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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: Frost River - Is this the year?
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| OgimaaBines |
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| BigCurrent |
It's always been on my BW bucket list but all reports sound like it is more of an adventure than an enjoyable trip. My group of 4 currently has a permit next week and had planned on making a short loop through Cherokee and the Temperance lakes, but yesterday we started tossing around the Frost River loop. The plan would be to camp on Frost and make it to Hub or Mesaba in one shot. Any thoughts on potential conditions this year or past experiences on the river? |
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| Michwall2 |
You will definitely work harder on the Frost Loop than the Cherokee Loop. The day on the Frost River is absolutely rewarding. You will probably be able to float over several beaver dams that would be pullovers. I think you will be able to pull over some that otherwise would need a portage. We were able to line our canoes through some rock gardens that were portages at lower water. Very high water could present some dangers that we didn't encounter though. Remember that moving water is powerful. Getting to Hub at the end of a long day on the Frost could be a bit much. The 300 rd. portage from Fente to Hub starts with a 1/4 mile climb that will make your glutes burn and your heart pound. Have Fun! |
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| BigCurrent |
Michwall2: "From what we have seen with water levels this spring, I would go for it. Thank you for the info. What sections of the river would potentially have strong current with the higher water levels? |
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| BigCurrent |
Day 1: Sawbill to Frost Day 2: Layover day on Frost Day 3: Frost to Mesaba Day 4: Mesaba to Alton Day 5: Alton to Sawbill |
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| TacoOverland |
dschult2: "That's my thinking. Plan on heading down it this Sunday." Looks like we may be crossing paths. Traveling in a group or solo? Safe travels. |
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| TacoOverland |
dschult2: "I'll be solo. Look for the guy with a black lab." Nice, I’ll be solo as well. No dog with me sadly, can’t get him in the canoe and he hates the water ?????. Defective golden. |
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| dschult2 |
TacoOverland: "dschult2: "I'll be solo. Look for the guy with a black lab." I'll keep an eye out for you. Travel safe as well. Hopefully we can skip a lot of the beaver dam liftovers. |
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| dschult2 |
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| BigCurrent |
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| Michwall2 |
BigCurrent: "Michwall2: "From what we have seen with water levels this spring, I would go for it. There were at least 2 choke points where we lined canoes through rapids with some current. The high water allowed us to avoid the portage, but with more water flowing through those spots, it could have made it harder to keep our footing or hold the canoes against the current. Higher water also tends to move objects off shore into the channel and create things like sweepers, etc. Have a great trip! |
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| TreeBear |
BigCurrent: "Michwall2: "From what we have seen with water levels this spring, I would go for it. There are a few, but every spot that would have current is marked as a portage and has a portage. There's one rapids after pencil lake that's more of a waterfall than the others and the landing is pretty close to the start of the chute. The other "rapids" on the frost are boulder piles without much of a channel. I got through the Frost twice last year: one personal trip the last weekend of April/first weekend of May. The second was a guided group of high schoolers in early June. The two trips couldn't have been more different from a water level perspective. The first trip was a friends trip so we were trying to paddle past every portage (even if it took more time.) It was fun to see the different rapids though, even in April, there was a fair bit of out-of-the-canoe time. With the high schoolers trip, we had major water level issues. There's a turning point in the river when the water levels become way shallower after the waterfall portage (the first portage after pencil, I believe) where we were beaching mid-river. I have grown to love that route even though it is a slow trip compared to the big open lakes. Enjoy! |
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| OgimaaBines |
BigCurrent: "Just returned yesterday from a the Frost River loop out of Sawbill. What a trip. It's beautiful country and the river was an absolute blast. We only had to get out of the canoe for 1 beaver damn and I think we floated through two short portage. The portages along this route are no joke but make for a fun adventure. We didn't see anyone days 2 & 3 other than a lone paddler across Frost in the morning. I'm hoping to get a trip report up soon. Looking forward to it as well. I'm heading in from the north side (Cross River) in a little over a week. Going to try to swing a little wide to Gabi and Gillis on the way out for some lakers. |
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| Michwall2 |
BigCurrent: "Just returned yesterday from a the Frost River loop out of Sawbill. What a trip. It's beautiful country and the river was an absolute blast. We only had to get out of the canoe for 1 beaver damn and I think we floated through two short portage. The portages along this route are no joke but make for a fun adventure. We didn't see anyone days 2 & 3 other than a lone paddler across Frost in the morning. I'm hoping to get a trip report up soon. Look forward to your report! I am glad to hear you did it. |
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| Jaywalker |
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| dschult2 |
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