I am finally going to WCPP this spring. My canoe partner is in for a 10 day trip. I guess my goals are walleye and lake trout fishing. We are base campers and will probably move camp once maybe twice. I have heard about the road into Leano and would like to take a shuttle in and out from there. We will go in around May 17th. Where do we go from there? I heard Kilbourn is good for walleye but so is Mexican hat. Would like to see pictos if we can. Always open to day trips too. Looking for help on which way to go. Thanks,
JJ

Start by getting in touch with Harlan at Red Lake outfitters. He is a wealth of information, and for the shuttle and any gear you need to rent... he is your source.

Look up and read as many trip reports as you can. A wealth of tips and information.

The biggest hurdle IMO are maps. The topo maps do not show portages, the park map with portages does not show topo info and is not to a good scale for navigation. Also, Canadian topo maps are not as detailed as US topo. It took me a bit of adjusting. I ended up downloading the topo maps, coloring them to my preference, drawing in the potages, importing campsite and portage data from other users, and printed out my own maps for the route we were taking.

I've only been there once, and in late July it was almost bug free for us. My understanding is that for spring, you may want to invest in a bug shirt for your own sanity.

And finally, before you go too far make sure you check out all the entry requirements for Canada, and the fishing regs.

Happy planning!

Talk to Harlan up at Red Lake Outfitters.
His board name is solotrip.
He can shuttle you in/out and he knows the park and lakes as well as anyone.

Good advice from both jcavenagh and ECpizza. I took the route from Leano to Haven in 2015 (see trip report ) and camped on Mexican Hat. Harlan marked our map with a pictograph site in the NW corner of Hansen Lake, 2 lakes to the NW of Mexican Hat. There were no other known pictographs along the route.

Hey JJ,

Excited to hear you're taking the plunge to come up to WCCP! Drop me a line at the shop and we can chat it over. 807-727-9797 or harlan@redlakeoutfitters.com

Also check in with the Park Office, they are very helpful. There was a big fire last spring that may or may not impact your route decision. They will a link to maps of the fire boundary. If outpost/boat traffic is an issue for you, make sure you know where you may encounter that.

Thanks for all the replies! I know that there is a lot of knowledge on this site.
Harlan, I will contact you soon.

The park tends to have shorter portages through a series of drop-and-pool hydrology. Fauna is mostly jackpines and scraggly pines so there is more blowdown and fewer hanging options for food if that is your approach or if you have been a hammock person. These are just a few details to keep in mind for planning. Weather is variable, isolated and can be violent or at least rough. A thunderstorm that may slam the lake next to you while missing your lake and vice versa. The others have give you good advice especially on maps and road access. Topos online from mytopos is a good source and you will need to mark them up. Harlan is your man on all of this. There's a modern hotel up there in Red Lake as well as Tim Horton's:) so you'll be comfortable the night before going in. The park folks are an excellent source of information and I've enjoyed my few interactions with them. It's a fun park. Wild. Less traveled. And an absolute adventure. Have fun planning!

quote Ausable: "Harlan marked our map with a pictograph site in the NW corner of Hansen Lake, 2 lakes to the NW of Mexican Hat."

Not certain just what route you'd take, but here are some that you could reach launching from Leano and not traveling too deep into the park.

As mention, there are picto's on Hansen ... but 2 sets. The NW location is not all that far from the portage into Rostoul Lake. Another set exist on the NW wall of a long arm of the lake extending SW (with portages heading in the direction of Wrist Lake). Its about mid-way down the arm.

There is a picto on Paull (far west), South Aegean (south east) and a small cave on the water line on Aegean (western). If you are heading out to Onnie, there is a picto on the north shoreline (mid-lake) on the western Hjlarmar Lakes.

If you plan to travel further west or north, I can point you to some other picto locations if you want.

For my first trip (I've now done 5), I made a loop starting and ending at Leano. The route went from Leano to Kilburn, Middle Kilburn, Upper Kilburn, west to Paull, South Aegean, Aegean, north and east to Streak, popped into Wrist, then east to Nutria and Mexican Hat, then south east via Jake, Lunch and Bunny for the return to Leano. I'd call this a sampler of park and it does provide ample opportunities for catching Walleye and Lake Trout (which are sometimes separated by watershed) and Northern Pike. I don't believe there are any substantial populations of Smallmouth Bass along this route.

dd

quote HighnDry: "The park tends to have shorter portages through a series of drop-and-pool hydrology. Fauna is mostly jackpines and scraggly pines so there is more blowdown and fewer hanging options for food if that is your approach or if you have been a hammock person. These are just a few details to keep in mind for planning. Weather is variable, isolated and can be violent or at least rough. A thunderstorm that may slam the lake next to you while missing your lake and vice versa. The others have give you good advice especially on maps and road access. Topos online from mytopos is a good source and you will need to mark them up. Harlan is your man on all of this. There's a modern hotel up there in Red Lake as well as Tim Horton's:) so you'll be comfortable the night before going in. The park folks are an excellent source of information and I've enjoyed my few interactions with them. It's a fun park. Wild. Less traveled. And an absolute adventure. Have fun planning!"

Hope you don't mind a couple of corrections. Fauna is animal life, I think you mean flora which does include some pine but is mostly Black Spruce.

quote KerryG: "

quote HighnDry: "The park tends to have shorter portages through a series of drop-and-pool hydrology. Fauna is mostly jackpines and scraggly pines so there is more blowdown and fewer hanging options for food if that is your approach or if you have been a hammock person. These are just a few details to keep in mind for planning. Weather is variable, isolated and can be violent or at least rough. A thunderstorm that may slam the lake next to you while missing your lake and vice versa. The others have give you good advice especially on maps and road access. Topos online from mytopos is a good source and you will need to mark them up. Harlan is your man on all of this. There's a modern hotel up there in Red Lake as well as Tim Horton's:) so you'll be comfortable the night before going in. The park folks are an excellent source of information and I've enjoyed my few interactions with them. It's a fun park. Wild. Less traveled. And an absolute adventure. Have fun planning!"

