BWCA Horseshoe Lake/Caribou Lake advice Boundary Waters Group Forum: Canoeing with kids
Chat Rooms (0 Chatting)  |  Search  |   Login/Join
* For the benefit of the community, commercial posting is not allowed.
Boundary Waters Quetico Forum
   Group Forum: Canoeing with kids
      Horseshoe Lake/Caribou Lake advice     
 Forum Sponsor

Author

Text

Maureen
senior member (69)senior membersenior member
  
06/15/2016 04:51PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
We are headed on our second family BWCA trip - kids ages 13, 10, and 7. Last year we base camped on Seagull. This year we are going to try a few portages and enter at Poplar Lake and paddle into Lizz, Caribou and then Horseshoe. Any tips for first time portaging with kids? Any good campsites to look for or some to avoid if possible? Going in on July 16. Thank you!
 
      Print Top Bottom Previous Next
06/15/2016 05:09PM  
As far as portaging with young ones we've had great luck with making each of them responsible for a certain item / pack. Each of our kids carries a backpack that is pretty light, sometimes just a few decks of cards and their rain gear. It seems that if they have something to call their own it is much easier to keep them excited about portaging.
 
06/16/2016 09:00AM  
You've picked a great route! It's my favorite area so I've been there a few times and have camped on Horseshoe 2 of those trips. I really like the small/skinny lakes in the area and portages are not difficult for kids. Horseshoe is one of my favorite lakes and it gives you a great chance of seeing moose. Most of the campsites are nice. There is only 1 site I would avoid with a group your size.... The only way I would stay on the site in the southern arm towards Vista/ right where Horseshoe flows into the Brule River is if all the other sites are taken. (depending on which Map you use, that campsite may not even be on your map. It's not on Voyaguer Maps for sure) So, don't waste time going to check that one out if any of the other sites are open.

I do a daddy/daughter trip each year with one of my girls and they carry their own pack and as they get older they get more stuff in their pack. At age 5 they just had their own clothes, rain gear, and uno cards/books/notebook. At age 7 I added their sleeping pad, and at age 9 I added their sleeping bag. My younger daughter is much smaller than my older daughter so she may not get her sleeping bag added next year at age 9. 1 trip across the portage they wear their pack and the 2nd trip they carry paddles.

Pics of of daughters portaging........older daughter at 5,7, and 9.. younger daughter at 5 and 7.
 
06/16/2016 10:15AM  
I stayed in that site on Horseshoe that ducks describes with a family of four. It definitely is a smaller site, at least the part by the water, but it has one very large tent pad area for our larger tent. I liked that site. Depends how much time you're spending in the site, perhaps. There's probably better sites on Horseshoe...but they were all taken when we went through, then we turned one way and found that site and stayed there (might have been more sites if we'd went another direction).

 
06/16/2016 10:22AM  
Those portages are pretty easy. I don't think you'll have much trouble.

Beautiful area.
 
06/16/2016 10:46AM  
I will add that one HUGE positive about the site that nojobro stayed at is it's away from the flow of traffic and you will have a lot more privacy there than the other sites. The other sites will give you more open space for 3 kids in camp. In the middle of July on Horseshoe you may end up needing to just take the one that's open. I was lucky the two times I camped there (on a June trip a few years ago only 2 sites were occupied and on my solo on May 7 I had the lake all to myself). Last August we went through on a daytrip and Nojobros site was the only one open so we had lunch there and another time that we passed through in August only 2 sites were open.
 
Maureen
senior member (69)senior membersenior member
  
06/16/2016 10:50AM  
Thank you! Our kids are definitely old enough to carry some of the gear - at least their own back packs with sleeping bags/pads. We are still figuring out packs. We don't own any Duluth packs. Trying to figure out what's worth purchasing if we only come up once/year? (we live 9 hours away.) Wondering if my husband or I will end up double portaging?
 
Maureen
senior member (69)senior membersenior member
  
06/16/2016 10:59AM  
Thank you so much! Love the photos. The portage path looks pretty wide. I took one trip in my mid-20s and we went WAY in and I recall very narrow paths, rocky, steep, etc. and wasn't sure how my children would manage. We chose this route because it was recommended as 'easy.' ;-) We are looking forward to a new experience and appreciate those of you who have done this before sharing your wisdom with us! Any tips on keeping things dry in packs/canoe??
 
