I'm planning a trip with a bunch of friends for this July, and we are curious to the feasibility of taking a route from Ogish to SAK via Holt, Nabek, and Nave. The portages were marked back in the '90s on the Fischer maps, and then they stopped being marked in the '00s. This kept me from rationally considering this route. However, I recently saw a 2014 revised Fischer map, and the portages are marked once again, rekindling my hopes. Does anybody know anything about this route? My group is made of strong, youthful beginners ready for a challenge, but I don't want to completely overwhelm them so they never return to the BWCA.

I’ve gone to SAK from Ogishkemuncie and visa versa a few times but never went the way you are proposing. If portages through there do exist I doubt they are maintained since getting to SAK through Annie-Jenny-Eddy has been the most popular route since the early eighties. Those portages are very short being 13 to 30 rods in length, while if a portage between Nave and SAK exists it would have to be at least 160 rods in length.

I wouldn't recommend it. I just got back from a base camp trip on Seagull and did a day trip to Holt lake. The portage from Ogish to Holt is still there are clearly used by wildlife (lots of fresh moose prints, bear and wolf scat), but I don't think many people travel through there any more. There are three dead falls you have to go through and there's a lot of smaller tree growth that makes it challenging to turn the canoe at times. I wouldn't bring a kevlar boat back there as one wrong move and you'd have a hole in it. I didn't look for it, but I'd guess that the portage to Nabek would be even more challenging. All that said, the fishing on Holt was great. Smallies and Northerns were taking anything you'd throw at them. There was also once a campsite on the island at Holt, but I couldn't find any remains of it. It looked like there was a big blowdown where it used to be that obliterated any remains. It would make for an adventurous day trip, but a brutal l way to travel through (if you could get through in a day).

Here's the location of the portage to/from Holt to Ogish:





And this is a picture of Holt lake from the portage:

Thanks brux and inspector13, my goal is to get a small loop in this area from Sea Gull without going through Sag and Ester/Hanson. I'm hoping to loop through Holt to SAK and then back to Ogish through Eddy, just to add some distance to a short trip. Our other option would be down through Gabimichigami to Elton to Wisini up to Kekekabic and back to Ogish, but that is too long for my group. Great to hear Holt's fish are biting - that will be a treat. Half of me wants an adventure, but the other half is unsure whether my group can handle it. Do you think it could be a possible day trip loop (less gear = easier portaging)?
p.s. I enjoy portages most of anything, so that is why I am so interested in this route!

Why are you trying to avoid Sag and Ester? The fires haven't bothered that area. Trying to stay away from the crowds? You really do get a feel for the terrain going the northern route.

We traveled from Ester to Ogish in one day - that was challenge enough for a group of newbies. Whoever suggested a day trip was probably wise, but if you feel like your group can handle it go for it.

I looked at the satellite image of the area and saw that Nave is really a vegetation choked bog. Also if Brux says the portage from Ogishkemuncie to Holt is difficult, I can’t imagine how hard the rest of the way would be since the fires haven’t touched the forest between Nabek and SAK. It would be a very long close to 3/4 mile bush crash between those two points if a maintained portage doesn’t exist.

How about this alternative: Get to SAK through Annie-Jenny-Eddy, then loop north through Amoeber-Topaz-Cherry-Hanson, then go back out through Annie-Jenny-Eddy again.

That idea to go through Amoeber is potentially fruitful, inspector13; thank you! I will certainly look at it more in-depth. I didn't even recognize that as a possibility. I've heard great things about Cherry and the Hanson/SAK portage. Have you been through there before?

SaganagaJoe, we are going for adventure into isolation and fishing; we are ambivalent to the fire damage. My concern with Sag down to SAK is seeing too many people as it is a popular route. Of course we could climb the mountain to Gijikiki though as an alternate.

Yes but it was in part of a much larger loop that included the Man Chain (Quetico) in 1984. Reading this trip report by TuscaroraBorealis brought back some memories of the portages (See end of Day 2 through Day 3) but since I didn’t remember the Hanson-Cherry quite as tough as described, it could have been because the Sliver Falls portage in the Q with the wall climb made everything else look easy.

1 opener mid-late 90's and i was fishing in the very south east bay of SAK, where nave portage to SAK is and i heard some noise in the woods thinking moose, out comes a guy solo portaging a cedar canoe. i asked him how was the portage all he said was "i wouldnt recommend it" then he turned around and got more gear. so this was a good 15 to 20 years ago, i,m sure it would not be very fun unless you just wanted to say I DID IT :) but a hand full of people have done the ogish to holt.

brux, if you saw a camp site on the island in holt. i dont believe it is or ever was an official camp site. my maps date to late 80's no campsite posted on my Mckenzie maps. i always wanted to visit/fish holt but never fitted into my plans. looks like a cool little lake and fairly untouched, i cant believe it see's more than 4-5 groups a year ? maybe less ?

Go for it. I've been through there several times. The last time was 2012. It gets a little easier every time due to increased traffic. I will predict it will be the highlight of your trip. I traveled it once with my wife. We met some young bucks coming back toward Ogish. They had tried to find Holt and couldn't, said the trail didn't go through. I told them I'd been in the previous fall, and that the trail did go through. It's definitely worth wetting a line. That's why the path to Holt is a bit more beat down in recent years. Take a short time to take the steep short port. to Canta L. Maybe you can figure out why that port. is so well cut out. I've fished it twice without a single hit.(Canta is south of Nabek) The only tricky spot is on the west end of Nave L.( if you're heading west) There are several beaver dams there. I can't remember if you cross 2 or 3 before the portage, which will be on your right. Also on the way to Knife the portage will seem to disappear at the creek. You'll have to walk the creek for a ways. I hope I didn't take too much away from your adventure. By the way I was 65 when I went through last, so your young group should do fine. I do make the ports. in 1 trip, preferring to travel light. There was a campsite on the Holt L. Is. on my 1952 maps ( not there now) The is. didn't burn in the last fire. Enjoy your trip.

Voyager, thank you for the information! I am definitely leaning towards taking this route after your input. Great to hear somebody else has considered and executed this since the fire! I will make sure to instruct my crew well on crossing beaver dams before the trip. Thanks!

please note my edit: I had typed the east end of Nave as tricky, should read west end.

quote voyager: By the way I was 65 when I went through last, so your young group should do fine. "

at 65 i salute you, impressive!

Just an update on this route. My wife and I went through there last month(Sept) We hit Ogish. in a headwind and decided to go into Holt, Nabek and Nave to avoid paddling into a ferocious headwind on big lakes. When we got to Nave L. it was dried up. It seems the beaver have left for greener aspens. That route now involves more walking and a bit of mud! Sometimes the beaver make things easier, sometimes harder.

Glad to hear this route was doable in 2015. It was fairly well-traveled in the 20th century. My mother guided out of Seagull in the 60s and often stayed at the island campsite on Holt. She sometimes spoke of a slightly odd feeling there; not bad, just curious. By the time I guided in the mid-90s Nave had turned into a bog, and there was basically one long portage from Nabek to Knife, with a knee-deep muddy spot where Nave had been. I think that was about the time the route fell off maps.