Greetings All,
Heading into QP via Lerome with family (wife and two kids age 8 and 10)at end of month for 4 or 5 days. My kids are old enough to paddle (when they want too :) and so we are heading in this way to stay off big water and have a more or less scenic, leisurely entry via Sue Falls. Any advice on camp sites once we get in? I've looked over the PCD via QJ and have some ideas -- there are a couple on the way west especially if you can drop down Cirrus to narrows that enter Quetico (an excellent site or two there!) but it's a bit of a ways and interest & enthusiasm may wain for the group long before we get there. However, if the day is good, snacks are flowing, and wind is minor --- we might get a long paddle in! If not, more than willing to pull up short and plunk the gear down on anywhere the tent will squeeze into...So any advice or suggestions are welcome.

I think I could get to Sue Falls faster and easier from the Beaverhouse parking lot than through Lerome access - most of a long day with a number of portages. Just to consider. The portages from near the Beaverhouse entry to Cirrus are very easy and cirrus is narrow enough that you can stay along north shore to avoid any big water. Plus you can leave your car at Beaverhouse, not so sure you can at Lerome.

Good point --- we are considering that! I think we can change our EP (if permit availability) when we get there on Friday or latest Sat. AM for a fee. Guess we will weigh our options at that point but good to know as I would love to go in at Beaverhouse (nothing against Lerome EP) and getting to a campsite a bit quicker leaves more time for.....fishing...picto viewing....exploring.... :) Appreciate the advice. Thanks!

Where you access the park and what entry point are different - so if you have a Sue Falls permit, you can start at Lerome or Beaverhouse - or anywhere really if you pick it up the day before. Ditto a Cirrus or Quetico Lake permit. Enter the Park and just head towards your EP.

I didn't know that! Makes sense though. Sounds as from what you are describing that if we park at Beaverhouse, we can paddle then portage into Cirrus and start paddling back towards Sue Falls to "fulfill the permit requirements"? Just to carry the logic out a bit further, does it matter then where we camp -- as long as it is on Cirrus and in the direction of Sue Falls? Just want to make sure I understand it correctly...and thanks for the great advice!

If you paddled past the base of Sue Falls by end of second day, you'd be fine. From Beaverhouse, I think going directly to Cirrus - portages 10-15 minutes from access - or going to Q and then one of 3 or more passages to Cirrus; or even going through Q and Kasakokwog and long portage to Cirrus would all meet the terms of a Sue Falls entry point. Even entering at Nym and heading straight west should qualify.

Entering at Beaverhouse and going to southwest corner of it first might not be quite in the spirit; likewise doing your loop from Beaverhouse to Batch via Kasakokwog and then heading back to Sue Falls; or taking a detour through Jean would really be pushing the intent.

I kind of see it as they don't want everyone entering at PP to go directly to Louisa Falls, so those are spread out between Basswood Falls to Carp.

There is some Ranger judgment involved. My only specific experience was first time I went we were 12 on two permits - one Agnes and one Sarah (no intent to meet in the park) - and the leaders got the names on the wrong permits so as Agnes bound group was going through North Bay, a Ranger pulled them over - only time in 11 years I've seen a Canadian Ranger pull a group over and check a permit but I guess made an impression because it was my first day ever in the Q - and since they had the permit that said Sarah he asked them to head west. We had a permit that said Agnes but kept going to Sarah. On second day they went up Isabella River and then head across from Isabella to Agnes.

If it's nice weather, I'd probably head to Q Lake and take eastern most portage to Cirrus; bad weather I'd head for first portage and avoid BH crossing.

Thanks! Excellent comprehensive advice. Looking forward to heading in via BH!

quote billconner: "Plus you can leave your car at Beaverhouse, not so sure you can at Lerome."

You CAN leave a car at Lerome, but parking is limited. Stanton Bay requires a car with Canadian plates if you're leaving a car there. This can also apply to a rental car if you're a non-resident. Sort of a strange requirement and I'm not really sure of the objective. Possibly to make one EP somewhat exclusive to Canadian Residents?

Nice thing about Lerome is it's the closest EP to Atikokan, for what it's worth. It also eliminates a long drive down a gravel road, (i.e., Beaverhouse Lake launch site.) And although your first day's travel out of Lerome is technically NOT within Quetico Provincial Park, you'd hardly notice the difference. Lerome Entry offers smaller lakes where wind is not much of an issue.

Just my two cents worth.

Hans Solo

quote HansSolo: "

quote billconner: "Plus you can leave your car at Beaverhouse, not so sure you can at Lerome."

You CAN leave a car at Lerome, but parking is limited. Stanton Bay requires a car with Canadian plates if you're leaving a car there. This can also apply to a rental car if you're a non-resident. Sort of a strange requirement and I'm not really sure of the objective. Possibly to make one EP somewhat exclusive to Canadian Residents?

Nice thing about Lerome is it's the closest EP to Atikokan, for what it's worth. It also eliminates a long drive down a gravel road, (i.e., Beaverhouse Lake launch site.) And although your first day's travel out of Lerome is technically NOT within Quetico Provincial Park, you'd hardly notice the difference. Lerome Entry offers smaller lakes where wind is not much of an issue.

Just my two cents worth.

Hans Solo"

Just circling back to this post as I'm up in Atikokan after coming out of Lerome/Sue Falls on Tuesday for a "bookend" trip to the summer --- since we didn't do this entry with my family. Wind first and last of 4 day trip but other than that, trip was excellent. Good fishing on Cirrus especially day 3! Have a trip report up shortly...with a photo or two..