Looking at this option for my solo trip this fall. I've never been to this area and while I generally like discovering things for myself if there is anything between the EP and Malberg that would add significant time to travel time I'd like to know. Specifically, I'm thinking about the water route between Kawishiwi and Kawasachong.

I'd likely drive up early from the cities and be pushing off around 11am with the goal of getting to Polly on day one. I'm a hammock camper and likely will need to get through the area effected by the Pagami Creek fire. After that I'm not sure and would depend on now things go, wind, etc but looking at getting to River Lake or Beaver Lake and set up for 2 nights with a day trip exploring up to Boulder and some other lakes in that area on day 3. Day 4 I'd either push and exit or move south back to Polly or Kawishiwi depending on weather or just how I'm feeling.

Our group has frequented this area on several trips, we are hammock campers as well. Nothing notably challenging about the trip in as it is pretty well traveled. The portages past Malberg become a little more challenging. Polly has been uncomfortably full of people when we've gone through but at the end of the season I imagine its better. We really enjoyed base camping on River Lake, great day trip options, and had good fishing to boot. We have camped at the peninsula site on Koma as well which is very nice and open.

Don't forget to hit Fishdance to see pictos

Thanks for the feedback colecudd. I have heard how busy Polly can get, but hopeful that late in the season and being solo I'll be able to find a site that will work for me.

Cowdoc, I was able to check out the pictographs while with my scout group a couple of weeks ago. Pretty cool thing to see and as a bonus we were able to catch some nice fish as we trolled through including a 29" Pike and a 24" Walleye. If my exploration into Boulder goes well and the weather cooperates I may head down there for another visit.

From Kawishiwi to Kawasachong is a pretty straight forward paddle. There are a couple of beaver dams to pull over. At the portage out of Square Lake back to the river you may be able to pull over a beaver dam rather than unload and walk. Just before Kawasachong you will encounter a large beaver dam. No pull over here. You will have to unload and make a very short portage. The entrance into Kawasachong Lake is likely choked with weeds. Water depth is an issue here. Try staying left for the deepest water.

Before you get to Square Lake you will encounter the Pagami Creek Fire area. This will last all the way to the south shore of Lake Polly. Since it has been a few years, recovery should be well under way, but there will most likely still be evidence of the fire around you.

While I love the route to the pictographs (and you should go there), I also love the Louse River. Two years ago now we completed a journey from Wine Lake to Malberg on the Frost. This western section has a lot of evidence of spruce bud worm infestation, but the paddle is still one of the most wonderful wilderness areas around.

We have taken the time to go to Amber Lake and dip our toes in the sand beach at the eastern most campsite.

Then there is "the most comfortable rock in the Boundary Waters" at one of the island campsites as you travel the river to the pictographs:



Hope you have a great trip!

Very straight forward to get to Malberg. Took me 4 hours in the opposite direction on my solo a couple years ago. In the beginning there is one portage on the map that doesn't exist anymore but then there is about a 2 rod one around a beaver dam that isn't on the map. But most of the portages are flat and the landings are mostly decent.

I was just there on the 1st of the month. Michwall2s description of the route is spot on.

Polly is definitely gettable in a day. Camping before Polly’s tough in a hammock. All the likely hanging spots are short on trees.

Again, really appreciate all the answers here.

So...Louse river. I guess I assumed low water would make this route too difficult and more than I wanted to bite off, but have others travelled this late season? I might entertain making Sawbill my exit point if I could figure out logistics (I'll contact Sawbill outfitter first). A little nervous about a long stretch where there are very few campsites. I've walked the Zenith to Kelso portage before and that doesn't worry me too much.

Thoughts?

Cricket67: "Again, really appreciate all the answers here.


So...Louse river. I guess I assumed low water would make this route too difficult and more than I wanted to bite off, but have others travelled this late season? I might entertain making Sawbill my exit point if I could figure out logistics (I'll contact Sawbill outfitter first). A little nervous about a long stretch where there are very few campsites. I've walked the Zenith to Kelso portage before and that doesn't worry me too much.


