hi all

just curious on how different people plan their days of travel.

do you try to complete a certain distance? do you allow a certain amount of time ?

i am sure there are big differences based on whether you are solo, in a group, use a single blade or a double, age, and experience.

i myself usually travel solo but the wife does join me for one or two trips a year.

we have a 16 foot souris river quetico kelvlar canoe and paddle single blades so it is not the fastest mode of transportation. some of the smaller solo canoes with double blades can really move.

when she is with me, we need to stop often as her knees cannot handle sitting for more than about 90 min. maybe 2 hrs of we push it. when i am solo i prefer shorter/easier days as i dont usually go that far, but have found myself doing 10 hr days at times, which is wayyyy too much for an old guy like me.

last year after spending a solo week in the spring in north quetico, i battled head winds the whole time and had that one 10 hr day that was brutal. so i gave it some thought and came up with a rough guideline that we now try to follow when planning a route and where to make camp. how does this compare to what you all might do? just fyi....for reference....we live about 2 hrs from the french lake put in.

day one and the last day - 8 hrs max - this includes drive time, check in/permit, put in, paddle and portage time
all other days in the park - 5 hrs max - this includes paddle time and portage time (if you add in tearing down camp and setting up again, it would be about 8hrs)

would love to hear others thoughts.

thx
rick

Interesting question, Rick. I wish we had a drive time similar to yours, but living in western North Carolina we're on the road two days in each direction to reach Canoe Country. Once on the water, we're usually on the water from 0900 until 1500 or so. That time, of course, captures lunch stops, portages, checking out pictographs and other interesting sites, then checking out campsites. My wife and I are both in our mid-70s, and usually cover 10+ miles per day. Our 2025 trip was 10 days in Quetico (which was like our private park this year!) and covered 105 miles.

TZ

I was mostly solo and planned for 4-5 hours of travel per day with an occasional weather/layover day. That would amount to 8-10 miles a day including double portaging. Some days might be a little more or less depending on weather and campsite locations.

As a mostly solo traveler, I like to travel no more than 5 hours. My last day I push to 7 hours, but I’m pooped by the time I get to my car. I like to find a site and spend the afternoon fishing.

Family trips: we usually don't get on the water until 9 or 9:30am and stop by 1 or 2pm. 4-5 hours is typically max for my husband, but we have done the occasional longer day followed by a rest day. 8-12 miles.

My typical solo: usually on the water by 6:30am and paddle 8-10 hours. 20+ miles single portaging.

Border Route Challenge: dawn to dusk days, unless a storm stops me. Some people paddle in the dark, but I prefer to not do that. 35 miles typical (single portaging).

With my wife 10-12 miles. Solo I usually plan 15-20 but have done as much as 30.
When I solo I am on the water at Dawn and I fish my way to where ever I am going.
I solo in June so the days are very long and I would rather be on the water than in camp.

It depends on the trip, since some lakes are better to stay on than others, but usually we plan on 8-10 hours of traveling. We do offset those long travel days with lazy rest days though. The best trips are the ones where we have 1-2 long travel days to get to a base camp where we spend 2-3 nights respectively minimum.

Lots of variables depending on who is tripping with me, how many days, time of year, weather forecast, etc. I'm about that 4-hour range to the closest entry-point so like you I'm close enough to either shoot up the night before or morning of and still hit the water plenty early. Ideally, I prefer to get my permit the night before and be on the water the first day before sunrise rather than wait for an outfitter to open then drive to the EP.

One annual trip I take is with the same group of 4 all in early 40's either in late May or early June in tandems mixing in single and double portaging. The distance we travel is mostly determined by the route we're on rather than trying to achieve a specific distance. That being said, a typical trip for this group would be about 6 days. Day one is usually about 12-18 miles where we will stay the first 2 nights. From there we'll move around another 10-15 miles and find a spot to camp for another 2-3 nights. Usually the last day/evening will be about whatever distance it is to get closer to the exit so usually 10+ miles. The off-travel days are often filled with plenty of paddling (8-12 miles) fishing/day trips/exploring area sights. Having these built in layover days has come in handy when we've been windbound or waiting out a storm.

Even this time of year with plenty of daylight we are cognizant of campsite availability, so we typically plan to break camp early enough to pull into our next camp by 2pm at the latest.

One of the longest days I ever had was leaving home around 1:00am to head for Ely. Put in at Mudro around 9:30 and traveling all the way to the Island site on Crooked, about 11ish hours of portaging and paddling. That was when we were young and dumb. The last few years we have split the trip up by staying the night closer to our entry point. Then we travel to our destination lake that first day, anywhere from 2-11 hours.

I prefer entry day in the 4-5 hour range and travel days 3-4 hour range.

When i was younger we had plenty of days where we did more, but today...I really start to run out of gas not too much after the 5-6 hour mark.

Longest days we've ever done;

1. Island in Friday Bay Crooked Lake to Fall Lake EP. Roughly 12 hours including a stop for lunch. Nearly 30 miles total.

