BWCA Cross Bay to Poplar mid-September Boundary Waters Trip Planning Forum
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LetsGoFishing
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08/17/2020 06:00PM  
I am looking at taking my 11 year old girl on our first daddy/daughter BWCA trip. I've been up there a bunch, and she's been up twice. However, we've always gone as a group, or at least with one other adult. This will be our first time with her as the bow paddler.

We have 6 days/5 nights. We usually base camp, but this time she wants to move camp. She loves to fish, so that will be a priority as well. We always double portage. I'll use either Tuscarora or Rockwood as my outfitter for the canoe rental, maybe a pack, and the shuttle.

I am thinking of entering EP50 - Cross Bay and heading towards Poplar via Long Island and Omega. Thoughts on this route? I've read that the portages between Long Island and Omega are rough.

I was thinking maybe two nights on Omega. Last night will be on either Pillsbury or Meeds.

Or should I make this a lollypop loop somehow?

Any tips on fishing in September? I've always gone up in June or July.

I'm also looking at a GPS tracker. What's a good one that won't break the bank? I don't think I want to spend the money on a device that has topo maps at this point. Maybe just something that can be used for emergencies and so my daughter can shoot a couple texts to mom.




 
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Northwoodsman
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08/17/2020 09:15PM  
I did this route last May. I loved it. I would take advantage of the bunkhouse at either outfitter the night before. Either of those outfitters mentioned are great. I have used Rockwood for my last three trips. It's nice to have your car at the end and paddle back to it whenever you want to arrive. You have the best chance of having your wind at your back starting at EP 50 and ending on Poplar. It was an easy day to get to Long Island. It took a while but the portages were easy. From Long Island to Omega will be a push through two difficult portages. Take your time and stay hydrated. The first one out of Long Island is flat but through a creek lined boulder field. The next portage is "the wall". In retrospect I would leap frog this next time and take it slow, take breaks often. After that it's easy. I loved Omega, the campsite on the point was really nice. Gaskin and Horseshoe are two of my favorite lakes. Have fun and watch for moose.
Northwoodsman
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08/17/2020 09:15PM  
I did this route last May. I loved it. I would take advantage of the bunkhouse at either outfitter the night before. Either of those outfitters mentioned are great. I have used Rockwood for my last three trips. It's nice to have your car at the end and paddle back to it whenever you want to arrive. You have the best chance of having your wind at your back starting at EP 50 and ending on Poplar. It was an easy day to get to Long Island. It took a while but the portages were easy. From Long Island to Omega will be a push through two difficult portages. Take your time and stay hydrated. The first one out of Long Island is flat but through a creek lined boulder field. The next portage is "the wall". In retrospect I would leap frog this next time and take it slow, take breaks often. After that it's easy. I loved Omega, the campsite on the point was really nice. Gaskin and Horseshoe are two of my favorite lakes. I would drop down to one of those for a night if you can. For a point of reference it will take the two of you 3.5 - 4 hours to get from Gaskin to either Rockwood or EP #47 on the way out, and that's double portaging and relaxing. If you go through Gaskin the one long portage to Horseshoe is much easier than the 3 shorter ones. My preference would be night #1 on Long Island, night #2 on Omega, and #3 on Gaskin, and #4 on Horseshoe. Other than the first day the other days will be short and will leave a lot of time for fishing and exploring. This will be the first September in a while that I'm not able to make it. We have a permit for Friday 9/11 but the group will go without me. I live in TX and I don't want to fly under the current circumstances. Watch for moose!
2NDpaddlers
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08/17/2020 10:19PM  
My wife and I basically did this same route in both 2018 and 2019. We started from Poplar Lake and finished at Round Lake. Very close to Cross Bay exit. Both years we stayed in a Tuscarora bunkhouse the night before entering and had their French toast breakfast the morning entering into the BWCA. We were shuttled to Poplar Lake by Tuscarora Outfitters. 2018 we were fully outfitted and 2019 we rented only a kevlar canoe and 3 portage packs. We absolutely love Tuscarora. Their knowledge, equipment, showers, cabins, grounds and staff are top notch. Didn't get to do a 2020 trip, but plans are to be back at Tuscarora in 2021 and do a loop from Seagull to Round.

2018 - Day 1 - Entry 47 into Lizz Lake, Caribou, Horseshoe, Gaskin, staying on Winchell (761). Tough first day - did buck the wind later in the afternoon (however 2019 had it at our back) so remember mother nature can blow wind out of the east sometimes too. Day 2 - Omega, Kiskadinna, Muskeg, staying on Long Island (564). Tough portages this day. The 37 rod at Omega has a steep decent into the lake on the Kiskadinna side. "The Wall going into Muskeg is long and challenging. Then the beaver dam mess going into Long Island is a boulder filled creek. Lucky it is only 20 rods. Day 3 - Karl, Lower George, Rib, Cross Bay, staying on Snipe (2011). Pretty Lakes and easy portages. Snipe is very pretty and a great lake to explore. Day 4 - Missing Link, ending at Round Lake at Tuscarora's docks. Lots of portaging little paddling this day.

