I have a permit for the Wednesday before Labor Day. Planning to stay until Sunday or Monday. In the past I’ve always driven from the cities the night before, stayed near or at the entry point, and tried to get on the water early-ish. I’ve usually gone with new to the bwca trip partners so it’s usually taken us longer to actually paddle out with packing/repacking/questioning what people are bringing/not bringing, so we often haven’t gotten on the water until 9-11am.

Looking to attend an event in the cities the night before our permit and considering getting up early the morning of our permit (6am), driving the 5+ hours to the entry point, having stuff much better organized and packed than previous years (and have more BWCA experienced in the group) so we can push off quickly upon arriving at the outfitter/EP.

Thoughts from people who drive up the day of their permit? The EP is for Lizz/swamp, so we’d probably be trying to get to caribou the first day. Mid week, do folks think we’d have a hard time finding a campsite later in the day? That’s my biggest concern. We’d plan to get up early the next morning to get further out the next day.

Never any guarantees.....but, in bwca terms Caribou & Horseshoe Lakes are exceedingly popular destinations that "typically" draw a lot of visitors. Couple that with the fact your entering before a big holiday weekend....

As long as you're not choosy you may well get a site on one of those lakes however, I'd definitely go in being prepared to have the time & energy to push on.

To be perfectly honest, I think your plan is too ambitious. You have four hours to GM, another hour to Poplar (for the Lizz EP). With potty breaks and unloading/loading up, that's noon when you're on the water. Then you've got Poplar, which can be a bit confusing to navigate, then portage to Lizz, short paddle, then portage to Caribou. You're looking at 2:00 PM minimum to Caribou....if all the stars align.

I think you will have a difficult time finding a campsite later in the day. My guess is that the area will be very busy, being the week before Labor Day. It's not uncommon for Caribou AND Horseshoe campsites to be completely occupied. Then you'd have to push on to Gaskin or to Vista (and Vista has three sites, only one of which is decent.) Gaskin gets busy, too...


Just my two cents.

Mike

Agree with the previous comments...might be tough to make it work. If it were me I'd try and leave after the event and drive as far as possible that evening. Is that an option for you?

Not sure I agree with the doom and gloom above. Could be that bad but might not be that bad. Every week and every year is different. You might get to Caribou and find a couple campsites available. But having said that, everything you can do to leave earlier and get to the entry point earlier will be in your favor.

But, here is a safety valve. Just west of Caribou is a very nice lake named Meeds Lake. It is a fairly quiet lake and often overlooked. There are 3 decent campsites on the lake and a small creek to traverse, with a portage to get there. If Caribou is full I think you would have pretty good odds of finding a spot there. Two island campsites, I have only stayed at the 2nd to the west which was quite decent.

Put that in your back pocket just in case. BTW, Meeds is a very good fishing lake for smallies and walleyes:)

You will be fine. In a worst case scenario you will have to go all the way to gaskin which is easily doable before dark.

Have fun!

I would take the chance. Even if you don’t hit the water until noon you still have solid 8-10 hours of daylight.

I can’t comment on site availability on those particular lakes, but I’ve done the early start from Minneapolis for a same-day mid/upper Gunflint entry a few times and it’s worked out fine each time. Not my preferred method, but it’s worked when schedules didn’t accommodate travel before entry day.

Each time we shot for a roughly 5:00-6:00am start from Mpls with a goal of being on the water by noon-1:00pm. Has been totally doable each time. On one trip, working with a mid-GF outfitter for a canoe rental and a shuttle to the entry point, we made sure to communicate with them ahead of time about our timeline, entry/campsite goal, and our arrival time that day, and all of that seemed to help minimize some of the inevitable transition time delay. And there are loads of potential time-sucks that could cause delays, including the uncontrollable….weather. But with careful planning, reasonable goals, and a bit of good fortune, you can set yourself up for a good chance of getting where you need to be that first night.

Back in the old days when I lived in the cities (early 90’s) we would leave at 4AM or so and head up to our entry point. The night before we were scrambling to get packed and organized. Got to bed at midnight, slept maybe two or three hours and then off we went in the old rusty Suburban AKA the meat wagon.

Those were the days. Got on the water by 11am or so completely exhausted. Man I do not miss those types of trips. I’ve learned a lot about myself and camping over the years.

