Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: Help me with an area I'm unfamiliar with
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oldguide2 |
Second, your trip is too short. Vera, etc. are great places to visit, but not on a three-day trip. If Knife is where you want to go, then I second the recommendation about going up there, base camping and exploring. Even with a tow you will not make Knife until lunch time if you are an inexperienced portager. That means, at best, you will get there early afternoon, which in that neck of the woods is getting close to time to camp. Take a day to explore, fish, whatever and then your third day you are back in. Always amused at the folks who get a tow to Prairie Portage only to get to the other side and see Bailey Bay sporting whitecaps. |
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pswith5 |
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bhouse46 |
Ima is a long day, but also do-able with a tow. Cattyman falls is really a great place for lunch and the variations in scenery from lake to stream along that route make it a favorite. My son's first trip was into Ima and base there with day trip up to Thomas and back towards Roe then back out on the fourth day. Have a great trip. |
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overthehill |
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Wables |
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ParkerMag |
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flynn |
I didn't get to Vera or Trident but both would have been cool. Ensign is pretty popular but I didn't enjoy the scenery as much as Knife and the area further east. It just felt like flat terrain. All of the portages around Ensign are easy, I'd say 1/10 or 2/10 tops. Pretty flat and I don't recall any tricky footing. You should check out Cattyman Falls if you go that way. It makes a great lunch spot! You could stay on Jordan which looked like a nice little lake that I wouldn't have minded staying a night on. It would make a good 3 night trip destination I think, without taking too long or being too challenging to get to. Personally I am biased towards Knife as I thought the scenery was more varied and it stuck with me. I will remember that area fondly for a very long time. I didn't dislike the Ensign/Ashigan/Jordan area, but I think I just preferred the rockier/hillier terrain and clearer water of the Knife area. You could go to Knife, stay 2 nights, head down through Vera and stay on Ensign for 1 night, then exit through Splash. There are pretty rapids at the Splash entry. |
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treehorn |
I totally agree, and it was never really my intention to plan some aggressive route. I really only listed all those lakes to pinpoint the general area I'd like to hit...western side of Knife and the smaller lakes south of there. We may basecamp all three nights if we like our spot, but I also know the time of year we are going (July 4) features very looooong days, and quite honestly packing camp and moving might be a good way to fill them. I know how those afternoons can drag when you've already done your fishing, swimming, rock skipping, hiking and firewood gathering....and there's still 6 hours until the sun goes down! Anyway, you guys are awesome, thanks again! |
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TuscaroraBorealis |
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VoyageurNorth |
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minnmike |
A three night trip is not enough time to do a loop with a lot of portages. Enjoy some free time, swimming, exploring, and teaching responsible camp skills like Jackfish said, instead of trying to accomplish an aggressive route. Also remember you will be doing most of the camp set up and cooking, dishes also unless your son has experience with this. |
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Jackfish |
Make this a FUN adventure for the two of you. Getting a tow will be fun. Paddling lots of big water will not be. Look for some smaller lakes - anywhere, not just off of Moose - and find a cool basecamp area. Have a campfire, go fishing, go swimming, throw rocks in the lakes, make s'mores, talk, cook great meals together... do fun stuff. He'll think this is the greatest adventure ever. On the flip side, if you paddle and portage all the time, he'll probably wish he were somewhere else. Save the bigger paddling and portaging trips for a few years down the road. You're only going in for four days and three nights. Do it right and you very likely could have a paddling partner for life. Think about it. |
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treehorn |
What I'm currently looking at is Moose Lake EP (25), getting a tow up through Newfound and Sucker, then paddling up Birch in the direction of Knife Lake. I'm a little hesitant about actually going to Knife though, as I'd really like to avoid big water & the chop that often comes along with it. Certainly for a day trip or something, but not sure I want to camp on a big lake. So I'm looking at the lakes south of Knife. Like heading off Birch to Frog, Trident, Ensign then Vera. And beyond that there's Trader, Missionary, Skoota, Dix, Spoon, etc. I know nothing of these lakes & portages though really. It's also only a 3-night trip, so we probably can't go super deep. We'd be up for moving each day, or setting up more of a basecamp. Exit seems like it could be at the same place we entered, or maybe a tow out through Snowbank? I think my son will be game for some portaging certainly, but maybe not super hard & long travels. So...anyone have route suggestions, or even just cool lake recommendations in this area that we could target? Info on the portages - if there are any we should avoid due to difficulty level, etc? Thanks! |