Long story short... I didn't put much thought into this permit before I secured it back in January because I wanted to try a new area with less portages and longer paddles (requests from my brother and my dad). I didn't really look at any routes either.

Dad turned 68 in July, his endurance and physical fitness are deteriorating. Now that we are 2.5 weeks out from our entry, I'm finally checking out potential routes and seems like most of the portages are steep and strenuous. Which in hindsight, I should have figured since I have been up here in the Winter and spend a fair amount of time down the Gunflint. There's nothing else out there to swap it for, and I would really rather not cancel or create an unpleasant experience for him. I think I goofed up.

What are the least strenuous routes that we could cover in 3-4 days? We're ok with a base-camp as well, and have done so in the past elsewhere. We just don't want to stay on Clearwater since it's motorized.

You have plenty of time.

There are always permits being canceled. Like dozens per day.

I would subscribe to the permit availability function on the site. You will receive an email when a permit becomes available.

I get dozens of emails per day.

Good luck!

I'd say the most gentle route that gets away from Clearwater would be taking one portage with your gear into a basecamp on West Pike. It's a relatively flat portage, the ones you need to watch out for in the Vento unit go north-south. If West Pike is somehow full it's another relatively flat portage to East Pike. Save the challenging portages into John (walleyes), Gogebic (brook trout) and Pine (Johnson Falls) for day trips on dry days. You should be able to catch smallies from camp on either of the Pikes but for meals West has Lake Trout and East has Northern Pike. If you do go to John or Pine be sure to clean your boat, paddles and, most importantly, fishing lines before going back to the Pikes to prevent the spread of spiny waterflea.

Airmorse is spot-on if you want to change your permit, but I think you've got a good one. Unless you're not fishermen. In which case I don't have a clue.

Like Z4K says, even though some of them are moderately long, the east-west portages in this area aren't that bad, especially if you take your time.

Maybe your dad could mosey along the portages unburdened and at his own pace while you and your brother take two trips with the gear?

I've only been into West Pike, but this 61 year old thought the portage between Clearwater and West Pike was not bad at all.

Z4K has given good advise.

West Pike is a great option, but there is nothing wrong with staying on Clearwater. I've done the day trip to the Johnson Falls from Clearwater and the trail isn't too bad if you aren't carrying a load. Clearwater to Caribou does have the steep start but that portage is the worst of the 3 going to the falls and if you decide it's not worth it, you do have the ability to turn back.

Also, I visited Gogebic about 5 years ago and the trout we found were all small, about 6-8 inches. They might have grown or the bigger fish might have been deeper, but we didn't catch any.