Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: EP 45 Morgan Lake
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boonie |
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ozarkpaddler |
quote boonie: "I have not entered at Morgan, but I did walk the portage in October on a day after my trip. It's a nice long walk in the woods, but not bad at all otherwise. The trail is good, inclines are gradual, and the low spots mostly have boardwalk. " Thanks. I've spent a lot of time in the general area and around the Brule River and even been to the parking lot. Just haven't seen that little cluster of lakes on the way to Vista. In June, that will change! |
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boonie |
quote mooseplums: "quote boonie: "I have not entered at Morgan, but I did walk the portage in October on a day after my trip. It's a nice long walk in the woods, but not bad at all otherwise. The trail is good, inclines are gradual, and the low spots mostly have boardwalk. " Yeah, harder then and harder going in than out, but . . . it'd still be easier than several others I've done - like Tuscarora-Missing Link, Muskeg-Kiskadinna (that day whipped me), Fente-Hub, Zenith-Lujenida :). And they're getting tougher every year ;). Tougher than a lot of them though; certainly not one of the easiest. |
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lindylair |
I remember one night around dusk on Carl hanging out around the campfire and the frogs came out like crazy. Someone got the idea of throwing them out on a hook so we entertained ourselves for awhile to see if the frogs would make it back to shore. Most did not as we would hear a big splash and hauled in a pike. Still feel bad about that... There is no need to stop on either on the way in or out from Vista as it is a very easy and doable paddle from the Morgan lake entry to the nice southern campsite on Vista - no more than 4-5 hours taking your time. If the southern site is taken the site on the west shore is the next best, nice once you get up there but a terrible landing and steep climb to the site. The site in the narrow west arm was horrible IMO but I have heard of folks who liked it. Fishing can be very good around the small islands on Vista for eyes and smallies. I also agree that, for its length, the Morgan portage is not that bad and pretty scenic. |
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mooseplums |
quote boonie: "I have not entered at Morgan, but I did walk the portage in October on a day after my trip. It's a nice long walk in the woods, but not bad at all otherwise. The trail is good, inclines are gradual, and the low spots mostly have boardwalk. " Put a pack,and a canoe on your shoulders on a hot sticky day, and you'll change your tune :) Coming out was a breeze...it's mostly downhill |
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scramble4a5 |
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ozarkpaddler |
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Bannock |
Misquah is a very deep lake and I believe pretty sterile. I think there are a few lake trout and notherns but doubt if there is much more. |
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Mocha |
Lux and Carl are unimpressive. now, they do have fish because we paddled past a site on Carl that had a pile of fishguts in the water off the site. not sure i would have even filtered the water from that lake. |
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ozarkpaddler |
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ozarkpaddler |
quote head2north: "Remember there are only three parking slots at Morgan. They were all full when I entered last year. I parked at Poplar and rode my bike back to Morgan in less than an hour." I was going to ask our friends at Boundary Country Trekking to drop us off and we'll be paddling north to end at their place. Worst case scenario is we come out the way we went in and someone has to walk back to their place at Poplar Creek Guesthouse. |
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luft |
The second trip in I was with the kids and I was carrying a large pack and a tandem canoe. I seriously felt like I was going to have a stroke:-) I must have stopped to rest 10 times! The kids begged to head out Poplar again rather than do the Morgan portage and Twins87 was nice enough to offer me a ride back to the Morgan EP to get my car. I didn't fish so I can't speak to that but will say that I thought the camp site on Lux was a much nicer site than the site on Carl when I toured them the year before that. The Carl site was over grown, the fire grate was up a hill and full of weeds and I think I remember there only being one small tent pad that was mediocre. The Lux site was much nicer with more options for tent pads. I remember thinking that I would stay there. |
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ArrowheadPaddler |
Morgan Lake Trail |
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ozarkpaddler |
quote ArrowheadPaddler: "I have never portaged to or paddled Morgan Lake, but when I saw the OP I was immediately reminded of this old trip report (at least I assume it's old as the participants corresponded by mail and phone). I have always enjoyed reading it-it's an entertaining tale. Apparently the entry portage has improved since this: (LOL) I wonder if they meandered onto a moose trail? Sounds like the portage is markedly better now. Having "Sampled" those "Portages" up the Brule to Horseshoe, I cannot imagine that portage being WORSE? Here's a sample of the route they came back on: |
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boonie |