2019 - Pretty much the same other than Entry 48 into Meeds. This starts things off with a 290 portage. Much easier going thru Lizz. We then went into Caribou and followed the same route but stayed on Gaskin (633). Day 2 - Henson, Omega, Kiskadinna, Muskeg, Staying on Long Island (585). Awesome site. Don't plan on staying on Kiskadinna, both sites are not very good. Day 3 - Followed the same route other than we stayed on Missing Link (548). Day 4 - quick day finished on Round Lake.

Both years after exiting the BWCA we showered and cleaned up at Tuscarora, and head for Duluth where we stay the night and have a good meal and some beers before heading back home to North Dakota the next day.

You can see we are all about travel and moving. We have only had 4 day/3 night option. I would like longer, but this is perfect for my wife. Sorry for the long post, but you can see your trip is very doable. You will totally enjoy this route with 6 days and 5 nights to fish and explore.

Jim
08/18/2020 06:56AM  
I'm following as I have thought a good little bit about doing this route myself. My plan would be to stay at the bunkhouse at Rockwood on Poplar and get dropped off at the EP. These means going West to East so more likely to not have to fight headwind and as Letsgo said, it can be very nice to have your car at the end of the trip so you have a little more flexibility to come out a little early or run late.

This July we did a trip on the very Eastern part of this route...see my trip report for more details.

With 6 days I think this is very doable for you and your daughter. Tentatively Day 1 you could get to Rib Lake or the Eastern part of Long Island. Day 2 the Eastern part of Long Island, using it as a short day to have time to fish and explore Long Island. Day 3 travel to Omega. Here is where I think you could really get your daughter involved in planning, as there are several choices. Have a talk about how things have gone and what she wants to do with the second half of the trip. I see at least 3 different options at this point...have her look at the map as see what she comes up with!

1. Winchell-Gaskin(overnight)-Hoseshoe-Caribou(overnight)-Lizz-Poplar. Winchell has a neat little waterfall that comes in off of Temble Lake. Fishing was good to us on Gaskin (smallies) and Horseshoe(Walleyes).

2. Henson - Pillsbery - Swallow - Meeds(last two nights)-Poplar. Meeds is reportedly a very good fishing lake. You could spend two nights there resting up for the 320rod portage to Poplar. Or split this up route up into shorter days by staying on Henson or Pillsbery.

3. Henson-Gaskin-Jump-Allen(overnight)-Horseshoe-Caribou(overnight)-Lizz-Poplar. This is the route we took out on our July trip. The short portages from Gaskin to Jump and Jump to Allen are fairly technical with some big rock "steps" To me the appeal is to camp on the lone campsite on Allen and have a lake to yourselves. Heard this lake was good for Walleyes and to me at least it seemed very "fishy".

Have a great trip! Would love to see a report when you are done (hint hint)



08/18/2020 12:03PM  
I did a trip from Cross Bay to Poplar in 2011. I stayed at Rockwood on Poplar and they shuttled me to the entry and I just paddled back to their place. Other people have done it more recently, but when I did it I stayed on LI at the site closest to Muskeg Creek. A short ways up the creek, was a rock on the left with "canoe marks". It didn't really look like a portage - lots of rocks and deadfall, but it was there. It ended early due to a beaver dam and it was down the bank to the creek and up over the beaver dam. It sounds like people have just been portaging up the creek bed more recently. There are some pics in my 2011 photo journal if that helps.

Muskeg-Kiskadinna portage is not easy (The Wall is a steep climb). Kiskadinna-Omega is not easy, but is shorter. I stayed on Long Island, Omega, Allen, Horseshoe.
LetsGoFishing
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08/19/2020 10:39AM  
Thanks for all of the input. It sounds like I am on the right track. The first time I took my daughter, we entered through EP47 and basecamped on Horseshoe with a day trip through Gaskin, Jump and Allen, and a day trip through Vista to Misquah. We love the area.

I like the idea of having the truck at Rockwood so we don't have to deal with shuttles on exit day.
08/19/2020 02:01PM  
as far as fishing.......Long Island may be a tough bite in Sept ( not a great fishing lake IMO). Omega.....not much better.....maybe some northerns back in some bays. Best fishing on the eastern part of loop...Meeds, maybe Pillsberry, Henson. Caribou is good also. If it were me fishing, I'd do my last 2 nights on one of those. Probably Meeds.
08/20/2020 09:08AM  
Have fun!!! I love my daddy/daughter trips! Nothing better than 1 on 1 time with your kid in the bwca.

I prefer renting from where you will end your trip so you have the shuttle on the first day giving you much more flexibility with when you end your trip.

Your trip is on my bucket list for a future solo. I've done the Cross Bay EP with little duckling when she was 5 and I've been in the area around Lizz a few times including big duckling's 1st daddy/daughter trip at 5 and would like to see the parts in between that I haven't been to yet.

I 2nd Cowdocs fishing advice. I've found Pillsbury to be very quiet compared to area lakes and have had good fishing there.

Rockwood rents a Northstar Polaris which is an awesome canoe when you have a smaller bow partner like an 11 year old. I rented it for a trip to Swan and back from Bower Trout when little duckling was 9. It's very stable even though it's smaller, tracks well and gets up to speed quickly, and is easy to manuever in twisty streams. We also had a 90 lb lab along and it was rock solid stable.


Pics of the Polaris in action!
 
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