Hope you don't mind a couple of corrections. Fauna is animal life, I think you mean flora which does include some pine but is mostly Black Spruce."

Thanks KerryG. I realized that after I posted it and was just not quick enough to get back and correct it. Also, thanks for specifying the black spruce. I always seem to draw a blank when describing that feature up there.

What Denton Doc discribed is probably the most common first WCPP trip. I'd recommend a variation of what he suggests. Make it your own trip. My first trip there was in 2010, I'd planned a route and it was very similar to the trip doc was on that was featured in the bwj that year. That burnt rock lake south of Mexican hat always intreged me.

I've been to WCPP once 3 summers ago in June, a fantastic trip. We went from Leano to Mexican Hat and back. Nice route. Excellent walleye fishing on Mex Hat and the lake to the north, Glenn I think. Caught a few lakers on Mex Hat as well. Didn't do as well on lakers as we were hoping. Caught very few fish on the way in and out, couple of pike is about it. We worked with Harlan. You'll have a great trip....

I agree that is a great loop, same one I did. Nice parts of that loop include no huge lakes, but not too much portaging either. Plentiful and easy to spot campsites. Traveled, but by no means crowded. We saw 3 groups in 8 days.

Bad parts include a nasty bog on a portage (waist deep for us), and one beaver dam liftover that is a real bear.

A few thoughts. In the spring I would defintely have an original bug shirt. I detest head nets but sometimes yu have to have one especially if your tolerance is low.

I suggest having both topo maps and the Park service map. If you get "stuck" with the topo sometimes a glance at the park service map can be quite revealing.

Leano to Mexican Hat looks easy on paper......and generally speaking it is. If you have no GPS pay close attention to the map and know where you are at all times as it is a little maze like. I got slightly confused and lost count of the small unnamed pond like bodies of water and just started heading north at each pool. Eventually I got there.

South Agean was very nice but I heard it got burned......pity. Rumor had it of exceptional fishing for large lake trout though I mostly struck out. I was fortunate enough to paddle up on a caribou however. They are fast and big.

Harlan is the man to help you out......the Super 8 next to Tim Hortons is a very nice hotel and unlike any Super 8 I have ever stayed at and indeed it should be for close to $200 per night.

Perhaps the Howey inn can be had for a better price.......food is good and karaoke on Friday night.......it's always better to sing where no one knows your name if your talent is limited. I did my best rendition of "one headlight" and it was a very fun night I must admit.

Good luck, have fun.

Yeah, the hotel rates are pricey. Solo trips especially I like to have enough time to get in to a campsite. Leno has a couple real good ones. And some that are pretty good. Just realize that camping is usually a little more of a remote feel there. The Mexican Hat route not quite as much, but with fires and wind/ snow events it does have new challenges it seems. The park does a good job keeping portage passable. But one should always be ready for surprises.

quote nctry: "Yeah, the hotel rates are pricey. Solo trips especially I like to have enough time to get in to a campsite. Leno has a couple real good ones. And some that are pretty good. Just realize that camping is usually a little more of a remote feel there. The Mexican Hat route not quite as much, but with fires and wind/ snow events it does have new challenges it seems. The park does a good job keeping portage passable. But one should always be ready for surprises. "

Ben, I don't think I know "Leno" for camping and/or cabins. Do you have a link for them?

quote nctry: "Yeah, the hotel rates are pricey. Solo trips especially I like to have enough time to get in to a campsite. Leno has a couple real good ones. And some that are pretty good. Just realize that camping is usually a little more of a remote feel there. The Mexican Hat route not quite as much, but with fires and wind/ snow events it does have new challenges it seems. The park does a good job keeping portage passable. But one should always be ready for surprises. "

I got a noon-time shuttle from Red Lake to Leano on a solo trip a few years back. After I entered Leano, I paddled to Bunny which is where I spent my first night.

The next day was a rather full day, made a bit slower by a rain storm that lasted most of the day. Despite that, I made Mexican Hat that day; setting up camp in a driving rain storm. One of the few times I remember pitching my tarp first and then setting up the tent under it.

On that trip, I was celebrating turning 65.

dd

quote HighnDry: "

quote nctry: "Yeah, the hotel rates are pricey. Solo trips especially I like to have enough time to get in to a campsite. Leno has a couple real good ones. And some that are pretty good. Just realize that camping is usually a little more of a remote feel there. The Mexican Hat route not quite as much, but with fires and wind/ snow events it does have new challenges it seems. The park does a good job keeping portage passable. But one should always be ready for surprises. "

Ben, I don't think I know "Leno" for camping and/or cabins. Do you have a link for them?


"

I realize that I misread Ben's post. He meant "Leano" not "Leno". I looked into a couple of camping options in and around Red Lake. They would have been cheaper than a hotel but I didn't book with any of them at the time. I think I just opted to get up very early in the morning and drive the whole thing in one day and put in the same day.

It would cost more but your dream trip would be a flight to Royd Lake where you could get your Lake Trout. For more trout and scenery go one lake east to Constellation befre heading north to Irvine for abundant Walleye and big pike. If the budget will not stretch that far take a few more days and paddle in and out.