Hello:
We are looking for information about the river between Little Vermilion Lake and Loon Lake on the west side of the BWCA. We will be kayaking from Crane Lake to Lac La Croix in middle to late September. It will be a part Voyageur's National Park and part BWCA trip.
Is this river quite fast?
Will it be difficult to come back out, upstream?
Our plan is to paddle Voyageurs, Lac La Croix and back out.
Any previous experiences with this route would be helpful.
We are aware of portaging with kayaks and have made preparation for that.
My concern is that I don't want a unending slog coming back up the river.
Thanks for your help.

The only thing I know about the area is the Loon River flows out of Loon Lake and into Little Vermilion. I’ve heard you may encounter motor boats on parts of the river too.

Still unsure what your route is but in the fall there is not much current. Certainly not enough to worry about with kayaks.
Going from Crane lake to Sand Point to L. Vermilion to Lac La Croix you will be going up stream. Not a problem 'til you get to 56 Rapids, and there is a portage around that, on the inside of the bend.
This technically does not involve VNP, except that you will be paddling in VNP through King Williams Narrows.
Sounds like you are then coming back out the same way (down stream) and then going toward Namakan (VNP), then back to Crane Lake(?)
Or, are you coming down the Namakan River from LLC? If you are, then you can expect some falls, rapids and other types of fast water.

Thank you very much for the great information.
My concerns about the current have been alleviated and it sound very doable.
Yes, we plan to go into the BWCA from VNP and back out the way we came.
Thanks also for the clarification on the direction of the current. We have paddle Voyageurs before and would like to "spice" it up a bit by adding somewhat of a side trip.
Stay warm and be well.