Anyone put in here? Do you put in on Poplar and then go in at either Lizz or Swamp? Is Poplar "big water"?

I've gone through this area many times. You will enter on the west end of Poplar Lake - and it's less than two miles from the public landing to Lizz Lake. It's a fairly easy paddle...just keep your bearings around the small islands. Poplar Lake is about 3 miles long (give or take) in total. This is a nice area - with lots of opportunities to see wildlife (moose, beaver)

Thanks! Do you know whether Poplar is a problem with waves when it's windy?

My husband and I have made many trips in and out of Poplar without a problem. If you start from the public landing, a portion of your paddle is in a sheltered area - more wind protected. But, if you paddle out into the center of the lake on a very windy day, waves can be a problem. If you are concerned about waves - paddle before 10:00 a.m.

Make sure you get the Lizz Lake permit if possible (not the Meads Lake permit)...two flat, easy portages. Wind at your start shouldn't be a problem, usually...prevailing winds are from the west, and you'd be traveling with the wind on the way in, and you can hug the shoreline and be in the lee most of the way. You can hug the shoreline on the way out, too, but eventually you have to go up the long channel to the landing, heading straight west. Poplar is not "big water" in the same sense as Brule and Saganaga...plenty to play "hide" behind.

As you finish the portage from Lizz into Caribou, look at the long, deep scratches in the rock slab going right to the water...old logging gouges, I imagine.

I wouldn't consider Poplar "Big Water" either.

Kevlar, I noticed those gouges in the bedrock too, pretty cool.

The Lizz Lake side of that portage is a mucky mess. There are a couple logs going into the water to act as a walkway, but if you step off those logs, there's a good chance you'll lose your shoe.

We have gone in from the public landing on Poplar a couple times and never have had problems with wind....although the weather was cooperating! Good info on the Lizz portage above. It is a pretty area...enjoy.

Nojo-- We scoped out Lizz last August. The big downfall from my perspective-- a long wait to portage due to its popularity.

Then we paddled to Meeds, which despite its length, was easy, and got us well off the beaten path from the get-go. Worth considering.

Rockwood, on Poplar,is a great Bunkhouse option, esp. with Trails Inn just a few miles away for a nice pre-trip b'fast. Are you considering Lizz for your next trip?

Wifey and me will be going in there in latter Sept. Can't wait to explore the area, maybe have a Walleye meal.

One of the worst winds we were ever in came on poplar, out of lizz. I thought we were going backwards at one point. That short paddle turned very long that day.

I recently returned on a Lizz loop via Poplar with my 12 year old daughter. Wind wasn't a problem either way, and we were also with another dad/daughter couple who had no problems. It is really crowded, however.

quote apugarcia: "I wouldn't consider Poplar "Big Water" either.

Kevlar, I noticed those gouges in the bedrock too, pretty cool.

The Lizz Lake side of that portage is a mucky mess. There are a couple logs going into the water to act as a walkway, but if you step off those logs, there's a good chance you'll lose your shoe."

Yep. If you are looking at the logs from the portage, I stepped off the logs on the right side......went up to my thigh in muck......it only looked like 3 inches of water.

Have gone in here several times. We always leave very early in the a.m. and have never had a wind problem.

The portage on Lizz is a muck pit like other have said.

Have had good fishing on Caribou and some on Vista as well. Never fished Horseshoe. We have seen moose on each trip through #47 (about 5 trips).

I just came back from a trip (EP #47 Lizz). The Rockwood Lodge bunkhouse was nice and your vehicle is safe there too. The lodge is on the north of the Lizz portage and is a fairly short paddle. We had terrible fishing as did most I talked too (Gaskin, Horseshoe, Vista, Winchell.) It may have been due to a mayfly hatch. Hopefully you will do better!

i have gone through poplar many times, no it is not big water, but considering the shape of the lake and the common wind direction, it can get very rough. we had two canoes with experienced paddlers in october and damn near lost it in fridgid water. it scared a bit of the daredevil out of me for good. no joke!
so take heed to the travel times when crossing. e.g. cross before 10:am is good advise.

Some of the gouges are from snowmobiles from late winter forays. Seen the tracks and fresh gouges when out skiing down to Winchell.

The portages were winter roads in the logging days.

Nice area to go in.

Dan Cooke

Any experienced input on the portages into and out of Swamp? as opposed to Lizz????

