We are headed up for a 4 night trip and intend to base camp on Rose Lake. Family of 5 - kids are capable 17, 14 & 11. New area for us - any tips on favorite campsites, day trip options? Fishing? Swimming? Looking forward to another adventure!

We love the site right at the bottom of the stairway portage. Has a couple levels, and plenty of room. We've stayed there with groups of 9.

The area around the waterfall is beautiful, and you could make nice day trips by hiking either direction on the Border Route Trail that intersects the Stairway portage. About a 20 minute into the hike east on the trail, there's an elevated cliff that is sometimes marked with stacked rocks, but worth exploring for some nice views of Rose Lake and Canada.

Hiking West for about an hour will lead to some nice views too.

One of our favorite lakes in all of the BWCA.

Thank you so much! Does that site seem extra busy with all the people day-tripping or hiking along the trail? Have you ever stayed at other sites on Rose? Not sure what will be open when we arrive so want to be realistic about other sites. Looks like such a gorgeous area!

Rose is one of my favorite lakes. I agree on the favorite campsite mentioned and it is has been the one I have stayed at the most when there. None of the others are memorable enough for me to comment on.

If you are putting in at the public landing on West Bearskin Lake, know that there is a great little hike along that road that takes you up to Caribou Rock (there is a tiny dirt parking area...more of a wide spot in the road...but there is a sign). The overlook is beautiful and the kids will love it. It would be a good hike before you head out with the canoe or on the day you exit the BWCA.

Definitely swim in Rose Falls, but know that it can get a bit crowded, especially midday on a weekend. Hiking either direction on BRT as mentioned is a great activity for your age group. Have fun.

Thank you so much! Appreciate the tip on the nearby hike. We have been told this is a busier-than-usual area so hoping that won't negatively impact our trip. We will be there during the week. Excited to explore a new part of the BWCA!

This time of year I would take the first open campsite you find. I think there are only 6 or 7 on the US side of the lake and they are full all summer.

Tom

That's what we were thinking - thank you! Hoping we find something open on Rose, but we'll have a backup plan just in case.

I've never camped on this lake because I prefer to avoid motor boat noise while in the wilderness. But in this thread, multiple people have referred to it as their favorite lake!

Is it that you don't mind the motor boat noise, or is there not as much of it as one might fear, being that they are allowed on the Canadian side?

I guess I didn't do my homework - I had no idea there would be motor boats on the Canadian side of this lake! In looking at past threads, it sounds like it's not a frequent occurrence. I was thinking there might be more foot traffic on the Border Route hiking trail or on the portage itself where people day trip in to see the falls.

We typically travel in a little further into the wilderness or out on larger lakes past the motorized areas. It's the beauty of the lake and the area around it that intrigues us. Our outfitters told us it's unlike any other area in the BWCA, so we decided it was worth a trip a little closer to civilization in order to experience it.

Maybe others can speak to the issue of motorized boats on this lake.

While we didn't stay on Rose Lake, we did just return from a base camping trip in that area. Daddy daughter Duncan daytrips

We paddled Rose a couple of the days and didn't see/hear and motor traffic. And, in several previous visits to this area, only once have I seen a motor boat on Rose.

The second site east of Stairway is a keeper.

Thank you so much for sharing your detailed trip report! What an amazing experience for you and your daughter.

I haven't typed up a trip report, but we had a wonderful time on Rose 3 weeks ago. We didn't see any motorboat traffic and only one or two canoes/day. Although Rose isn't terribly far into the BWCA it can still provide a feeling of being in the wilderness.

The area around the falls gets VERY busy with day trippers. You'll see a dozen or canoes parked at the Duncan Lake end of the portage some days. I would camp away from the falls unless you like lots of people being around.

I based camped on Rose a couple of times and never saw a motor boat

When you get to the Duncan landing for the portage to Rose, be sure you go to the right when you get to the trail which will take you to a small bridge and the start/restart of a trail from there. Most folks either have lunch or head out on the trail to the right. You must go down the slope to the left to near the end of the open space to see a right turn which will take you a short distance to what I consider the premier lookout in the area. This is easily missed. A small open space beckons you to bring chairs and just sit for hours at this location. We have done this and had lunch with after noon reading as well there just overlooking the tall trees which are not tall enough to block your view of Rose lake and the distant shore and hills beyond.

Canoes on Rose look small as they progress along. While there on 3 different trips, we were not interrupted by any other people, so be sure to look for this spot. Many will miss this. A very large tree has been uprooted in recent years exposing the rock and it will block you from going past it unless you are a rock climber. The tree fell away from the lake which was probably the result of a mostly east strong wind. Nothing there of additional interest anyway.

There is a very deep drop off at this location and it is best to be very careful here for yourself and especially any young kids you have with you.

This hour or more if on a day trip will be a highlight never to be forgotten. If you can plan to go here and walk some on the trails from here, plan several hours if you can. If on the go, you can easily spend an hour doing the walks and this overlook. Enjoy.