Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: Lake One or Two base camping with kids
|
Author | Message Text | ||
hypotomooseman |
|
||
lindylair |
HighnDry: "Several years back when our kids were in elementary school, we stayed at campsite 1676. It wasn't our first choice but it's a nice little site in a sheltered cove. Smallmouth fishing right off the campsite is not bad. There is a rock wall at the back of the site for protection. It was easy to reach and made for a nice base camp for our first true bwca camping experience. One could do worse." I too was thinking of this site for your group. Very easy access and a nice open area for the kids to roam. Loading/unloading the canoe doesn't get any easier. There's a large island straight to the west you can paddle to at dusk for sunset viewing, then a nice short 5-10 mnute paddle back to camp to enjoy the campfire. Might work well for you. Partial view of the site Another view of the site Lake view from the site There was a down tree at the back of the site for convenient food hanging Partial view of your private little cove |
||
HighnDry |
|
||
hypotomooseman |
1. How easy or difficult will it be to find a campsite on Lake 1 or 2 given that we are leaving mid-week? 2. Are there any recommended campsites we should target? 3. Any suggestions on picking a campsite that will have lower amount of bugs? 4. Any fishing lure suggestions? I'm not much of a fisherman, but we will bring a pole + poles for the kids and they enjoy fishing. Thanks in advance! Mike |
||
sns |
|
||
Grandma L |
|
||
x2jmorris |
2. Are there any recommended campsites we should target? Are you aware of the maps on this site? If you go there you can look at reviews and sometimes pictures of what the sites are like. I normally find a side that has the best ones and head that direction taking any of the ones I researched as good. 3. Any suggestions on picking a campsite that will have lower amount of bugs? For bugs, normally something that is open to the wind will help. So something like a point or out in the open. The flip side is you will see more canoes but if you go to a tucked away bay you might find the bugs thicker. 4. Any fishing lure suggestions? I'm not much of a fisherman, but we will bring a pole + poles for the kids and they enjoy fishing. At that age for kids I like to jig a lot. So jigs and leeches would be best. Also you can throw a floating rapala behind. I say floating cause if you need to help the kids you don't have to worry about the lure sinking and snagging. Plus they work quite well. Something like this one is what I prefer. |
||
hypotomooseman |
Sounds like we should be plan for as early as of a start as we can manage and find a campsite by lunchtime, good to know. Thanks for the input! |
||
CityFisher74 |
|
||
salukiguy |
|
||
Jakthund |
- Some here will disagree, but bring a screen tent. They pack easily in a bag that can be carried with a freee hand. The mossies will likely be bad and it's really nice to have a place to escape other than the tent. It's a great place to play games, read or draw. I was originally against this, but my wife insisted and it was a very good idea. - Kids that age don't care if you are on Lake One or a 12 hour paddle in, I think they actually like waving to other groups as they pass by. Not sure of your experience, but Lake One has some nice campsites and was mostly untouched by the Pagami fire. If your on early you should be able to find a site. If not, move on to Lake 2. We stayed at the compsite just south of the waterfalls one year when I had a broken collarbone. Nice big site, with only drawback being next to the portage. Only had a couple groups cut through over 5 days. Wasn't huge issue. From a fishing standpoint, lots of opinions in the fishing forum. For kids that age simple bobber fishing is what I found easiest. I've caught many walleye from camp on a bobber with a leech. Keep it simple, keep them busy, and have a cocktail ready for the end of the day. They are so much fun at that age. |
||
x2jmorris |
|
||
gopher2307 |
Lake 3 is a manageable destination in 2 hours or so. We all packed into one Wenonah boundary waters. I triple portaged and wife just managed the kids. As for fishing, trolling Rapalas in lake 3 will assuredly yield pike any time of day. Jigging for walleyes for 3 hours with kids that age is a no go, and its not like you can make them get out at the fishing prime times of day. Try to slip bob from shore too for when in camp at night and kids are sleeping in the late evening hours. Research the sand beaches on lake 3. There was one on the west shore that was real shallow for a ways out. Real good spot for a fam swimming. I would aim for lake 3 if I were you. Good luck. |
||
JDM2 |
x2jmorris: "I second jakthund. A screen tent is also what I do and my kids just turned 3 and 6. If you aren't portaging then weight isn't an issue. They are like 20 dollars at Walmart. " +3 - Free standing screen tent. |
||
cyclones30 |
If you want to toss lures or troll....any crankbaits that dive a bit will do. Take a buzz bait or whopper plopper if you want some sunrise/sunset topwater bass/pike action. |
||
SunrisePaddler |
gopher2307: "Did the same trip a month later in 2020. Same kid ages. But wife was also 6 months pregnant. Entered midday thursday. All sites on lakes one and two were full. Paddled on to lake 3 and there were a handful of sites. +1 Our family of four stayed on Lake Three for a 2-nighter in 2019 when our two kids were nine. We got the island site (marked as a campsite on McKenzie maps but for some reason only marked with a green dot as a "place of interest" on this site's map). Site worked great for us. Large south facing rock peninsula was a fun, shallow "play area" for the kids (with life vests), and a nice breezy point for camp stove cooking when bugs were bad among the trees. We enjoyed a hammock with bug net there. Would definitely have enjoyed a bug shelter as some have suggested here. |