Although I am genuinely interested in any responses I get to this post, part of my motivation for posting is because...here we are a couple months from the start of paddling season and there are no new posts. I count on this site and check it numerous times a day, so sad to see nothing new posted:( Like to read about others upcoming trips, questions about gear routes and fishing and love the more philosophical posts around why you go and what you experience up there. You got any thoughts, questions or ideas?...throw it out there and we will kick it around.

Anyways...my buddy and I are going in Baker Lake entry on Sunday a week before Memorial Day. Usually paddle right through Kelly and Jack to to other destinations but this time we are thinking of more of a basecamp trip. I have in my mind, based on campsite reviews and looking at the map that the site at the very north end of Kelly Lake would be a really cool place to set up for a few days. Looks like a decent site photos look okay. Pipe Creek on one side and the Temperance River on the other. Set back in a bay, seems really quiet. Possible good fishing because of the current coming in. Good daytrip options of exploring in the area including the gold mine, although we have been there before.

If that site was occupied we would either retrace back to an open site on Kelly or move on to Jack or even Weird Lake - that site kind of intrigues me.

So...if any of you have any experience with that far north campsite on Kelly I would like to hear your opinions as far as desirability as a campsite, scenery, seclusion and fishing potential. That site has been on my radar for a while, just wondering if it will live up to my imagination:)

Thanks...let's liven up this forum a bit!!

First, on "livening up" the forum, I think a lot of "action" has moved to the FB page. I don't post there as often, but it seems that the action has been split by the advent of that side of the WWW.

Some thoughts on the campsite you mentioned at the north end of Kelly.

1. Noise and traffic. I think that right next to the portage you will get a lot more noise. People talking louder, canoes being set down, loaded, snack time, etc.

2. Bugs. I always thought that particular spot looked more buggy. Kind of low and not much chance of a breeze passing through.

3. Bears. Bears have learned to pick food packs off the ends of portages. Being so close to that portage end may invite a curious visit. I think we have chased a larger animal away from that end of the portage before. Could have been a moose, but more likely a bear scoping us out. We all had those "hairs standing up on the back of our neck" kind of feeling before we got up and started looking around.

4. Fishing. We have frequently encountered people fishing that spot right off the end of the rapids. I would guess it's a great spot for that.

5. The mine. Don't forget to visit the abandoned mine to the west of the Jack Lake end of the portage.

If you move on, the campsite on the peninsula of Jack Lake is the better of the two on Jack Lake. The one back in the bay will give you more privacy, but people have told us that it can be buggy.

The campsites throughout Jack and Weird are known for moose spotting.

We have stayed on Jack a night or two as we have passed through. Shared the peninsula site with a grouse or two.

Hope you have a great trip.

Hi Lindylair! I appreciate checking the message boards as a break from work so thank you for the invitation to liven it up a bit. I'm not on facebook, and never will, so it's great to see the conversation here. :)

That said, I have no experience on that entry point! Can't help you there. I can share one thing I am doing differently to prepare for trips this year...journaling. I am writing on the front page in the journal now - topics that are important to me, favorite camping memories from my childhood, wilderness quotes, even drawing a few pictures of birds and wildlife (not sure I am brave enough to post a photo of my drawing yet!). On my trips this spring, summer, and fall I plan to write on the back sides of the pages - my experiences for the day, more context for a memory on the front page, notes to the important people in my life, and maybe even a drawing or two!

Anyway, I have enjoyed preparing with this exercise and hope it will be something I like when tripping this summer. Might help me actually make a trip report on this webpage!

So...in the spirit of your invitation: how do you document your trips? Are you doing anything to refresh old memories of good times? If so, what?

Paddled up to that site first week if June last year. Early in the a.m. probably by 6-630. Was up with my oldest and his wife( her first time) .Well just as we got to about 40 yards from shore one of them says "moose". Sure enough there's a cow right in the middle of the firepit area with two calves. Very cool. I was surprised to see then in the site. Will add photo when I have more time

Lindy. Great to see a post from you.

Little duckling and I stayed there last year the same weekend you’ll be there. We really liked the site, especially being able to walk over to where the river dumps into Kelly and catch walleye from shore.

The weekend before Memorial Day is usually pretty quiet so there was very little traffic at the portage. I actually don’t remember seeing/hearing anyone come through. We only saw one person from camp who had come from south Kelly to fish.

Bugs weren’t a problem. Nothing like when big duckling and I stayed at the less preferred of the 2 sites on Jack

If I remember correctly, the campsite is tucked in and turned so in order to see the portage and fishing spot you have to walk down to the water. You can’t see them from the fire pit area. .

Hi Lindylair,

Baker was my first solo trip in 2019, using the new solo canoe I purchased as a result of advice from this forum.

As others have said, I felt in many ways like I was taking "the solo forum " along with me on that first solo. I made a trip report (the only one I've ever created for this forum - my bad), linked below.

Like others have said, the site on N Kelly is not bad, but it is very close to the portage. This is a popular route (permits were reduced this year from 3 to 2). I ended up stopping early on Jack (peninsula site) due to all the flotillas going by, all headed to the same place (S. Temperance). I stayed on Jack a couple nights due to heavy rainfall. The site is more elevated than N Kelly site, with large (unshaded) area around fire grate, and - as others have said - abundant wildlife.

