I just saw in an older post something about the canoe rests being a luxury of the past. So my question is are there still canoe rests or not?

Not real ones but if you look hard on some of the longer portages you can see where one was and or a makeshift one is.

I have never seen one, even on my first trip in the 70s, but I love reading Beymer's older edition BW books and seeing long portages mentioned as having x number of rests. --Goose

Here's a picture of one of the old canoe rests. I think this picture was taken in 1991. If I remember correctly, the picture was taken on the portage from Bearskin Lake to Duncan Lake.

Hans Solo

My canoe rests (and so do I) when I find a suitable branch or a crotch in a tree. I have not stumbled upon a man-made rest.

I remember them from the mid 70'5...very fondly. They have pretty much all been removed.

I remember one and it wasn't the 70's. It must have been mid to late 80's. I don't remember where though.

There are no more canoe rests; they were all removed in the mid 80s.

Along with canoes rest camp sites hand food hanging poles very nice.

Both done away with because man is bad nature good idea.

They were there on my first trip in the 70s. It is much tougher to find the portages now, especially when the maps are wrong or in high water. The canoe rests were heavenly. I wish the canoe rests were still there.

I remember seeing a few of these in 1979 on my first trip. Would have been nice to have one on a few portages I have took.

fond memories of the portage rests between Canoe and Pine lakes

I used them occasionally years ago...they were nice in the aluminum, royalex days...but since Kevlar I stopped missing them

As I recall they were often placed at just about the point in a portage when you thought you couldn't make it any further with that 72 lb Grumman.

Used to be many.
There were a couple on the Wind Lake portage, from Moose Lake, that helped me out a lot, while I was still developing my portage muscles.
I was working a CBO at age 18, and used to run up & fish Wind Lake, many an evening, after dinner.
I was most often with a Grumman Square Stern, and had left a motor, stashed in the woods off Moose Lake.
By the end of the summer, I considered it wimping out, if I stopped & used a portage rest.

quote Mocha: "fond memories of the portage rests between Canoe and Pine lakes"

THAT portage is a real bugger! Canoe rests would certainly be welcome there for me. As I recall the portage rests were usually about 50-60 rods apart weren't they? And anything less than 60 had none?

quote ozarkpaddler: "

quote Mocha: "fond memories of the portage rests between Canoe and Pine lakes"

THAT portage is a real bugger! Canoe rests would certainly be welcome there for me. As I recall the portage rests were usually about 50-60 rods apart weren't they? And anything less than 60 had none?"

I did that portage from canoe to Pine...a steep climb initially, but the rest of it was downhill...I didn't think it was all that bad going that direction..I just took my sweet old time...going from Pine to Canoe would be the real bugger.

I have come across a few remaining ones along the trails to walk-in lakes within the Superior National Forest outside the BWCA. They are old though and certainly not maintained. Its pretty cool to come across one.

I used them back in the 70s when there were many in the BWCA.

Yep, they were a welcome sight to see. I miss them, but not a lot since the Kevlar canoes

Well still have a aluminium one. When we went to little sag the Tuscarora portage was a real bear.

Back in the Day - the CCC put them every 40 rods. In the 70's and even into the mid-80's they were found on portages up in the Bearskin area. I was very grateful for them when crossing the 600+rod portage from Rose to Rove!

The portage markers were also helpful. Progress has taken its toll.

Canoe rests were taken out to "save" the environment. I submit taking them out causes more damage to the forest that the rests caused, due to many of the things we all do without them, such as using limbs and tree crotches, flopping the canoe down wherever we can, etc, etc. I think the USFS outsmarted itself on this issue.

I saw two new portage rest on the portage from Poplar to Meeds last June.....wonder who put those up?

Saw lots of them in the mid-70s when I went to Camp Voyageur for the summers.

I never used a man-made portage rest and in fact, have never even seen one in the BWCA since I began tripping there in 1999.