Thoughts? "

The Louse River has a better reputation for water levels. Beaver dams help and the river itself is more navigable than the Frost in low water levels.

Do the Louse River in two stages: Malberg to Trail Lake, Trail to either Wine or Mesaba Lake. Given our last time through I would opt for the Bug - Dent - Mesaba route. The river route through the Louse River, Louse Lake, Poe to Wine Lake is more treacherous. If you decide to go to that way, let me know and I can cover a description to help you.

The trip west to east is a little more tricky route finding. One portage end in particular is not intuitive.

All that being said, the Louse River is one of my favorite routes in the BW. High quality wilderness. You would be going when the tamarack trees have turned a bright yellow. Magical.

Hope you have enough time to enjoy this route.

A few late-season specifics for your window, since the water itself is covered above:

Permits: quota permits are required through Sept 30, so if you push off before Oct 1 you need an EP 37 reservation on Recreation.gov (quota is 7/day after the 2022 reduction). If your trip starts Oct 1 or later, overnight permits are self-issued at the entry point (non-motorized day use is self-issue year-round), so no quota scramble, but still fill the card out.

2026 fire season: worth a check before you leave. The July lightning storm closures are under an active closure order that runs through Oct 1, but the Kawishiwi district reopened in August (Phase 5, Aug 5) and EP 37 is open; fire danger in the district is currently LOW and 1,600+ campsites are open. The order is still technically active until Oct 1, so pull up the FS alerts page and the closure Exhibit A map before you head out.

Cold: you'll likely catch the tamarack turn. Ely highs drop from the upper 50s to low 40s across October, and the first snow can land near the border in late September, so assume a hard frost every night. Lakes generally don't ice until mid-November, but the shallow beaver channels (the Kawasachong entrance) freeze first - by late October they're the sketchiest water on the route, not the big lakes. For the hammock, plan the underquilt like it's winter; that's where the cold will find you.

Thanks RonanWolf

I've been watching the permits. There are a couple available for Sept 22 and then quite a few for the last few days of Sept. Bigger deal is trying to hit the right window with work stuff.

I have tracked the fire situation very closely all summer. The scout group I help lead had to pivot from Moose River North for our August trip. We were fortunate to be able to secure a Lake One permit and thankfully everything opened less than a week before our trip.

For fall trips like this, I always keep a close eye on the weather and will abort the trip if necessary. I have a good idea the limits of my sleep system and if I don't think I will be relatively comfortable I don't feel the need to prove how tough I am. You are correct, it's the nights that I would be worried about as I know that I wouldn't have much issue staying warm during daytime.

I'm now locked in with a Kawishiwi Lake EP37 permit for Sunday the 27th. I will be parking the car at Sawbill and plan on exiting at Sawbill EP38 on Saturday (give or take a day).

I plan to drive starting around 3:30am with a goal to arrive at Sawbill around 9:30ish after a stop for breakfast. Hope to be dipping the paddle in Kawishiwi Lake by 11 and make it to Polly on the first night. From there I hope to spend a couple of nights on River Lake or nearby with a day to explore a bit. On day 4 I'll set out towards the Louse River, leaving 2-3 days to work my way to Sawbill.

Seem like a good plan?

Cricket67: "I'm now locked in with a Kawishiwi Lake EP37 permit for Sunday the 27th. I will be parking the car at Sawbill and plan on exiting at Sawbill EP38 on Saturday (give or take a day).

I plan to drive starting around 3:30am with a goal to arrive at Sawbill around 9:30ish after a stop for breakfast. Hope to be dipping the paddle in Kawishiwi Lake by 11 and make it to Polly on the first night. From there I hope to spend a couple of nights on River Lake or nearby with a day to explore a bit. On day 4 I'll set out towards the Louse River, leaving 2-3 days to work my way to Sawbill.

