Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: EP30: Number Lakes, Insula, Alice
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gshark |
6:30 would be a late start for me, so I think we'll be able to be ahead of (some) of the crowd, at least. My thought from reading other forums is that area is popular, but I think for our first trip we don't necessarily want to be completely alone, and from there we can have a better idea for future runs. I am thinking now that we may want to push north from Alice Lake, Through Thomas, then back west and take out on Snowbank at EP28. I may be bringing a Trail Life group (similar to scouting) out in another year or 2, and want to see as much as I can to help plan that better. |
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Z4K |
As nice as it would be to make Insula on your first day, the later you get to the lake the less likely you'll find a suitable campsite. Laying up on 3,4 or Hudson on your first day would mean you'll be pulling into Insula early on day 2, which would give you the best chance at a good site. See how it goes! If it's already well past noon when you get to Hudson I'd think hard about taking the next available site. Other groups heading west should be able to provide some insight into how busy Insula is. Has your canoe tripping experience involved portages? Even veteran river runners can have a hard time consolidating gear into one or two packs and one or two things to carry. On the day before a trip I like to not only finalize all of the gear but also see how it fits into each canoe and how quickly it goes from in-the-canoe to walking-down-the-trail. It's best to work these kinks out at home or at the outfitter so you're not holding up other parties at portages. The Pagami Creek Fire burned at least the southern shore of all of these lakes in 2011. Regrowth is strong but like others have mentioned some sites will not accommodate hammocks. There are also some sites that were spared, even with devastation surrounding them on 3 sides. If you really wanted to make things interesting (and longer) you could travel in or out via Fire Lake which was not burned in 2011, ironically. |
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Jakthund |
We went through to Insula last May, Wed after opener. We left the entry point about 8am and all the campsites we passed through Hudson were taken (at least the ones we could see). Same on the way out the following Sunday. Once we got over the 90 rod into Insula, things started opening up. We pretty much had the north end of Insula to ourselves. Though mid June will likely be busier. If you are camping on Alice, a good day trip would be the Fishdance pictographs. |
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andym |
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gshark |
My main goal is to get into Alice Lake (not sure why, but it showed up as about the middle of the BWCA, so that's good enough for me) but I generally follow a 'go where the water leads you' mentality, so we won't be stressed about where we end up. |
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MississippiDan |
On the way we found a campsite on the north side of Lake Three that did not burn completely and camped there. I have about 10 trips to the BWCA and left my vehicle at entry points without any issues. Have a good trip. |
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dustytrail |
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bhouse46 |
1. Long days would make it a one-day trip but unless you travel about 3 mph and start early finding a campsite on Insula might be an issue. An early stop the first day can allow time to work out bugs with camp set up and such and not push your group. One day out should be no issue. 2. Talk with your outfitter about finding camp sites. Depending on the day of the week you are likely to find folks who have set up base camp at better sites. Read trip reports and locate potential stopping sites and when you find one take it. 3. Very few reports of theft or vandalism. Try not to leave keys in the vehicle...but that's my story. 4. I hammock and have been in that area twice since the fire and have some favorite sites with great hanging. Like most areas one or two hanging spots and one or two tent pads and then it gets more interesting. Most of the camp sites were protected and have no immediate fire damage. 5. The river from Insula to Alice is pleasant but like in much of this area watch for rock. You could daytrip to Fishdance and see the pictos. Enjoy. |
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billconner |
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YetiJedi |
