Hello, it seems like there was a post about the Quetico northern Entry Points but I can't find it.

I'm looking for information about driving from MN, passing through International Falls and then going to one of the northern entry points. What are the entry options like as far as the distance from the parking lot to the water.

For example, I understand that to get to the Beaverhouse entry points, the road from the main highway to Beaverhouse is a long (11 mile?) gravel road, is that correct? If so, is it easier to keep driving to Atikokan?

Thanks

Quetico Entry Points

Quetico Info

We had plans to enter Quetico last August via Beaverhouse, but when the park closed due to wildfires we paddled Algonquin instead. Don't let the gravel road scare you away from Beaverhouse...

TZ

For some clarity, to get to Beaverhouse, take Hwy 11 east of Fort Frances for approximately 1 hr 40 minutes to FLANDERS ROAD.


You will be aided in knowing where to turn when you see the Quetico entry point sign for Beaverhouse and Lac La Croix. (The distances are in kilometers.)

Drive south on the gravel road about ten miles, then turn left at the Beaverhouse Entry Point sign. (If you continue straight, you'll arrive at the Lac La Croix entry point in about 35 miles.) After turning left, drive four miles on a mostly two-track gravel/dirt road to the Beaverhouse parking lot.

There will be an unloading area maybe 100 yards past the parking lot, but then you park your vehicle in the designated area.

The portage trail to the water is a very flat 100 rods (approximately 1/3 of a mile).

As long as the border is open you should be able to get into the Northern Quetico entry points. I think the western end looks good and will most likely do a trip like that at some point. Get into Quetico Lake and work in further. Lots of Pictographs over on that side.

I’m doing a longer loop so I’m entering at Pickerel Stanton Bay which requires an outfitter shuttles you in.

Lots of choices you just have to pick based on what you want to do on the trip. Do some research and ask some questions. Do some more research and ask some more questions.

I’m certainly not an expert though since this will be my first Quetico trip since 1994 and my first ever Northern entry.

More and more I’m hearing that the RABC’s and the Southern entry points aren’t going to open this year. No real way to open those and have the CBP check people coming in within the time frames.

Ryan

Thank you all for the helpful information. Jackfish your info was very helpful to try to figure out if I should go for the closest entry point or if it would be better to drive all the way to Atikokan. It's super helpful to know about the roads, distances, the parking situation and the portage length and condition between the parking put-in and the water.

RC: "Thank you all for the helpful information. Jackfish your info was very helpful to try to figure out if I should go for the closest entry point or if it would be better to drive all the way to Atikokan. It's super helpful to know about the roads, distances, the parking situation and the portage length and condition between the parking put-in and the water."

Glad to help, RC.

It appears that you live in the Twin Cities area so you have the advantage of being a few hours closer to Atikokan than us in eastern Wisconsin. What we do is drive to Atikokan with plans to arrive around 2:30 or 3:00pm so we can stop at the ranger station and take care of business, then stay overnight at one of the Atikokan motels.

The next morning, we're on the road by 5:30am or so and drive to the Beaverhouse landing. It takes about an hour - 25 minutes to Flanders Road and 35 minutes to the Beaverhouse parking lot. With permit already in hand, we have the flexibility to paddle straight to the portage to Quetico Lake, or if we were going to Cirrus, we could head straight there. The portage to Cirrus is maybe only a half mile(?) from the BH Lake put-in.

The alternative is having to paddle across BH Lake to the BH Lake ranger station, THEN paddle to your first portage. (If going to Cirrus, it's about an hour each direction with potential for rough seas if it's windy.) We find it easier to do it the way we do it. Because of our long travel, we think it's a time saver.

You being closer to Atikokan by a few hours allows you to get to Atikokan sooner, then head into the park the same day... or it provides you the time to paddle to the Beaverhouse ranger station before heading into the park.

Keep in mind that Atikokan is the eastern time zone so don't get to the park headquarters too late in the day. And they do not practice daylight savings time.

You can pick up your permit on Beaverhouse at the ranger station. I once was physically unable to get my permit on Beaverhouse due to the immense swells on the lake. It was the only time I ever camped without a permit even though I had the reservation. A few weeks after my trip I received a naughty email from Ontario Parks chastising me for reserving but not obtaining a permit and I was fined the $100 reservation fee.

I went again a few years later into Beaverhouse and it was like glass across the lake.

Tom

Well that time zone thing is something I didn’t know! So they are 1 hour later than central time zone. A small thing like that could mess up a trip especially when traveling like we all have to do.

Thanks for the heads up on time. So from my perspective with breakfast at 7 a.m. and a shuttle at like 7:15 a.m. at my outfitter it would actually be 6:00 a.m. central time. Not a bad thing considering being on the water early to get across bigger water is always a good thing.

Ryan

After some research I’m not sure if I’m correct in what I thought. Right now Atikokan is 1 hour ahead of the time in Minnesota. We’re following daylight savings and Canada doesn’t. When we spring ahead 1 hour this spring won’t that put us at the same time. I did see that they are Eastern Standard but they were only 1 hour ahead of us right now in January.

Ryan

In the summer, the time in Atikokan is the same as the Central Time Zone.

Atikokan uses Eastern Standard Time, and does not observe daylight savings time. Thus, same as CDT.

What they said!
Damn Canadians. Now what’s the speed limit???