Heading in for a trip for me, is relaxing, prepared and easy going. I try to have more time than I need so as to be rested and relaxed. Of course I still try to do weekend trips after work sometimes and end up getting on the water at dusk so I’m still learning lol.
Tom

lindylair: "Not sure I agree with the doom and gloom above."

Given the trip is taking place during peak season in an incredibly busy area, I do not see offering caution as doom and gloom. The OP, after all, is asking for opinions.

For me, I would not want to start a trip at noon the Wednesday prior to Labor Day @ the Lizz/Swamp EP as I would be stressed out about finding a spot late in the day. Then again, I no longer go to the BW at all in July or August for that very reason.

I don't think of end of August as peak season - too many kids back in school - but looking at rec.gov, lots of permits available for Wednesday Aug 3. Not near as many the next 2 days. I'm inclined to agree Lindy on this one, that odds are in your favor, but not certain.

I got use to late afternoon entries coming from Chicago. I'd rather paddle another part day and camp then spend it in a bunkhouse. Never had a problem finding an acceptable site.

Frenchy19: "

lindylair: "Not sure I agree with the doom and gloom above."

Given the trip is taking place during peak season in an incredibly busy area, I do not see offering caution as doom and gloom. The OP, after all, is asking for opinions.

For me, I would not want to start a trip at noon the Wednesday prior to Labor Day @ the Lizz/Swamp EP as I would be stressed out about finding a spot late in the day. Then again, I no longer go to the BW at all in July or August for that very reason."

Frenchy, perhaps doom and gloom were too strong of terms. But I know I have been on many a trip when I thought a lake would be pretty quiet and found every campsite taken. But I have also been on many trips when I thought a lake would be very busy and found every campsite open. I just don't think they should give up on the plan until they get there and have a solid plan b or c just in case.

I also don't think that the end of August is a real busy time, just before Labor Day, State Fair going on, families starting to get ready for back to school. Now Labor Day weekend, that would be a different story.

The popular(and even legendary) lake in that area is Horseshoe and I think most folks would want to go in that far at least. From the car Caribou is not far or long time wise and even with basecampers, I think most try to get in a little further.

Assuming the OP can get on the water late morning they would be looking for a site on Caribou by 1pm or so and that is the recommended time. May or may not find one but I wouldn't give up on the plan. They just might be fine. And if not, there are lots of other options including Meeds, which I mentioned.

I spent a week on Horseshoe last summer with a group that always drives up the day of. We were on Poplar by noon and found only 3 sites occupied between Caribou and Horseshoe and encountered only 1 other group on the move. This was the 3rd of July, a Sunday. We had hypothesized in the last few years that there is quite a lull in the BWCA for the 4th of July and last summer's experience certainly backed that up. When we left that Friday we found the majority of sites on Horseshoe and Caribou taken with a few other groups on the move (most heading to Gaskin), but even then it wasn't 'full.' There are only one or two questionable sites on Caribou and none on Horseshoe IMO. Certainly the 2022 permit reductions (-1 daily for both Meeds and Lizz/Swamp) have helped alleviate the historical crowding in this area.

I don't have experience with Labor Day in the BWCA, but as others have stated there are plenty of other things going on that would keep groups away, at least during the week, and you'll be completely missing the weekend crowd. I don't think you should be overly worried, but I would still push the group to be on the road as early as possible.

Z4K: "...We had hypothesized in the last few years that there is quite a lull in the BWCA for the 4th of July and last summer's experience certainly backed that up..."

Historical records lend evidence, too. Lately, the week of the 4th still fills up eventually, but initial demand is predictably low every year.

Labor Day used to bring the sharp downward slide in demand, with school started up, but now that's not seen until much later into September.

Although I agree that you might be pushing it timewise, I like lindylair's suggestion of heading toward Meeds.
When you portage to Caribou, you can tell right away if the first site across the water is open. Heading west, there are three campsites. I suspect the westernmost one (and maybe the one by Swamp portage) might be in the least demand, so that might give you the best chance. That way you check out four sites without zigzagging around the lake. If no luck, assess the time and either move on to Meeds or seek out #641 and the three other Caribou sites on the southern half.

If you run into people on the portages heading out, or on Lizz or Poplar, ask them where they came from and also ask if they noticed any empty sites.