Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: Route Suggestions for late June 2020
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getgeeky |
Thank you for this great resource. My wife and I will be coming up for a 5 day trip late June through July 3rd for my birthday! I have an entry permit for Fall Lake. Our first plan was to head up to Pipestone Bay for a night and then on to basswood lake. After reading about heavy traffic and busy campsites we are considering a change in plans. We are thinking of putting in at EP 14 and heading up to Upper Pauness or Lower Pauness. We have Monday through Friday. Do you think UP and or LP will have sites that time of year? (Week before 4th of July) Ultimately we would like to find a good site for swimming and relaxing. Other campers don't bother us but we would like to visit Loon Lake and get pictures near the Canadian border. I stopped up for a night this month to test some gear and see what I was getting myself into. I spent the night on Fall Lake and practiced portaging to Newton. Everything went great and I'm excited for our adventure. We have all our own backpacking gear and will be renting a canoe from Spirit of the Wilderness outfitters. My wife and I are usually car campers but I spent every summer of my youth canoeing and kayaking around leech lake. I will be using map and compass as well as gps for navigation. Any advice will be appreciated. What I'm looking to do. 1. Decent swimming and relaxing camp for 2 to 4 people. We like the idea of one camp with day trips but are open to suggestions. (We may bring another couple) 2.Smaller lakes 3.Visit Loon Lake / Canadian border. 4.Fishing but not reason for trip. 5.Waterfalls? Questions. 1.Is campsite availability an issue on UP or LP for Week before 4th of July? 2.Do we really need bear spray? Reading about past problem bears on Shell lake. 3.bugs that time of year? May 19th they were almost nonexistent. Thank You! Brandon. |
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boonie |
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cyclones30 |
There are a ton of other options but that's the one I'll recommend. |
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cyclones30 |
The rail portage is kinda cool to see and that's Canada. But...to each their own. The Pauness's can get busy and you're going in the heart of the season. My thoughts on if you originally liked the Basswood idea is go for it! But instead of Fall Lake, see if you can get a Mudro permit. Busy entry point but not many going this route. Mudro-Sandpit-Jackfish Bay of Basswood. The lower part of Jackfish is a motor area but you might not see any since you're just passing through. Once you're past the motor line, there are quite a few nice campsites up along the border including the 2 on the island shaped like a whale. For a day trip, head west along the border to the top of Upper Basswood Falls. Pull your canoes up and out of the way of the landing. Hike the portage trail with fishing rod or camera in hand and spend half the day or more exploring. There's a mile of trail to get to the end of the rapids and tons of off-shoot trails that lead to the water. |
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cyclones30 |
Border access - check Good fishing - check Waterfalls - check Get from Entry Point to camp in a day - Check Small lakes - you'll start on a narrow stream and Mudro and Sandpit are small lakes....however Basswood as you know is not small. However you'd be in the farthest west portion of it so as long as you don't have a rare east or NE wind you're good. And it's not like you need to travel for long periods each day. Take a weather radio and you'll know what's coming for that day or the next day. |
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LetsGoFishing |
If you stay on Shell or Lynxy, you can get to Loon through heritage. According the comments on the map, the portage is a tough one, but it will get you to the Canadian border. |
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getgeeky |
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boonie |
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getgeeky |
Actually we have decided on shell or lynx. We are going in early on Monday morning about 7 a.m. hopefully we will find a campsite available on shell. My biggest concern is paddling a long distance and not finding a campsite available by Nightfall. |
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