We have a campsite reserved at Fall Lake starting May 9th. I hope to do a solo 5-ish day paddle trip while my wife enjoys life in the trailer at the campground. Debating whether to start and finish at Fall Lake or enter at Moose Lake and finish at Fall Lake. I understand the weather and conditions can/will be variable in mid May, but in general, should all the water routes and portages be open by then? I'd hate to get a permit for Moose Lake only to discover paddling back to Fall Lake isn't possible yet. Any advice would be appreciated!

That entire trip will be in areas with boats with motors. I’d assume the portages will be fine. I’d. Assume. By mid May ice will be. Out but crazy stuff happens up north in Minnesota.

Ryan

Thanks, I'm hopiing that going in before fishing season opens there will be less traffic.

My wife and I entered at Fall Lake and exited at Moose Lake in mid-May last year. There was no ice and all campsites, water routes, and portages were accessible. I recommend starting at Fall so that if you are windbound on Basswood you can exit to Moose via Wind Lake.

A few things to consider:

1. Be careful to schedule your trip with the MN fishing season opening weekend in mind. Opening day is Saturday, May 14, this year. We entered on the first day of the season last year (unbeknownst to us, we don't fish) and the portages were busy and most campsites were occupied that first weekend through Monday.

2. That entire route is in the motorized zone, unless you travel up to US Point, so expect to encounter and hear motor boats constantly throughout the day.

3. The three portages between Fall -> Newton, Newton -> Pipestone Bay, and Pipestone Bay -> Back Bay are all motorized accessible, making them easy for paddlers. Prairie Portage at the east end of Basswood Lake has the paddle portage on the Canadian side. This is a walking trail only, since the motorized portage is on the US side. You have the right to use the Canadian portage even if the international border is closed.

Good luck!

I like the idea of your wife dropping you off on Moose and then days later watching for you to paddle back to camp, but depending on weather Kendis has a good point.

Keep in mind that In Minnesota, “Fishing Opener” usually means walleye opener, and paddlers will start heading in a day or two before usually. But some eager beavers will be out for crappie, and some border lakes including parts of Basswood also have a continuous northern pike season. So you will likely see some fisherfolks out there.

In case of a late winter, you can watch the webcams for info. Below is a shot from Moose Lake (thank you customcabins.com) on May 6 a few years back - but for what it’s worth I paddled in about 5 days later with no sigh of ice.

Thanks KENDIS for the reply, it was very helpful and convinced me to go with the Fall Lake EP and I will probably just do a big loop back to Fall Lake. Getting the permit was a piece of cake for May 11.

Lifeisguud: "Thanks KENDIS for the reply, it was very helpful and convinced me to go with the Fall Lake EP and I will probably just do a big loop back to Fall Lake. Getting the permit was a piece of cake for May 11."

My wife and I will be putting in at Moose on May 7, so here's to hoping for no ice at the beginning of May for all of us. A few parting thoughts:

1. If your schedule has the flexibility, consider making a backup reservation for one or two weeks later in May. That way if the winter is late this year and there is ice on your planned entry date of May 9, you're not out of luck for your trip.

2. Be prepared to encounter Forest Service rangers. We were stopped by a pair of them last year at the north end of Fall for the first time ever. They were clearly on the lookout for permit scofflaws who entered the BWCA for the fishing opener and had probably been in the BWCA for a few days beforehand. Have your permit in a waterproof but handy place. I had to dig most of the way down into one of our portage packs. The rangers are also a great source of advice about conditions and are friendly.

3. We've tripped in this area multiple times and have enjoyed the following campsites you might want to check out:

#1611 on Pipestone Bay
-91.695751,48.0223

#1565 on Pipestone Bay
-91.665375,48.0518

#1623 at US Point, a beautiful campsite on a bluff overlooking the lake
-91.578569,48.10316

Come back to this thread after your trip and let us know how it went!