Seem like a good plan? "

Yep.
A couple of spots on the Louse River:

The portages between Frond and Boze can be confusing. You may be able to walk your canoe past the first portage. The second one passes very near or through the campsite on Boze.

The first portage off Boze looks long, but the beavers have built a pond and you have to get in and paddle a ways then get back out and portage up the hill around a rapids.

The rest of the way to Trail Lake is pretty straight forward.

The first portage off Trail Lake has a large swail with a creek (in high water) at the bottom. The west side is very steep. You will likely have to put the canoe/packs down and let them down the rock slope then pick them up and step over the creek and continue on.

The portage end for the 2nd portage east of Trail is back in a very small passage through the weeds on your right (going east). It will be very easy to miss and end up well past it headed north. If you make the sweeping corner to the left (north) you have gone too far.

Once at Bug Lake you have a choice: Go northeast to Dent and Mesaba Lakes OR go straight east through Louse and Poe Lakes to Wine Lake. Given our recent experience, I would vote for Mesaba Lake route. I have not gone through from Bug to Mesaba, but it could not possibly be harder than the Louse/Poe/Wine Route.

On our trip last fall, the portage to Louse Lake had a section where the portage trail simply went away. I think it was inundated by water. You could almost make out where the path had been, but there were trees fallen over due to the water. We had to bush wack for about 200 feet over very rough rock garden and through thickets in the rock garden. No fun at all. The east end of the trail is also rock strewn and difficult. The portage between Louse and Poe Lakes is also a continuous rock garden. The portage end on the Poe Lake end is very dangerous for your ankles. The portage from Mug Lake to Wine Lake has a steep rock face to navigate and I have fallen several times here. Especially when wet. Wine Lake has several very pretty campsites.

Mesaba Lake is one of my favorite lakes in all the BW. The campsite on the narrows is the best on the lake. The campsite on the north shore of the south basin is also better than the one on the south shore.

We have made it all the way from Mesaba to Sawbill in a day by starting at daylight. We were there by about 1pm. But that was in August. Starting at daylight in September/October is 60-90 min later.

It is not much better from Wine Lake. The creek between Frederick and Zenith likely will have at least one pull over in low water.

Find the rusting frame of a light airplane on the north shore of Zenith Lake. It is a little east of the small bay from which you enter the lake from the north.

I don't care what the temp is, you will need to start the Zenith to Lujenida portage with a full water bottle(s). Find the Viking dolman along the Kelso River between Lujenida and Kelso Lake. If it is windy, take the Kelso River to Sawbill Lake on the left. Do not go out onto Alton Lake on a windy day. If it is calm, Alton Lake is a beautiful paddle, but it adds a portage.

Hope this helps. Have a great trip!

Wow Michwall - thanks for all the intel. Looking forward to the challenge but good to have an idea where things might get confusing and where to really take my time.

I camped on Kelso back 12 years or so ago and hiked the zenith portage and checked out the dolman...very cool. From what I recall the portage trail was in good shape and not especially tricky except for the length. I'm going to try to be single portaging the last half of the trip...we'll see how that goes.

I went west to east on the Louse this past spring on a solo trip and can add some commentary to Michwall's great pointers.

Agreed on the Frond--Boze portages. The second portage into Boze, you definitely want to take the path that cuts right through the campsite. Much easier to find than the other one.

When you get to the beaver pond on that first portage out of Boze, there is a faint trail that starts to wind along the left side of the pond. Don't take it -- it ends up in the middle of the woods, and you would need to bushwhack to get to the other side of the beaver pond.

Beware the first portage off of Trail. It is completely mismarked on both the Voyageur and McKenzie maps (and as of writing this note, on the BWCA.com map, too). Those maps show the portage landing on the left-hand (i.e. west) side of the Louse River with the portage crossing the Louse closer to the end. WRONG. The landing is on the right-hand side of where the Louse empties into Trail Lake, and it never crosses the Louse River -- it actually crosses a small unnamed creek that empties into the Louse River. And about that swail that the creek runs through -- Michwall is 100% right. It is super-steep, with sheer rock faces. And just like Michwall describes, I had to slide my packs and the canoe down and then up the rock faces on either side.

