Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Listening Point - General Discussion :: Clearwater Lake overnight motors?
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lundojam |
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MikeinMpls |
I've had three back surgeries and looks like I might be heading for my fourth. As of today, there is no way that I would be able to enter the BWCA if any portaging is involved. We have a permit to put in on May 21 at Clearwater Lake. So we're considering still putting in on Clearwater, and camping at one of the sites on Clearwater where the horsepower limit is 10. This would be a put-in with no portages. My question are these: 1. Is it your knowledge, understanding, or experience that those sites fill up with Overnight Motor campers? If so, that might make us change plans to a rustic USFS campground. 2. 10 horsepower motors are fairly quiet, right? FWIW, the Clearwater Lake EP has a quota of two, either OP or OM. I know the other group putting in on May 21 is an OP, and they are heading directly east to Caribou Lake and beyond. (I know this because of a chance encouter at the BWCA.com member dinner...but that's another thread.) Standard caveats apply: no site is guaranteed, depends on the weather, sometimes you get lucky, etc. Mike |
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OCDave |
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TuscaroraBorealis |
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keth0601 |
That's based off of experience from years past though. I paddled through Clearwater last year just from the Caribou portage to the EP and the lake seemed a lot busier than it has in the past so who knows if the experience is still the same. |
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thegildedgopher |
Since Clearwater is a lake trout and smb lake, you don’t get the boats buzzing out before dawn to take advantage of the low-light walleye bite. Not a lot of folks have motors less than 10hp so that keeps the traffic down as well— but I don’t think 10 horse motors are any quieter than 25 horse motors. In fact, since they have to work harder to achieve comparable speeds, i find them to almost noisier— but I have no real proof of that, just my perception. |
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ducks |
We did a day trip once when the ducklings were young, paddling down to the portage to Mountain and explored some of the overlooks on the Border Route Trail which was beautiful. Only one of the campsites was occupied and this was during the first week of August. We only saw one motor that day. The other time that I was on Clearwater we didn’t see any motor boats but big duckling and I I just cut across to the first portage into Caribou and then back again on the way out a few days later so we weren’t on it for very long those times. |