Am looking for a trip suggestion for two experienced paddlers in the eastern region. Five or six days, we prefer smaller lakes creeks and rivers. Not to rule out bigger water. Primarily for fishing with at least one layover day. We have our own gear so proximity to an outfitter is irrelevant. Thanks, better days ahead.

Start at Hog Creek EP 36 and exit out of Gabbro or South Kawishiwi. Perent, Isabella, Bald Eagle & Gabbro Lakes all can provide good fishing between the long Perent & Isabella river sections.

Start at Kawishiwi Lake:

Option 1 - Day 1 Kawishiwi to Lake Polly. Day 2 Polly to Malberg Lake. - Day 3 - Day trip to Fishdance Lake for the pictos with fishing along the way. Day 4 - Day trip to Boulder or Pan Lake. Day 5- out to Kawishiwi.

Option 2 - Day 1 Kawishiwi to Polly Day 2 Layoever to fish Polly. Day 3 - Polly to Grace Lake - Layover to fish Grace or Phoebe. Day 4 Grace to Alton or Kelso Lake lake. Day 5 - Out to Sawbill Lake.

Option 3 - Day1 - Kawishiwi to Malberg lake. Day 2 Malberg to Little Sag. Day 3 Layover on Little Sag. Day 5 Little Sag to Mesaba Lake. Day 6 Mesaba Lake to Sawbill Lake.

Michwall2: "Start at Kawishiwi Lake:

Option 2 - Day 1 Kawishiwi to Polly Day 2 Layoever to fish Polly. Day 3 - Polly to Grace Lake - Layover to fish Grace or Phoebe. Day 4 Grace to Alton or Kelso Lake lake. Day 5 - Out to Sawbill Lake. "

I like option #2 - Alton can be big water especially on a breezy day, but a very scenic route. This is referred to as the "Lady Lakes Chain".

The options I list are off the Gunflint Trail. A couple possibilities include a loop starting at Bower Trout, head west to Brule, then cut north and head back east through Omega, Gaskin, etc. and exit through Ram (short walk to the Bower Trout parking lot). The portages through the Misquah/Little Trout area are not for the faint of heart, but you will be traveling more downhill.

Also entering through Brant, Missing Link, or Cross Bay Lake gives you lots of option for loops of varying length. Tuscarora Outfitters is right there for your gear needs. If you are up for an adventure, you could include the Frost River in this loop.

Eastern side you say? Will you be going to the end of the Gunflint Trail? I have been doing the end of the Gunflint for about a long time now.

You have your own gear, but I might recommend staying in the bunkhouse at one of the outfitters at the end of the trail; Voyageur Outfitters, Seagull Outfitters, and Tuscarora Outfitters all have bunks and it has been how my group and I have started our trips each year.

If you are looking for a very easy paddle of only a few hours a day on a river the Granite River Route is pretty great. It does dump you into Big Sag tho, so you may not want that big of waters to paddle.

My favorite areas are the Seagull Lake to South Arm Knife. That will take you through Seagull, Alpine, Ogish, Eddy and a few other small lakes. Fishing on Ogish and South Arm Knife is pretty great.

Check out the aforementioned outfitters sites, they all have routes planned out that you can just do, Seagull lists all their routes under the Canoe Trip Planning section.

when I was 16 and got my drivers license, I took my girlfriend to the BWCA. There was no internet yet and the only way for a novice to plan a trip was to buy a book, talk to someone, or write an outfitter.

I bought Robert Beymer's Book and to this day, 35 years later, I still use it as a reference. I planned many trips from his books and I would recommend them to anyone looking for route suggestions. They are timeless in their information and work in concert with maps to get an understanding of distances,difficulty, and sights along the way.

https://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/ingram-book-company/boundary-waters-canoe-area-eastern-region-17788

Getting information from others is a good source but very subjective to their travel habits and so on. The books give you a factual description of available routes. And therefore, while I know many great routes in the eastern region, will defer to a book :)

Agree with most of Michwall's Option 1...paddle to Malberg, 6.5 to 7 hours depending on conditions and your motivation. Great lake for exploration, good fishing and lots of nice campsites. 2 nights there, or one and another on the way back. Head to River lake which is an easy paddle, very scenic and very good fishing, or check out the sand beach site on Amber Lake. Highly recommend the southern island site on River, great site and close to excellent walleye fishing. Check out the pictos on Fishdance if that sounds interesting. Head back the way you came in with another night on Malberg or all the way back to Polly. Depends on if you have 5 or 6 days. Koma has a reputation as a good walleye lake too, can't support that personally. Great area.

