Hi all,

I am planning my first BWCA trip for the last week in May. I have a few general questions, any help would be greatly appreciated.

My cousin and I go on an annual trip camping. We have done three river trips and last year did the Sylvania Wilderness. This year we would like to do the BWCA.

Question #1

We have done our trips on kayaks, but everything I read says canoes are the best bet here, especially with longer portages. Our issue is we don’t have a canoe. Yes, I know we can outfit but it’s hard to pull the trigger on a $700+ rental fee on a teachers salary for a trip we have done for $100 total in the past. Not trying to undermine the outfitters but just hard to do financial for us right now. Does anyone have any reccomendations, ideas or even a canoe we could use the last week of May? We are driving from Chicago.

Question #2

We plan to do the big loop or Minnesota mountains route starting at entry point #62. Does anyone have any experience here or with this route that would have any insight or recommendations for this route?

Question #3

For anyone that has done the Sylvania Wilderness how would you compare the two? Pros and cons. Just generally.


Thanks so much!

Is it really $700 for a weeks rental now? I thought more like $40/day.

Maybe try a trip with kayaks to see if it's worth investing in a canoe. It's just the loading and unloading time at portages. Talk to an outfitter while you're up there about their used canoes. All mine are bought used from outfitters.

I think you have confused full outfitting with just a canoe rental. You could rent a tandem Kevlar for less than $50 a day, or a Royalex or Aluminum tandem for $35 a day if you can handle the extra weight.

Change your plan. There is a big section of BWCA that you can explore with kayaks that have short portages or none at all. Get your feet wet, learn what works for you in the BWCA. Then you can decide if you want to do the route you looked at next year and you will know better if kayaks or canoes are more suited.

DaBears:

"Question #3

For anyone that has done the Sylvania Wilderness how would you compare the two? Pros and cons. Just generally. "

I've done a couple trips in Sylvania and many trips in the BWCA (always with canoes in both, not kayaks). I found the portages in Sylvania to be much easier than in the BWCA, but not due to length. (There are some very short portages in the BWCA.) The portages in Sylvania tend to be wider and flatter, with mostly even ground and good footing. In the BWCA, many portages have very hilly sections, and are strewn with rocks and roots making footing uneven and slippery in wet conditions. Likewise, many portage landings in the BWCA are more difficult than in Sylvania, with lots of large slippery rocks to navigate. I think traveling by kayak would be much easier in Sylvania than in the BWCA due to the all of this.

Other differences include, of course, reserved vs. first-come/first-served campsites. I found this to be both a pro and a con in Sylvania - didn't need to worry about finding a site, but then was required to stay at a particular site on a particular night.

A big difference is also lake size. In Sylvania, the lakes are small enough to be safely paddled in all but very strong wind. Although the BWCA also has lots of small lakes, the lakes you're planning to visit are very long east to west and the terrain amplifies the wind so that even moderate westerly winds can make paddling difficult. It's more important to build extra time into your route in the BWCA in case you get windbound for a day.

As others have said, it shouldn't cost you $700 to rent a canoe for a week. Rates range from about $35 to $55 per day and vary somewhat from outfitter to outfitter. I think most include canoe paddles and PFDs, though you're welcome to use your own PFD. (I've also seen a few people paddling kayaks in the BWCA over the years, and they seemed happy enough with their choice.)

If you do prefer to paddle your kayaks, there are some nice areas to visit that have minimal and/or easy portages. For example, you could enter at Fall Lake (near Ely) and portage into Basswood Lake. The two portages to get to Basswood are very easy - good landings and not full of roots and rocks. You're also allowed to use a kayak cart on those. Parts of Basswood are motorized, but when I've visited there I haven't found the motors to be bothersome.

Regardless of what you decide, I hope you have an awesome trip!

