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OldGuide2
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Party lake is a perfect description of Ensign.
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straighthairedcurly
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Try to get past Ensign for a more genuine BWCA experience. If you want to limit portages, then Wind is an option. Or go further north onto Birch. If your group can handle more portages get east of Vera...good moose country, smaller lakes, more privacy or go up to Knife Lake. The only time I've enjoyed staying on Ensign was a fall trip when there weren't as many people.
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SasquatchSAR
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Greetings!
Going on a family trip to BWCA in August. Planning this a bit late in the game but secured a permit for Moose Lake. Five days on the water.
My group is my family with two adults and two children (7,10). Looking to spend some time in and around Ensign, doing some base camping and exploring.
Any ideas for trip planning ideas or areas not to miss?
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wxce1260
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Extremely busy lake. Get a site early in the day and take whatever you can find. I'd say it's 50/50 at that time of year that you'll either find a ton of spots open or have to paddle to the next lake. Consider getting a tow so you can be on Ensign early.
Moose is a BEAUTIFUL lake, but can get dicey in the wind. Ensign is a very clear lake. I've never thought it was super spectacular, but it does have some charm. If you're willing to paddle through it, some of the neighborhood lakes are really special.
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OldGuide2
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How set are you on Ensign? While getting there is relatively easy, especially if you use a tow, it is not one of my favorite lakes. It can be VERY crowded and isn’t that scenic. The crowds can also be noisy and obnoxious. The tourists can make a mess of the campsites.
My favorite quick route off Moose is Wind Lake. The portage is a little long with a bit of a climb, but wide and well-traveled. Some nice campsites on Wind, lots of places to explore, and good fishing. It is also not as crowded. A long portage out of Wind puts you on Wind Bay of Basswood for a good day trip or you could go to Indiana/Bass Lake.
Wind was the lake we chose for our son’s first trip when he was 4. Last year we had a night where we listened to the area wolf pack under the Northern Lights. It doesn’t get any better than that.
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CoachBigD
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I would also mention I was educated on the need to keep a clean camp and hang the food on Ensign. Known for a lot of bear activity and we lost a few days of food to bear when I was about 10 years old.
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Freeleo1
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Second Wind lake or Wind Bay for the group you have going. I remember Wind Bay being particularly pretty. Basswood is pretty big water though, if it's windy; Ensign is too.
Ashigan, off of Ensign is a long paddle down Ensign, but it is a smaller lake and has three campsites. We liked the one by the portage. You have to go back out to Ensign to fish though if you want more than bass. Ensign seemed like a party lake and would be hard to find privacy or quiet.
Birch lake is a little smaller and would be easy to get to with a tow to Indian Portage. It has a lot of traffic going through to Knife during the day. We also liked Splash lake, but it can be hard to get the one campsite there and you can hear the tow boats early a.m. until the early evening.
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SasquatchSAR
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Thanks everyone for the feedback. Message received re: Ensign. I'm definitely looking for more solitude than that.
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SasquatchSAR
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I'm going to research Wind and a few other small lakes off on Ensign as options.
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OldGuide2
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I second Cowdoc. If Wind is off the table, take a tow to Ensign then push on to either as both are nice lakes. We also took our son to Vera when he was little and he still talks about it as one of his favorites.
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SasquatchSAR
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Apprecaite all the feedback. Im leaning toward paddling through Ensign to find a nice base camping spot on a neighboring lake. The final countdown has begun, cant wait!
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SasquatchSAR
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Apprecaite all the feedback. Im leaning toward paddling through Ensign to find a nice base camping spot on a neighboring lake. The final countdown has begun, cant wait!
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Z4K
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I've only been to Ensign once and it wasn't a bad experience. Stayed there for 4 nights in 2018. Plenty of people camping on the lake but none of them bothered me. I think it's an excellent destination for a young family, easy to get to, quick to get back to the car if need be. You'll probably have a quieter trip if you camp on Ashigan or Vera but I wouldn't rule out Ensign completely just because it has 38 campsites. If you can take a day to paddle over to Cattyman for the waterfall. If you're looking for trout to eat they can be found in Neglige and Explorer. You can find most of the warm water species in Ensign... a lake doesn't get 38 campsites if the fishing isn't any good.
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cowdoc
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Ashigan or Vera.....make the push
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Cricket67
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I will second the recommendation of getting past Ensign. The campsite nearest the portage on Ashigan is one of my favorites. From there you can do a daytrip to see cattyman falls and Jordan Lake. The narrow part of Jordan Lake before you get to the Ima Lake portage is, IMO, worth the trek.
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wxce1260
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OldGuide2: "Party lake is a perfect description of Ensign. "
I third this. Party lake and not that pretty. It is a KOA for tourists who happen to come by canoes or from what I have seen an abundance of Kayaks. I camped on Ensign once and that was enough. We camped by the Ashigan portage and could still hear the tow boats. It's now a paddle through for me.
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