Hi all,

This will be my fourth time to BW, but my first time on the eastern side. The plan is to base camp on Hanson or Ester in early June and explore in all four directions from there. Has anyone stayed in this area and have a favorite lake or two that I can't miss? I've definitely heard a lot about Knife, but are there any recommendations for the smaller lakes in that area as well? Our group mostly fishes for bass and pike. Thanks for any tips!

Andy

Cherry is a very cool lake and only one (hard-ish) portage away. High cliffs, 2 nice sites, very cool islands. Never had crazy fishing there but can catch bass, walleye, and lakers.

Yes, Knife is famous for fishing. Since you're also just one portage from there, you have to go for at least a day. Check out Eddy falls since you're on that end of the lake. Fish right near where it's dumping into SAK. Toe and that area are decent too especially if want to hide from a wind.

As for heading east, don't be afraid to check out the PMA right next door.

If it were me, I'd shoot for one of the cluster of 4 campsites on Ester that are nearest the channel to Hanson.

A few other places of interest in the area:

- The Enchanted Forest portage. The portage trail between Hanson & the South Arm of Knife Lake.
- Benny Ambrose cabin remains & memorial plaque on Ottertrack Lake.
- Lake of the Clouds & Gijikiki Lake are gems.

Here is a report of a trip I did to that area a couple years ago that speaks about the places mentioned above, and several others. Hanging out north of the South Arm



...also, this forum discusses many neat areas to visit as well.

South Arm of Knife to Hanson Portage is a neat portage. Beach on SAK side. Bit of a narrow funnel landing with trees on the Hanson side. We had another group coming the opposite way as we were landing and sorting out where to stage our stuff was a bit of a challenge with a big youth group of girl campers on a long trip coming the other way.

Cherry is supposed to be pretty awesome.

As for Campsites the grouping of four is definitely where you should shoot for on Ester.

Red flags are 4* 5* campsites
Blue Flags are 3*
It’s kind of a sandy area in the middle of the channel and shallows up. That is why I have the beach symbol

Ryan

AndyEck84: "Hi all,

This will be my fourth time to BW, but my first time on the eastern side. The plan is to base camp on Hanson or Ester in early June and explore in all four directions from there. Has anyone stayed in this area and have a favorite lake or two that I can't miss? I've definitely heard a lot about Knife, but are there any recommendations for the smaller lakes in that area as well? Our group mostly fishes for bass and pike. Thanks for any tips!

Andy"

Lots of good suggestions already...Eddy Falls is beautiful. Eddy Lake, a short portage from Knife, has good-sized northerns.

Enjoy your trip!

Hello. I've been paddling this area for a lot of years now. So far it is my favorite area of the eastern side. So here are my thoughts.

The campsites on Ester are better than the sites on Hanson. Especially the site on the south side of the island on Ester (site 2008 according to the bwca.com maps). The best site on Hanson is on a little peninsula on the east side of the lake. It is very small though (site 327).

Bass fishing on Hanson is fantastic. Granted, my group and I have always been there in late July. But we have never gotten skunked. The best spots seem to be on the south east side of the big island, and the south of the aforementioned peninsula about halfway down to the Knife lake portage.

Exploring east, Hanson is the only place where you can access the Pitfall Lake PMA area. The portage is the Link Lake, Gift Lake, Fish Lake. no camp sites here but really cool for exploring and fishing. Exploring west, Cherry lake, Lunar Lake and Lake of the Clouds are all cool.

The real winner is exploring south and heading into Knife South Arm. Knife itself is one of the clearest lakes I have ever seen. Eddy Falls is a must stop/swim on a hot day. Knife is a great lake for Northern.

Hope any of that helps! Enjoy your trip.

If you have time, Clam lake is a nice stop. Not much for fishing, but there are 2-3 species of wild Minnesota Orchids growing around the lake. Very clear and the island is a nice picnic spot. Portage in is short but a little tricky.

Neat area for sure. Most of the posts gave you good points of interest.

I would just warn you, this area has become VERY popular over the last 10 years. When I started tripping in this area around 2005, we usually had our pick of campsites. Lately, that is not the case. We have had to move on down to Hanson or SAofKnife a couple of times because all the campsites are taken...even the 2 low star sites. (northern most and south eastern on Ester). Hanson sites are just ok.

Just be aware you will see a lot of people coming and going through the lakes and there is a potential to need to keep searching for sites on other nearby lakes.

It would be hard for me to go through this area without staying on either Cherry or Topaz. Really beautiful lakes.

Beautiful area, have a great trip!

Definitely try for the Esther sites. South side of the island look favorable for large groups. Sites are kind of close but the sandbar seems nice if the weather is good.

Avoid the East site on Hanson if possible. It is low lying damp area with almost no useable wood that is dry, and not much available to paddle to. Made for decent fishing off the peninsula and we made 4 2p tents work but not ideal.

I don't think there are any walleye in Hanson/Ester.

Im sure there are some in there but (from my experience) not large enough numbers to target. Ive never seen one caught there, or even heard of anyone.