Maureen
senior member (69)senior membersenior member
  
06/16/2016 11:02AM  
Thank you - good to know!
 
Maureen
senior member (69)senior membersenior member
  
06/16/2016 11:02AM  
Thank you for your input! We are debating about taking 2 smaller tents or using our large tent like we did last year (we have a big 10-person tent that sleeps our family of 5 comfortably...although it may impact our ability to set up on some of the campsites that have smaller tent pads.) I think we got the last permit available for that date so we may not be able to be choosy with sites.
 
Maureen
senior member (69)senior membersenior member
  
06/16/2016 11:04AM  
This may sound silly, but is it easy to figure out where the portage paths are located?
 
06/16/2016 12:54PM  
The portages in that area are all pretty well used and easy to find.
 
Maureen
senior member (69)senior membersenior member
  
06/16/2016 12:58PM  
Great! Thank you.
 
06/16/2016 01:05PM  
quote Maureen: "This may sound silly, but is it easy to figure out where the portage paths are located?"


Usually, but not always.

I don't remember having trouble in that area.

Head to the general area where it should be, and look for an opening near the water.
 
06/16/2016 02:17PM  
The only problem on Poplar getting to the Lizz portage can be all of the islands so you have to pay close attention to where you are. Lizz to Caribou portage landing is as about easy to find as there is and Caribou to Horseshoe is also easy to find.

Are you renting canoes? or any gear? if so.. Rockwood Outfitters right on Poplar is very convenient as it's easier to get to the Lizz portage from there vs the public landing and it's also nicer leaving the vehicle there. Another nice way to start a trip is to stay in their bunkhouse the night before entry and you can leave from their beach at first light or early enough that you are beating the other groups that are entering that day. If you do start from Rockwood they can give you good directions to the Lizz portage.

I think I would use 2 smaller tents. That big tent would seem to be hard to find a big enough space for it to fit and probably weighs a lot more than 2 smaller tents???
 
Maureen
senior member (69)senior membersenior member
  
06/16/2016 02:30PM  
Thank you again for all your useful tips! I will take those all under consideration. We struggled a bit last year on Seagull with all the islands so I appreciate how challenging it can be to navigate around them! We are renting a large canoe from Tuscarora and they will drop us off and pick us up, staying in a bunkhouse the night before, etc. since we are coming from so far away. We had a great experience with them last year so we are going through them again! We will consider renting a couple of Duluth packs but hate to rent if we can use something we have. We camp a lot but this is only our 2nd time canoe camping, so obviously different experience. Thanks for any other tips that you think we would find useful or helpful!
 
06/16/2016 03:03PM  
When you have a good experience with an outfitter it makes sense to use them again. I've heard nothing but good things about them. After having a great first experience with Rockwood I kept using them. Even when I did a trip entering at Cross Bay with my younger daughter it would have made more sense to use Tuscarora since it's right there, but I just couldn't do it because I felt like I would have been cheating on Rockwood ;)

Have a great trip.

Sorry, One more tip..... did you happen to eat at the Trail Center last year? It's on Poplar Lake and you would have driven by it last year on your way up and down the Gunflint Trail. If not I highly recommend it either the night before on your way up to Tuscarora or on the way back down the Gunflint after your trip. It's my favorite place to eat in the world.

Trail Center
 
Maureen
senior member (69)senior membersenior member
  
06/16/2016 09:52PM  
Oh, I didn't realize Trail Center was on Poplar Lake! Yes, we did eat there last year, and after our time in the wilderness the food and drinks tasted amazing! Really appreciate all your help - looking forward to another wonderful adventure that hopefully our kids will treasure and carry on as they get older!

Regarding Tuscarora, I had a connection with the former owners, and after our positive experience last year, we decided to stick with them again this year. I imagine there are a number of wonderful people in the area to work with! Nice to know Rockwood is another option.
 
06/18/2016 08:55PM  
quote ducks: "When you have a good experience with an outfitter it makes sense to use them again. I've heard nothing but good things about them. After having a great first experience with Rockwood I kept using them. Even when I did a trip entering at Cross Bay with my younger daughter it would have made more sense to use Tuscarora since it's right there, but I just couldn't do it because I felt like I would have been cheating on Rockwood ;)


Have a great trip.


