Looking for any must do's, must see, recommendations or tidbits of information for the Solo loop I am going to be taking in September. I will be using a hammock so any campsites on the lakes listed below that can accommodate a hammock easier than others would be appreciated.

Putting in via Brant EP and making the loop out to Little Sag through Gillis and then back up and around via Tuscarora to Missing Link. 4 total nights, 5 days (Sept. 9-13)

This will be my 7th trip to the BWCA but my first solo. I will have a single pack and my canoe so single portaging is the goal as I am in pretty decent shape. I plan on spending nights on Gillis, Little Sag, Tuscarora and Missing Link. I want Northern Pike action thus the reason for me making it a point to stay on the lakes I chose above besides Missing Link which I hear only has Brook and Brown Trout.

I want to build on and learn from this trip to get up to a 10–14-day solo or longer at some point.

If you haven't seen it already? Did a trip through Brant several years back that covered most of your proposed route. It should give you some of the "flavor" of what to expect.

Beaches, flowers & storms

Hope you have a great trip.

Sounds like a great plan! I've only been to this area twice but here are my thoughts: when I last stayed on Gillis in hot July 2016 we were unable to catch any species besides Lake Trout. 503 and 505 will accomodate hammocks, didn't look at the rest. Last summer I entered Brant solo and spent nights on Bingshick, Gabi and Little Sag. The little lakes between Bingshick and French were tough going; I regrettably did not wet a line until Peter and didn't land a fish until Little Sag. Little Sag is one of my favorite lakes, full of fish and 4+ star campsites. If I had 4 nights for a solo I would be want to spend at least 2 of them on Little Sag. Missing Link gets only Brookies these days. I've never been through Tuscarora but I would be tempted to get to Missing Link via Howl/Hubbub/Copper/Snipe if I had the time.

I did this exact route about 5 years ago. There were two of us our plan was the same. EP to Gillis is a long day. Get an early start and pace yourself. Flying to Green was the worst portage of the day, but worse than usual due to all the portaging with short paddles leading up to it. It might be worth taking a paddle around flying to see the scenery and get a breather.

Gillis to Little Sag via Virgin is a nice route, very scenic. We had lunch at the campsite on Powell. It's a big bolder 30-40 feet above the water so its a great view. French to Powell is a steep climb though.

Little Sag was fun. We were worn out and didn't do much on our layover day, but I had heard that Mueller Falls wasn't too far to the north, just more than we wanted to do with only one rest day.

I loved the scenery between Little Sag and Mora. That is a portage that I would walk for fun. Make sure to check out the rapids coming into Mora.

We had some crummy weather after Mora so I don't remember much for scenery or things to check out after that since we were rushing to find a campsite then fighting the wind the next day. I would go back to Crooked and Tuscarora though.

Check out the overlook on Powell Lake. There's also the ranger cabin on Little Sag you can checkout. Beautiful area of the BWCA! The portage from Missing Link to Tuscarora is no joke...

The old trappers cabin on the Gillis to Crooked portage....near the Crooked end.

Cabin on Little Sag, July 2023

I’ve entered at ep51 many times since 2010. I enter here for the Lake Trout fishing and I catch plenty of pike in between. I’ve caught few if any at eater size or larger. Yes I’m sure there are sizable pike in these lakes, I only seem to catch snakes. Others may know better than I do about targeting pike in this area. On the other hand, I’ve caught and eaten lake trout every month of the permit season in the lakes around EP51 to Little Sag. Enjoy your trip.

That first day will be a long, tiring one. We did that route tandem in 2022. Lots of short, but rugged portages. Sounds like you are planning to travel light and that is very wise. I use lighterpack.com to keep track of my gear weights. My solo trips have been up to 8 days and I try to keep my pack about 26 lbs. including food. BDBs make a quick way to strap your paddle (or fishing pole) to the boat. I zip tie the BDBs to the boat so I can leave them open and dangling when the paddle isn't attached.

Mora to Little Sag is one of my favorite portages. Always try to eat lunch there. Little Sag is such a special lake. Keep your eyes open for freshwater sponges. There aren't a lot of places in MN where you can find them, but Little Sag has a lot. The Tuscarora to Missing Link portage is on the long side but frankly is much easier to walk than some of your Day 1 portages.

Have a wonderful time and feel free to reach out if you want.

You all are amazing!! I have scribbled down notes from each of your comments for things to see, consider, experience and campsite recommendations.

I certainly believe my first day will be my biggest and toughest, thus the reason I want to tackle it the first day and hopefully feel the reward of being exhausted around a campfire that first night.

Thank you all so much. There is nothing quite like the excitement and preparation for another BWCA trip even if it is 6 months away, LOL!!!

YaMarVa: "


Cabin on Little Sag, July 2023"

??? A joke photo, right?

dogwoodgirl: "

YaMarVa: "

Cabin on Little Sag, July 2023"

??? A joke photo, right?"

I looked it up and tinfoil appears to be a decent method of protecting a log cabin from forest fires.

One note - when I did it water levels were high and some landings were flooded out. The load/unload at the stairs was awkward solo.

As far as longer future solos, you can get a lot of useful info on the solo tripping forum. A big challenge for 2-3 weeks was food weight/volume. I tend toward a KISS approach.

Enjoy your solo - a completely different vibe.

Did the route in reverse last July. Had 2 newbies along so we took it easy. Short day to Tuscarora for first night. Then 2 nights on Lil Sag, then 2 nights on Gillis. Gillis out to Round wasn't that bad....so going in shouldn't be too bad for you. Lots of "undesirable " portage landings along the route. Rocky, deep water, etc. The new rock stairway portage from Flying to Gotter was pretty impressive.

A1t2o:
I looked it up and tinfoil appears to be a decent method of protecting a log cabin from forest fires."

Yeah, but little sag is entirely within the bwca, no cabins to protect

dogwoodgirl: "

A1t2o:
I looked it up and tinfoil appears to be a decent method of protecting a log cabin from forest fires."

Yeah, but Little Sag is entirely within the BWCA, no cabins to protect"

Not sure exactly what you mean, but the USFS log cabin in the photo is in the BWCA on the south side of Little Sag, and a number of years ago, the north side of Little Sag was extensively burned. So, maybe the USFS did foil it up sometime in the past to protect it from a potential forest fire. Or, maybe it was something else.

The last time I was there was in the mid to late 1990's. It was painted green then. The guy I was with knew where the door key was stashed. Not much inside, other than some metal bunk beds with no mattresses. Likely WW2 army bunks. We looked around, locked it up, put the key back, and left with just memories. It was a nice bit of history to us.

Tom

We were at that cabin in May 2023 - it was not wrapped up like that.

dogwoodgirl: "

A1t2o:
I looked it up and tinfoil appears to be a decent method of protecting a log cabin from forest fires."

Yeah, but little sag is entirely within the bwca, no cabins to protect"

There are 4 USFS cabins in the BWCA that I know of....Lil Sag, Kekekabic, Basswood River and LLC. No joke.

OMGitsKa: "We were at that cabin in May 2023 - it was not wrapped up like that. "

It was wrapped with fire protectant during the June 2023 fire ban. The cabin and shed were both loaded up with new, never used fire-fighting equipment when we took the photo in July.

dogwoodgirl: "

YaMarVa: "



Cabin on Little Sag, July 2023"

??? A joke photo, right?"

Nope, not a joke.