Grabbed a permit for Friday May 10th for North Kawishiwi. This will be my first trip to the BWCA. Looks like I’ll be going solo, outside chance a friend will join me. I’ll be self outfitting, taking my home built cedar strip solo canoe.

Planning on double portaging and spending three days / two nights. Looking for anyone familiar with this particular area of the BWCA, and any must see things, advice, etc.

I’m thinking of base camping, as it will be a short trip. Thanks!

Welcome to the site! That's a beautiful area. We enjoyed exploring a waterfall/ rapids area south of the 210 rod portage (south of Greenstone Lake)
Check out 14:50 of my YouTube slide show of our 2020 South Kawishiwi entry.

South Kawishiwi Entry Fall 2020

Done this one several times. You will enjoy the "conveyor" portage between Triangle and Ojibway. The portage into the Kawishiwi is not so bad....it is an easy walk.

Also, you did mention you were base camping, but think about at least camping in two different spots and paddling the whole triangle. You can do the triangle if you really work at it in a day, but it is more fun to split it up.

If you are base camping, I would recommend taking a right once you hit the river and going towards Clear Lake. The long portage you will run into follows a fun falls part of the river, then think about setting up camp on Clear Lake.

Since you will be on the river there is not a lot of day trip lakes to travel to. A couple of lakes to the sides and putzing around you can do. There are a couple little lakes to explore, but really, on the triangle, my favorite trip is to paddle and camp the whole thing over a couple days.

Head down towards Little Gabbro and take a hike across the portage there-- there is a neat old logging dam rapids at the entry into LG, and if you bring your canoe with you can find another old logging dam around the west where the other part of the river is.

North Kawishiwi is one of my favorites.

I have not entered at North Kawishiwi, but I love the Kawishiwi Triangle. My first solo was the whole triangle and I entered at South Kawishiwi River EP. I did the whole triangle in 3 nights at a very leisurely pace and doing it in 2 nights would be very doable. I have also done day trips into the Kawishiwi River from both the South Kawishiwi River and Lake One.

If you haven't seen it already....

Fall exploration of the Kawishiwi triangle

If this is your first trip ever to BWCA and not just the first this year and with only 2 nights, I'd recommend your idea of base camping at the first reasonably nice campsite and then spending time exploring. Depending on what time you leave the landing, you may not have a lot of time after setting up your camp. That leave you with a full day the next day to explore the three arms of the Kawishiwi that you camped in. No need to go to Clear Lake or down the South Kawishiwi. Relax, fish, explore. Then make plans for the next trip when you might have more time.

Wear your life jacket any time you are on the water. The lakes will still be quite cold and you don't want to need to swim for shore without floatation. I believe that fishing for walleye and northern pike open the 11th. It might be worth a few casts near where the river comes into this area.

ghamer: "Welcome to the site! That's a beautiful area. We enjoyed exploring a waterfall/ rapids area south of the 210 rod portage (south of Greenstone Lake)
Check out 14:50 of my YouTube slide show of our 2020 South Kawishiwi entry.


South Kawishiwi Entry Fall 2020 "

Beautiful video! I’ve watched several of your other videos as well. There’s a gentleman over on the canoetripping.net forum that builds canoes, he was on one of your trips, and helped me immensely with my stripper build.

Great information and advice! I just may do that loop, thank you!

Thanks! I may just do the loop as you suggest?

Great trip report! I’ve been a lurker on this site for quite some time, and have read a lot of your trip reports, always enjoy them.

Great advice! thank you!

Here’s what I’m taking on this trip.

Bentpushrod: " Here’s what I’m taking on this trip."

That is one beautiful boat!

Something my wife and I like to do when we are base camped and in no hurry it to check out other (empty) campsites to see how they compare for comfort and access to places we might want to fish and see what shape they are in and if the last camper has forgotten anything there. It gives us an idea if another campsite would be better for our base camp next trip.

ghamer: "

Bentpushrod: " Here’s what I’m taking on this trip."

That is one beautiful boat!"

Thank you!

RMinMN: "Something my wife and I like to do when we are base camped and in no hurry it to check out other (empty) campsites to see how they compare for comfort and access to places we might want to fish and see what shape they are in and if the last camper has forgotten anything there. It gives us an idea if another campsite would be better for our base camp next trip."

Great advice!