Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: 1st Time - 5-Day Trip - Favorite Routes???
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deepdish71 |
MN_Lindsey: "We absolutely loved our first trip into the BWCA - Mudro EP You can’t go wrong with mudro. So many possibilities for loop or basecamping. Sawbill is also pretty nice for similar reasons. I did not use an outfitter at either place so I can’t comment on that but we did stay at the voyager north bunkhouse and it was nice. |
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Michwall2 |
1. Entry 38 - Sawbill Lake - Frost Lake - Day 1 - Sawbill to Cherokee Lake - Day 2 Cherokee to Frost Lake - Day 3 Layover - Day 4 - Frost to Cherokee - Day 5 Cherokee to Sawbill. Yep, This route has longer portages. But Frost Lake seems to have more than a fair chance of moose sightings. (Sawbill Outfitters (at the entry) is the nearest outfitter to this entry.) 2. Entry 47 - Lizz Lake Entry - Poplar Lake to Horseshoe Lake - Right now this is kind of moose central in the BW - Day 1 - Poplar Lake to Horseshoe Lake. Day 2 - day trip to Winchell Lake. Day 3 day trip to Kiskadinna Lake. Day 4 Day trip to Vista Lake. Day 5 Horseshoe to Poplar via Lizz Lake. This route has the short portages you are looking for. The scenery on Vista and Winchell are good. And th moose sightings on Horseshoe and Gaskin are numerous. Several good outfitters in the area, but Rockwood is right on Poplar Lake. |
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schuetpa |
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minnmike |
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boonie |
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cyclones30 |
You said you'll be the only one fishing, what species are you most wanting to catch? A lake trout trip will likely take you to different places than a walleye trip for example. (some exceptions) Small lakes, big lakes, rivers, waterfalls, pictographs.....what else do you prefer? That will narrow down options. You can pretty much find an outfitter somewhere that will rent you canoes and help haul them to/from any entry point. |
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rickhoag2018 |
Thanks in advance for pointing me in the right direction! Rick |
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rickhoag2018 |
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TomT |
Each book has detailed routes from each entry point. The trip I would recommend is enter at Mudro then go north to Fourtown Lk. From there you make a loop either clockwise or counter. I went north through the Moosecamp River and camped on the west side of Moosecamp Lk. Lots of solitude here and I even got to see a bull and a cow moose. I went the third week in Sept. 2007 and the Bull was making a lot of noise calling the cow. You then go throgh Fairy and Boot Lakes back to Fourtown and out to Mudro. This is a great route for 5 nights. I did up a trip report you can read if you decide to do this. Moose Camp Solo |
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walllee |
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walllee |
rickhoag2018: "I think Ely, but I'm not set in stone. I'm just beginning my research. Are the routes along Grand Marais remote or developed with housing, etc? "There is no development of any kind in the BWCA . Both areas offer entry points that will offer solitude and beauty. |
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rickhoag2018 |
I like having the out and back because it will let us shorten the trip if we want. How does that sound? Any input? |
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rickhoag2018 |
The most pressing question I have right now is how quickly do those permits go? Looking to go as a group of 4 in the second week of September. If I don't look to get a permit until a month from now will I be out of luck? |
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inspector13 |
rickhoag2018: "... and I didn't know that BCWA included Lake Superior." It really doesn’t. Although some consider the Boundary Waters to include the lake region along the international border between International Falls, Ely, and Grand Portage, and to include the Quetico region of Ontario, the BWCAW is a specially regulated portion of Superior National Forest with a specific borderline as specified by law. Some Entry points are more popular than others and can go very quickly. You can begin to reserve permits at the end of this month. To guarantee your choice it is better to reserve when the reservation period opens. |
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lindylair |
Outfitters will drop you off and pick you up, sometimes for a charge but this is not absolutely necessary. Most of them will mount the canoe on your vehicle for you if you rent from them and you can drive directly to the entry point yourself. If you are doing a point to point trip and are entering and exiting at two different spots then you may need to be either dropped off or picked up by an outfitter. Otherwise generally not necessary unless you only have one vehicle and they cannot load both canoes on it. There are options for leaving right from an outfitters dock or shoreline if you rent from them which certainly has advantages, if you happen to like a route available from their location. Theoretically you could see a moose anywhere in the BWCA but there are areas that seem to have a greater frequency of seeing moose and they offer routes with good scenery and fishing too. Two that come to mind are entry #39 Baker Lake and #47 Lizz Lake. Both offer pretty moderate portages and small to mid sized lakes which is also a good idea for first timers, but are known for frequent moose sightings too. There are so many entry and trip options and many of us have our favorites for different reasons. If you can give us more info on the type of trip you want or what is important to you we may be able to better make a case to you about specific routes. |
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boonie |
Check the planning tab above for some information and if you have more questions then, just ask. The outfitter will be a big help with planning your first trip. The three EP's mentioned already are good options for you. |
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boonie |
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boonie |
rickhoag2018: "Yes, expecting to do a shuttle. We're flying in so logistically we'll be relying on the outfitters for our canoe and shuttling for pickup & drop off. Expecting to do a short portage or two, but don't want to be doing over a quarter mile. " Rick, it sounds like you aren't looking for a route so much as an easy entry to a lake you can basecamp on for the duration with some daytrips. The one or two short portages less than a quarter mile will limit your choices. One of the large entry lakes, possibly with a tow, would be your best option. Something like Moose Lake out of the Ely area or Saganaga/Seagull off the end of the Gunflint. I assume you're flying into Duluth and renting a car . . . ? Ely would be closer if driving time is limited, but the drive up the North Shore of Lake Superior to Grand Marais is very nice if you have the time. It's about another hour from Grand Marais out to the end of the Gunflint Trail on Saganaga. The Sawbill Trail out of Tofte is a little shorter and Sawbill Lake would be an option. You could also enter on Brule Lake and base there. A paddle across Poplar Lake off the Gunflint Trail and a couple of short portages will put you on Caribou Lake and another will put you on Horseshoe Lake with lots of good day trip options and a good chance of seeing moose. A note on portaging - most of us "double portage", which means we carry everything over the portage in two loads. Typically a pair in a tandem canoe will have 4 loads - the canoe and three packs. Two are carried over, then a walk back for the other two. So you'd walk a 1/4 mile (80 rods) portage 3X. |
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billconner |
I didn't notice when in the season you were tripping. I avoid some entries and areas depending on when. |
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rickhoag2018 |
Cyclones, thanks for bring up the pictographs! I didn't even know that was a part of BWCA. I'll be looking more into that, would be great to see them. I brought up that I'd be the only one fishing because I'd like to for a trip focused on the scenery, wildlife, and (now that I know of them) pictographs. However... if there's a couple routes that fit this and one of them happens be a killer fishing spot, that's the trip for us! I'd like to take a crack at pike. Got started on a fly rod while I lived in Colorado and would love to see one of them on the fly (know that I'll need mostly new gear... not exactly the 20" rainbows from the Rocky Mountains). You all rock. Thanks for all the advice so far! Looking into trip reports for some of the EP's you've brought up. Very thankful that you've given me a place to start looking! |
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MN_Lindsey |
Check out the link to read more. we highly recommend Steve Nelson from Spirit of the Wilderness. I think he's the most outgoing of the outfitters. VNO is another close favourite followed by Canadian Waters. |