Hi, I am new here. First post, in fact. I have wanted to go to BWCA for a few years.

Basic background is, I grew up camping. However, when my mum cooks better meal camping than at home, you can imagine it wasn't exactly roughing it. I dreamed of backcountry camping but let my own fears and those of my family convince me it wasn't possible. Two years ago, I changed my mind. I have take two canoe trips since then. These were about a hour paddle from my truck where we set up a base camp for a week or two. My group was four or five. This was a test run for me to see what was needed for the real thing. Now, aside from some gear issues, I am ready.

The trip I want is this. I will be flying solo. This is partially because I no longer have anyone to take and partially because I want the time alone. What I want is to do a paddle for a day or two. Then, I will set up a base camp and make day trips from there. I want to hike some too. Things I look for is scenery and fishing. My biggest hobby is photography and will have some camera gear. I love waterfalls and rock formations. I would especially like to see some wildlife. But most importantly, I really would rather not see other people. I am possibly going for the maximum time you're allowed in.

I still have a lot to figure out and am in the early stages of planning. One big consideration for me is portaging. I have a 17' Coleman canoe and two 14' kayaks. These are what I have used in the past. However, I do not relish the idea of carrying that orange beast of a canoe for any length by myself. At the same time, due to recently getting a separation from my wife, funds are a bit tight and I am not sure I want to rent one. So, this debate is still in the air. I also have a few odds and ends like a backpacking stove and filtration system to purchase.

I have a lot of details already being worked out in my head. However, I am still open to advice of any kind. Those of you with more experience will know things I don't, naturally. But I have two things I specifically want advice on. First is when to go. I well know that certain times of the year have bug problems, for example. So, when is the best time to do this, in your opinions. I am looking at late spring or early summer, if at all possible. Second, base on the information above, where? Not knowing the area yet, I would like your suggestions as to where I should put in, set up a base camp, day trips and areas to see.

I thank you in advance for any advice and suggestions.

Welcome, Blackfoot. A few preliminary thoughts for you:

Since you'll be soloing, if you look at the bottom of the messageboard page where it references other special public interest groups, you'll find one for solo tripping. Sign up and you can find lots of good information specifically related to soloing.

If you're really intent on hiking, there are only a few hiking trails in the BW, but the portages can be a nice hike, so don't let them worry you too much even if you can't rent a lightweight canoe. You can use the leapfrog method to portage longer ones.

And if you'd really like to not see too many people, long portages are what usually filters out the crowd. You might also consider seeking lakes off the main travel routes and staying at lakes with only one or two campsites.

There is no maximum to time you can stay in, although there is a limit to the number of consecutive days you can stay at the same campsite.

If I were you, I'd plan a nice long trip with short travel days and several layovers for day tripping.

As far as a stove for solo use, you don't really need much, especially if you keep meal prep simple. You may want to consider making an alcohol stove - cheap, light, simple. See the gear forum for a couple of threads on this. I have used one and I also use a cheap ($20-25 at WalMart) Coleman canister stove.

There are lots of options for entry and route, especially if you have lots of time. If you click "Route Guide" at the bottom of the green section to the left of the messageboard, then click on an entry, in a couple of seconds it will drop down a list of trip reports related to that entry.

Good luck with your planning, hope you have a nice trip.

My first solo was all about the heebie jeebies. I came out after one night, couldn't take it. It gets better as you go though. I would suggest a short trip, build up as you go.

Late spring to early summer is the best times for bugs. Be sure to bring repellent.
If bugs are an issue for you, late summer and fall would be better.

I have taken kayaks to BWCA. Last year we took a 17 foot Chinook sea kayak and a 14 foot Oldtown dirigo.

down side. . .they were beasts to portage

up side. . .they were extremely easy to paddle. The wind picked up and caused problems for the canoes in our trip. . .but the kayaks sliced right through.

We outfitted the kayaks with rod holders, etc for fishing. My kayak had front and rear sealed storage compartments.

I would never take a tandem canoe on a solo trip. I now have a Wenonah Vagabond solo (14 foot) and an Old town Sport XWave kayak (13 foot touring boat with front and rear sealed hatches). I also have a Wenonah fisherman canoe (tandem).

The great thing about just worrying about yourself is you can but back a great deal on gear. I would have no problem getting everything I need in the kayak. I would take my Hennessy Hammock, single burner stove, and minimal equipment past that. Freeze dried food.

My advice. . .if you don't want to spend any money, take one of the kayaks. . .do not take the big Coleman canoe. If you can break free for a few bucks, get an outfitter to rent you a Wenonah Vagabond or some type of solo canoe that would be less expensive rental then the long kevlars.

Welcome!! You will love the BWCA.

You've found the right place for advice and opinions.

