Our group includes 3 BWCA rookies this year and a total of 6 people. Anybody have any suggestions for good sites for a group this size? never had to worry before because we usually go with 2-3 people. Other than Devils Cascade, is there any "must-sees" in the area? Also is the crossing of the hiking trail confusing with the portage to Shell? How long will it take to get to Hustler Lake?

My son and I entered #14 LIS @ 7:15 am and we got to the Eastern most Campsite on Hustler @ 2:15 pm in June of last yr. We dble portaged most of it and trudged through rain that started at noon. Had a great trip. We stopped at Devils cascaid on the way out 3 days later. Took a day trip to Oyster. No lakers yet for this cat....bummer.

All I can say is keep the noise down and you'll have a good chance at seeing moose. I'm 2for2 on the LIS for seeing moose.

On the south side of Upper/lower Pauness there is a small rapids fish the down side pulled Walleye,pike and smallmouth out of there.

dcm is right on with time. I went with a group of 8 guys once, left at 8:30, arrived at Hustler at 3:30 (about 1/2 of us double portaged) We were ready to call it a day. Stayed on the north side near the east end. Not a great site, kind of on a hillside, but it handled us all. Caught northerns all evening.
I dont recall having problems with the SHT crossing the portage. It's a faint little trail and the portage is wide and well used.
If you day trip over to Oyster, you can make a quick trip up to Rocky to see a small picto display. It's on the west bank, near the south end...a small rock face, just south of a small rock point. Not spectacular, but kinda neat to find.
Coming back out, if you stay on Shell, the north island has great sites on either end. Good fishing right by the portage into Heritage. Heritage itself is a secluded, wild, little lake to visit. The north site is the best.
Took the family one year also and saw a cow moose and calf cross the LIS as we were loading packs into canoe right at the ep. Great way to start a trip. Lots of deer along the LIS also.

have you checked out any of the trip reports for this entry? There are some good ones....... in fact I think I wrote one :)

we are doing a 7 day trip the first week of june. When are you going?

July 11-18.

I was in the area last Sept.-Oct. There is a great campsite on Shell, west side just beyond the portage from. Pauness. Lot's of tent area. The Hustler trail was barely discernable in the forest. If you get to that campsite, there is a large tree down, split our tent in 2. Came down in a storm, we were windbound there for 3 days. Trail from Pauness to Shell is flat, easy, beautiful walk in the woods.

We'll be going in there on the day you come out. Looking forward to it.

quote HighPlainsDrifter: "
have you checked out any of the trip reports for this entry? There are some good ones....... in fact I think I wrote one :)"

OK - I give up - how do I search all the rip reports at once instead of one page at a time?

Thanks.

LIS trips click on the LIS 14 tab on the right. A list if trip reports for the area will appear.

BTW....you do this by clicking the "Route Guide" found to your left...bottom....below the login area

Thanks. Route Guide = Trip reports. Great.

If interested in an area other than one identified with a single entry point, is there a "standard" way to search? I'm heading down Basswood river - happens to be on a Quetico permit - and was looking for basically campsite recommendations and portage comments.

Go to the Maps section of Basswood River. Click on the little red dots (campsites) for comments on site, or click on the yellow triangles (portages) for comments on the portage. Not all have comments, but many do.

Thanks Cowdoc!

You're going into a beautiful part of the BWCA. I've been up that part of the river many times. My only advice I will offer is to try not to camp on the Pauness lakes. I've seen every site taken before. And the ones one the lakes are used pretty heavily.

If your party gets to the Pauness lakes and your tired and there are sites, then great. I'm just saying that you should have an exit strategy in case things are real busy.

With the Noobs on your trip you will be doing everything in slow motion so allow more time than needed to do everything. On my trips with groups just getting everyone there and in the water is a real chore.

If you want to get past the Pauness lakes the first day you need to be at the entry EARLY in the day. If your group is not conditioned to move early then God save you all!

The Devils Cascade is neat but not life changing. The first time I saw it I was a little set back. I guess I was expecting the Grand Canyon. None the less, it's worth seeing. Is there anything else that's a 'must see'? I'd say the whole place. It's all spectacular. In fact, just the portage from the parking lot is fantastic. Lots of giant pines and cedars. Makes me want to go right now!

Tom

My son and I only - lots of trips together. We're heading out for a pick-up at EP14 in early midweek afternoon in early July. I thought we could get from Loon to EP14 by 1:00 or 2:00 - but maybe you will tell me not likely. I have allowed two days, thinking we would stay on north end of the western Pauness lake (?) and make camp by very early afternoon - but we tend to change our plans several times en route. I appreciate hearing of your experience there.

Didn't quite follow that? If you are asking if you can leave Loon and make it out at LIS ep by 1:00 or 2:00......you should. I left East Loon Bay with the family and made the LIS ep, loaded up, and made it to DQ in Ely for a late lunch (1:30ish).

Exactly what I thought. We'll figure out if we do that in one when we're in Lac La Croix. Thanks.

quote cowdoc: "Go to the Maps section of Basswood River. Click on the little red dots (campsites) for comments on site, or click on the yellow triangles (portages) for comments on the portage. Not all have comments, but many do."

I have been poking along our proposed route as you suggested I could but I was curious why the same information - portages and campsites and such - is not available for Quetico. Perhaps simply since this is largely volunteer effort?

Great resource in any case.

portages are here...... QJ portage database

campsites here... Quetico PCD

Fantastic! Thanks again cowdoc. Not quite as easy as the BWCA but still very useful.