New Trip Report posted by LarryNC

Trip Name: Lady Chain, Beaver/Smite/Boulder/Ledge/Makwa loop, Louse River, Frost River .

Entry Point: 38

Click Here to View Trip Report

Thank you both for a really nice trip report with great photos. We missed our Quetico trip this year, so really enjoy traveling vicariously through trip reports. And it's especially nice to see others from Cackalacky enjoying Canoe Country (and single-portaging, too!)

TZ

Way to go! I've also stayed at that site on Malberg where the Louse comes in. Glad you figured out that tying the rod into the canoe for portages is the way to go on travel days :)

Hey TZ, we are thinking about Quetico for a future trip. Do you have favorite areas? We like the small lakes and rivers.

LarryNC: "Hey TZ, we are thinking about Quetico for a future trip. Do you have favorite areas? We like the small lakes and rivers. "

Larry,
We love Quetico, having tripped there for more than 40 years. While we usually access the Park via Prairie Portage, we've also entered from Lac La Croix, Cache Bay, and from Atikokan. We don't fish, and like to do 10-day trips in the 100-125 mile range. We'll start planning in February or so for a 2021 trip. We had an August 25th entry permit for Carp Lake for our (cancelled) 2020 trip, and will probably request the same entry lake (from PP) and focus on the east side since we haven't been there for a few years. Our planning will include pictograph sites, a crazy portage or two, and routes through smaller lakes to avoid the 'crowded' major lakes. Note that the Q's user numbers are about 10% those of the BWCA (in a normal year--bet it wasn't 5% for 2020!), so crowded is a very relative term. We've gone 8 days and only seen a couple people on a couple trips. I've posted a few trip reports here with photos and maps--you might check them for ideas.

Our favorite lakes in the Q include Sarah, Argo, Kawnipi, the Kahshahpiwi chain, Blackstone, and others. Anything but Alice--Alice doesn't love us any more (we've had several weather-related layovers on Alice).

Canada allows US citizens to enter Quetico Provincial Park in places not served by customs stations via its Remote Area Border Crossing permit. so you can send them your passport info a couple months in advance and easily enter through Prairie Portage or Cache Bay. Upon our return to the US in 2017 and 2018, the US Customs station in Ely was staffed for passport checks; in 2019 we found a computer terminal in the station hallway; we entered our passport info via the terminal and a couple minutes later received clearance via cellphone text to enter the US (which is odd, because by the time you've paddled to Moose Lake from Quetico, retrieved your vehicle, loaded your stinky gear, and driven to Ely, you've been in the US for at least 3 hours!)

Here's to an open border in 2021--hope you get to enjoy Quetico some day!

TZ

I enjoyed your trip report but I would’ve been a little upset to be told I would have to backtrack 45 mins to get a site because you were occupying 2 sites at once. Only to find out I would have to share the site you didn’t want.

moray: "I enjoyed your trip report but I would’ve been a little upset to be told I would have to backtrack 45 mins to get a site because you were occupying 2 sites at once. Only to find out I would have to share the site you didn’t want."

Yup. My sentiments exactly.

TZ, many many thanks for the detailed Quetico info. We may head up there next summer if we can. Thanks again! -- Larry

moray: "I enjoyed your trip report but I would’ve been a little upset to be told I would have to backtrack 45 mins to get a site because you were occupying 2 sites at once. Only to find out I would have to share the site you didn’t want."

I completely agree. Maybe next time I go I'll just leave a piece of gear at every site I pass, "just in case"

Moray and others: your point is well taken. Happy paddling, -- Larry