Hello, knowledgeable people.

In May I plan to put in at Mudro and do the loop through Fourtown, up to Friday Bay and go east/south on Crooked Lake, then south down the Horse River after Lower Basswood Falls to Horse Lake before exiting again at Mudro. This is the direction I had originally planned to go. But my question is weather it makes sense to do it this way (clockwise) or is there any reason I should be doing it counter clockwise? With currents, portages, wind, etc., is there any reason one way is better than the other? Westerly wind could obviously be a reason why going west on Crooked could be a bad idea. Any thoughts?

Thank you!

My wife and I have done that trip twice, but in the other direction. Mostly went the other way as we made Crooked in about 9 hours. Also, the current is with you in that direction, not sure how much difference that makes. We were double portaging.
Seems tougher to make Crooked in a day going the other way. We camped on Fourtown a couple nights on the way out. Wind on Crooked was no issue, although we went in June and July.

It's a nice loop, enjoy!

My plan is to do 4 nights. Preliminarily thinking (night 1) Gun Lake, (2) Northern Friday Bay area on Crooked, (3) near Lower Basswood Falls, (4) Tin Can Mike Lake. This is if I do the clockwise route, reversed if I did counter clockwise.

One consideration: Less portages/portaging using the Horse River route to Crooked. BUT, low water in the Horse River could be another big factor to consider going that way. Obviously, water levels will be a "game time" decision.

Probably about a Horse apiece? :)

Sorry.
I'll let my self out.

Going clockwise you’ll be paddling up stream heading east out of Thursday Bay towards Wednesday Bay, on up the Basswood River to LBF, and up the Horse River. Typical current isn’t significant but it’s also not zero - it’s noticeable.

This is a great route -- beautiful lakes, great fishing, great scenery. I have gone counter-clockwise (i.e., going down the Horse River and then out Fourtown) twice. I think the three biggest concerns/potential challenges on this route are campsite availability, wind (especially on the bigger lakes like Horse and Crooked) and water levels on the Horse River.

Even though it's been dry this fall/winter, I would expect the Horse River to have at least adequate water levels in the early part of the season. And obviously you won't know the wind conditions until close to game time. But obviously check the forecast before you go and change your plans accordingly.

Campsite availability is the one you won't know until you get there. But I like setting routes up that give me the most options. I think in this case, that's going the opposite way of what you're thinking. For example, if you get up to Gun on Day 1 and all of the campsites on Gun are taken (probably won't happen, but it is possible), that's not good because you are faced with the super-long Gun-Wagosh portage and limited campsites after that until you get all the way to Crooked (although you could head over to Moosecamp and probably snag one of those sites, but that's a bit of a diversion). Same thing on finding a spot on your proposed night #3 by LBF. Each time I've been through that area, the sites there are quite popular. If you get to LBF and all of the sites are taken, you need to go all the way up the Horse River before you get to additional camping options.

That's why I like going the other direction. On Day 1 once you get past LBF, you do have a bit of a paddle to get into Crooked (and that can make for a tough day), but you can take the first campsite you find on Crooked. And if you like the campsite, you can stay 2 nights if you want. Then on Day 3, all you have to do is get past the Gun-Wagosh portage and then you can just take whatever open campsite you find on Gun, Fairy or Boot. I think it's unlikely that all three lakes will be full at the same time, especially in May. Then you could either stay on that campsite for two nights as well, or head south on Day 4 and if Fourtown is full, you can make it out one night early if you have to.

Freeboard,

Thank you, this is very helpful. In looking at the map again, I think you are right about campsites. You get limited at certain points going clockwise, while counter clockwise leaves you more open options if spots are full or you want to push on a little further. And as you said, going counter clockwise could leave you open to some wind, especially on Crooked, but I will check the forecast before going in and try to hit the most open areas early in the morning when wind is typically calmer.

Did it 3 times solo. Always did it counter clockwise. No issues on Friday. Did notice a current in my favor on Crooked after the falls. Those last 3 portages back into Mudro will Challenge you. The mile long portage on that route is flat and mello