From Pauly's guidebook: "The Morgan Lake portage used to be one of the least welcoming in the BWCAW. It started with a 100-foot-long mud hole that had to be waded through, followed by a 330-rod hike in muddy boots. After the Forest Service started collecting user fees, one of the first expenditures of funds was for installation of a boardwalk over the low-lying muddy area. Today the start of the portage is quite pleasant and the remainder of the trail after the boardwalk is a nice walk in the woods." Beymer says essentially the same. I assume the guys in the story were there before the improvements ;). It's pretty much like the Crab Lake entry portage, I think, maybe a little more rolling than that. Definitely longer and tougher than Moose River North. You will definitely be going uphill going in as mooseplums said. |
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LetsGoFishing |
We took a day trip to Vista and Misquah. Had a nice lunch on the tall, bare hill just NE of the southern campsite on Vista. There's a nice ramp to pull the canoe up on, and it's a simple climb to the top. Reminded me of a closed campsite. The portage to Visquah is a pain. The landing on the Vista side is very rocky. The path is entirely up hill and has lots of roots and large rocks. Then, at the Visquah end, it branches off. Take the straighter of the 2 paths (don't turn left - shallow and lots of overhanging branches). Visquah is a beautiful lake - as close as you're going to get to a mountaintop lake in MN. We trolled for an hour or so during the mid-afternoon fighting the wind while my daughter took a nap. My wife hooked up with a 3-5lb lake trout, but it spit the hook. I didn't hook up that day. |
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pswith5 |
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ArrowheadPaddler |
quote ozarkpaddler: "quote ArrowheadPaddler: "I have never portaged to or paddled Morgan Lake, but when I saw the OP I was immediately reminded of this old trip report (at least I assume it's old as the participants corresponded by mail and phone). I have always enjoyed reading it-it's an entertaining tale. Apparently the entry portage has improved since this: Wow, that looks like an interesting canoe route. More wading than paddling, or did you find spots you could wet your paddle for a while? |
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ozarkpaddler |
quote ArrowheadPaddler: "quote ozarkpaddler: "quote ArrowheadPaddler: "I have never portaged to or paddled Morgan Lake, but when I saw the OP I was immediately reminded of this old trip report (at least I assume it's old as the participants corresponded by mail and phone). I have always enjoyed reading it-it's an entertaining tale. Apparently the entry portage has improved since this: Yeah, we decided to abandon the idea of getting all the way up to Horseshoe soon after those pics. But it did plant the seed that MAYBE, in high water, coming DOWN out of Horseshoe may not be so bad? |
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ArrowheadPaddler |
quote ozarkpaddler: "quote ArrowheadPaddler: "quote ozarkpaddler: "quote ArrowheadPaddler: "I have never portaged to or paddled Morgan Lake, but when I saw the OP I was immediately reminded of this old trip report (at least I assume it's old as the participants corresponded by mail and phone). I have always enjoyed reading it-it's an entertaining tale. Apparently the entry portage has improved since this: You don't know, unless you try. Looks like burn went through recently? |
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head2north |
Overnighted on Lux that night. Next day over to Vista in less than an hour. Hindsight, I wished I would have jumped over staying at Lux that first night and traveled the distance to Vista. The Lux campsite was snug and pleasant, but Vista much better. and BTW, the western terminus campsite on Vista is in my top ten worse in BW. Met a couple that had a cabin on Twin Lakes. They had just day tripped Morgan, Carl, Lux, Jake and they had only caught small Northern. They said the trout days were long gone for those lakes as they are nor longer stocked. Nice lakes to travel through. |
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greenandblackplaid |
Misquah is a pretty lake but was hit by blowdown. The campsite is rocky. We didn't catch anything on Misquah but had a great time bushwhacking to Lantern Lake and climbing some bluffs over Misquah. Carl, Lux, and Jake (we paddled through all of them) were pretty bland VW lakes. |
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mooseplums |
quote boonie: "quote mooseplums: "quote boonie: "I have not entered at Morgan, but I did walk the portage in October on a day after my trip. It's a nice long walk in the woods, but not bad at all otherwise. The trail is good, inclines are gradual, and the low spots mostly have boardwalk. " Muskeg/Kiskadinna is one I have vowed never to do again. |
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ozarkpaddler |
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Mocha |
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Bannock |
quote lindylair: "I also agree that, for its length, the Morgan portage is not that bad and pretty scenic. " Not bad at all. It should be noted that the BWCA doesn't begin until you're merely feet away from Morgan Lake. Nearly the entire portage is outside the BWCA and therefore is easily maintained by the FS and they are able to use equipment, etc. not allowed in the BWCA. Thus the boardwalks and cleared, level trail. |
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ozarkpaddler |
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