BWCA Suggestions for hiking trip in BWCA Boundary Waters Trip Planning Forum
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Toggy
member (24)member
  
12/18/2022 06:48PM  
My family, with another family are starting to talk about backpacking in the boundary waters in the summer of 2023.

I have been on paddling trips in the bwca I do a lot of dispersed camping and hunting in superior national forest. The folks I'll be going with are not experienced hikers. Four teenagers and four adults.

I've spent a lot of time in the vicinity of lake Isabella so the pow wow trail is intriguing but it's almost all within the pagami burn area and it sounds like the trail can be hard to make out.

I am not sure what distance the group will be capable of yet, and I'm going to firmly recommend that they train before the trip.

The eagle mountain and brule lake trails also seemed like a possibility but they are rather short and my biggest concern is that we won't find campsites when we get out there. The few trails that I have glanced at don't seem to have very many options for campsites...

Any advice and input is appreciated.

Tom
 
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12/18/2022 06:55PM  
The Sioux Hustler or Angleworm Trails might be a good option for your group.
Toggy
member (24)member
  
12/18/2022 07:49PM  
egknuti: "The Sioux Hustler or Angleworm Trails might be a good option for your group."


Thank you
TuscaroraBorealis
distinguished member(5665)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
12/18/2022 08:08PM  
If you haven't done so already? Check out the On foot forum . Also, check out the recent trip reports from member MN_Lindsey. I know she recently completed the entire Border Route Trail which is an awesome recommendation that can also be broken into smaller sections.), and she did the Snowbank Lake Trail this past spring.
Toggy
member (24)member
  
12/20/2022 06:03AM  
TuscaroraBorealis: "If you haven't done so already? Check out the On foot forum . Also, check out the recent trip reports from member MN_Lindsey. I know she recently completed the entire Border Route Trail which is an awesome recommendation that can also be broken into smaller sections.), and she did the Snowbank Lake Trail this past spring. "


Didn't know there was an on foot forum. Thanks so much.
Deeznuts
distinguished member (474)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
12/21/2022 07:42PM  
Love the section of the souix Hustler we covered. We did the section from Hustler to pageant and back. It was a day trip for us and ended up being one of my favorite parts of our canoeing trip. Did a ton of research on the trail as I have aspirations to hike it one day.
Range line line Is absolutely breathtaking and very moose-y. Depending on the time of year and the water height you can plan on wet footing at least a few sections. There's the section between shell and yodler that gets very wet and I remember walking up a spring going between range line and pageant. Good luck!
Hockhocking
senior member (93)senior membersenior member
  
12/22/2022 01:09AM  
If you were asking more broadly for recommended backpacking in the upper Great Lakes region, Pictured Rocks or Porcupine Mountains in Michigans UP, or sections of the Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota all would be good choices for beginners, in Northwoods ecosystem, with campsites, etc. Hiking inside the Boundary Waters tends to be rougher, less-maintained trails than the trails I mentioned which are all signature trails for backpackers. Arguably the best backpacking in the region is Isle Royale, but that’s not the best choice for folks who have never been backpacking because of the remoteness and lack of bail-out options compared to these others.
WanderingWoodsmanMN
distinguished member (130)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
01/04/2023 01:13PM  
Hi Tom,

I have hiked all over the BWCA and found many great areas. As others here have stated, Angleworm is a fantastic trail- just beware of the beaver dam on the southeast side of the lake! Can be tricky. It does depend on what time of the year you go though- I have hiked that area by the beaver dam with the boardwalk with the water level 6+ inches above the boards, which means hiking through water so your boots and socks are 100% soaked through. The Border Route is incredible but much wilder- I did it in August a few years back and would not recommend it. Tough to find the trail, basically just looking for an indentation in overgrowth for some portions. When I do that again it will definitely be spring or late fall. Amazing landscape though!

Sioux Hustler is also an awesome portion of the BWCA and you will not see many folks there. I was rained out for 2 days on a lakeside campsite there once and did not come across a soul, which was pretty neat.

Enjoy!
 
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