Trip report if you are interested:



Kawishiwi entry

Wow, thanks everybody for the great response. I’m gonna have to take some time and look into this. I have been through the eastern region one other time and I did use an outfitter at the end of the Gunflint Trail. I can’t recall The exact route it was 20+ years ago and unfortunately I didn’t keep good records. I do remember Gabbro and Bald Eagle we’re two of the lakes. I’m pretty sure it is the route that Tuscaroraborealis describes. That was our (my son and I) first canoe trip. Talk about green!

Frost River adventure? We are up for adventure. Is it a PMA?

Jimholt210: "Frost River adventure? We are up for adventure. Is it a PMA?"

Frost River is not a PMA. However, there is a PMA route in the area. We entered at Missing Link, stayed on Snipe night 1, then cut down through Copper and entered the Hairy Lake PMA (Sora, Din, Mass, Ell, Iris, Fetters) and came out at Octopus. Our original plan had been to then head west to do the Frost River, but for a variety of reasons we decided to loop back to the east and north back out Missing Link. We went back and did the Frost River the next summer.

Is anyone else confused by this thread? Let me first say this, regardless of geographical issues or vernacular issues I seem to be having, great routes have been suggested. When I think of the Eastern Region though...I think of east of the gunflint.

I would put in at Clearwater; Big Loop would be up to Mountain, then along the border, come back across through John, Pine, Caribou. Smaller loop would be through the pikes, and pine. The smaller loop would allow for more fishing, layover and sight seeing. Check out Johnson falls on Pine for sure.

I was thinking he meant east of the gunflint as well and was going to suggest a little loop out of E. Bearskin or Clearwater that included Johnson Falls but it is a bit late to book a permit for that area this year. North Fowl, Crocodile and South are the only EPs serving the eastern unit with more than a handful of available permits between fishing opener and September. Johnson Falls is obviously a big draw.

I want to paddle the Frost River but only if I had at least 6 days for it. I'd start at Missing Link or Cross Bay and end at Brant. Exiting through Tuscarora would shorten this up a bit.

As usual, every other suggestion is solid gold!

To me, I would divide the BWCA in half lengthwise. If only the stuff east of the Gunflint was the eastern region, that would put Seagull and Sag in the western region which geographically they clearly are not.

Tom

Just me but. I usually use Thunder Point on Knife Lake as dividing line east/west.

TuscaroraBorealis: "Just me but. I usually use Thunder Point on Knife Lake as dividing line east/west."

Drawing a line between #35 Isabella Lake and #37 Kawishiwi Lake will divide the number of entry points down the middle. A slightly larger number of daily permits available on the western side when split there, however.

It seems that a lot of people, when they say Eastern side, mean not the Ely area. I agree that the Gunflint area is really the eastern side, Ely access is the western side. the entry points accessed from the Sawbill need a name:) There are some great entries and routes out of that area too.

In Beymer's book, Boundary Waters Canoe Area: Eastern Region, he starts with Entry 36 - Hog Creek in the Eastern region and moves on to Kawishiwi and Sawbill through Brule Lake, then up the Gunflint.

schweady: "

TuscaroraBorealis: "Just me but. I usually use Thunder Point on Knife Lake as dividing line east/west."

Drawing a line between #35 Isabella Lake and #37 Kawishiwi Lake will divide the number of entry points down the middle. A slightly larger number of daily permits available on the western side when split there, however.
"

There's no science to my method and, it certainly not official. :) That's just where I draw the 'theoretical' line when discussing such things.

Confused as well. I have been going up 15 years. When people say "Eastern" they are referring to the Gunflint area. Western would be the Ely area.

We have been to both. The first year I talked to a BWCA veteran and asked him about the BWCA. His words: The Ely area is where you get the big outfitters, restaurants, bars, entertainment and crowds. After a few years you will yearn for fewer people and more solitude and gravitate to the Gunflint area. Then you really hit your stride and to the Q or PMA's.

We don't come for the outfitters, restaurants or shopping. Left the Ely area 12 years ago for Gunflint and never looked back

Jimholt210: "Am looking for a trip suggestion for two experienced paddlers in the eastern region. Five or six days, we prefer smaller lakes creeks and rivers. Not to rule out bigger water. Primarily for fishing with at least one layover day. We have our own gear so proximity to an outfitter is irrelevant. Thanks, better days ahead. "

I'll put in a vote for Cross Bay (mentioned above). Fairly easy entry that takes you south all the way to Long Island if you like or west to Tuscarora and beyond if you wish. Smaller water, decent fishing and reasonable options to vary your trip.