Hey y'all, second favorite time of the years, dreaming season!

Thinking about exploring north and east from Snowbank next summer, preferably a 2 week loop with my son. I've heard lots of comments about poison ivy around Moose, and wondering if anyone has some intel on that situation.

Thinking we might head up thru Ensign to the border, then go east and loop back along Ogish/Kekabic/Thomas....maybe some PMA action. Thoughts? Suggestions? What options haven't I thought of?

Poison Ivy is quite rare in the border country. The only place I have seen it is at the pictographs on darkwater lake in Quetico. No doubt there are other places. Get familiar with it and make sure it is not present when you have to get down and rummage through the vegetation. If you wear shorts portage landings and trail-side would be of interest, too. Not a big deal.

I live in a region that has PI everywhere. Sprawling across the ground and climbing in trees. I see it every day and hike through it regularly. I am aware when I put my hands into thick vegetation, but I very rarely get a rash. Maybe once in five years.

I never saw poison ivy in the BWCA until recently. Basswood was the worst, but also have seen it in a few other places. Tends to be closer to really busy entry points or heavy motorboat locations. I just keep an eye out and avoid it when I spot it. I've seen it most in areas with really sandy soil.

Sounds like a really cool trip, DogWoodGirl! We did a similar route for a similar length of time in 2020. Moose to Knife, Kek ponds, Kek, then south to Fraser. Since we had plenty of time we turned east at Fraser and went over to Boulder, Adams, Fishdance, Insula, then up to Thomas and out through Ensign. Looking back, we would have spent more time in the Boulder/Adams area. The portages are really cool through there.

If you go over to Ogish, you might consider circling the Mugwump PMA and exploring a few of the lakes in the PMA - from Gabi you could go to Leg and and Image; looks like Amimi might have an old campsite but I'm not sure the best way to access that lake (older maps show a portage trail from Vee); and of course Raven is a cool lake.

The only place I've seen poison ivy in the bwca is on the Slim/Fat portage. Hopefully you don't find any!

Have fun planning. :)

sedges: "Poison Ivy is quite rare in the border country. The only place I have seen it is at the pictographs on darkwater lake in Quetico. No doubt there are other places. Get familiar with it and make sure it is not present when you have to get down and rummage through the vegetation. If you wear shorts portage landings and trail-side would be of interest, too. Not a big deal.


I live in a region that has PI everywhere. Sprawling across the ground and climbing in trees. I see it every day and hike through it regularly. I am aware when I put my hands into thick vegetation, but I very rarely get a rash. Maybe once in five years.


"

You're lucky not to be really allergic! I am extremely allergic to the dang stuff, and I do know what it looks like.

I used to think it was rare in the BWCAW, but I've discovered that it seems to be more prevalent in the Western end. There's a small amount around the Kawishiwi triangle area as well. I've heard that Moose and Basswood are bad as well. So, just looking for any intel from folks that both know what it looks like and have been on the route I described.

I respectfully beg to differ re: poison Ivy in the BW. I've encountered it several times. One area that stands out: the portage between Upper and Lower Puaness Lakes (not the short 8 r; rather the 40 rod, give or take) is lined with P.I. on either side of the trail.

chessie: "I respectfully beg to differ re: poison Ivy in the BW. I've encountered it several times. One area that stands out: the portage between Upper and Lower Puaness Lakes (not the short 8 r; rather the 40 rod, give or take) is lined with P.I. on either side of the trail. "

That portage...yeah, I didn't even get out of the canoe there. I found a fair amount in that area in general.

YetiJedi: "

If you go over to Ogish, you might consider circling the Mugwump PMA and exploring a few of the lakes in the PMA - from Gabi you could go to Leg and and Image; looks like Amimi might have an old campsite but I'm not sure the best way to access that lake (older maps show a portage trail from Vee); and of course Raven is a cool lake.

Have fun planning. :)"

You can get to Amimi on an old portage trail. It's fairly easy to follow still, but ends in some pretty deep muck. Jesse and I got there last year, but opted not to bring the canoe across.

We nick-named a favorite campsite in Quetico "The Poison Ivy Site". Great campsite and nice landing. Just don't get off the path from the water to the firepit!

It is scattered about in both BW and Quetico but not all that common. I am very allergic and have had it many times, but never from Canoe country but I recognize and avoid it so as not to destroy a trip. I have recently seen it along the creek between Mudro and Fourtown (more on the Mudro end) northeast part of North Bay, Poohbah Creek, and the portages between That Man and Emerald. Just keep your eyes out. stay on paths, and wear long pants. If you are forced to go through it, wear rain pants.

Hi dogwoodgirl. I grew up where poison ivy was prevalent, along with sumac and others. I did a 10 day solo in Sept 2022 out of Snowbank and don’t recall seeing any poison ivy on my route. I went east through Ima, Thomas, Fraser, and on to Boulder. I then turned south through Adams and the Kawishiwi R. to the pictos on Fishdance. West and north thru Alice, Insula, Kiana and Thomas to complete the lollipop. I concur with other comments that the Boulder/Adams area is beautiful. I wish I would have stayed another night or two on the island site in Boulder! I had the lake to myself. The BWCAW is beautiful and special, in my limited experience, that area of the BW is worth the effort to enjoy.
Enjoy the planning process! We all do :)

After 3 summers working at a scout camp with plenty of poison ivy I felt I had developed a strong radar to spot it at a long distance even when not looking for it. And traveling with my dogs I've been extra cautious. That said, I've paddled up Moose to Knife several times in the past few years and camped on the north end of Moose once and do not recall seeing any PI there. It's been about 10 years since I was on Kek, Jordan, and that area but I do not recall it there either.

The only place so far that I've been confined I saw it was in that area Chessie mentions around the Pauness's. I'm sure it's more places but I've just not come across it.

I will point out thing - I sometimes suspect people may mistakenly think they are seeing poison ivy when in actuality they are looking at either blackberries or dewberries which have very similar leaves and stems. A few years back I stopped on the north end of Nina Moose on the sandy beach to let my dogs run and spotted a plant I thought was PI based on leaf shape, shine, clusters of 3 and reddish stem, but it was a vine. I posted some photos here on BWCA.com and several others also thought it was PI, but then several others made a convincing argument that it was dewberries. It may be worth reviewing that thread to brush up.

Old thread: Poison Ivy vs Dewberries

Jaywalker: "..
spotted a plant I thought was PI based on leaf shape, shine, clusters of 3 and reddish stem, but it was a vine..."

Ummm... poison ivy IS a vine!

Well actually, it has different growth forms including vine, bush, shrub, or carpet the ground.

bobbernumber3: "Ummm... poison ivy IS a vine!

Well actually, it has different growth forms including vine, bush, shrub, or carpet the ground. "

It would be far more accurate to say poison ivy CAN be a vine.

I had heard that it can come in vine form, which is why I was suspicious of it at the time. However, of all the poison ivy have seen in Minnesota, I have only ever seen plants in bunches where the stem coming from the ground branched into three stems with three leaves. I have never seen the vine form in Minnesota, and usually hear about it much further south. According the MN Department of Agriculture it can be a vine in Minnesota - I've just never seen it in that form.

In this case, the distinguishing feature was the presences of thorns on the stems. Re-reading my old thread, I was convinced the people who said poison ivy never has thorns knew what they were talking about.