Curious about long 8-day route ideas starting from EP20 Angleworm Lake. Group is currently contemplating two routes - would be curious to hear your thoughts on them and/or other recommendations. I know a common route is Angleworm-Gull-Gun-Fairy-Boot-Fourtown-Exit Mudro Lake. However, this route is only 16 miles, 11 miles of which is canoeing (per PP), which the group feels is not nearly enough. One option would be elongating the route by going further North up to Friday bay, and then East to the border through Thursday bay, riding the border, potentially going into Basswood, and then exiting at 23 (This route would be around 53 miles, 45 canoe and 8 portage). Alternatively, we have considered a haul far to the East all the way to EP 37 (our outfitter will still pick us up there). On this route we would go far East and then cut South, going through a lot of interesting and less traveled areas. Likely would be 65 miles of canoeing and 12 miles of portaging.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Primary concerns about the first two routes are not enough canoeing or diversity of scenery, and more crowded. Large concern for the second trip down to 37 would be viability during an 8 day trip.

4 person group, in-shape, late 20s

I had some friends who tripped through Angleworm into Basswood several years ago(2020). They also exited through Angleworm. They didn't care much for the portage (2 miles) and had to stay one night on Nikki Lake in a cramped little campsite, when they couldn't find open campsites in Gun. Fishing was very good though, once they left Angleworm.

I think your exit via Mudro would be a great trip, but campsites are very hard to find in Fourtown and Horse. Campsites are much easier to find in Crooked in my admittedly limited experience in the BWCA. I'm a Quetico guy.

Have you considered looping back to EP 20 using the Horse River? I've done this loop 3 times and spent layover days on Crooked Lake to explore Iron Lake (Curtain Falls) and both the lower and upper basswood falls.

Consider doing the beartrap river and take the nibbon route to sterling lake. You’d need a pma camping permit. I did this some years ago solo carrying a 65 lbs wood/canvas canoe. I am disabled and long past my twenties. You should have no problems

Couple years back we went in at Mudro and out to Jackfish Bay on Basswood then all the way down the river into Crooked and out Friday Bay through Gun and Fourtown. I loved it!
You could hit Gull, Gun and then head north into Friday Bay and come all the way around and up the basswood River into Basswood and exit through Sandpit and the Portage River (?).

I'm headed towards Wed/Thurs Bay this year just not sure how I want to go.
I think i'd rather take the long portage around Upper Basswood Falls then do the Fourtown Portages again. Headed out on 7/25 so I'm sure the Horse River will not be friendly once again.
Coming out Friday Bay I would maybe take the portage from Fourtown to Horse and come out that way as I've never went that way before.