1: My guess is it will take your group 6-7 hours of travel time to reach Insula if you go straight thru. The half-dozen portages are all under 100 rods and pretty straightforward. Wind or other weather will make a difference. You could certainly take 2 days to get there and 2 to return - nothing wrong with that - but if you leave at sunrise you could be on Insula by early afternoon. 2: BWCA is getting busier and that area has a lot of visitors. General rule: the further you go the fewer people. This area, however, still gets lots of traffic clear into Insula. You should be able to find a place on Insula but perhaps be prepared to stop a little sooner if a nice spot opens up. 3: Yes, it is safe to leave vehicles at the entry points. Lake One has a nice road in and there will be plenty of cars there. You could, if you really wanted to, pay an outfitter to shuttle you from Ely and leave your vehicle on their lot. I personally don't think that is necessary though. 4: If you are tent camping, not an issue except for hanging tarps. Hammocks don't work all that well in many of the areas that have been burned. You can use this website and check out the maps and reviews of campgrounds for an idea of what you'll find. In many cases, there are pictures too. 5: If you have experience canoeing that'll help your group a great deal. I always like to remember the BWCA is a wilderness. Safety matters more when you are a day or two away from help. As for specifics in this area in particular...are you interested in fishing? Photography? Site-seeing? Either way, you'll find it all. Check out the trip reviews on this website. You'll find lots of great information there. My two oldest daughters and I spent Father's Day 2020 on the east side of Insula. We had good fishing that weekend and also enjoyed pretty skies with a few passing storms. Have an awesome trip and share your experiences when you are done! |
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ockycamper |
Can a trip be accomplished in a given amount of time? That's like asking if you can drive to Atlanta from Louisville in 6 hours. . .yes if no traffic. But if you are going in the summer, those are the most popular lakes up there. You will have backups on the portages, and may be dealing with black flies and mosquitoes as well. The first two years we went to BWCA we were in the Ely area and entered on entry point 30. We have to paddle in to Hudson just to find an open camp site. And were exhausted by that time. Because we used an outfitter that drove us and our gear to entry point 30, we were not on the water until 10 AM. It was 6 when we got to the camp site on Hudson. And that was with no stopping for lunch. |
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Lawnchair107 |
My advice to anyone entering EP 30. Be on the water by 6-6:30 to get yourself past those 3- 4 portages that involve heavy traffic. Once 10- 11am rolls around, you’re most likely around Hudson, well ahead of the crowds. |
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gshark |
1: What's a realistic time frame for getting into Insula? I'm thinking 2 days to get there, 2-3 days exploring that region, then 2 days coming out, with a day or 2 to allow for weather issues. How doable is that if we'll likely have double runs on the portages? 2: How full do campsites in this area fill up? I know permits for EP30 are sold out for most of June (we're there for the middle 2 weeks), so do I need to expect difficulty finding campsites once we're in? 3: Do people leave vehicles at the launch site? How safe is it to do that for 7-10 days, and what options are available? 4: How's camping in the burn area, especially with the fires from last spring? Any areas accessed out of EP30 I should avoid? 5: I have plenty of canoe tripping experience, so the basics are covered. Anything specific to BWCA (and these specific lakes) I should be aware of? 6: Thanks for the help. I've been running through the forums here and seeing lots of good advice and sharing of experience and resources. I appreciate the wealth of information, and look forward to adding my 2 cents worth later this summer. |
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Finlander79 |
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YetiJedi |
gshark: "Thanks for the advice, which confirms what I am expecting. That'll be a really cool loop, gshark! The channel between Thomas and Fraser is beautiful as is the paddle from Ima to Jordan. I hope you have an awesome first trip and much success in scouting out future opportunities. |
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andym |
My suggestion is not to make too specific a plan for those first few days. Just see how it is going each day. Maybe you stop on Hudson the first day. Maybe you make it to Insula. On the way out, it is easier to make it from Insula out in 1 day, unless the weather prevents it. The reasons are that everyone will have figured things out, the food pack is lighter, and you don’t have to find a campsite. One friend of ours once meant to paddle out in 2 days but couldn’t find a campsite on lakes 1-4. So they exited. Definitely try for a day trip to Fishdance and the pictographs. We’ve never left a car that long there because for our long trips we were getting dropped off and picked up elsewhere. People definitely leave cars there for long trips. If you are renting canoes and do it from Kawishiwi lodge on Lake One then you can park at their place. That would definitely be safe. |
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mmarksnp |
Pic from highly recommended campsite 2325 |