BWCA Starlight Lake - Drag Lake PMA Boundary Waters Group Forum: PMA Paradise
Chat Rooms (0 Chatting)  |  Search  |   Login/Join
* For the benefit of the community, commercial posting is not allowed.
Boundary Waters Quetico Forum
   Group Forum: PMA Paradise
      Starlight Lake - Drag Lake PMA     
 Forum Sponsor

Author

Text

Bigfoot
member (7)member
  
08/22/2012 05:28PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Has anyone here been to Starlight Lake within the Drag PMA? It looks like an awesome but challenging destination. Any info on experiences, routes, lake type, or fishing would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
      Print Top Bottom Previous Next
Savage Voyageur
distinguished member(14414)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished membermaster membermaster member
  
08/22/2012 07:31PM  
Welcome aboard Bigfoot, I knew you existed. I have only been to Spider Lake PMA so no help here.
 
PaddleAway
distinguished member(980)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
08/25/2012 05:03PM  
It does look like a blast, I agree.

I think you'll find that except for a few of the more 'common' PMAs, most are rarely, if ever, visited. The paths of the more obscure have really begun to blend into the woods, & even those that are traveled once in a while are getting hard to find.

If you go, please report back. I have a list of PMAs I need to get into before old age creeps up on me, & I'd love to hear about this one.
 
DanSolo
member (21)member
  
07/03/2015 01:45PM  
Headed into the Drag Lake PMA yesterday to see how far I could get. Had a 15 pound day pack and a 36 pound 12' 6" Mohawk Canoe. Started early from Lake One and went through Lake Two, portaged into Rifle and then portaged into Bridge Lake. The portage between Rifle Lake and Bridge Lake is in a fairly overgrown state.

From Bridge Lake, paddled up the lily pad choked Drumstick Creek that leads up to Delta Lake. You have to expend about double the paddling efforts to plow through the pads, but eventually got to the portage to Delta Lake.

The portage up to Delta is no longer maintained at all. There are maybe six to eight trees that have fallen across the path. Still easy trail to see and follow and no big deal. Delta Lake has lots of lily pads on its south end and in the creek leading back to Slowfoot Lake. Because Slowfoot Creek looked low, I decided I would try to get up to Quartz Lake. I passed by the old campsite on Delta's NE end and it is completely gone (no grate, just an open spot along the shore).

So Google Satellite Maps makes Drumstick Creek between Delta Lake and Quartz Lake look fairly easy to navigate. Well, it's not really. If you zoom in all the way, anyplace that the creek looks restricted, you can be certain that it will be. I thought these would be just beaver dams, but nope, they are rapids.

Beyond Delta Lake, you paddle through lily pads (just like you did between Delta and Bridge Lake). You paddle along for about 1/3rd mile and come to some small rapids. Easiest way up these rapids was just to walk in them and drag the canoe. Note, that water level really matters here. If water was high these rapids would be very difficult to get around because there is no path on either side. You would have to move your gear through the brush and this would be very hard. So mid-June to early July may be good water level (depending on rain of course).

You only get back in your canoe for about 200 feet across a little pond and you come to another set of rapids. These rapids are choked with downed timber. However, if you look just right of the rapids, you notice what seems to be a portage landing (and so it is). Pull up to the landing and portage 5 rods through the woods. This gets you to the first unnamed lake beyond Delta Lake. From the NW corner of this lake, paddle NE to the other end. You have to push through some rocks and a narrow passage at the NE end of the unnamed lake. Then you paddle across another small pond (100 feet) and come up to a larger set of rapids. You can walk along the left side boulder hopping on the lower part. Then you must bushwhack along the left side since there is too much water to walk in the creek. This is not a fun bushwhack as there is no trail at all (looks like whoever made the 5 rod portage into the unnamed lake turnaround as there is no sign of anyone being here). At the top of these rapids, you will be in the unnamed lake just west of Quartz Lake. I got a glimpse of this lake and then headed back.

Well, that is as far as I got. Attached a couple photos. Was just on a day trip and I was at my turnaround time. If you are thinking of heading all the way to Starlight Lake, you had better eat your Wheaties.
 
PaddleAway
distinguished member(980)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
07/06/2015 09:56PM  
Wonderful report, thanks for reporting back!
 
      Print Top Bottom Previous Next