Hey all,
I am heading up to BWCA next Friday and I was wondering if anyone knows of a good route to go. Leaving out of EP 25 and getting a tow to ensign. We are staying June 17th through the 22nd. We are fairly quick paddlers and would like to catch some fish. Maybe even a Laker as I have never had the chance to get any. Also is there any sights I should try to get to?

Thanks!

Welcome to the Board!
Ensign itself has pretty good fishing but that entire area is very busy. Plan to get and early start and find a sites early.

If you travel north east through Ensign and Vera up to South Arm Knife, check out Thunder Point over look and Dorothy Molter's Isle of Pines-Rainbow Rock. Nice loop through Kekekabic and back - Wisini, Fraser, Thomas, Ima, Jordan, Ashigan and Ensign.

If you go the reverse direction you will encounter Cattyman Falls.

And I second the welcome and that traffic in the area is heavy. Most camp sites on Ensign are regularly full and firewood very hard to find most years. With an early tow to Splash/Ensign you can probably make Ima and there are more camp sites there. The Jordan narrows is another nice place.

Have a great trip.

We went from Ensign to Thomas in a day easily so I'm sure Ima is possible but why not skip Ensign, and tow a little further to the passage to Birch, and get to Knife? Moor better sites and fewer people it seems to me.

Thomas can be done in 1 day. If your have five nights and are motivated you could start at birch and loop down to Frasier through Kekakabic then into Thomas, ima and out ensign. Plenty of chance for lakers on this route.

Personally, I wouldn't go thru ensign to start and head east and north from there into the south arm of knife. A few portages are reputed to be rough. East along the border is scenic and easier.

Yeah, I might also come back thru ensign. Could take tow as far as birch. Then go east or south.

I agree the route through Birch, Knife, Kekekabic, Thomas, Ima and out through Ensign is better than the other direction. If you are going into Ensign I would pass on through towards Ima or even farther if you get an early start and can make good time and then come back out rather than make the loop. Some portages are moderately difficult, but overall it is a really great loop with lots to see and enjoy.

I recall with some clarity the effort of portages at Eddy Falls, then south from Kekakabic into Strup. Still, they weren't strenuous like some others famed in the bwca/q.

Hatchet>Ima is one awesome portage.

quote bhouse46: "I agree the route through Birch, Knife, Kekekabic, Thomas, Ima and out through Ensign is better than the other direction. If you are going into Ensign I would pass on through towards Ima or even farther if you get an early start and can make good time and then come back out rather than make the loop. Some portages are moderately difficult, but overall it is a really great loop with lots to see and enjoy. "

I guess our experience on Ensign was so off-putting say like bhouse64 but from Ima go into Disappointment and Snowbank and portage back to Moose - longish but easy.

I've done this route several times beautiful area