Sorry, One more tip..... did you happen to eat at the Trail Center last year? It's on Poplar Lake and you would have driven by it last year on your way up and down the Gunflint Trail. If not I highly recommend it either the night before on your way up to Tuscarora or on the way back down the Gunflint after your trip. It's my favorite place to eat in the world.


Trail Center "


That's a great place to eat! We did the same on the day we came out of Horseshoe. Amazing breakfast. Horseshoe has some good sites. One sits on a peninsula directly across from the portage into the lake. Another sits on a ledge on the southern arm of the horseshoe. We saw a moose swim the bay in front of us on one of the nights we stayed on the lake. We also visited the last campsite on the way to the portage into Gaskin. Not a bad site. Lots of high conifer overstory. Easy take out. Have fun. It's a good place to go and fairly easy portages. The second one has a muddy, swampy takeout on your way in. Just watch your footing. Our kids, 13 and 11 carried their own portage packs with sleeping bags, pads, clothes, lunches and water bottles...and a book and stuffed animal or two :)
 
Maureen
senior member (69)senior membersenior member
  
06/20/2016 08:00AM  
Thank you so much, especially for the info on the sites and your kids. We just returned from a 'backpacking lite' camping trip to Rock Island State Park (at the tip of Door Peninsula) and all 3 of our kids managed their packs much better than I expected,walking a fair distance. Any tips on how to keep everything dry if we don't purchase Duluth Packs? Can you just line your regular backpack with a garbage bag on the inside?
 
06/20/2016 09:20AM  
For lining the kid's packs I started out using these Jumbo Ziploc Storage Bags and have used the Heavy Duty 3mil contractor garbage bags to line the bigger duluth style packs. These are good economical ways to get started and kept their things dry. I really like that the ziploc bags are clear so it's easy to see the contents.

Over the years we have upgraded to Compression Dry Bags|pcrid|71492983205|pkw|event%20compression%20dry%20sack|pmt|e|google|main|NB&gclid=CjwKEAjwqJ67BRCzzJ7Hy-LYlFYSJABwp9PGlTfqiSH3FV-bfvDliC321mkw5Ex0o31e815P6NDLMBoCPU7w_wcB

They also compress their clothes/sleeping bags so they take up less room. But they are spendy
 
06/20/2016 09:57AM  
That rock ledge campsite that HighnDry speaks of is my favorite site on Horseshoe. There are 2 nice rock ledges that give you views of 2 different parts of the lake and it's open and spacious also. It's also located in a great moose viewing location. Lin.... the former owner of Rockwood called it "the moose highway" ;) I stayed there on my solo in May. A few years ago a family that was camped there sat on this rock eating dinner... while my buddy and I sat in our canoe watching these 2... for over 2 hours.

The site is located in the middle of the lake where there are 3 sites located in the same area. The ledge site is right at the entrance to the long southern arm that leads to Vista lake.
 
07/05/2016 07:18PM  
Let us know how it goes - we are headed there later this summer/early fall.
 
Maureen
senior member (69)senior membersenior member
  
07/05/2016 07:22PM  
Will do! We will be there in a little over 2 weeks.
 
07/05/2016 09:20PM  
Enjoy your trip! I hope you can get the ledge campsite but really anything will be good and you all will have a great time. The little lakes to the west of Horseshoe are quiet and fairly easy portages albeit a bit rocky. A hardy few may be over there basecamping for SM but all in all those lakes are pure solitude as you may find that you have the waters all to yourselves. They are a nice respite from the traffic heading to Gaskin.
 
