I’ve been this way several times in summer and I’d love to give it a go in winter. I tried to find some winter trip reports, but there aren’t any out there. I’ll probably only go as far as Stuart Lake, but if conditions are good I might day ski up to Iron for some sightseeing. I’m looking at late February or March for a trip so I’m hoping the ice should be really strong by then. Anybody have any winter info or knowledge about this route? Thanks in advance!

Tony

I've skied into Stuart on day trips in the winter. Generally the areas of suspect ice on the river are obvious and easy to avoid. Nice country. First portage can be rough if it hasn't been broken in a while.

I’ve skied and snowshoed down the river to Whitefeather. I usually wait until the middle of January so the river is good and frozen. I’ve never had an issue traveling on the river.

Bear writes about it in the Winter 2014 issue of the BWJ. I've got a copy if you want to read it.

MidwestFirecraft: "Bear writes about it in the Winter 2014 issue of the BWJ. I've got a copy if you want to read it."

Thanks MWFC! I have read the article you speak of and that’s basically the only winter write up I’ve been able to find. I remember in the article Bear described how slow travel was and that they camped well short of Stuart and did a day trip up to Iron and Curtain Falls that took them the whole day. I’d love to head up that way in winter, but I’m not sure if it’ll happen this year.

Tony

My intended first winter camping trip was going to be up Stuart and to Rebecca Falls. I had done a lot of summer/fall camping and gone on a 5 day overnight dogsledding trip for some winter camping exposure, but this was going to be first trip. (don't recommend solo, but can't find anyone who wants to winter camp.) I decided to go ahead and hire a guide, and glad I did, as his experience jump started my knowledge a lot. I often solo now and feel good about it. Welp, back to the story, I'd asked how far we could go, could we make Rebecca Falls, and the answer was "depends on the conditions." I was thinking, well, I know how I move in the summer/fall, so I asked, "Are we talking +/- 30% around a certain rate?" - and the answer was, "Depends on the conditions."

Jeez, did it depend on the conditions. It was about 3 feet of snow, no one had appeared to gone this way this year. We got to White Feather Lake on Day 2, some place the first night just on the river, and day tripped into Stuart, just the Falls. It was a slog, had to cut major trees that had fallen and it hooked me!