Agree with what Michwall said about the second portage east of Trail -- easy to miss that little entrance.

Once on Bug, just like Michwall says, you have to choose between staying on the Louse and going to Wine, or heading to Dent Lake and on to Mesaba Lake. I chose the Mesaba route because I was already way behind schedule due to challenges finding the earlier portages. AND it had rained all day, so I knew the rocky portages on the Louse would be slick. Plus, there are a couple of campsites on Dent if I needed to stop for the day, I could, whereas staying on the Louse commits you to going all the way to Wine.

That said, although I am sure Michwall is correct about continuing on the Louse River being more difficult than heading up to Mesaba, it is no picnic going to Mesaba, either. First off, the Bug-Dent portage was extremely difficult to find, too. Paddling north on Bug, you come upon a bay chock-full of floating sedge and grass that probably extends about 200 yards from the north end of the bay (where the landing is). I could not find a channel through this maze and had to get out once on a floating mat and guide my canoe over. Finding a mat that would hold my full weight and allow me to maneuver the canoe over it was tricky. In my experience, the best channel through the floating sedge is on the far right-hand side (east) of the bay. Once you get over there, you can paddle to the landing.

Then, once on Dent, the portage to Chaser is right where it's marked on the map. But as you get to the end of the portage, you are faced with a large beaver pond with a challenging deep-water landing. Paddle straight east in the pond and you'll find the beaver dam (it is massive) and a steep path down to Chaser. I again had to slide the canoe down the dam and the path -- I didn't want to risk carrying it on that steep dam and trail.

Then on Chaser, the portage to Mesaba is on the right-hand side of the rapids between Mesaba and Chaser.

Finally, Mesaba. Michwall is correct that the campsite on the narrows (i.e., furthest north, closest to the portage to Hub Lake) is the best campsite on the lake. I ended up taking the campsite on the north shore of the south basin, and it was awful, especially for a hammocker. You have to hang a long way from the kitchen and the rest of the tent pads. I would guess this late in the season, you'll be able to nab the narrows campsite.

But all that being said, I am glad I did this. It was awesome to head into one of the most remote non-PMA areas of the BWCA and looking back, I think it was worth all of the challenges and effort it took to travel through there. I hope these notes are helpful and I hope you have an awesome trip. Any questions, let me know.

My daughter and I just came out from Kawishiwi yesterday. We left Polly at 8 am and got to the take out just as my husband pulled up to pick us up at 11:45. We are slow paddlers, but very efficient at steering and we single portage. I think you’ll do fine putting in at 11. Your plan sounds nice.

My husband picked us up because we put in at Brant (Round lake.) in retrospect we should have done our trip the other way around! It was a long day driving back to my daughter’s car and then home to the cities. My husband is a champ!

Thanks freeboard! I'll be adding some notes to my maps.

Also watching the weather closely. Right now looks like Monday and Tuesday will be plenty rainy. If that stays the case, I will try to get to Malberg to potentially stay 3 nights, as to minimize setting up/breaking camp in the rain. Still would be in range to do day trips to Boulder and Fishdance.

The sandy beach campsite is nice on Malberg, been there twice, didn’t check out any others. Wasn’t that impressed with the fishing on Malberg, average for eyes and sm bass but huge bluegills. Might want to keep moving but your party. Have fun!

Cricket67: "Thanks freeboard! I'll be adding some notes to my maps.


Also watching the weather closely. Right now looks like Monday and Tuesday will be plenty rainy. If that stays the case, I will try to get to Malberg to potentially stay 3 nights, as to minimize setting up/breaking camp in the rain. Still would be in range to do day trips to Boulder and Fishdance. "

That sounds good. I stayed at the campsite right where the Louse empties into Malberg. It's really nice, with some pretty cedar trees. And you get a good jump on the Louse from there.

Let us know if you end up going up to Boulder. I am thinking about heading that way next spring.

