Planning a trip with my wife at EP 25. It is her first BWCA trip, so I'd like to have a somewhat moderate trip, but get out of high traffic areas. It will be 2 night/3 day, probably doing the base camp approach rather than heavy travel with gear.

I am thinking of either going toward Ensign/Vera/Ashigan or into Wind/Wind Bay/Indiana. I have camped on Ensign in the past but cannot remember what site availability is like and if there is a lot of traffic on it. Any recommendations would be appreciated!!

I was on Ensign in late June. I can't say what it'll be like in August, but in June it was like rush hour on the freeway! People and full campsites everywhere! There are 38 campsites on Ensign, so that should give you a heads up as far as the solitude you'll find there.

My vote would be for the Wind Lake direction. You'll still likely not be alone, but there are far less campsites so you'll feel more solitude. The portages are a little longer, too, which can weed a lot of travelers out. But, you're looking at base camping so the longer portages shouldn't concern you too much.

Just my .02

What about birch or carp on the way to knife? I remember a few campsites.