Unless you have a strong desire to go through Swamp, there's not much of a reason to go there, IMO. The portages through Lizz are short with only very mild elevation change. Getting into Caribou and Horseshoe (and beyond) is pretty simple.

90 % of the time the paddle from the Poplar entry to the Lizz Lake portage is not going to be a problem, especially if you start early in the day. If it is a particularly nasty weather day it could be somewhat of a challenge but you would be hugging the south shore and the winds would most likely be west to east which is helping you. If it is nasty here it would probably be nasty everywhere else too. Been through here a few times and never had a problem. Good entry.

Trip this spring using Rockwood bunkhouse.
Going in Lizz.

Hoping to make Swamp part of DAY TRIP loop... just wondering about the difficulty of those two portages. Two experienced adults and two first timer adults.. Thanks for any info...

As far as Swamp Lake, my maps show it is a dead end lake, there is only a portage from Poplar to Swamp, no other entry or exit and there are no campsites on it. So it wouldn’t be part of a route, just a day trip.

???? My Fisher #13... could be pretty dated (like myself) shows a 155 rds from Swamp southwest to Caribou. McKenzie '94 map #3 shows it similar but 148 rds.

scat: "As far as Swamp Lake, my maps show it is a dead end lake, there is only a portage from Poplar to Swamp, no other entry or exit and there are no campsites on it. So it wouldn’t be part of a route, just a day trip."

There is a portage from Swamp to Caribou. It shows it as 155 rods on Voyageur maps and I have used it before on a day trip. Your map is correct about no campsites.

pstrom: "Hoping to make Swamp part of DAY TRIP loop... just wondering about the difficulty of those two portages. Two experienced adults and two first timer adults.. Thanks for any info..."

I wouldn't choose it over Lizz for entering to do an overnight trip that's for sure, but it is a great way to do a loop day trip as you are thinking about because it limits some backtracking so you can see some different and more scenery. Also, you are very likely to have those 2 portages to yourselves while it is very unlikely to have the Lizz portages to yourselves.

I don't remember anything bad about the 90 rod portage from Poplar to Swamp. But I do remember the 155 rod portage from Swamp to Caribou being a narrow rock garden.

tremolo: "Nojo-- We scoped out Lizz last August. The big downfall from my perspective-- a long wait to portage due to its popularity.


Then we paddled to Meeds, which despite its length, was easy, and got us well off the beaten path from the get-go. Worth considering.


Rockwood, on Poplar,is a great Bunkhouse option, esp. with Trails Inn just a few miles away for a nice pre-trip b'fast. Are you considering Lizz for your next trip? "

To be fair, you can avoid that entire wait by just getting on the water early. Most people are hitting the water at like 9am. Might require skipping the pre-trip breakfast but early is good. Nothing like paddling out as the sun is cresting the trees and you usually have glass-like water. I dream about it.

I stand corrected, my map does show a 148 portage from Swamp to Caribou, should have double checked that before posting.

Piker: "

quote apugarcia: "I wouldn't consider Poplar "Big Water" either.


Kevlar, I noticed those gouges in the bedrock too, pretty cool.


The Lizz Lake side of that portage is a mucky mess. There are a couple logs going into the water to act as a walkway, but if you step off those logs, there's a good chance you'll lose your shoe."

Yep. If you are looking at the logs from the portage, I stepped off the logs on the right side......went up to my thigh in muck......it only looked like 3 inches of water. "

Did you find my shoe?

nojobro: "Anyone put in here? Do you put in on Poplar and then go in at either Lizz or Swamp? Is Poplar "big water"?"

I used this entry point last year. Rockwood Lodge proved to be a good bunkhouse before and after. Mid-Trail is its own tiny community with a few places to eat.

We paddled from Rockwood to Lizz early in the morning, and the south half of that paddle was unpleasant. On the way back, midday, that portion was again windy. Small whitecaps around us both times. I agree with the statement that it's probably no problem at all 90% of the time.

We went in very shortly after ice-out and the wildlife and fishing were major letdowns. I expected moose and saw none. I expected plenty of fish and saw none. Winchell is supposed to be a great lake trout lake. Swamp is supposed to be a great walleye lake.

It's a beautiful area and you'll have a great time!

If you fish, you must give Swamp a try. We usually hit it if we are in the area. The portages are less used than Lizz or Meeds, so can be a bit overgrown with a downed tree or two. When it's really wet, be careful. Nonetheless, Swamp is a place I don't believe I've ever seen another canoe - so peace and quiet is guaranteed!

