We have always brought our groups up 2nd or 3rd week of September the last 16 years, with a couple of years the last week of September. However the crowds in the Gunflint area keep getting bigger mid and even later September. So we are looking at 9/29 to 10/4 or 10/6 to 10/11 next year.

This year we went to Red Rock the third of September and all but two of the camp sites were already taken, and the temps hit 89 degrees. Looking for cooler temps, and no people.

For those that go in October, what was your experiences? Weather, fishing, people, etc? Are permits needed in October?

Thanks!

October is fast becoming the new September in terms of human presence and pressure on campsites during the first half of the month. The fact that it is also a transitional month for weather occasionally helps to thin the herd, sometimes to drastic effect. Permits are required (overnight permits can be self-issued from Oct. 1 through Apr. 30) and there are no quotas during that period.

Figure on no bugs, possibly more people than you’d think (especially on weekends), no lake trout fishing permitted after 9/30 and the occasional opportunity to get knocked ass over tea kettle into surprisingly cold water.

Second half of the month is for experienced paddlers only, IMO. And I’m not talking about farm ponds and tubing rivers.

Go in a little further and you’ll get more predictibility in terms of campsite availabilty, limited people, etc. - Red Rock is a nightmare to predict because it’s a relative easy lake to get to, as you know. Hard to beat mid to late September - (outlier of a year in terms of heat this year) I’ll take seeing some other canoeists and superior fishing than going in mid October and having to deal with the weather that can come with that. Just my 2 cents

we are looking at 9/29 to 10/4 next year. We have gone that late in the past. We went mid September that last few years and the concensus was it was too warm, still some bugs, and way too many people. The guys wanted to move back to late September/1st week of October. We have tripped in the snow, sleet, rain, 30's. All of it. I realize this year was a fluke on temps but no one in our group wanted to go back with it in the 80's

ockycamper: "we are looking at 9/29 to 10/4 next year. We have gone that late in the past. We went mid September that last few years and the concensus was it was too warm, still some bugs, and way too many people. The guys wanted to move back to late September/1st week of October. We have tripped in the snow, sleet, rain, 30's. All of it. I realize this year was a fluke on temps but no one in our group wanted to go back with it in the 80's"

We tripped the last week of Sept this year. (exited 9/26) On our exit day we traveled through noon with no wind and finished about 12:30 w/temps in the mid/80's.

Will the yearly weather patterns change enough to make the 1-2 week shift in your trip that different?

Michwall2: "

ockycamper: "we are looking at 9/29 to 10/4 next year. We have gone that late in the past. We went mid September that last few years and the consensus was it was too warm, still some bugs, and way too many people. The guys wanted to move back to late September/1st week of October. We have tripped in the snow, sleet, rain, 30's. All of it. I realize this year was a fluke on temps but no one in our group wanted to go back with it in the 80's"

We tripped the last week of Sept this year. (exited 9/26) On our exit day we traveled through noon with no wind and finished about 12:30 w/temps in the mid/80's.

Will the yearly weather patterns change enough to make the 1-2 week shift in your trip that different? "

Not sure. We are cold weather trippers. 80's was way too warm. Didn't even use a campfire most nights. The idea to move two weeks forward is to get temps in the 50s 60s daytime. We are set up for 30s at night. We just hate camping when it is hot

ockycamper: "

Michwall2: "

ockycamper: "we are looking at 9/29 to 10/4 next year. We have gone that late in the past. We went mid September that last few years and the concensus was it was too warm, still some bugs, and way too many people. The guys wanted to move back to late September/1st week of October. We have tripped in the snow, sleet, rain, 30's. All of it. I realize this year was a fluke on temps but no one in our group wanted to go back with it in the 80's"

We tripped the last week of Sept this year. (exited 9/26) On our exit day we traveled through noon with no wind and finished about 12:30 w/temps in the mid/80's.



Will the yearly weather patterns change enough to make the 1-2 week shift in your trip that different?



"

Not sure. We are cold weather trippers. 80's was way too warm. Didn't even use a campfire most nights. The idea to move two weeks forward is to get temps in the 50's 60's daytime. We are set up for 30's at night. We just hate camping when it is hot"

If we get a more typical October weather pattern than we have had the past few years, are you prepared to camp if the temperature gets down into the teens and you find youself in a snowstorm? It can happen.

https://www.weather.gov/dlh/1991halloweenblizzard

RMinMN: "

ockycamper: "

Michwall2: "

ockycamper: "we are looking at 9/29 to 10/4 next year. We have gone that late in the past. We went mid September that last few years and the concensus was it was too warm, still some bugs, and way too many people. The guys wanted to move back to late September/1st week of October. We have tripped in the snow, sleet, rain, 30's. All of it. I realize this year was a fluke on temps but no one in our group wanted to go back with it in the 80's"

We tripped the last week of Sept this year. (exited 9/26) On our exit day we traveled through noon with no wind and finished about 12:30 w/temps in the mid/80's.



Will the yearly weather patterns change enough to make the 1-2 week shift in your trip that different?



"

Not sure. We are cold weather trippers. 80's was way too warm. Didn't even use a campfire most nights. The idea to move two weeks forward is to get temps in the 50's 60's daytime. We are set up for 30's at night. We just hate camping when it is hot"

If we get a more typical October weather pattern than we have had the past few years, are you prepared to camp if the temperature gets down into the teens and you find youself in a snowstorm? It can happen.


https://www.weather.gov/dlh/1991halloweenblizzard"

Three years ago we went last week of September and temps were in the 20's and 30's. It was blizzarding when we arrived and it snowed and sleeted mid week. We are used to how to handle this and have the gear and training to do so. That year we built a "super shelter". Turned the fire grate into an oven and enclosed it in a tarp shelter. There was snow outside, but we were in T shirts inside the shelter!

If you do go in October and there is cold and rain or snow forecast, you might consider renting a Snowtrekker tent. They are for rent in Tofte and Grand Marais. I regularly get mine above 90° even when it’s -20° outside. I’ve only taken it on one October paddling trip but use it almost every fall for other trips. It’s great when you get those long weather fronts. I like sleeping in the cold, but it’s great to have a warm place for breakfast and dinner, and to get all my gear bone dry.

Maybe just one of your sub-groups would want to try it out and see what you think. It could be your social hang out and cook tent, then you’d still have the fire pit for campfires.

We've been doing Fall Trips for the last 20+ years. Depending on schedules we end up going in one of the last two weeks of Sept or the first two weeks of October.

I agree completely with seeing more people in the recent years. when we first started taking trips that time of year - most years we'd see nobody. This year and last we went the last week of sept, we saw people (multiple groups) on every lake or spot we went to.

Over the years we've had way worse weather in October than September. Positives for October - Fewer People, self issue permits. Negatives for October - worse weather, Lake Trout are closed and even less sunlight.