Please suggest a route in the Boundary Waters
March 28, 2011 6:26 PM Subscribe
Boundary Waters Canoe Trip Filter: Planning a trip in August and want to buy permits now to avoid the rush. We would like to leave from somewhere near Ely, MN and be on the water for two full days and two half days. Can you recommend a good route?
We need the recommendation to be specific enough that we can buy permits - also if you know which maps we should get for your recommended route, please let us know. The more information the better.
More about us: We are veteran paddlers, but somewhat new to the BWCA (having taken a couple of multi-day trips in Voyageurs, and a couple of day trips in BWCA -- but that's about it). We don't mind portaging but of course less frequent and shorter portages are preferred. That being said, we'll portage if it pays off in solitude and awesomeness.
Thanks!
We need the recommendation to be specific enough that we can buy permits - also if you know which maps we should get for your recommended route, please let us know. The more information the better.
More about us: We are veteran paddlers, but somewhat new to the BWCA (having taken a couple of multi-day trips in Voyageurs, and a couple of day trips in BWCA -- but that's about it). We don't mind portaging but of course less frequent and shorter portages are preferred. That being said, we'll portage if it pays off in solitude and awesomeness.
Thanks!
All you need to reserve the permit is your entry point and entry date. Route, exit date, # of people & canoes are all flexible.
posted by bonheur at 7:03 PM on March 28, 2011
posted by bonheur at 7:03 PM on March 28, 2011
There's no way you'll really get "solitude" on a trip that short, unless you're putting in a 20-mile halfday on the day you put in. Especially especially with a fewer/shorter portages route. The way you get solitude in the BWCAW is by doing a couple days of long portages. At least in my experience.
Sadly, I don't have any real good recommendations for routes.
posted by kavasa at 7:04 PM on March 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
Sadly, I don't have any real good recommendations for routes.
posted by kavasa at 7:04 PM on March 28, 2011 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Agreed, it will be very difficult to get away from people in August. Your best bet is to do portages that other people would avoid. It would also help, somewhat, to trip in Quetico.
A possible route would be: Get a tow to Prairie Portage, between Sucker Lake and Basswood. Take the portage from Basswood to Sunday (Little Agony) and then the portage from Sunday to Agnes (Big Agony). That would put you on Agnes, which is a sizable lake, with the option of paddling up Agnes or portaging one more time into Louisa (a short but almost vertical portage), another largish lake. Find a campsite on either of those lakes, then return by the same route. If you want variety on the return, go through Burke, there are a couple of nice island campsites there but I think you'd have to get there pretty early to claim one.
posted by bricoleur at 7:34 PM on March 28, 2011
A possible route would be: Get a tow to Prairie Portage, between Sucker Lake and Basswood. Take the portage from Basswood to Sunday (Little Agony) and then the portage from Sunday to Agnes (Big Agony). That would put you on Agnes, which is a sizable lake, with the option of paddling up Agnes or portaging one more time into Louisa (a short but almost vertical portage), another largish lake. Find a campsite on either of those lakes, then return by the same route. If you want variety on the return, go through Burke, there are a couple of nice island campsites there but I think you'd have to get there pretty early to claim one.
posted by bricoleur at 7:34 PM on March 28, 2011
No advice, but I sure wish I was going with you. *sigh* I've only been up in the BWCA a couple of times, and not since like the 1980s.
posted by wenestvedt at 7:49 PM on March 28, 2011
posted by wenestvedt at 7:49 PM on March 28, 2011
Best answer: I used to be a canoe guide in the Boundary Waters, with a Moose Lake entry point. I wish I were there now!
You want Fischer maps. Once you know your route, call 'em up, and they'll tell you which maps you need. They all fit together like a slightly-overlapping jigsaw puzzle.
The lakes will be busy in August - or at least the prettiest lakes, or at least the lakes that aren't too far away for a three-night trip. But "busy" for the Boundary Waters is really not very busy in comparison to your regular life or most other camping destinations. You may have trouble snagging scenic campsites (the best sites have names like "Wisini Hilton" and fill in the morning), but the BWCAW permit system is designed to keep crowds low and a few campsites available. If you want to avoid the worst sorts of campers, walk a few portages before you camp, so you won't be near people with dogs and beer coolers. (For example, don't camp on "Hotel Ensign.")
The water tends to be calm in the morning, with winds picking up around 2pm and strengthening through dinnertime. (This of course will vary considerably as it is, after all, Minnesota.) Get up early and paddle early so you can be off the water early.
Learn which berries are edible. Eat them. They're amazing.
It's difficult to recommend a route without knowing how much you like to paddle and portage. At two or three miles per hour, how long do you like to travel each day? I would often aim for 10-15 miles with my groups of teenagers and parents. But that's up to you. The idea of a "vacation" means very different things to different people.
My north wall is covered in Fischer maps, and anyway I can close my eyes and still see these lakes. Let me know more about your camping stye and I'll try to suggest a route.
posted by Sfving at 9:51 PM on March 28, 2011 [3 favorites]
You want Fischer maps. Once you know your route, call 'em up, and they'll tell you which maps you need. They all fit together like a slightly-overlapping jigsaw puzzle.
The lakes will be busy in August - or at least the prettiest lakes, or at least the lakes that aren't too far away for a three-night trip. But "busy" for the Boundary Waters is really not very busy in comparison to your regular life or most other camping destinations. You may have trouble snagging scenic campsites (the best sites have names like "Wisini Hilton" and fill in the morning), but the BWCAW permit system is designed to keep crowds low and a few campsites available. If you want to avoid the worst sorts of campers, walk a few portages before you camp, so you won't be near people with dogs and beer coolers. (For example, don't camp on "Hotel Ensign.")
The water tends to be calm in the morning, with winds picking up around 2pm and strengthening through dinnertime. (This of course will vary considerably as it is, after all, Minnesota.) Get up early and paddle early so you can be off the water early.
Learn which berries are edible. Eat them. They're amazing.
It's difficult to recommend a route without knowing how much you like to paddle and portage. At two or three miles per hour, how long do you like to travel each day? I would often aim for 10-15 miles with my groups of teenagers and parents. But that's up to you. The idea of a "vacation" means very different things to different people.
My north wall is covered in Fischer maps, and anyway I can close my eyes and still see these lakes. Let me know more about your camping stye and I'll try to suggest a route.
posted by Sfving at 9:51 PM on March 28, 2011 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Sfving - Thanks for the response. I MeFi mailed you just now. Maybe we can talk more about this? Thanks to everyone else too.
posted by crapples at 5:42 AM on March 29, 2011
posted by crapples at 5:42 AM on March 29, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
I really enjoyed the trip from the Snake River entry to Gull Lake. Part of that area is still recovering from a big fire a while back, but it's really beautiful. The portage into Gull is hard to find and on the tough side, but that buys you a very peaceful few days if you push through it. Bald Eagle is a highly trafficked lake, so if you are looking for solitude, get off of it quickly.
The year prior we went from Mudro up towards Horse. The entry has one tough portage, but once you make it to Fourtown, there are a ton of different ways you can plan a nice trip without much portaging. If you push, you might be able to make it up to the petroglyphs. We didn't try since we were fishing most of the day instead of trying to put in the miles.
Overall, I prefer the MacKenzie maps, but I always chat about my route with Voyageur North Outfitters before we leave. We rent our boats from them and they are super helpful in telling you where the portages might be misleading on the map. They are also great for letting you in on some fishing spots.
posted by advicepig at 6:49 PM on March 28, 2011