2. Moose Lake EP to Kekekabic via Knife. 20 miles total and around 10 hours travel time.

3. Moose Lake EP to the eastern end of North Arm Knife. A little over 20 miles and about a 10 hour day.

As we became more familiar with the route and planned to base camp, we'd just set a destination and paddle however many hours it took to get there. I liked fishing Alice so we'd sometimes put in at Lake One at 7:30 and be in Alice in time to make the evening meal. More often we'd head to Insula and choose a campsite about half way up, same conditions but less paddling.

Time has taken a toll on my body so we shortened our trip to end in Hudson and after paddling out last year, decided that Lake Three would be far enough for next summer.

We usually try to be on the water by 7 and in our next camp by noon. Much less chance of playing "musical campsites" that way.

After looking at maps, we try to pick our ideal lake based on distance from the entry point, distance we can paddle without exhaustion, portage difficulty, and are there options if all the sites are full. We try to be on the water by 7, and aim to be at our chosen lake around 2. This gives us time to move to another lake if sites are full. We used to push harder, longer, and go further, but we are not as young as we once were.

I'm in my 60s and usually do 4-5 trips a year. Two tandem and the rest solo.

My tandem trips usually are 6-8 hours of paddling. It does depend more on the portages than the water time. If we do a trip with shorter portages we'll paddle later, but if the portages are hard that day I'll make camp earlier in the day.

When I solo, I try to be done paddling by 3pm. The amount of time I spend on the water is completely dependent on the time I break camp in the morning--and since I am soloing the time I break camp is completely based on my mood :)

Just reading this thread wears me out!

16 years ago our guys did a 5 lake trip. That was followed by a couple of 3 lake trips. These were all out of Ely. Then we moved to Gunflint and did one 3 lake trip. That was the end of it! From that point on all our groups base camp. One portage maximum.

I can't imagine getting much fishing time in if you are paddling all day, and setting up and tearing down camps throughout the trip. This fall one of our trip leaders took his camp on a 7 lake, two week trip. AFter 4 lakes and 5 portages a mutiny occurred. They stayed on that lake the rest of the trip, and all of them signed up for other camps for this next year!

ockycamper: "Just reading this thread wears me out!


16 years ago our guys did a 5 lake trip. That was followed by a couple of 3 lake trips. These were all out of Ely. Then we moved to Gunflint and did one 3 lake trip. That was the end of it! From that point on all our groups base camp. One portage maximum.


I can't imagine getting much fishing time in if you are paddling all day, and setting up and tearing down camps throughout the trip. This fall one of our trip leaders took his camp on a 7 lake, two week trip. AFter 4 lakes and 5 portages a mutiny occurred. They stayed on that lake the rest of the trip, and all of them signed up for other camps for this next year!"

different strokes for different folks i guess. lol yes, that pun was intended

rick00001967: "

ockycamper: "Just reading this thread wears me out!



16 years ago our guys did a 5 lake trip. That was followed by a couple of 3 lake trips. These were all out of Ely. Then we moved to Gunflint and did one 3 lake trip. That was the end of it! From that point on all our groups base camp. One portage maximum.



I can't imagine getting much fishing time in if you are paddling all day, and setting up and tearing down camps throughout the trip. This fall one of our trip leaders took his camp on a 7 lake, two week trip. AFter 4 lakes and 5 portages a mutiny occurred. They stayed on that lake the rest of the trip, and all of them signed up for other camps for this next year!"

different strokes for different folks i guess. lol yes, that pun was intended"

Different strokes, indeed! Our 10-day Quetico 2025 trip included 39 lakes, 30 portages (single-walked), and 13 beaver dams. We covered 105 miles, 99.5 paddling and 5.5 portaging. Maybe we'll start fishing when we're in our 80s.

TZ

There's very different answers to this question depending on the group, the season, and the trip. haha

For me:

Guided group of youth has ranged from 7 to 14 hours - and mileage has ranged from 8 to 18.

Personal days on a "relaxing", more traditional trip is usually 6-9 hours of travel - 8-20 miles of travel.

PMA/Bushwhack trips? Well that's usually 14 hours of travel for 7-8 miles.

Winter? Often 6-7 hours of travel for maybe 7-8 miles covered (completely condition dependent.

And the mileage - push trips? Well, that gets outta hand. Up to 20-27 hour days and 40-55 miles? I'm unsure that helps for this discussion. Haha

It's interesting to see the variety of responses. From little to nothing for travel, to using every bit of daylight to get to the destination. As a counter point to ocky, I don't understand how people can fish all day long. Once I have enough for dinner, the magic is gone and I'm ready to get back to camp. Getting to the next lake though, is always a bit of a rush. I remember which lakes I've been on and what route I took far better than what fish I caught and how big they were.

It's not all travel though. I work hard on travel days in order to have the lazy rest days to sit around camp and play card games and/or chat with my buddy that I don't get to see as often. Being a little tired and sore from the effort to get there makes just sitting there in the campsite with a nice view so much more satisfying.