Maureen
senior member (69)senior membersenior member
  
07/22/2016 03:01PM  
Just returned home from our trip Wednesday night. We had an awesome, memorable trip and felt like this was the perfect area/trip for our kids' first time portaging. The weather was perfect - 70s during the days, and upper 50s at night. We had one day of rain, but sunny and calm on our first and last days, so great for travel. The ledge campsite was taken, but we were able to settle on another great site just across from there. It was up high with a large open area where we could set up our big tent. (#676) The view of the water was somewhat obscured, but it provided us with a bit of privacy. This area was way busier than Seagull, but the paddling was much easier on the smaller lakes and the portaging wasn't too bad with the exception of the mud between Lizz and Caribou. We were not lucky enough to see a moose, but saw plenty of moose droppings! One night we got to hear a ruffed grouse drumming. That was a neat experience - it sounded like it was right outside our tent. We didn't know what it was at the time, so had a good chuckle when we figured out it was a small bird. We learned a lesson on making sure the tent is waterproofed before a trip - not too bad, but definitely a pain to put everything in dry bags and then try to dry out the tent and everything else the next day. We took two day trips and picnicked at some open campsites. We loved Gaskin Lake - the site we came across was really neat on a peninsula. The kids were enthralled with all the baby frogs along the way, leeches, loons, etc. The bugs are pretty awful this year - we were thankful to have mosquito head nets along for the portages and for some of the mornings at camp. I don't want to smell bug spray for a long time :-) Thank you all again for your sage advice - it came in handy! Now we feel like we could take on a different trip next year. Tuscarora is suggesting the Granite River route - not sure we are up for 9-12 portages but we will consider it as it looks like a beautiful area and probably less busy. I will also need to pair down our food supply - I did better than last year, but could still lighten the load a bit.
 
07/22/2016 04:31PM  
YAY! glad the trip went well and I've been anxiously waiting for your report. Bummer that the ledge site was taken.... but I stayed at the one you did once before and it is also nice. Gaskin is also a nice lake w/ great campsites. Was the peninsula site you liked the one with the stairs? My wife and I stayed there once and it's her favorite bwca site that she's been to. On my solo in May the grouse were drumming non stop from all directions :)
 
07/22/2016 04:31PM  
sorry.... double post
 
Maureen
senior member (69)senior membersenior member
  
07/22/2016 05:06PM  
Yes! The Gaskin site had two entry points - one with stairs and some cool rock formations all around. I'll see if I can upload a photo - as much as I love to basecamp and not move around, that would have been a site I'd be willing to move to!



/Users/Maureen/Pictures/Photos Library.photoslibrary/Thumbnails/2016/07/21/20160721-150105/19wT0NlCQMulytGTHDk0kw/thumb_P1010852_1024.jpg

 
Maureen
senior member (69)senior membersenior member
  
07/22/2016 05:12PM  
Here's a better photo of the Gaskin peninsula site:

 
Maureen
senior member (69)senior membersenior member
  
07/22/2016 05:19PM  
 
Maureen
senior member (69)senior membersenior member
  
07/22/2016 05:24PM  
sorry for the duplication! having trouble uploading photos.
 
Maureen
senior member (69)senior membersenior member
  
07/22/2016 08:00PM  
forgot to mention that we heard wolves howling during one of the nights - fun to hear, but not sure I'd want to run into one :-)

Ducks, I saw your posts on another forum about the dead moose floating around Horseshoe? That's wild!

We wished we could have seen a moose especially since they are obviously living all around this area. Perhaps we weren't quiet enough? Or up early enough? We paddled out quietly one evening - we asked the family staying at the ledge site (they were there for a week) if they had seen any moose and they hadn't seen any yet.

One challenge with our giant canoe is to maneuver it solo. My husband said it was tricky and didn't feel comfortable with me out on the water without someone else in the canoe for extra weight up front. Any ideas on this? Perhaps just the nature of the giant canoe - it's a Bell Northshore 21.5 foot Kevlar canoe.
 
07/23/2016 08:28AM  
That site on Gaskin is awesome! I also stopped there for lunch during a daytrip on my solo and it brought back great memories. Big Bummer about not seeing moose. That canoe would be very difficult to paddle solo. I take my Souris River Q18.5 out fishing solo once in a while and it's a beast to handle alone. When I do take it out solo I fill a dry bag w/ water and put it up in the bow and I don't go very far.

On my solo in May I saw 2 wolves on Horseshoe. I saw one swimming from pretty far away and then I saw 2 of them walking just behind the treeline along shore down by the portage to Gaskin when I paddled down by where I had seen it swimming. I've read about several people hearing wolves howling on Horseshoe this year and I don't remember hearing those reports other years. I've seen wolves near the bwca before, but that was my first time seeing them while in the bwca. Those things are huge and make my 90lb lab look like a puppy.

Gaskin site.....
 