Have a great trip!

Cricket67: "Wow Michwall - thanks for all the intel. Looking forward to the challenge but good to have an idea where things might get confusing and where to really take my time.


I camped on Kelso back 12 years or so ago and hiked the zenith portage and checked out the dolman...very cool. From what I recall the portage trail was in good shape and not especially tricky except for the length. I'm going to try to be single portaging the last half of the trip...we'll see how that goes. "

The last time I went over the Lujenida to Zenith Portage it was a disaster area. There was water running everywhere. There were ruts eroded from the middle of the trail that were anywhere from 6-10" deep. Beware this portage! Our trip almost ended before it bagan as at least 2 of us suffered falls.

Michwall2: "

Cricket67: "Wow Michwall - thanks for all the intel. Looking forward to the challenge but good to have an idea where things might get confusing and where to really take my time.



I camped on Kelso back 12 years or so ago and hiked the zenith portage and checked out the dolman...very cool. From what I recall the portage trail was in good shape and not especially tricky except for the length. I'm going to try to be single portaging the last half of the trip...we'll see how that goes. "

The last time I went over the Lujenida to Zenith Portage it was a disaster area. There was water running everywhere. There were ruts eroded from the middle of the trail that were anywhere from 6-10" deep. Beware this portage! Our trip almost ended before it bagan as at least 2 of us suffered falls."

Good to know, that seems to be the consensus from the reviews as well. I'll be on this portage tomorrow doing my best to keep a smile on my face the whole way across.

Portagerunner, what's your route?

Cricket67: "Portagerunner, what's your route? "

Tentative, but planning out and back from Sawbill so we get to do the fun portage twice. Likely a couple nights on wine, a night on Mesaba and a night somewhere around Kelso/Alton before leaving.

Cricket67. I did a July solo one year from Kawishiwi to Malberg and back. We can chat at the wing night pot luck.

I'll be working on a trip report but just a couple of updates.

First, found out a scout I knew well from multiple BWCA trips was having their Eagle Court of Honor on Saturday and I really felt I wanted to be there. But this meant I would need to exit on Friday at the latest since I also wanted to spend a day with my friends in Grand Marais.

I arrived at Sawbill on schedule and had a chat about my route. At their suggestion I switched from Louse River to Lady Chain for my exit.

Ideal weather on Sunday to start the trip. Encountered about 10 groups exiting while I made my way from Kawishiwi Lake to Polly. Once on Polly only saw a signal canoe Sunday evening.

Monday morning after checking the weather forecast I decided not to go further North. Tuesday was going to be windy/rainy all day and was concerned if I was up on Malberg or River I wouldn't leave any margin in making it to Sawbill in time. Instead I spent Monday traveling from Polly to Hazel, where I spend two nights. During the rain/wind on Tuesday I spent some time fishing and some time under the tarp in camp.

Wednesday I packed up and traveled to Grace. I planned to either spend two nights on Grace or move to Alton on Thursday. However, when I started setting up camp on Grace I realized I messed up and left my hammock straps back at the campsite on Hazel. Ugh. It had been a rough 5 hour trip so didn't have time to go back and get them, and even going back the next day didn't seem like much fun. Decided to set up on the ground best I could and then make my way out to Sawbill on Thursday.

For the most part it was a great trip and a beautiful area. I learned a lot but really kicking myself for not doing that last walkthrough like I usually do. It would have been great to get that one more day which turned out to be nearly perfect weather.

Also, that last minute change to the route meant I missed out on some intel which would have made the Hazel to Grace travel day much easier.

Oh, that is a real bummer to forget those hammock straps back at Hazel. And I can imagine that the stretch of the Phoebe River between Hazel and Knight was a bit rocky in low water. I went through there going the other way this spring and hit submerged rocks in my solo. They were just far enough underwater that I couldn't see them, but high enough to get the canoe stuck. I'll bet that was a lot worse for you last week. Sounds like the rest of the trip was better -- looking forward to reading the trip report later on.