And not specifically for the sake of the OP, but just a general note. Poplar is one of those lakes that it's incredibly important to drive home that one must use the entry point printed on the permit. I ran into a number of groups last year entering via Lizz with Meeds permits. Yes Meeds is more challenging and Skipper takes a person the opposite direction. That's the point. Entry points help spread people out, but it's amazing how many groups feel that's optional and it's even harder to regulate on a lake like Poplar with so many options.

Dredging up (pun intended) another portion of this old thread, I have a thought about the origin of the gouges.

Long, straight, parallel gouges in the rock are probably glacial striations. You can find striations in various places through the BWCA and really anywhere in the Canadian shield. They are caused when rocks at the base of a glacier get dragged along the bedrock as the glacier advances.

Back in the day, Lizz/Meeds/Swamp were all one EP. I think the quota was 8 total. Very few, if any, used Swamp or Meeds. Lizz was a freeway back then.....That's when both ends of Lizz became a swamp entry/exit from your canoe.

And so you know be prepared to bring your breakfast with you if you want an early start. Trail Center doesn't open until 8:00 a.m. and if it's like last year (2022) they aren't open 7 days a week (staffing issues). There aren't many other options around. Pick up something you can eat cold in Grand Marais and bring it with you or be prepared to get out your cooking gear in the a.m. and cook something yourself. I think Rockwood has coffee. In 2022 there was a coffee trailer just down the road from Rockwood and they may have had some food items.

My main reason for staying in the bunkhouse at Rockwood is so I can get an early start. I get there early enough the night prior to entry before they close to get the permit and I bring a cold breakfast so I can push off as close to first light as possible before they open in the morning . It’s my favorite time of day to paddle and it lowers the chances of running into others on the portages.

I think they had an outdoor griddle in 2022 that bunkhouse customers could use to cook breakfast.

ducks: "My main reason for staying in the bunkhouse at Rockwood is so I can get an early start. I get there early enough the night prior to entry before they close to get the permit and I bring a cold breakfast so I can push off as close to first light as possible before they open in the morning . It’s my favorite time of day to paddle and it lowers the chances of running into others on the portages.


I think they had an outdoor griddle in 2022 that bunkhouse customers could use to cook breakfast. "

I can stay in their bunkhouse even if I didn't pick up my permit there correct? I have a Lizz permit for July but I'm picking my permit up the day prior at the Gunflint ranger station and was planning on reserving a bunkhouse spot that night to be the first on the water the next morning.

AlexanderSupertramp:


I can stay in their bunkhouse even if I didn't pick up my permit there correct? I have a Lizz permit for July but I'm picking my permit up the day prior at the Gunflint ranger station and was planning on reserving a bunkhouse spot that night to be the first on the water the next morning."

I'm pretty sure they'll exchange money for services regardless of where you pick up your permit. It's funny to me how spartan the bunkhouse can feel the night before the wilderness, and how luxurious it feels the night after!

wanderingfromkansas: "

AlexanderSupertramp:



I can stay in their bunkhouse even if I didn't pick up my permit there correct? I have a Lizz permit for July but I'm picking my permit up the day prior at the Gunflint ranger station and was planning on reserving a bunkhouse spot that night to be the first on the water the next morning."

I'm pretty sure they'll exchange money for services regardless of where you pick up your permit. It's funny to me how spartan the bunkhouse can feel the night before the wilderness, and how luxurious it feels the night after!
"

So true. but I am extremely grateful for the new mattresses they got in 2020. They were a very nice upgrade. My girls and wife appreciate that the Rockwood bunkhouse has a private bathroom in each bunk room.

Yes, make sure you let them know that you plan on leaving before they open in the morning so they can show you where they want you to park. It will be different than where you park for the bunkhouse.

ducks: "Yes, make sure you let them know that you plan on leaving before they open in the morning so they can show you where they want you to park. It will be different than where you park for the bunkhouse. "

Good point, I will remember that. I'm in Duluth so I'm not far away but from previous trips on Gunflint it's still 3 hours from here to the end of the trail, add the stop at the ranger station day-of when the open and the inevitable last minute "shit I forgot so and so" Grand Marais shopping list... it ends up being after 10am when we're on the water. So this year I'm doing it different and I'm gonna head up the night before with the doggo. The $40 compared to $250 it would cost me anywhere in GM, I can't go wrong.