Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Quetico Forum :: How to plan first trip to Quetico?
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Argo |
TomT: " Meadows portages in 2013 and one of my favorite campsites on a small island close to the northern shore of Birch Lake. In 2013 also. This site sits high over the water on a sheer cliff face to the east. I'm going to guess you heard a beaver chowing down on saplings. Have experienced the same thing and figured it had to be something north of 400 lbs. Nope. A beaver making a huge racket. |
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cburton103 |
overland: "Is there a good place to go for basic information to plan a trip into the Quetico? I'm baffled by all the names and places mentioned in the forums and would like to figure out what the basic choices might be for someone driving up from the south (Chicago) who has most of the necessary gear, including canoes, for a weeklong trip. There's lots of excellent information here, but I think I need to start at a simpler level. I think this forum is an excellent place to learn about Quetico, as are outfitters. Feel free to ask any questions you may have! I'll give you a brief rundown though, in hopes it helps you learn the lay of the land north of the border. If you're coming from the south, it may save drive time to consider entering through one of the three areas from the south: 1) Prairie Portage Ranger Station, which is on Basswood Lake near the end of the Moose Chain in the BWCAW. The easiest way to get there is via a roughly $30/per person tow. From here, you can access much of south central Quetico easily. Quetico permits are based on which lake you plan on travelling to/through first, unlike BWCAW permits. So if you get an Agnes Lake permit, that just means that you intend to travel to Agnes as your first main destination, but it doesn't mean you have to stay there. It's simply a means of distributing campers. 2) Cache Bay Ranger Station, which is the far southeastern part of the Q. This is most easily accessed via a tow, typically through Seagull Outfitters, which drops you off on Hook Island near American Point. You would then paddle into Cache Bay of Saganaga where the Ranger Station is located. This gives you easy access towards Saganagons, the Falls Chain, and the eastern portion of the Man Chain. 3) Crane Lake tow to LLC - this is a more expensive, longer tow via a faster boat along a stretch of the US/Canada border and gives the fastest access to the southwestern side of the park. This is the side of the park most affected by the recent fires. I would suggest probably keeping things simple and entering via Prairie Portage. This allows you to stage in Ely, which is always nice as far as a town to stay in before and after your trip. A few basic notes about entering via the south and the Q generally: 1) you'll need an RABC (Remote Area Border Crossing). Easy application, try to apply at least 6 weeks in advance 2) You'll need to purchase an outdoor card as a prerequisite to a fishing license |
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billconner |
Knowing what I do now, and if you had a week, I'd pick up a Carp Lake permit out of PP, head up Man Chain, Falls Chain to Wet Lake, and the McEwen Chain, Louisa Falls, and back to PP. A varied route with lots of solitude. |
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TomT |
billconner: "If you literally have all your gear and feel comfortable just driving up and entering, you might like what I did a few times when I lived in Chicago burbs. I leave early and have an overnight paddle permit for Moose Lake. I'd enter Moose in mid afternoon, 2 hour paddle, and camp near Prairie Portage. Then enter Quetico next morning. Besides gear and food and such, you need a reservation for BWCA permit, RABC to cross border, and a Quetico reservation. Take a blank day paddle permit for return and passport. If fishing, all those permits and cards and such. On way out, if you want to just go home, camp in Quetico near Prairie Portage (I like one on Birch Lake) and paddle back to Moose EP. Find an outfitter for a shower and drive home. I've done what Bill speaks of here, and I've also slept in the parking lot in my truck before entering in the morning. I'm from the Chicago Burbs and for me, I like to get a very early start, usually out the driveway at 4:00 AM. Drive straight up with only gas stops. I'll pack my lunch. I like to do what Portagedog09 does and get a night in the bunkhouse at William and Hall on Moose Lake. But, I'll always walk around Ely for a bit too, maybe even go to the Ely Steakhouse or other fine establishment for dinner. Take in the atmosphere and slow things down. The quiet up there can be startling for us people of the burbs. So settle in at W & H for the night then get their early breakfast in the dining hall before your tow to Prairie Portage. Also, if cash is tight skip the breakfast and tow but at least your vehicle will be in an outfitters lot and not at the public entry. Peace of mind right there. For routes I would just look at trip reports from your entry Lake on this site. Going out of PP is a great way to get initiated to Quetico. Have fun! |
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Ausable |
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TomT |
On Sarah Lake island I had beavers dragging saplings through my camp during the night. I was in my sleeping hammock and this was 1988 when I was a green noob. Kinda freaky but they didn’t bother me. |
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TomT |
billconner: " This is a great route. I did it in reverse back in 2013 but I think my trip was 10 nights. If I did it over I would go like Bill said - counterclockwise. My reason is that clockwise you run into 2 long rocky portages from Meadows Lake and they are not fun with a heavy food pack. Also I paddled the Man chain with a breeze in my face the whole way so having those westerlies at your back going east is a plus. I still think 8 nights or more is good here. Falls chain is very cool. Be careful on the steep portage next to Louisa Falls into Agnes. Good wading in 5 feet of water there in the "bathtub" under the falls. |
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TrailZen |
TomT: "billconner: " We did the Meadows portages in 2019 (trip report here) and were delighted to find that both had been nicely 'causewayed' by BSA/Order of the Arrow volunteers. Didn't change their length, of course, but nowhere did the tread require rock-hopping. TZ |
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billconner |
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plander |
I have used Anderson's several times, and Mark Anderson and his crew are awesome. It's essentially a one stop shop - simply show up with your gear, stay the night in the Pine Ridge Motel, and head out in the early morning on the tow in. That tow itself is something to do at least one. Never used Zup's but have no doubt they are good as well. |
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Jackfish |
Hope you can make it. Plan on coming to the dinner on Saturday night, too! |
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Argo |
Probably your best bet is to use the search function for topics that you're interested in learning about. The searches will return relevant historical discussions from this bulletin board which I've discovered to be extremely informative. |
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TomT |
It was me and my dog's last night and it was dead calm. As the sun set we watched 2 loons flapping their wings at each other on the water out front, a family of 3 beavers paddled directly under us on the cliff. The last beaver was huge and he paused in the water to look up at us. No tail slaps! Then to cap off a brilliant sunset we heard branches snapping across on the mainland. Something large was walking through the forest to the lake. My dog Luna let out a single bark that echoed across the lake. We never heard the sound again. It was gone. |
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portagedog09 |
Outfitters are a great source of information, not just gear. They can give you a lot of local information, what's available in their area, help with permits, lodging, tows, fishing information, lots of stuff. I started my trips that way and still use an outfitter to fill in the gaps where needed - plus night before and after lodging. The first decision I think you need to make is whether you're driving across the border and starting your trip from the Canadian side or will be getting the Remote Area Border Crossing permit (very easy...) to enter from the US side and then you can start to narrow down your entry choices. Any of the Canadian entry points is good - just pick one that's convenient for your first foray. Entering through Prairie Portage Ranger Station in the center of the park provides a lot of options for a starter. You might start by looking at the info on various outfitter sites and then call for more info. One I highly recommend and have uses often is Williams & Hall Moose Lake Outfitters just east of Ely. Good luck with planning. pd |
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overland |
I'll be grateful for any advice. |
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billconner |
Just a thought, rather than the more popular lodging and meals at both ends and tows up and back Moose. Two more nights camping in the wilderness and $200-300 saved. |