Since that first solo, I have since traveled Temperance river lake chain on multiple occasions, as day trips (up and back) for wildlife and birding, and as an exit from other EP trips (Brule, Sawbill and Bower Trout longer trip). While I haven't scouted every site, I have seen heavy use on every trip, with all sites taken along the way, as has been reported by others on the forum. Perhaps reduced permits from 3 to 2 will make a difference, but I wouldn't hold my breath. If I were to use Baker entry as base-camping route, I would be considering a mindset of "first available site" due to heavy use, as opposed to "targeting" a site. YMMV.

Baker first solo 2019

Thanks all for the comments. Jillpine, I have entered through Baker numerous times too, going all the way back to the early 80s when it seemed to be a well kept secret - but no longer. I know it is a busy area these days.

I have stayed on the peninsula site on Jack and know that it is a pretty nice site - I also had decent luck fishing for walleyes right from shore there. We realize that campsite availability could be an issue. For some reason I would like to stay at that north Kelly site, like the idea of the seclusion (early /am and evenings, I know there is a portage right there) and the likelihood of decent fishing right from shore. The sound of running water is a plus too.

If we get all the way up there and it is taken then we would have to go back if there were sites open, or move on to Jack Lake or even Weird. Luckily, it does not take a lot to accommodate myself and my buddy campsite wise, we are not real picky. Even the "bad" site on Jack would probably do for us if necessary.

One would think that the reduction of permits from 3 to 2 would make an impact on traffic and campsite availability - that is potentially 4 less parties up there in the 4 days before we put in. I guess we will find out.

"So...in the spirit of your invitation: how do you document your trips? Are you doing anything to refresh old memories of good times? If so, what?"

YetiJedi, thanks for the comments and participation in livening things up:) I bring a notebook/journal with on pretty much every trip but I just haven't gotten the hang of it yet - usually bring it back with all blank pages. I will try again this year with a bit more determination because I certainly see the value in it.

As far as documenting our trip, both myself and my tripping partner are avid photographers, that has become a primary purpose of the trip. We do a pretty good job of "documenting" anything and everything of interest on our trips. It is not unusual for us to take many hundreds of photos on every trip - once on a 5 day trip to Crocodile we both shot over 1000 photos.

I thoroughly enjoy going through the photos when I return from a trip. Seems like I get a small percentage of really good ones, no matter how many I take. But it is worth it and with digital photography there really is no downside. These photo journals provide great memories for me for many years as I review them on occasion.

Here is an example of how I "document" a trip:


Crocodile Lake trip

Our group of 5 stayed at that site for 1 night on a trip in 2014. From what I remember, the site itself was nothing special and the tent pads are not the most level. It was tight trying to find spots for 2 solo tents and a 4 man tent, but we made it work. The fishing, even at that time of the year, was very good due the to flow, and was the only spot we consistently caught walleye. We were successful both from shore and vertical jigging from the canoe. SMB cooperated in other parts of Kelly though too. People do fish it for sure, coming from the other sites on Kelly, but we were there in August so it was likely more busy then than you will experience.

We had what sounded like a moose come right through the campsite in the middle of the night, but no one got out to confirm that. I don't have any pictures of that site, but maybe Airmorse will see this post and add some if he has any.

Thanks for the invitation to liven things up. I, like others in this thread, like to look here for distractions and entertainment.

I am also planning to enter the BWCAW in the week ahead of Memorial Day. I'm hopeful that this time of year leads to light traffic, great campsites and great fishing!

I'm excited to be on a very good lake trout lake! I plan to have a fish finder with me and use a jigging rap and a little cleo to reach them vertically. Braid to fluoro leader for these, as well.

Let's keep the conversation going!

Michwall2: "First, on "livening up" the forum, I think a lot of "action" has moved to the FB page."

That's really sad to hear. Adam banned me from the FB group after I was asking questions about why a website that shall not be named is often filtered/blocked/censored and never allowed to be named and why that apparently policy is never mentioned or explained anywhere. I've since learned the truth of the matter but can't discuss it for fear of having my access here revoked as well.

lindylair: "

Here is an example of how I "document" a trip:

Crocodile Lake trip "

Excellent trip report, Lindylair! Beautiful photos. What an awesome interaction with wolves as well. I have not been through that area of the BWCA but it is now on my list. :)

I also have been bummed about the shift in traffic to FB. It is much harder to find topics discussed in the past on FB versus the forum.

Happy to contribute to your question. We ended up staying at the northern Kelly site last summer. Trip report: Turtle Tales

We came over the portage from Jack Lake (saw cow and baby moose on Jack). We hadn't planned to stay on Kelly, but had to stop early that day due to a trip member's back spasms. It was a decent enough site but the tent sites were hot and sunny. But that will likely be a good thing in late May. Even though the site is near a portage, it is tucked back further in the bay than you expect and people coming off the portage go straight south on Kelly, so the site felt fairly private. My son had fun swimming by the nearby stream (path leads there from the campsite), but then he ended up with a leech on him. We fished in the evening and had some bites, but they all got away.

pswith5: " "

How cool is that?! Once in a lifetime moment to see that!

Thanks for sharing.

pswith5: " "

So that's who left all that moose poop in my camp!