsite on it
tom "

But that is in Canada so don't get out unless you're willing to get all the proper pakerwork or risk get in trouble

This is great advice, and I like the idea of a night on a river, I think we'll plan to find a site on the Basswood river the last night and out on the Horse river or Basswood lake depending on the wind. I just mapped that route skipping Gebe and heading straight to LLC from Pocket and out via Basswood and it is just about the same distance as the original plan - but I like the route a lot more. Thanks for all the suggestions.

That is great advice, our plan is to travel as fast as we can out of the gate so we can take our time when we find a spot we like. We are even targeting a rest day if possible, it is a vacation after all, but we'll see what happens. We've done longer routes our last two trips in the same amount of time so I'm optimistic that we might get one. We have a shuttle set up, drop the rental car at 23 and they are going to take us to 14.