Hey folks!
Looking for info on the number lakes area and how things look for campsites! Thanks for any info for those who have traveled recently. We are going in on 8/26.

Don't know what direction you are heading from the EP, but we headed towards Insula. We entered on 8/9 and most campsites were open from Lake One to Insula. We headed back out on 8/14. There was much more traffic on the way out and many of the campsites were occupied. I've been to this area many times and it really varies day to day. There's many campsites to choose from along this route and you should be able to find a site if you leave early in the morning and are looking for a site by noon.

How long did it take you to get to insula? How was the fishing?

Going in a couple weeks. Tbh....I'm hoping to just base in the numbers. But very unsure if we're even gonna find sites to hang (3 hammocks)

The last time our groups went to Lake One the outfitter could not get us on the water until 10 am. By the time we went through the portages and started looking for camp sites it was around 2 PM. We were in three groups. It took the rest of the day to find an open site for all 3 camps.

This was the last time we went to the numbered lakes, or any Ely Lake. Way too many people for us.

We also entered Lake One on Aug 9th. Agree with wefishincanoe that there were plenty of open sites as we traveled through the number lakes that day. We took about 7 hours to get to Insula and another hour or so to make it up to the unburnt portion of the lake to find a campsite.

We seemed to see more and more people as the week went along. We exited out on Snowbank and the last couple of days it was getting quite busy with lots of folks having issues finding sites between Ima and Disappointment.

Going in on a Wednesday may help you find a good site, but follow the basic advise of trying to be looking for a site by noon if you can.

ockycamper: "The last time our groups went to Lake One the outfitter could not get us on the water until 10 am. By the time we went through the portages and started looking for camp sites it was around 2 PM. We were in three groups. It took the rest of the day to find an open site for all 3 camps.


This was the last time we went to the numbered lakes, or any Ely Lake. Way too many people for us."

Way too many people for us, yet you go with 3 groups? Huh??

We are a church group. We split into 3 groups and go on different lakes and entry points. We moved to late September.

Just figure out when ocky is going and don't go that week :D

I'm probably putting in on One on the 14th. Still waiting for hoarders to release a permit. Maybe see you there!

As with any popular area, try and set up camp as early in the day as possible for the best campsite availability. Satellite photos can give you an idea of where things burned in 2011. Some shoreline campsites lost all of their big trees, some lost none but it's almost impossible to tell until you're paddling by. Just the south shores of One and Two were hit so the northern shores there is is a great place to start looking. If you strike out on One and Two I would run to the south end of Three and look in the islands, I'm fairly confident that 2221 and 1516 will each hang 3 hammocks. As with any BWCA trip, don't lock in to an exact plan, you never know how things will go when you get up there. Expect your plans to change.

Those islands would be my ideal location. But again....adaptability is my theme this year.

Im a huge nerd and I go through this site and a few others to compare all the sites. I look through camp pictures to find sites that have enough trees for hangs. I then label all the campsites on a McKenzie map and have a cheat sheet with a brief description and rating for each site. Some of the site reviews are 5 plus years old. So I try to leave those sites as a "chance" but it's nice when they list the ones that burned. I know we can eliminate that.

I just don't want to have to get all the way to insula to find a site. We're hoping to be on the water by 11 (can't be there sooner) but we're strong paddlers. So hoping to be through the portages within an hour or two and then bolt for the islands. We'll see.

Just about every site from the entry to Lake 4 should have enough trees for 3 hammocks. Most of the campsites didn't burn when the fires came through in 2011, it burned around them. Once you get to Hudson and the southern half of Insula the fire was intense enough to burn the campsites as well. But the trees in the burn area are now getting 15'to20' in most areas. I wouldn't be to concerned with finding a campsite that'll work for hammocks, it will make it easier in my opinion because you don't need level ground or worry about rocks and roots.

It took us 6 hours double portaging to get from entry to our campsite in the middle portion of Insula just north of the burn. The fishing was excellent. Walleye, smallmouth and pike were located in 8' to 20' of water. Most were caught on jig & leech, jig & twister, crankbaits and topwater.

The numbered lakes tend to fill up campsites in order of distance from the EP. I came through about 3pm and was able to find a site just into Lake Three. Everything before then was filled.

Just don’t try to hang a hammock on any of the sites on Hudson. Plan to move all the way through and partially up Insula.

1499 on Lake Four looked like a nice spot to get multiple hangs when I stopped for a break - SE area of Lake Four. And a great western view.