Just a thought.......I get tired on most portages over 100 rods, especially if I'm single-portaging, or if the terrain in rough. I rarely stop to rest while portaging, preferring to gut-it-out and take a breather before getting back in the canoe and continuing on my way.

I'm thinking if there were man-made portage rests, the mental aspect of seeing them while tired would almost certainly 'force' most people to stop and take advantage of them.

This would mean each group taking longer to cross portages and increasing the chances of causing congestion. Also as was mentioned earlier, for those that stop and rest without the man-made canoe rests, I agree the potential for causing more damage to the flora and fauna is greater.

In this day and age you have to wonder if there's liability involved in a man made canoe rest. If you build them they need to be meticulously maintained, one breaks down on top of someone, there you go. This is pure speculation on my part.

quote egknuti: "There are no more canoe rests; they were all removed in the mid 80s."

not completely accurate the portage from clearwater to west pike had them in 1990. but this is the only time i have seen them.

quote LuvMyBell: "
I'm thinking if there were man-made portage rests, the mental aspect of seeing them while tired would almost certainly 'force' most people to stop and take advantage of them.
This would mean each group taking longer to cross portages and increasing the chances of causing congestion. Also as was mentioned earlier, for those that stop and rest without the man-made canoe rests, I agree the potential for causing more damage to the flora and fauna is greater.
"

You know, I never remember there being much "Congestion" around them? Of course, my appreciation was so great in those days because we carried canoes like a 72lb Royalex Mad River Explorer and my beloved old gal, "Sandy." She was a Mad River Revelation and probably tipped the scales at 80lbs with the seat brackets I had installed?

Maxx, I think you are absolutely right. And I saw a lot of weak, rotting canoe rests in the early years. I also saw people put that big aluminum "dock" not far enough onto the pole, not enough width on it, and the canoe roll off it. You can still see many of the wide spots on the portages, often halfway up a long slope and almost always at the top of the slope. Love my 43 lb kevlar!

Hans, who is that sscary looking guy carrying that beautiful little girl?

I recall canoe rests on some of my trips in the early 80's. Up in the Rose/Duncan area. At some portages you can see remnants of them submerged in the water.

These are the days of kevlar canoes and canoe rests really aren't necessary anymore.

quote mr.barley: "These are the days of kevlar canoes and canoe rests really aren't necessary anymore."

Unless your still lugging in a 75lb boat like me!

Canoe rests are for sissies. Go to Disneyland for your vacation next year instead of the BWCA. Gees, what is happening to this site? Why even go to canoe country if whining about the lack of "canoe rests" is your input to a site about the BWCA.

quote Primitiveman: "Canoe rests are for sissies. Go to Disneyland for your vacation next year instead of the BWCA. Gees, what is happening to this site? Why even go to canoe country if whining about the lack of "canoe rests" is your input to a site about the BWCA. "

Kevlar is for sissies.

They were abundant in the 60's and 70's. We found them in both the Q and BWCAW back then.

They came in handy on long portages, but sometimes you had to wait in line to use them.

quote Primitiveman: "Canoe rests are for sissies. Go to Disneyland for your vacation next year instead of the BWCA. Gees, what is happening to this site? Why even go to canoe country if whining about the lack of "canoe rests" is your input to a site about the BWCA. "

Well, I haven't used one for decades now, but I did and do miss them a bit. So feel free to label me as a "Sissy," a "Pansy," a "Whiner," or whatever you wish.

Wow. Someone inquires about some history, and they are labeled a whiner and a sissy. Carry on, plumbbob.

I remember them well from the 70s, and took advantage of them often. Some portages had 3-4 of them spaced along the way and my heavy alumaboomer rested nicely on at least one or two of them. Picking up again, backing away from the bar and getting going, one would occasionally wonder if it would have been just as easy to keep moving instead. Nowadays, I have been able to make it without a stop (thanks kevlar), but I'll often look for those wide spots in the trail and reminisce.

sticks and stones

you can call me whatever you want I really DON"T give a f--- what people think about me specially people that don't know me nor I will ever see