As far as vehicles, it's a toss up between the monster canoe and the kayak. The kayaks are harder to portage, but a coleman is a beast to portage, too. The good thing about the canoe is that it will carry more gear and supplies. The good thing about the kayak is that it will handle better solo. Renting a solo canoe is the best option, but it will cost you.

Maximum time is 14 consecutive days at any one campsite. Other than that, there is no time limit. You'll have issues carrying enough supplies however if you're thinking in terms of months.

If you use your heavy boats you might want to consider a portageless trip to the campsite and then take daytrips. Sawbill maybe.

Consider a Mudro entry and a Horse Lake campsite. You can make loads of daytrips from there including down the Horse River to Basswood Falls and the Pictographs. Good fishing lakes in the area.

As far as solitude, you'll find it. Sure you'll see people but you won't mind. The BWCA is not like other places. You're talking about huge lakes with just a few campsites or a good size lake with just one site. Campsites are very far apart in the BWCA.

A lot of great advice. Thanks guys.

Update. Looks like I will be going sometime around the last week of April. I have to be back by May 21 because my captain leaves for vacation , leaving me in charge. So that gives me plenty of time. I am thinking of taking three weeks off. Figured I will spend at least two weeks out there. That will give me a couple of days in case I can't get back in time.

I misunderstood the 14 day thing. Thank you for clarifying.

I have decided there is no way I can afford to rent a canoe, so I guess I will be bringing my kayak. I am going to see if I can rig up some kind of yoke to make portaging easier. Not sure about that yet.

As far as food is concerned, I planned on packing cheap "boil water and add contents" type things mostly. Usually only takes ten to fifteen minutes, light, add some meat and it's pretty good.

I am thinking about taking your advice on another thing. Thinking about doing more moving with some lay overs. Figure I can get further back and see more that way.

One new question. How does the self issued permit thing work? It looks like I have to go to a station to get one. Just not sure what to expect. Figure I need to know since they don't start the regular permits until May, it seems.

Since you are planning to take your kayak, I'd advise you to pack all the gear you'll be taking, including food, and see how it fits in the kayak and how much it all weighs. Even just dehydrated food for that length of time weighs a lot and is also bulky.

Be aware that the earliest average ice out date for lakes listed in that area is April 27th.

Ice out data

There may be chances of snow but most likely no bugs the last week of April.

Right after ice-out, the water will still be freezing cold and hypothermia will be a major concern, especially with cool air temperatures and wind. Take that into consideration and be prepared. I suggest you read up on hypothermia and carry a "ditch kit". It would also probably be prudent to stick close to shore and take no unnecessary chances.

quote Blackfoot: "A lot of great advice. Thanks guys.


Update. Looks like I will be going sometime around the last week of April. I have to be back by May 21 because my captain leaves for vacation , leaving me in charge. So that gives me plenty of time. I am thinking of taking three weeks off. Figured I will spend at least two weeks out there. That will give me a couple of days in case I can't get back in time.


I misunderstood the 14 day thing. Thank you for clarifying.


I have decided there is no way I can afford to rent a canoe, so I guess I will be bringing my kayak. I am going to see if I can rig up some kind of yoke to make portaging easier. Not sure about that yet.


As far as food is concerned, I planned on packing cheap "boil water and add contents" type things mostly. Usually only takes ten to fifteen minutes, light, add some meat and it's pretty good.


I am thinking about taking your advice on another thing. Thinking about doing more moving with some lay overs. Figure I can get further back and see more that way.


One new question. How does the self issued permit thing work? It looks like I have to go to a station to get one. Just not sure what to expect. Figure I need to know since they don't start the regular permits until May, it seems. "

You can self issue your permit at the entry point as long as the board has permits in the box. You should self issue to be legal and especially if you end up tripping into the permit season.

A 14' kayak is a small boat for a kayak. Do you have kayak bags for your gear? If not you definitely will want to get some. Plus, do you have a large volume pack to put all your smaller bags into when you portage? You will want to have everything fit into a pack when you portage to cut down on the number of trips.

If you have a frame pack you could fashion a yoke for single portaging. If you are loaded with 3 weeks of supplies I doubt you will want to single portage.

If you don't mind motor boats for some of your trip I would recommend entering Fall lake and paddling up through Basswood and then on into Birch. From Birch you will be boat free. How you get back I'm not sure and will let others suggest a route but you could always come back through Moose lake if you get a drop off at Fall.

Finally, just some thoughts on safety. Hopefully you have all the kayak gear for self rescue, paddle float, bailing pump and spray skirt? Have you taken self rescue classes for kayaks?

Hope you have a great trip.

I do a lot of kayak tripping/camping. I took kayaks last year third week of May. We have gone the last two years at that time. Last year temps were warm (70's) in the day and modest (50's) at night. No flies, but mosquitos came out by end of trip.