08/01/2016 09:06AM  
Oh this is making me SO excited for our own trip at the end of the month to these very same spaces!

Really hoping the wolf activity dies down tho ;)

Good to know about the muck on Lizz/Caribou - we'll have to wear our Bog Boots.

Gonna have to daytrip to Gaskin.

Did you guys daytrip to Vista at all?
 
Maureen
senior member (69)senior membersenior member
  
08/01/2016 05:00PM  
Oh, I would love to hear about your trip afterward! Of course once you leave the area (at least for me) I sort of ache to go back and have a hard time waiting :-)

Regarding the Lizz/Caribou portage: I think you'll be OK w/o boots unless there's been a lot of rain? We were there after a tremendous amount of rain. I know these probably aren't recommended by hardcore travelers, but we all wore our Keen closed-toe sandals and they functioned well as wet shoes.

Regarding a day trip to Vista, we were headed there the day we had lunch at the small site on Horseshoe near the mouth of the Brule River, but as we packed up to head out again we heard thunder and the skies looked threatening. If we didn't have the kids with us we likely would have continued on to Vista as it looked like an easy route to a quiet, beautiful lake, but ultimately we turned around and went back to camp...made it back about 3 minutes before a downpour that lasted about 5 hours! We would have been OK, but wet, and I think I mentioned before that this was when we discovered our tent was leaking, so we're glad we got back in time to close things up better and have dry sleeping bags/pads for the night. I've seen some lovely images of other folks' trips to Vista - hope you get to go there!

Gaskin is definitely worth it, too, as I mentioned! Next time we go it might be fun to paddle all the way to Winchell as that is supposed to be gorgeous with the cliffs on one side. I hope you get to see some moose - not sure why we missed out, although I think I said we didn't get out super early in the mornings which might have been the better time to see them. The lake was also really busy while we were there and we wondered if the moose were hunkered down. I don't know - just need to come back! :-)

I keep wondering if it would be worth it to come to the area during a less-busy time some summer - like early June? Maybe we'd have a better chance of seeing more wildlife? Those of you who go up frequently, can you discuss pros and cons? I'm guessing weather is more iffy in June and maybe it's buggier, although this year would be a tough one to beat in that regard. I am a teacher so I have some flexibility in June/July but I'm back working Aug. 1.

Our friends at Tuscarora are recommending we try a different route next year:
Start on Gunflint Lake

Paddle into Magnetic Lake
Portage 5 rods into the Pine River – be sure to check out Little Rock Falls!
Portage 30 rods around some rapids on the Pine River – 1 campsite
Portage 100 rods into Clove Lake – 3 campsites
Portage 48 rods into the Granite River
Portage 72 rods around some rapids on the Granite River
Portage 25 rods around some rapids on the Granite River
Portage 25 rods into Gneiss Lake– 3 campsites
Paddle into the Devil’s Elbow – 4 campsites
Paddle into Maraboeuf Lake– 8 campsites
Portage 27 rods around Horsetail Rapids
Portage 25 rods into Saganaga Lake – Saganaga Falls is a great spot to stop for a break
Explore and camp on Saganaga Lake’s numerous campsites and islands then paddle south to our private tow dock for a pick up


quote MNLindsey80: "Oh this is making me SO excited for our own trip at the end of the month to these very same spaces!


Really hoping the wolf activity dies down tho ;)


Good to know about the muck on Lizz/Caribou - we'll have to wear our Bog Boots.


Gonna have to daytrip to Gaskin.


Did you guys daytrip to Vista at all?"
 
08/04/2016 08:39AM  
Lindsey..... Other than my May solo (1 week after iceout when I wore muck boots) we've always worn our keens w/toe protection in that area and they have worked well. Even on the Lizz/Caribou portage.

A neat little loop daytrip in that area is Horseshoe/Gaskin/Jump/Allen/Horseshoe

Maureen..... I've had a much higher percentage of moose sightings on my May and June trips. June is also when the bugs have been the worst but they don't bother me nearly as much as the rest of my family. The moose seem to be out in sight and in the lakes more often early in the season. I've tripped in all months from May through October. I have not done the Granite River area before but it sounds like a great area from the reports I've read.
 
      Print Top Bottom Previous Next
Group : Canoeing with kids Sponsor:
Seagull Outfitters