Hey all,

I'm putting in on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend at EP 47, Lizz and Swamp Lakes, for a four-five day loop through Winchell with an experienced group of seven. We'll probably have one day of layover somewhere in there.

What is the nearest campground to the entry point? We'd like to spend Saturday night there and hit the water early on Sunday. We're looking for a place to pitch tents, not for a hotel/cabins setup.

And... where is the parking lot on Poplar Lake? Is it a pretty long paddle from the parking lot on Poplar to either of the entry portages?

Thanks much and best regards,

Colt

Flour Lake Campground
East Bearskin Campground
There is a public landing and Parking on the NorthWest end of Poplar
Check out the "Maps" section on this site. Nice paddle, busy area.
I would suggest a good map to navigate your way across Poplar to the portages. I remember the Lizz portage landing as very muddy.
Have Fun!

I've been out through Lizz several times and we've stayed at flour the last couple for some reason. It seems to me that it is a little closer to the EP. I believe that the sites can be reserved through recreation.gov for $16 per night and a reservation fee. Nice campground although no showers or electricity which is something your going for anyway.

The public landing on Poplar is a little tough to find, we've been there twice, still not sure how we reached it. The description in the Beymer book is good, but you end up on progressively smaller & more winding roads.

The paddle on Poplar is fairly long, & I'll echo the comments above, pay close attention to the map. The islands & bays are confusing. And with the amount of water that's likely to be around this spring, the Lizz end of the first portage is going to be an ankle-sucking challenge.

The road to the entry point can be seen quite clearly on google earth to put thing into perspective. There are signs to guide you also. It sounds like you have an experienced group so things should easy going across poplar. The only trouble I had was following the map. My fisher map shows a boat landing and on my way out I naturally assumed that was the EP "not paying attention". The 3 bays on the west end of the lake, it's the middle one. Worse yet I had my GPS with and I refused to go in the direction of the pointer for fear it was taking me around the long way. I ended up right where I wanted to be it was just not the right place. That was when I realized that there is a boat landing in with some private homes on the bay nearest the Gunflint.