Heading up to BWCA from Pittsburgh after the first week of September. The trip will be a solo excursion and looking to do some fishing and a lot of photography. Plan on getting to Malberg the first day (ultralight pack boat) and will spend one or two days there then off to Little Sag for a few more days. Will have to come back out the same route. Any side trips that I should be looking at for fishing or photography? Gonna be an awesome trip!!

If you are on Malberg, you might consider going to Fishdance Lake to see the pictographs.

I have heard good things about Little Sag.

Sounds like a great trip.

I totally forgot there were some up in that area. From what I remember, its only a few hours of paddling down to that area. Maybe I can pick up dinner (walleye) on the way back. :)

I would check out the southeast "arm" of Little Sag. If there is such a thing as a beautiful portage the one into Mora lake from Little Sag is. Good area for photography.

Two thoughts for you:

One - go up through MI and across the U.P. to Duluth rather than by Chicago. It's about 50 miles longer, much less traffic, much more relaxed, and much more scenic.

Two - rather than backtrack to exit, consider going through Mesaba to Sawbill. You could have them shuttle you to the EP and just end there. It's the same distance to exit from Little Sag and you'd see some nice new country.

Have a good trip.

boonie: "One - go up through MI and across the U.P. to Duluth rather than by Chicago. It's about 50 miles longer, much less traffic, much more relaxed, and much more scenic.

Two - rather than backtrack to exit, consider going through Mesaba to Sawbill. You could have them shuttle you to the EP and just end there. It's the same distance to exit from Little Sag and you'd see some nice new country. "

Thanks Boonie - I wanted to get on the water by 6 am so the shuttle is out of the question. Wonder if I stop in at Sawbill and drop off my keys, they may be able to drive my vehicle back up to the outfitters and lock it up. I'd still have to pay them, but this gives me a few more hours of paddling time.

Boonie - just called Sawbill. I'm thinking of ending at Sawbill and just pay them to drive me back down to my truck. This way I'm out on the water by 6 am (EP37) and I can finish up at Sawbill (EP38). I'll have to figure what my last camp spot (hammock) will be to get me into sawbill before 11 am (that's when they'd prefer i get there). Looks like Zenith may be it, but there's only 1 legal site on that lake.

Dan-

That's usually not a busy area due to the long portage. We stayed on Zenith when we went around the same loop the end of Sept. 2014. You could stay on Frederick or Wine too. Or just take the portage to Kelso/Alton/Sawbill for the last night. Kelso River is a nice paddle and there's the dolmen there. After you go through Mora - and the portage is pretty - you'll get into country with a little different look and feel than what you were in on the way to Little Sag. We were there for the fall color and it was very pretty on Whipped through Duck.

I loved Little Sag the one time I was there and mostly wished I had a day or three more! I think I counted 9 different portages out of the lake if you were going to spend an extra day there you would have plenty to explore!

Makwa has some very cool looking cliffs. And I agree with going out at Sawbill and have them give you a ride back to your car.

Wabawho: "I would check out the southeast "arm" of Little Sag. If there is such a thing as a beautiful portage the one into Mora lake from Little Sag is. Good area for photography."

Totally agree. We camped near it and then went over the next day to eat on one of the stream overlooks. Then my son and I went down and walked the length of the stream exploring, swimming, and taking photos. Beautiful.

danbogey: "

boonie: "One - go up through MI and across the U.P. to Duluth rather than by Chicago. It's about 50 miles longer, much less traffic, much more relaxed, and much more scenic.

Two - rather than backtrack to exit, consider going through Mesaba to Sawbill. You could have them shuttle you to the EP and just end there. It's the same distance to exit from Little Sag and you'd see some nice new country. "

Thanks Boonie - I wanted to get on the water by 6 am so the shuttle is out of the question. Wonder if I stop in at Sawbill and drop off my keys, they may be able to drive my vehicle back up to the outfitters and lock it up. I'd still have to pay them, but this gives me a few more hours of paddling time."

Are you camping at Kawishiwi the night before you start? If so you could shuttle your vehicle to Sawbill the night before you start, and then you would not be on a tight schedule your last day. It would just be waiting for you. Just a thought.

paddlinjoe: "

danbogey: "

boonie: "One - go up through MI and across the U.P. to Duluth rather than by Chicago. It's about 50 miles longer, much less traffic, much more relaxed, and much more scenic.


Two - rather than backtrack to exit, consider going through Mesaba to Sawbill. You could have them shuttle you to the EP and just end there. It's the same distance to exit from Little Sag and you'd see some nice new country. "

Thanks Boonie - I wanted to get on the water by 6 am so the shuttle is out of the question. Wonder if I stop in at Sawbill and drop off my keys, they may be able to drive my vehicle back up to the outfitters and lock it up. I'd still have to pay them, but this gives me a few more hours of paddling time."

Are you camping at Kawishiwi the night before you start? If so you could shuttle your vehicle to Sawbill the night before you start, and then you would not be on a tight schedule your last day. It would just be waiting for you. Just a thought."

I have to be on the road at a certain time on my last day. I have a 16 hr drive back to Pittsburgh (split in two days). I'd love to keep the truck at Sawbill but I don't know where I'd stay in Kawishiwi for the night if they shuttled me back down. I don't have tent, just using a hammock for my trip. If you guys are familiar with the Kawishiwi area and think it feasable to just pick two trees then that would be the ticket ! I could then just roll into sawbill, shower, and get on the road back home and not wait around for a shuttle.

Please, please leave no trace. Tell everyone you know, do your best.

You will find a lot of threads this year about people trashing the place. You are probably not one of the people we need to worry about. Solo campers have a different mindset. But, just saying. Thank you.

Tom

tumblehome: "Please, please leave no trace. Tell everyone you know, do your best.

You will find a lot of threads this year about people trashing the place. You are probably not one of the people we need to worry about. Solo campers have a different mindset. But, just saying. Thank you."

Tom - I'm also an ultralight backpacker and have spent a considerable amount of time in the Sierra Nevadas and Pa Mountains. I leave nothing behind and usually find myself picking up other people's trash.

If you could get an overnight permit for the day ahead of your current one, you could just camp at one of the actual BWCA sites on Kawishiwi lake. Then your vehicle would be at Sawbill, they take you and gear to the entry that afternoon or whenever you get there and you have a 10 min paddle to your first site. Camping barely in the park instead of in the parking lot.

Though, if you keep your current permit, there are plenty of trees near the landing and parking lot that "may" be doable for a night.

I could then just roll into sawbill, shower, and get on the road back home and not wait around for a shuttle. "

Unless they changed, Sawbill didn't have the showers open. You may want to check on this. I was told yes, then at trips end I was told no showers!

FISHONFISHOFF

cyclones30: "If you could get an overnight permit for the day ahead of your current one, you could just camp at one of the actual BWCA sites on Kawishiwi lake. Then your vehicle would be at Sawbill, they take you and gear to the entry that afternoon or whenever you get there and you have a 10 min paddle to your first site. Camping barely in the park instead of in the parking lot.


Though, if you keep your current permit, there are plenty of trees near the landing and parking lot that "may" be doable for a night. "

That's what I'm doing. Canceled my other permit and created a new one for Sunday - Saturday. Starting at Kawishiwi and ending at Sawbill. I'll try to be on the water by 2 on Sunday. That's a relief.

I don't know any of the areas you're discussing well, but it is legal and free to bush camp in the National Forest that isn't the BWCA. Many entry points are right at the edge, so a few hundred yards from the entry point is fine as long as you're off the trail and not in a designated campsite. (Check for other rules).

We camped like that this year and it allowed us to hit the water as the sun rose.