Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: Minimal portage trip?
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mmarksnp |
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Z4K |
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sns |
If you are willing to do a few easy portages...you could enter Beaverhouse and have the whole Beaverhouse, Quetico and Cirrus lake complex at your disposal. For Zero portages, you could enter French lake, and you can access Pickerel, Batch and Rawn without getting your boots dirty. |
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lundojam |
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A1t2o |
The worst portage was the side trip to Gogebic, not part of the original route. Very steep and lots of twists and turns. |
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overland |
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Lawnchair107 |
bobbernumber3: "Lawnchair107: "Follow the Maligne River in Quetico" From the sheer length of miles of the Maligne, a few portages is not bad at all. Tow of LLC to get there? |
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Lawnchair107 |
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Jackfish |
Drive to Atikokan the day before your entry, pick up your permit at the ranger station and stay overnight in town. In the morning, drive 25-30 minutes west on Hwy 11 to the gravel road turnoff. (Can't miss the sign for Beaverhouse Lake / Flanders Road.) Ten miles of gravel to a left turn (sign clearly marks the turn to Beaverhouse). Four more miles and you're there. Beaverhouse Lake in Quetico It's about 100 rods from the parking lot to the water. From there, it's just a short paddle to the two quick portages into Cirrus Lake. You can also paddle into Quetico Lake from Cirrus. If you choose not to go into Cirrus, you can also paddle about an hour on Beaverhouse, portage around the waterfall from the Quetico River, then have all of Quetico Lake to roam. When on Quetico, you can do the reverse and paddle up into Cirrus, then out. Lots of campsites and good fishing. The third option is you can just stay on Beaverhouse. |
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billconner |
AceAceAce: "Basswood is probably the most expansive and easiest to get to option. Tow to praire portage then you've got as many miles as you want to paddle in the US and Canada. If it's avoiding portages, paddling to LLC with two mechanical portages might be an option. |
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overland |
Anyway, I'm in the early stage of planning a trip with old friends from the west. They're used to river paddling, plus, we're not spring chickens. They asked if I might identify some possible week-long trips in the Quetico (my preference) or the BWCA that didn't require a lot of portaging. I've been in the BWCA a few times, but never in the Quetico and the amount of portaging was never a focus of planning. I'll be grateful for any advice, remonstrance, etc. |
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YetiJedi |
Asking a question again certainly isn't a bother to me so you won't hear me protesting. :) I haven't been to Quetico yet but a few entry points come to mind in the BWCA. A few considerations for very few portages with plenty of permits still available are: Saganaga, Brule, Moose, Baker, and Homer. The first three are much larger lakes with lots of route options. If you watch for cancellations you might consider Lake One or Lizz Lake. If you share more about some of your trip goals or other preferences, folks might be able to help with specific recommendations. Specifically, how far do you want to travel? Will you be fishing a lot and what is your targeted species? Are you interested in a base camp or moving to new spots? Enjoy the planning process! |
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overland |
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billconner |
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AceAceAce |
Another option, with a more pricey tow is Lac La Croix. Andersons and Zups both do tows from Crane lake. |
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sns |
This is very possible without a tow, but a tow gets you to the Canada border & saves a couple hours paddling. From Ely: Moose Lake > Prairie Portage Quetico Ranger Station Once there, you have all of Basswood, and the North Bay area is known for good fishing. You could get into Burke and/or the S-Chain (South, Shade, Summer, Sultry) with fairly easy portaging. Jeff & Sunday lakes are also in-play. From the Gunflint: Saganaga>Hook Island>Cache Bay Quetico Ranger Station. In addition to Saganaga, one medium portage gets you past Silver Falls and onto Saganagons, which is a huge lake with a billion nooks and crannies. Slate Lake is a very short portage off Saganagons and is a small but spectacular lake to see. And then there is Lac la Croix, as others mentioned. The tow is much more expensive because it's much longer. Besides LLC itself, you have easy access to McAree & Minn lakes, and possibly Iron on the border. The last option - as I understand it - allows you to stop at the Sand Point Customs Station to enter Canada with a Passport. The first two require that you apply in advance for a Remote Access Border Crossing (RABC) Permit. |
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bobbernumber3 |
Lawnchair107: "Follow the Maligne River in Quetico" Lots of little portages on the Maligne. And quite a few to get there? |
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Michwall2 |
Canada - before getting your hopes up and plans all made, make sure that everyone is eligible to enter Canada. Either on an Remote Area Border Crossing(RABC) or at a customs station. Canada has some rather strict rules regarding entrance for people with what we might consider minor run ins with the law - DUI and other misdemeanor charges of various kinds can make someone ineligible to cross the border. How many different campsites are you hoping to have over your 7 day trip? 2-3? 5-6? In other words, how many days of travel? Here is an idea for the BW that is essentially a base camp with lots of day trip options. Entry #37 - Kawishiwi Lake - Day 1 - Kaiwishiwi to Polly Lake Day 2 - Polly Lake to Malberg Lake Day 3, 4, 5, 6 - Day trip to Fishdance Lake to see the Pictographs (Southwest) Day Trip to Frond/Boze Lake (east along the Louse River) Day Trip to Makwa Lake to see the cliffs. Again, the portages are mostly flat here, but it is a lot of in and out of the boat. With only a day pack, food pack and canoes the portaging should not be onerous. Day Trip to Boulder/Adams Lakes - There are some tricks to this route that a good outfitter should be able to help you with. Day 7 (or day 6-7)- Back to Kawishiwi Lake the way you came in. I think this is as good as it gets for your portaging efforts. The portages from Kawishiwi to Malberg Lake are mostly flat and not very long. You set up 2-3 camps. There is a lot of area you can see with minimal effort in camp set-up and tear-down. The day trips do have portaging, but not under full gear. And there is some good fishing in these waters with very iconic BW scenery. It also keeps you off the very large waters where wind becomes a limiting factor. |