Happy Holidays!

We have always tripped out of Ely. This year, we're looking to do an east side trip and see the Height of Land Portage so are looking for advice. The main goal would be solitude. We have always 'paid the piper' on the first and last days, putting in as many miles as possible to get away from the crowds and we really enjoy not seeing any other humans for 3-4 days.

Early June for six nights. four veteran trippers, all mid-30s, good shape, no problems with any long portages. We will have multiple vehicles and could stage them as necessary. It would be nice to not have to backtrack.

We are avid fisherman and love northerns and smallies, not much of a walleye crew, but fishing would be second to the isolation.

Any trips come to mind?

Thanks in advance and have a Merry Xmas!
WV

Pine/Granite Rivers from Gunflint Lk to Saganaga. My first overnight trip into the BWCA, which we really enjoyed. We paddled downstream to Sag intending to hitchhike back to the car, but instead paddled back upstream to Gunflint. I have no idea what it would be like now since we did the trip in 1976. Great trip easily done as we did it in one week.

There are a lot of trips on the east side where you can get away from everyone. Most of the time, you just need to get off the EP and destination lakes. Swan lake is pretty isolated because of the longer portages from Brule. Wine and Mesaba lakes from Sawbill are harder to get to and should provide solitude. Beaver, Adams, and Boulder are a few days in from Kawishiwi and are great lakes to visit.

Keep in mind that there are other people planning on the exact same thing and you can run into multiple groups in the process of searching for solitude. I'd recommend that you just get off of the popular lakes and look for sites that don't get as many people paddling close to over lakes that you are the only ones on. A site like the one on Lower Cone off of Brule, where people can pass through the lake without you ever seeing them from the campsite can feel a lot more isolating than one where there's only one other group on the lake but you can see them most of the day.

For us these days, solitude comes in small chunks. Never lasts long. Never even certain.

A couple of trips you could find some solitude in places.

Entry #38 - Frost River Loop. Sawbill Lake - Day 1 - Sawbill to Cherokee Lake. Day 2 Cherokee Lake to Frost Lake (Short Day - Enjoy the sand beaches on Frost Lake as you prepare for Frost River.). Day 3 - Frost Lake/Frost River to Afton Lake. Very High quality wilderness. Lots of Solitude here. Day 4. Afton Lake to Fente Lake, South to Hub Lake and Mesaba Lake. Very few people make it here. There are large portages south and north. And the Louse River route is difficult enough to discourage visitors from the east. This doesn't mean that you will see no one. I have seen this lake full. But odds are that it will not be. Finish the trip south to Sawbill through Hug, Duck, Zenith, Lujenida, Kelso River/Lake, Sawbill Lake. (You can also do the Frost River out of Entry 50 - Cross Bay Lake. I would still do it east to west.)

Entry #38 - Sawbill Lake. Louse River Loop. Day 1, Head north from Sawbill to Kelso Lake/River Lujenida, Zenith, and Frederich to Wine Lake. Day 2 - Head west through Mug, Poe, and Louse Lake to the Louse River and Bug Lake. Follow more of the Louse River to Trail Lake. Day 3 - Follow the Louse River to Boze/Frond Lakes and then more Louse river to Malberg Lake. Day 4 turn north as you head to Little Sag through Kivaniva, Anit, Pan, Panhandle, Makwa, and Elton Lakes. Day 5, From there head southeast through Mora And Whipped to Fente Lake. From here follow the the route from above to Measba and ultimately back to Sawbill.

Edit: I saw after the post that you said east side. Took the LIS North out.

Again, not all segments of these are going to bring solitude. Given the right circumstances, all parts can be busy. But these are the most solitude prone places I can think of. All will test your fitness and perseverance. We have found solitude in other places, but those times seemed more a function of serendipity rather than hard work to leave the crowds behind.

Have fun!

Look for lakes with only one campsite. Even if they are on a well used route, morning and evenings you will be the only folks there. Town Lake NE of Cherokee is like that and there are some interesting lakes to explore north of Town. I have been on Town a number of times on day trips from Cherokee and that campsite was never occupied.

There are quite few single campsite lakes. You need to be prepared to move on or back-track if your desired campsite is occupied

sedges: "Look for lakes with only one campsite. Even if they are on a well used route, morning and evenings you will be the only folks there. Town Lake NE of Cherokee is like that and there are some interesting lakes to explore north of Town. I have been on Town a number of times on day trips from Cherokee and that campsite was never occupied.


There are quite few single campsite lakes. You need to be prepared to move on or back-track if your desired campsite is occupied"

Gogebic Lake by West Pike has a single campsite and it is a beauty, four people would be max. Crystal clear water on a small trout lake. There is another campsite on the lake but it is for hikers on the border route trail and it is set off a ways from the lake so you cannot see anyone.

There are good options out of Sawbill already mentioned. One option that will get you an iconic portage over the divide is the Sitka to Cherokee portage. You could incorporate by starting east from Sawbill or using a Baker Lake entry.

I’ve included Boulder, Adams in a loop from Kawishiwi-Malberg-Fishdance-Alice-Thomas-Fraser-Cap to Beaver and out, but you could incorporate them into other loops.

It may be a non-starter, but are you stuck on the BWCA? If you really want solitude above all else, heading farther north to Canada is the way to go in my opinion. Fewer people in Quetico, and basically nobody at all if you can get up to Woodland Caribou (not to mention that the fishing is better). Currently have more days on the water than people seen in Woodland Caribou PP.