I am considering taking Black Robe portage through McAree lake as an alternate route to Argo. My trips are solo, and last for 10-12 days.

For the last 2 years, Anderson outfitters (Yeah, Anderson Outfitters) has dropped me off,picked me up at Bottle Portage. The first year I took the Roland Lake route, and last year I took the 160 rod portage from Crooked Lake to Argo Lake. What I notice when looking at the maps is a 200 rod portage from McAree/Pond Lake which dumps into Gratton Lake, and finally Wicksteed Lake. Wicksteed looks to be a large lake with NO campsites.

My question is this: has anybody done this route and are there any comments? Thank you in advance.

Wicksteed has lots of campsites. That's really a long way around the barn to get to Argo... What was your question?

quote golds009: " What I notice when looking at the maps is a 200 rod portage from McAree/Pond Lake which dumps into Gratton Lake, and finally Wicksteed Lake. "

That 200 rodder is a real killer.

quote mr.barley: "

quote golds009: " What I notice when looking at the maps is a 200 rod portage from McAree/Pond Lake which dumps into Gratton Lake, and finally Wicksteed Lake. "

That 200 rodder is a real killer. "

Must be the reason it's called the goat portage...

I was on Wicksteed last season and camped at a point where I would likely see anyone coming or going via the goat portage. I was amazed at the nearly constant stream of people coming/going in that direction. So, despite it reputation, its a relatively heavily used route.

BTW: I came in and exited via Darkwater (southern, "swampy" portage).

dd

I see Darky River on the map, but not Dark Water, which empties into Darky Lake. Is this what you are referring to (or is Dark Water the original name)? If so, is that the river that is accessed from Minn Lake? How difficult was the swamp portage? Thanks.
golds009

quote golds009: "I see Darky River on the map, but not Dark Water, which empties into Darky Lake. Is this what you are referring to (or is Dark Water the original name)? If so, is that the river that is accessed from Minn Lake? How difficult was the swamp portage? Thanks.
golds009"

I believe more recent maps have recorded "Darky" as "Dark Water" (for reasons that are probably obvious).

The "swamp" portage is not an actual swamp ... just wet ... appropriately strewn with basketball sized boulders with a slight encroachment of vegetation. (BTW: the northern portage from extreme-north Dark Water to Wicksteed is a bit closer to a bushwhack.)

And yes, that is the river that runs from Dark Water to Minn. I came into Dark Water via the river from Minn, having had Anderson's drop me off at Brewer Rapids (just south of Black Robe portage). Then the short hop around McAree Rapids put me on McAree Lake. Probably not as fast as taking Black Robe if you are headed to Minn, but likely a better choice if you are headed toward the goat portage (Pond to Graffton) enroute to Wicksteed.

dd

Fwiw, the quickest, easiest way to Argo is from Bottle Portage. If that's what you're asking...

The direct portage from Crooked you did last year is by far the easiest & fastest route to Argo from the Lac La Croix side.

I did "Goat Hill" portage from Pond to Gratton once, but will never do it again. It's a bear. It does save time if you're going directly to Darky, but would be much slower if you are going to Argo.

If you are want to spend some time on Darky as well as Argo, I would do it on the way out and float with the current down the Darky River to Minn. Last time I went that way, we only had to do 3 portages (one just north of Darky and two where the river dumps into Minn). The rest of the portages marked on the maps can be floated going with the current.

You could have them drop you off at Bottle and pick you up at Black Robe.

Good walleye fishing below the spillway dam going into Minn. Also there is great campsite (not marked on the maps) on the first point south of the dam going into Minn.

Funny memory, but the first time I was in Wicksteed was as a teenage scout out of the base on Moose Lake. We had a layover day on Darky (its name then), saw the pictos and went downstream on Darky River to the west. The scout guide got lost on a short portage and we went to Wicksteed instead of downstream. Fished from the shore before he figured it out.
Always wanted to see this lake again, so fifteen years ago my crew went to Twin Falls, upstream to Tanner, took the Eat Em Up portage south to Darky River, upstream to Darky Lake and looped back west to Wicksteed. Nice island camp site and caught a bunch of northerns. Went back out south through Darky, Roland Lakes, Curtain Falls and out.
You could probably not do this trip now, as we entered from the US side, went up through Nina and Moose, Boulder Bay, and checked in at the ranger cabin that was still there at the west part of the park.

I can't speak to this exact route, but perhaps a good majority of it. Last year we entered at Black Robe, portaged into Pond, then James, and stayed on Wicksteed for a few days. Where our route differs...we ended up coming out via the Darky River and stayed on Minn for a couple nights, and got picked back up where it all started, at Black Robe. We didn't see another soul the entire time, until our last night on Minn.

It's funny, but two Fisher maps I have do not show any campsites on Wicksteed, but there are several on that lake. We also found Wicksteed to be full of aggressive, hungry smallies.

I'll also say that the 220 rod "Killer Portage" is exactly that...a killer. I hate to admit it, but we were pretty wiped by the time we got to Wicksteed.