Good morning! I am planning a trip and will be camping in Lake One. I have noticed that the campsites are numbered and wanted to know what some of the favorites are. And if anyone has any thought about Insula lake vs Kawishiwi River as far as distance from Lake One Also, map recommendations that are easy lol for someone who is a little geographically challenged. I will be brining a compass. Thank you for anyone who responds. So excited!!

Sunny, congrats on the trip. For campsite info click on the heading at the top of the page that says Maps & Entry Points. Click on BWCA entry points and a list of all entry points will come up. Click on #30 for Lake One and then open the Interactive map. All of the red dots on the map are campsites. If you click on the individual red dots, many of them will have reviews from past campers and sometimes photos of the site.

Be aware that the southern and eastern part of Lake One was caught in the Pagami Creek fire years ago and are noticeably burned over, although recovering nicely. But it is still a starkly different landscape than the normal view. It is that way all the way to Insula in some areas of the southern shores. But most of the shoreline is perfectly northwoods normal.

Insula is reachable on day one depending on how early you put in, your speed of travel, portaging, wind and how busy the portages are. This is a very busy area and you literally have to wait to land at portages sometimes. Because it is a busy area it is recommended that you are looking for a campsite by early afternoon so gauge your decision by what time you think you could make it to Insula and the risk of finding all sites occupied. Many take 2 days to get there, nothing wrong with that. If you find a sweet campsite on Lake 3 to Hudson and it is already after noon you might want to think about grabbing it.

For a place to start looking, check out the cluster of campsites in the southeastern part of Lake 3 where there are several large islands, near the portage to Horseshoe Lake. There are several highly rated campsites in that area. If you do get to Insula prepare to head north for the better campsites and to avoid the burned over area on the southern shore. Good Luck.

Welcome, Sunny!

Lindylair gave some great information...agree with everything said especially reviewing the feedback from others on campsites and portages.

As for maps, there are plenty of options and everyone has their preferences. Here are a few for your route to consider:
1) Fisher F-4
2) McKenzie 18 & 19
3) Voyageur 7
4) True North 8-10 (These maps are cloth so more durable)

All of the maps will have campsites, portages, and such. They have different color schemes and some different information which you can determine from their websites. They've all worked well for me and I always bring paper maps on every trip. You can search the discussions on this website for lots of discussion about pros/cons.

There are digital options as well. Some apps can be downloaded to your phone. I really like the garmin inreach for the maps as well as the ability to send a message or get search and rescue for a major incident.

Enjoy your adventure!

Welcome. I see you are new to us. Reading posts will answer lots of questions about finding campsites and include advice on most of what you will want to know from safe food storage to where to fish and about everything else. I also see you are coming from afar. There is a lot to see and do in the Arrowhead
Above advice is solid and a double plus the Maps feature for planning. Reading trip reports is another good data source.
Being geographically challenged myself once you are on the water use the maps and always be aware of your current location and compass heading. Campsites can be helpful reference points. While I always take paper maps and compass, a good GPS system has reduced scenic side trips.

Welcome, sunshine-

I hope you already have your permit for Lake One. It is quite busy and the last I saw permits were mostly reserved for the summer. That makes an open campsite a favorite ;).

I usually look at the reviews but take them with a grain of salt. Opinions vary and the suitability of sites varies somewhat with the season, weather, and personal preferences.

All of the maps are similar in the information they contain, although scale and color scheme vary. I usually use the Voyageur maps which you can purchase here. As far as navigation it's mostly just a matter of "staying found" by keeping track of landmarks -points, bays, islands, campsites - as you go. If it's a large lake you may want to take some compass bearings to follow.

You can get distances from the map - just keep in mind that if you double portage, you'll need to adjust mileage to account for the extra walking.

May the sun shine on your trip!

Thank you everyone! Yes. I am going through an outfitter so the permit was purchased. I really appreciate your help. My trip isn't for several more months but as you can see, already planning. Have a beautiful day and stay blessed

Amazingly helpful responses. Reminds me of the help I received on my first trip, which led to it being a rousing success.

I personally would prefer heading into the Kawishiwi River rather than staying on the numbered lakes. Whichever way you go, once you are on the water be constantly matching map features- islands, bays, campsites, etc with what you see in front of you. I find it helpful to have the stern paddler (who will be steering) have a map tied to the thwart in front of them, so they can do this more easily.

dogwoodgirl: "I personally would prefer heading into the Kawishiwi River rather than staying on the numbered lakes. Whichever way you go, once you are on the water be constantly matching map features- islands, bays, campsites, etc with what you see in front of you. I find it helpful to have the stern paddler (who will be steering) have a map tied to the thwart in front of them, so they can do this more easily."

Agreed! I like the Pathfinder Thwart Bag by Dan Cooke.

Pathfinder Thwart Bag w Map Case

boonie: "Welcome, sunshine-



I usually look at the reviews but take them with a grain of salt. Opinions vary and the suitability of sites varies somewhat with the season, weather, and personal preferences.
"

Truth- If the reviews have photos that is a more objective review. Otherwise trip reports on this site will give you more context on a site. I have found many times a site that had one star to be wonderful and a five star to be trash. Pretty subjective.

And theses days in the BWCA when it comes to campsites-take what you can. The days of shooting for that "one site you want" are in the past.

I have found it better planning to target an area rather than a campsite. (Although the deeper you get, the easier it becomes).

WonderMonkey: "Amazingly helpful responses. Reminds me of the help I received on my first trip, which led to it being a rousing success."

I still remember that highly entertaining thread! It was a lot of fun...

Welcome Sunysunshine - love your moniker. The numbered lakes region is great fun - lots of other people all out there doing what you're setting out to do! I hope you have a great trip.