The year before it was much cooler. . .60's in the day and 30's at night. The guys had trouble staying warm with the 30 degree bags the outfitter gave us.

My advice would be: plan as if it will be cold, and plan as if you know you will get wet. In other words, I would take a 15 degree or 20 degree bag, a good insulated pad and a good solo tent. As to the kayak: Here in KY an outfitter/river expert gave me a formula I strictly adhere to. If you add the water temps to the air temps and it is less than 110, you put on a wet suit or dry suit. If you fall out in those temps, atrophy will set in quick. Last couple of weeks of May are going to be just over that threshold. I wore insulated neoprene NRS knee high boundary boots, kayak paddling pants, Under Armour style base layer shirt, fleece zip up top and a kayak style spray jacket over that.

If I was going earlier and temps were lower, I would be in a "farm john" style wet suit (the type with no arms), insulated base layers and spray jacket.

Most guys plan for the portages. . .in other words they dress so they won't get too hot protaging. I plan for when I am on the water. I dress for the water temps and wind, and wind chill. You can always take stuff off at the portgage. You'll be glad you had it on if you flip.

We found out our first trip. We had two groups, and were returning across the numbered lakes when the wind came up and it started white capping. One of the guys reached behind him to hand a map to the guy in back. That's all it took to turn the canoe over. . .about 100 yards from shore. One of the two guys had to swim the canoe to shore, while the other canoes pulled the other guy in and all his gear. It took some time to strip the two men and warm them back up.

Okay, I did not realize the ice out part. Perhaps I should hold off and plan for the first week of June. I need to rethink things here.

As far as prep work, my kayak is what I have taken in the past. My wife and I would take the two kayaks and my friend and his family took the canoe. I would not be able to fit all of the gear for one person in just one kayak, then. However, my ex required many luxuries that I do not. Therefore, I really see no problem stowing it away. I will definitely be leap frogging though.

I have a 3mil and a 6mil (?) farmer John wet suit. Oddly, I don't usually go out when cold enough to need either of them though. In fact, I have never wore the farmer John yet. Just got it in the fall. I have a spray skirt and tether for my paddle. And I have practised self rescue. My kayak is a very stable boat though. Therefore, it is very difficult to right back up from inside. That being said, my ex is the only person to ever accidentally flip one. I had left the group so did not see how she managed it.

Again. thank you very much for all of this great advice. It has really been a big help.

Blackfoot,

Welcome to the forum, sir.

It sounds like you have a lot to plan before your trip, but I am confident that the many experienced individuals on this site can help you make your trip a success.

For you, I am concerned a little about a couple of things: This is your first solo, this is a long trip, you are relatively inexperienced with canoe tripping and you will be tripping across very cold water. But, with careful planning and the right mindset you will be able to overcome these things.

Personally, I would take the canoe over one of the small kayaks. You will have to take a lot of gear with you and canoes make portaging and landing at portages much easier. At portages, you will save time and effort by not having to rig up a portage yoke to your kayak. You will also have much better vision while portaging a canoe, rather than carrying a kayak and this will help you stay safe.

I would also break up your gear into several smaller packs. I am thinking two larger packs and one smaller pack. You will probably have to triple portage early on in your trip, but will probably be able to double portage later on. I would carry the large packs first, then the canoe and the small pack. I would break up gear something like this: food/cooking gear in one pack, clothing/toiletries/camera/sleep system in other large pack, ditch kit/repair kit/fishing gear/rope/survival gear/water filter in other pack. A good tent, sleeping pad, warm sleeping bag, and a tarp will help you enjoy your trip and get the rest and ease of mind you will need. The tarp is a nice addition because you will likely have rain on your trip--sitting under a tarp is much nicer than being stuck in your tent for long periods of time.

Be cautious of cold water: wear warm clothing and your pfd at all times. Make sure your pfd is comfortable so you will not mind wearing it at all. Be cautious at portages and make sure you have good footing to avoid accidents. Also, stay close to shorelines and be very cautious of wind and storms. I would recommend not worrying about getting your feet wet-- it's going to happen no matter how careful you are. At longer portages, I would recommend having a fresh pair of smartwool socks to put on and a pair of good hiking boots to wear. You will be doing a lot of walking with heavy packs on your back, likely over tough terrain. A 100 rod portage triple portaged turns into a 500 rod portage (well over a mile). I would try to avoid routes with long portages and only do a few portages per day. Spending a few days at a couple of different sites and day tripping sounds like a good idea to me. That will give you more time for fishing and photography too, yet allow you to keep busy and cover more ground.

