I wouldn't necessarily discount Oyster as a possible base camp. There's a great site on the peninsula at the north end of the lake that has access on both the north and south sides of the site. I was there in June a few years ago and didn't really encounter that much traffic there. We were just passing through and stayed one night there, but it certainly gives a great flavor of the BWCA. But I also agree that Warrior Hill and the LLC pictographs are simply awesome.

Akula -- Sadly, I think it will be the case: A popular entry point, in the middle of the summer -- I can't imagine anything but lots and lots of people.  But maybe that's not an issue with your group.

I've done Angleworm, and I agree it's a beast.  I've done Nina-Moose, and after being the middle of the hordes of people, I vowed never again. 

Maybe it's worth asking your group to pick its poison: 1) a helluva long portage, but less people, or 2) an easy entry point shared with seemingly most of the quarter-million people who flock to the BWCA each year!  I think I'd take Angleworm.  BUT, if you take Nina-Moose, and then look to get off the beaten path asap, that might be the way to go.  I've not  done that, so can't give you specific recommendations.

You're right, 4 days doesn't give you much time, no matter where you go.  However, I think the least used part of the BWCA is in the far northeast corner, the "Tip of the Angle," north of Grand Portage, around Pine Lake.  It's a longer drive, bigger lakes, longer portages, but I definitely felt more alone.  FWIW

prouboy

Puckster wrote on Feb 11^th, 2010 at 12:39am:




I really hope that's not the case, but for a 4-day trip, we don't really have many options for *real* solitude that I'm aware of. My first suggestion was Angleworm, but my cousins would probably declare mutiny and bury me in the woods before we got halfway down the first portage...

Akula wrote on Jan 28^th, 2010 at 7:40am:


Well, you will definitely give your companions a real taste of the BWCA if you take the Nina-Moose route in the summer.  You'll experience portage gridlock and campsite anxiety (will we find an open campsite before dark??)  I suggest you basecamp on the other side of long portage that dead-ends in one lake.  You should lose most of the horde that way.

Good luck! 

prouboy

Yeah, that's what I feared. We saw a miserable one that was mostly skin once. Yours looks mighty healthy in comparison. Plus it's a pretty shot. The white still makes me wonder. Frosted tips? Could be back.

Pic was taken early to mid June by my girlfriend.

I’m no moose expert but we were thinking it might have been an older cow? The water in that spot was probably 3 to 4' deep or so. I’ve read that moose can have nasty tick infestations that drive them nuts trying to remove the little blood suckers. That might explain the patches of missing hair and her pale coat.

Here’s a couple articles on the problem:

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Nice shot Firetiger! What's with that moose though? Is that in spring, a yearling maybe?

The Moose does get a bit low that time of year but nothing to slow things down too much. Most of the time you’ll just have to deal with bottoming out and the occasional foot over the side to help push off. There are a couple spots where you might have to hop out if the water gets ankle deep. Compared to other rivers that time of year like the Horse, or Pickett creek flowing into Mudro it’s no big deal.

If you have time before or after your trip there is a nice view from high atop a bluff just before the river starts to zig-zag south of Nina Moose. It’s a bit of a climb but the view is nice, allowing you to see Nina Moose in the distance.

The river is aptly named as I think I’ve seen more moose on that river than dang near anywhere else!

Chris

ChiefBob, welcome to QJ 

And thanks for the input... I really wish that this trip was happening sooner than August (tomorrow would be nice), but alas, we are looking at a few more months of hardwater season... it's really up to my cousins and how far they feel like paddling, but Curtain / Rebecca Falls are definitely high on my list.

As far as Moose River from the entry to Nina Moose... are water levels typically an issue? I'm sure it varies from season to season and year to year, but are late summer water levels something to be concerned about?

Another Amen to LLC!  I've done it a couple of times from EP16 and it is doable in one day.  I took my grand-nephew there two years ago in June. We made our first camp in Boulder Bay and had great fishing for walleyes and pike.  A day trip to Curtain Falls and Rebecca Falls are a must-see.  Our second camp was at the west side of the mouth to Lady Boot Bay and we had great smallmouth bass fishing from the campsite and off a couple of other campsites.  I caught my one and only laker  in Snow Bay in May of '85, so they're there!  You can't go wrong with LLC.