I have a entry point on Snowbank and I THINK we want to go to Malberg. Is that possible, and if so, does anyone know the route?

If there is a better entry point, please let me know and I will check for available permits.

Thanks in advance.
The IdealTarheel

You can certainly make a nice trip to Malberg with a Snowbank entry but I would plan on 2-3 days to get there depending on the experience level of the group. Head east and get into Ima then Thomas. Drop south into Alice and then into the Kawishiwi R. You can reach Malberg from there.

If you want a closer entry point, look at Kawishiwi Lake.

It's definitely a haul from Snowbank to Malberg. Day 1 would be to Thomas, day 2 to Malberg. Then, for the sake of looping, you could go up through Boulder to maybe Sagus, then Sagus to Jordan, then Jordan to Snowbank.

You can get to Malberg in about 7-8 hours, double carrying, via Kawishiwi Lake, and that's the route I'd recommend (pending available permits) if you don't have a full week to do a longer loop from Snowbank. You could also go through Lake One to Insula, then Insula to Malberg.

On the positive side, going in at Snowbank and heading to Malberg is a nice route with a variety of big lakes and rivers/small lakes and takes you past the pictographs at Fishdance. But you can also go in at Kawishiwi Lake and do a day trip to Fishdance.

My son and I did Snowbank to Alice in one day last year

This year I am 58 and he is 25.
I am pretty sure he hiked 1-1/2 times farther than I did (being the good loving son that he is not wanting his dad to get too embarrassed) but we did it.

I remember one long portage just before Alice Lake (out of Thomas Lake maybe) I thought my son was going to have to carry me.

But for most part we did every portage in 1 or 1-1/2 trips (both of us never had to go all the way back, but one of us had to go about 1/2 way back to help me LOL)

This year we are really gearing DOWN so we can make every portage in 1 trip.
I am not a strong hiker but my canoeing is strong.

ALL that being said, and after reading your post, it appears that maybe we have a better than 50/50 chance of making it in one day. Granted a VERY LONG DAY.

I have been told the campsites never fill up on Malberg. Is that true?
Needless to say that will play a significant role in our planning.

MORE FEEDBACK PLEASE. We put into Snowbank in 30 days.

The IdealTarHeel

I can actually get a permit for Kawishiwi Lake.

But it looks to be two hours away from Ely, where we are staying.

How much shorter is the Kawishiwi Lake EP to Malberg
than Snowbank to Malberg?

Does it justify the 2 hour drive from Ely?

Please help.

Even if single carrying, I would think Snowbank to Malberg to be a pretty long day.

Malberg definitely fills up. I went in 2021, the Thursday before Memorial Day, after camping at the Kawishiwi campground (for an early start), and pushed up to Malberg on that first day. We didn't go up the east arm (opted for west arm/bay), but most sites were taken, with the exception of the 1-star near the Koma portage, the 2-star on the southwest point, and the furthest west site near the River portage.

The group behind us, that told us genuinely they were planning for Alice, raced ahead of us on the portage from Koma to Malberg, and ended up snagging the nice far west site about 5 minutes ahead of us. I would not recommend the southwest point site as it is very small, exposed, with 1 tent pad. Great landing but that's about all it has going for it.

You might get lucky with a lull in the crowds as you're going right after Memorial Day, but it was pretty much a zoo for us. Consider checking out the island sites on the river, before you turn east to Malberg. They are supposed to be pretty nice and the fishing is supposed to be pretty good around there as well. Malberg is close if you want to check it out, as are Fishdance, Beaver, and Adams (all worth checking out IMO).

IdealTarHeel: "I can actually get a permit for Kawishiwi Lake.


But it looks to be two hours away from Ely, where we are staying.


How much shorter is the Kawishiwi Lake EP to Malberg
than Snowbank to Malberg?


Does it justify the 2 hour drive from Ely?


Please help.
"

Looks like Snowbank to Malberg, single carrying, is around 23 miles and 12-14 hours.

Kawishiwi to Malberg, single carrying, is around 11 miles and 6-7 hours.

So, even with a 2 hour drive, it would probably be quite a bit faster. Not the way I'd like to start my entry day, plus then you'd have to drive back to Ely if you rented any gear. But... it would get you to your destination faster. I will agree with andym that the route from Snowbank to Malberg would be quite scenic, it just might take you almost twice as long as going in at Kawishiwi.

Here is a silly question

I have always gone into Ely, MN
worked with Piragis,
do I need to do anything special if I already have my permit and all the gear?
or can we just enter into the BWCA

If you have your permit, you can enter. When I went up, I picked up my permit at Sawtooth Outfitters in Tofte, then camped at the Kawishiwi Lake campground (FCFS/first come first served). There are a couple other campgrounds in the general area, in case Kawishiwi is full (Windy Lake, Silver Island Lake, Hogback Lake, Sawbill Lake). Not sure which ones are FCFS vs reservation required, but there are some options. If you got to Sawbill early enough to pick up your permit, you could camp there and then get up early to drive the ~1hr to Kawishiwi.

That my friend is SOLID advise

Thank you

Happy to help! Have a great trip!

If you only "think" you want to go to Malberg from Snowbank consider why you want to do that? What do you think is special about Malberg? Great walleye fishing? Try Alice. Bring a depth finder and locate the reefs on Alice and fish them.

So you already have a Snowbank permit? You can not change where you enter unless you get a new permit. Malberg is a great lake, but I would not plan on that being my destination when coming from Snowbank, unless you plan a big loop. Even then, there are other great lakes that I would be much more excited to see than Malberg because I can get to Malberg in a day from Kawishiwi. Honestly, I might just skip it on a loop if it would save any time, just because I can so easily access Malberg from the south.

It's doable but why?

My longest day was from the western end of Crooked Lake all the way out to Fall Lake. We did it in about 10 hours, but we were in kayaks (Rob Roy) and in race shape.

If you have the option I would just switch the permit to Kawishiwi...if that's not an option and you really want to explore Malberg for some reason - go for it!

IdealTarHeel: "I can actually get a permit for Kawishiwi Lake.


But it looks to be two hours away from Ely, where we are staying.


How much shorter is the Kawishiwi Lake EP to Malberg
than Snowbank to Malberg?


Does it justify the 2 hour drive from Ely?


Please help.
"

If it was me, I'd change to Kawishiwi Lake entry. You can make it to Malberg in an easy day. If for some unforeseeable reason all the camps are full you have options and time.

The 2 hour drive is justified easily in my opinion. As another poster presented you could also gear up in Ely and camp overnight at the Kawishiwi campground

T