I hope some of this is helpful to you.

remember. . .its not just the outdoor temps that determine the need for a wet suit. . .its the water AND the air temps. It may be 60 degrees outside, but if the water temps are 35-40 most kayak safety instructors and outfitters will tell you to wear a wet suit.

Is June usually a busy time? Somewhere on here I saw a poll that said that was when the most people went.

a wet suit?

whats more likely to dump as a solo craft? a canoe or a kayak?

a canoe of course.

ive never heard of ANY solo canoe paddler wearing a wet suit for early season flatwater trips. never. id never wear one. never even considered it.

I run river trips and typically in a kayak. The outfitters here in our state will require wet suits if water and air temps added up are less then 110.

While I agree that i have not seen any canoe paddler in a wet suit. . .the OP was talking about taking a kayak. Wet suits are basic gear for kayakers with very cold water temps. The exception is dry suits. . .but who has $500?

One of the other differences in that in a kayak you are sitting below the water level, and your legs are on the deck. Temps inside the kayak will be very cool if the water temps are 40's or 50's.

"ive never heard of ANY solo canoe paddler wearing a wet suit for early season flatwater trips. never. id never wear one. never even considered it. "

one more thought. . .I subscribe to canoe and kayak magazine as well as a couple of others. The issues I just receive all show guys paddling canoes in wet and dry suits. ..granted in cold areas. . .but they are in solo canoes with spray skirt covers and wet suits with spray jackets and neoprene gloves.

depends what you mean by flat water. If I am running rivers with ANY rapids in cold water I am in a wet suit. If I am running canoe or solo kayak across any type of large lake that could encounter any type of waves, and cold temps. .I am in a wet suit. I know many others here that do the same thing.

These are guys that are more expedition trippers. . .not really fishing people, and not to many portages. . .mainly rivers and large bodies of water.

point taken....but ill still giggle under my breath if i ever see that. :)

You gentlemen bring up another question. Is there anywhere I can see the historical water temperature averages?

quote Blackfoot: "You gentlemen bring up another question. Is there anywhere I can see the historical water temperature averages?"

This has high and low temps for each day going back to 1997 by clicking on the month and year links going down the left side
Sawbill Weather

quote Blackfoot: "You gentlemen bring up another question. Is there anywhere I can see the historical water temperature averages?"

I don't know of any, Blackfoot, but TGO may. At any rate, if you go a week or two after ice out, the water is going to be damn cold - probably around 40 degrees.

oops my bad.... missed that you said "water temperatures" sorry

Probably too variable anyhow.

Here is a link from the American Canoe Association on what to wear for different water temps. Note that they recommned wet suits in specific temps.

ACA what to wear link

here is a link to the US Geological Service water site for the Kiawashi River near Ely. this will give you an idea on water temps US Geological Service link

Thanks for the link markaroberts. I knew of that site but never took time navigating around it to see all the data they collect.

Here a link directly to water temps.
USGS mean water temp for the Kawishiwi

Here are my conversions to deg F: April 35F, May 53F, June 68F, July 73F, Aug 72F, Sept 64F, Oct 51F

Mid May water temps would probably by 50 or less. Two years ago we went Memorial Day weekend. Day temps were 60's, night temps upper 30's to low 40's. Paddling back through all 4 numbered lakes in the canoes. . .wind was up and small caps. ..really bitter. I wished i had the wet suit for that one.

Mark, I'm not questioning your use of wetsuits, but need to ask if you wear them portaging or change out to portage?

butthead

I haven't worn them in the BWCA area yet. But I regularly wear them on river trips in early spring and late fall here in KY. I have a "shorty" . . .no arms or legs, and a full.

Basically I do layering. Sometimes wet suit. . .sometimes drypants and spray jacket.

If I am doing any portages of any length I would not be in a wet suit. . .at least not a full. The only caveat to this is here in KY when we run the Big south fork. In colder temps we would for sure be in wet suits as there are a number of class 2 rapids on this run. At the end there is a significant class 3 (Devil's Jump). If you don't run it, it is a tough portage around.

In BWCA it would depend on whether I was taking the kayak (I have a 14 foot touring boat) or the Vagabond. . .and the route, as well as the water and air temps.

One other idea is NRS sells a line of cross over light neoprene/lycra clothing that is designed as base wear. I would probably go that route

Wow! You guys are a big help. Looks like June will be a nice trip, temperature-wise. Looks like I have decided to get an alcohol stove. That is a lot cheaper than an MSR. So, things are coming together. I am quite excited here.

"Looks like I have decided to get an alcohol stove."

you see those a lot along the river here in KY!

(probably not the same thing)

quote markaroberts: ""Looks like I have decided to get an alcohol stove."


you see those a lot along the river here in KY!


(probably not the same thing)"

LOL

But, it sounds like their output is perfect fuel for what I had in mind. :)