Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: trip options for July
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brain250 |
Except for the fact that we were sharing the route with a group of 40 Boy Scouts from Kansas City (making it difficult to find open sites along the way) it was great. Here's what we did (and I was with some novice campers/portagers too): Day 1: Fall Lake to just past the Lewis Narrows on Pipestone Bay. Day 2: We did the 340r Horse Portage. It's flat but long...the novices in my group weren't too happy (we double-portage.) We kept going...hoping to camp near Lower Basswood Falls on Crooked Lake, but they were all taken. We ended up cheating by staying on the Canadian side up near the Pictographs. People paddled by about every 10 minutes heading to or from the pictos. Don't expect solitude. But all the Falls are nice. Day 3: Stayed there. Day 4: Went up (yes up, but there's not a strong current) the Horse River. Not a problem. I believe we had to pull the canoes over 1 Beaver Dam and 1 small rapids. With inexperienced paddlers, you may need to get out and pull over at least one more. We decided to go beyond Horse Lake and stayed on Fourtown. Day 5: Exited on Mudro (along with about 20 other canoes that log-jammed the remaining portages.) Ugly. So...I think the best part of the trip is the Falls and the Pictographs...and I would reccommend you do Option 2 and have your lay-over day up there, near Lower Basswood Falls. From there you can see Lower Basswood Falls, The Pictographs on Crooked Lake, as well as Wheelbarrow Falls. But if you think the 340r Portage will be a deal-killer for some of your novices, or that you couldn't make it to Lower Basswood in 2 days, go with option 1, but you'll be missing out on some pretty sights. Have fun! |
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eahogan |
First route- Days 1 and 2: Fall -> Newton -> Pipestone Bay -> mouth of Basswood River. Day 3: layover near Basswood River. Maybe take the mile portage with only the canoes and explore the river for a bit. Day 4: West down Jackfish Bay Day 5: Jackfish Bay -> Sandpit -> Mudro Second route- Days 1 and 2: Fall -> Newton -> Pipestone Bay -> mouth of Basswood River. Day 3: Down Basswood River Day 4: Down Horse River. Camp in Horse Lake Day 5: Horse -> Sandpit -> Mudro If we'd be paddling against current on Basswood and Horse Rivers that may be bad. I'm not sure what direction the current flows on either river. If you know, please tell me :) Thanks for your help. Happy paddling! |
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Canoe Dude |
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