I will be 70 this year, as will several of our men. However we have been base campers for the last 12 years. We typically camp on Seagull, or the last 8 years, on Red Rock.

Its not just the fish. I get the excitement of seeing new lakes. We tend to bring a lot of food and cooking gear, however, and as such hate portages. For us, there is nothing like returning to a lake that you know every inch of. All the spots that have fish, the best camp sites, the best views. What makes the trip worthwhile for our men is big breakfasts and dinners, fish fries every day for lunch, and just spending time with each other in God's creation. And yes.. . these guys are serious fishermen. Pretty much a dawn to dusk group!

Solo: Plan 8 hours’ travel max, but often something doesn’t go quite right or I just take more time enjoying it and I’m out around 9, sometimes even 10+ hours if I get a bit lost or something. My second solo I did a couple long 10+ hour days on purpose to allow a couple much shorter 2-3 hour days because I specifically wanted to linger at my destination lakes to fish and enjoy camp. I prefer to travel in the crummiest weather that’s still safe to make the layover days more enjoyable.

Tandem: First trip with my son our longest travel day was a little over 4 hours. This year we will have a couple 6 hour days on the agenda but I still prefer to keep it shorter when we can.

Either way: Tear down camp by headlamp with the goal to be paddling at sunrise or before, warm breakfast in the thermos ready to enjoy when we need it somewhere along the way. Hard to get rolling that early, but it also helps a lot of good things happen. I avoid being out there traveling past 3 pm.

ockycamper: "Just reading this thread wears me out!


I can't imagine getting much fishing time in if you are paddling all day, and setting up and tearing down camps throughout the trip. This fall one of our trip leaders took his camp on a 7 lake, two week trip. AFter 4 lakes and 5 portages a mutiny occurred. They stayed on that lake the rest of the trip, and all of them signed up for other camps for this next year!"

LOL, I don't fish. And I travel light so portaging is actually one of my favorite parts of the trip. I love the great mix of on the water and portaging through the woods. That is the magic for me. I tolerate taking my husband out to fish for short periods as long as I can keep dipping my paddle in the water.

Don't like to break camp in the dark, unless intentionally doing a dawn patrol. Like to be off water with enough time to set up camp, make dinner, and clean up before dark. Same goes for weather. If I see weather coming in, I prefer to be off water and set up comfortably for the night before that happens. I like to be close to the take out on last night in case wind blows up in the morning.

Other than that, everything is flexible.

Great question...........usually when soloing I try to get up and get going sooner rather than later. I typically keep my days to 7 or 8 portages or less depending upon the lengths involved. I always try to be in camp no later than 1p or 2p because personally I love to get camp setup and then sit by the lake (weather permitting) and just enjoy watching the water, wildlife, and other paddlers going by with my favorite drink and cigar in hand.

I have done longer days in the canoe but typically that is because I am trying to make up some time that I lost earlier in the trip due to weather or other circumstances. I don't "enjoy" those days as much, BUT it still is 1,000% better than being at work and the exhaustion felt sitting by the fire at night (I only solo in SEPT) is like none other.

For me it depends on who is with me. I like to get daily travel done early in the day. When with others, I let them dictate pace.
The last 5 years, I have been solo. In my solo, I tend to travel much longer and later in the day.
The area also decides a lot of this. Some areas require longer days to find open sites. I always stay close to my entry point the night before and hit the water at 1st light. This allows me to cover miles to get away from the crowd. I also like to have a shorter paddle on last day, try to get to vehicle early afternoon, because I have a 4-5 hr drive.

Typically I try to drive up the night before my entry, so I can get on the water early.

The first day is usually up to 8-9 hours, and is typically the longest day of the route. Get past the people.

The last day is usually 4-5, ideally no more than 6 hours (to the landing), since we still have to drive home.

All other travel days are between 4-6 hours. Depending on how the route worked out, often we'll push for 2 8h days at the beginning of the trip so we can camp at a site for 2-3 nights to explore and fish, before moving onto another lake. The 9 day trips usually go M-M-C-C-M-C-C-M-M... with 8 days we'll probably cut out one of the base camp days.

On both my solo and group trips, I try not to overload us with travel; however, on my solo trips (having done 3 now), I've found that sitting around camp often leaves me feeling bored or lonely, and I'd prefer to be out exploring. So, heavier travel days are taxing, but it keeps me busy, and I get to see more of the beautiful wilderness, and as such, I probably won't be planning for more than 2-3 layover days on a weeklong solo (allowing for weather and/or a perfect campsite/exploration opportunity), and maybe only 1 layover day for a trip of 5 days or less, UNLESS I'm in an area with tons of unique fishing or areas to explore where I can somewhat avoid wind if it happens to be excessively windy.

There are lots of variable to your question. On a travel day we shoot to get on the water by 8 and off the water no later then 2 or when it gets too windy to safely travel, Sometimes this means traveling 10 to 12 miles other times this means 5 or 6 miles depending on the portages.