You've picked a beautiful area! Clearwater Historic Lodge and Outfitters sits right on Clearwater Lake. You can rent a Kevlar ($48) or aluminum ($35) canoe from them, safely leave your vehicle in their lot, and start your trip from their dock. If you want to do a loop, you can go from Clearwater east to West Pike, East Pike, John Lake, then the Royal River and north into South Fowl, North Fowl, then back west through Moose, Mountain, and a short portage from Mountain takes you back midsection Clearwater. Or do this in reverse (which I would for a few reasons). The lodge website is informative with route suggestions, which might be worth looking at. I'll try to attach the link here. There are many other possible routes out of this area, but this is one of my favorites. Also, before you embark, inquire about water levels and other important info (fire bans, etc.), especially if you are on rivers where high water may impact your travel/portage entry/exit points.
Clearwater Canoe Routes

As Boonie wrote, the rental cost of an ultralight kevlar tandem canoe is in the range of $50-55 per day. You need to look at "partial outfitting" information on outfitters' websites.

$100 for a week of tripping? Wow, you guys are good. I can't get it done for less than about $500 (+/-) per person, including canoe rental, food, travel expenses, lodging, etc.

I live just west of Chicago. I have a Kevlar tandem canoe that I can sell to you for much less than an outfitter's used canoe. I'd even throw in 2 padded seats and 2 bent-shaft wooden paddles for an extra $100. If you'd like to take a look at it, let me know.

I've been to Sylvania and the BWCA (see my trip reports). The portages in Sylvania are a walk-in-the-park compared to most in the BWCA. I noticed that some kayakers in Sylvania drag their boats over portages. IMHO, that would be a bad idea in the BWCA. The camp sites in both are roughly comparable except that those in the BWCA are sited right on the water and the forest is less open.

I have kayaked and paddled much of the BWCA and would advise change to a canoe or change where you go.
If you decide to stay with the yaks there is a special interest forum not recently visited, but holding lots of tips and tricks for kayaking in the BWCA. And I understand even $50 a day can make a difference. I started in a tandem canoe but lost partners so kayaked a few years then got a solo canoe. Some say tough portages are entry fees for the most beautiful and private places...canoe country. I love the feel of my Magic with the yak paddle but sometimes miss being low on windy water and warm in the winter.
If you stay with your boats Lake One offers lots of territory with limited portages. A bit tougher portaging but you can enter Moose and travel into Knife with vast open water and lots to see and do. Brule offers a big lake with no portages and very little privacy.
Finally, the inexpensive thing to do is self outfit and take your yaks to a more yak friendly EP. Most of us regulars started in a similar way. We got raises and saved our money upgrading our gear along the way. Bon voyage.

As others mentioned, it is a lot cheaper to rent just a canoe than what you have stated. Depending on the type of a canoe, you can do a week rental for $350 or less. The area you are planning to visit is a stunning part of the BWCA, definitely my favorite. But it would be miserable to do with kayaks. If you decide to use kayaks, I recommend planning a trip on some of the big lakes like Seagull or Saganaga (end of Gunflint Trail) or Moose Lake (by Ely) where you can do a short loop with shorter, flatter portages.

EP 62 - Clearwater is a hard permit to get, they go fast. So have back up plans- Duncan, Daniels, or East Bearskin are all good substitutes.

You can make a complete loop. One of my favorites is Clearwater-Mountain-Watap-Rose-Duncan-West Bearskin, then portage the road from the east end of W. Bearskin back to Clearwater. Or do it in reverse. In this area, portages from north to south tend to be very steep and portages east to west are flatter but still rocky.

There are a couple waterfalls in the area: Johnson Falls (go from Clearwater to Caribou Lake instead of Mountain. Falls is a short hike from the north end of the Canoe L. to Pine L. portage. Rose Falls is along the portage from Rose L. to Duncan L. (Stairway portage). There are also a lot of incredible overlooks to hike to along the Border Route Trail.

If you have the funds available - there's always the option of buying a used canoe and then turning around and selling it after the trip.

If you're used to kayaking and portaging the kayaks - i'm sure you guys could make it work...it's just a little more difficult.

Regarding your route - The far eastern section of the BWCA is one of the more crowded in relation to campsites. It's the only section of the BW i've ever had a difficult time finding a campsite and it's happened multiple times. Lots of amazing lakes in the BW and in kayaks you should be able to cover some ground...I guess I should clarify, you have sea kayaks or the sit on top kind?

I would look at possibly mudro or fall up through basswood and into crooked, come back down through horse and fourtown or Moose up to knife and kekekabic, coming back through vera and ensign.

No matter what you decide - you'll have a great trip.