Howdy all.

A group of us are doing a Cirrus/Quetico - Orian etc. Loop and are considering going in through Lerome.

Can anyone share any information about this route and specifically if and where we may locate a campsite on  Lerome.

Thanks.

Should be a fine route.  It's one of my favorite areas of the park.  Cliffs, pictographs, waterfalls... it has it all.

I can't tell you much about campsites on Lerome itself.  Presumably you understand you'd be on "Crown Land" (I think) but certainly NOT in Quetico itself so, if you camp outside of the park, you'll need to secure appropriate authorization.

Depending upon how muddy the portages are, it should take you just shy of five hours to get down to the Sue Falls area, where you can use your park permit to camp.  The portages are pretty simple, though the last one is longer & a lot of uphill IF you are returning (ie. "exiting the park") in this direction.   Since the serious blowdown a few years back, some of the better campsites around the falls aren't what they once were but most are serviceable.

If your loop is Cirrus to Quetico to Oriana you'll find plenty of fine campsites along the way that are clearly marked on most park maps.  You didn't mention where you would exit.  However, if your loop takes you back out via Lerome, exercise some caution before considering the long-ish portage from Kasakokwog back to Cirrus.  It can be tricky when wet, given all the up-and-down on slippery, gravelly surfaces.

Fishing should be good for all 4 major species throughout your route.

There are others on this board who may be able to help you with campsites "outside" of the park (such as on Lerome).  As for me, I never considered a Crown Land permit and I always just bee-lined it down to Sue Falls.

Good luck!

Jimbo   8-)

Thanks for the reply Jimbo. Much appreciated. Fortunately we are all from Thunder Bay so we can camp on the Crown Land with no issue.

We will be headin from Thunder Bay Friday after work so are hoping to determine if there is a campsite on Lerome within close proximity of the landing as our light situation will be fading fast for scouting a campsite blind.

Can you sleep in your vehicle?  I know technically you are not allowed to camp at the parking lot but we've set up tents there in a pinch.  Otherwise, not aware of any on Lerome but there are a few on Bewag.  One on the northernmost island and a few on the islands east of the Lark Lake Portage.  Cole Lake has a few as well.

One year while waiting for the outfitter to pick us up at Lerome Lk the next morning we camped on the western shore within earshot of the Highway.

Enough flat spots for a few tents and signs (firepit) others had done the same.

If you get there really late and don't want to camp in the parking lot, that might be an option.

I'd see if it's practical to paddle into Bewag...should be about 1.5 hours from the put-in at Lerome. There are several decent campsites on Bewag. The northern tip of the first island you come to is pretty nice.

Make sure you actually get to see Sue Falls. If you just stay on the portage trail, you might miss it completely as the portage is a little ways east of the falls. It's worth the time to walk over and appreciate the falls--they are pretty dramatic.

Lost Again wrote on Jun 8^th, 2017 at 6:53pm:

I'd see if it's practical to paddle into Bewag...should be about 1.5 hours from the put-in at Lerome. There are several decent campsites on Bewag. The northern tip of the first island you come to is pretty nice. Make sure you actually get to see Sue Falls. If you just stay on the portage trail, you might miss it completely as the portage is a little ways east of the falls. It's worth the time to walk over and appreciate the falls--they are pretty dramatic.

LostAgain is right; you don't want to miss them by walking past.  Your other option is to simply paddle around to the basin they drop into once you hit Cirrus Lake.  It's a pretty easy climb up the staircase of falls from there, especially after the spring floods have subsided some.

Jimbo   8-)

Thanks everyone. Really appreciate the information.

I you enter the park through Lerome, what entry permits/points can you use?

Bill,

Lerome has its own permit.   I believe they allow 2 non-Canadian parties through that entry permit per day.

Jimbo.  8-)

Do you mean Sue Falls?   (You need to Login or Register
Is that the only permit that allows you to enter the park at Lerome?

BillConner wrote on Jun 9^th, 2017 at 9:39am:

Do you mean Sue Falls?   (You need to Login or Register Is that the only permit that allows you to enter the park at Lerome?

Yeah, technically you're right.  Most of the outfitters will refer to it as a "Lerome entry", pretty much the same way they refer to the Batchewaung entry point as a "Nym entry."  Nevertheless, you're technically not in the park until you get to Sue Falls... & that's what it is officially listed as.

I also note that the chart you refer to shows the non-resident party quota for the Sue Falls entry at 1/day versus the 2/day I was guessing at & mentioned earlier.

I don't know what other entry permit would make sense for approaching the park via Lerome OTHER than a Sue Falls permit.  Of course, as we've noted, we're not really "entering" the park at Lerome... we're just approaching it.  I suppose one could go to Lerome with some other permit BUT they would have to do an awful lot of bushwhacking to actually enter at the point their permit allows!

On the other hand, many years ago I did something that might apply to this situation.  I secured a permit for entry into the park at Three Mile Lake.  Now, most folks who enter there hire an outfitter to drive them down to Wisa Lake.  From Wisa you can paddle right into Three Mile Lake.  However, THAT year I inquired about approaching the Three Mile entry point from Beaverhouse Lake (then Quetico River & Namakan down to Three Mile).  The park officials scratched their heads a bit over that one but finally agreed I could do it IF I "made reasonable progress towards Three Mile Lake upon arriving at Beaverhouse."

"Reasonable progress" being a somewhat fuzzy notion, my party took full advantage of that phraseology by camping/fishing at the east end of Beaverhouse for a few days before actually heading down to Three Mile.  I'm guessing park officials expected us to make a little more haste than we actually did.  Oh, well....

I suppose one could apply the same logic to accessing the park via Lerome on a permit "other" than one designating a Sue Falls entry.  That someone wouldn't be me, however.  It would make no logistical sense that I can see plus it would represent a nightmare of bushwhacking, etc.  Also, I'm 99.9% confident that park officials would never agree to it in the first place, if advised in advance.  Where would one enter Quetico from Lerome Lake if not at Sue Falls?  Batchewaung?  The Cirrus entry at the far west end?  I don't think so.

The only other consideration I can think of might be to secure a "Special Permit" for park entry at points OTHER than designated entry points.  Doug Chapman, of Canadian Quetico Outfitters, has worked with a few of us to obtain such a permit from park officials at times in the past.  I believe that is how Magic Paddler & Kingfisher entered the park a few years ago over on the east side, bushwhacking into the vicinity of Belaire Lake (not a designated park entry point).  For that matter, I suspect that is how they intend to do it again this year.  In fact, I think the park "encouraged" them as they hoped to explore the notion of adding a new official park entry point over on the east side. 

Sorry for the long post.  Lots of thoughts come together in response to a very short question!

Jimbo   8-)

Well, since entry points in Quetico are not really where you enter, it seemed you could enter the park at Lerome with a Cirrus Lake entry permit. If Sue Falls is technically the name for a Lerome entry, what is the technical name for Prairie Portage or LLC entry? And can't you enter the park at Beaverhouse with a Sue Falls permit?

I tend to think of access points, at the edges of the park,  as different from entry permit points, which are all interior.

Time for a call to the office.

Bill,

I believe you will find the answer to your question is: "you can't do it."  To allow entry someplace other than the designated entry would effectively subvert the "quota system."

Do let us know what you find out.

Jimbo 8-)

Each entry point (i.e. Sarah, Sue Falls, Agnes etc) is tied to an "Issuing Station" ; where you have to go to get your permit. It has always been made clear to me that you must take a direct route of travel from your issuing station to the entry point. A Cirrus lake permit is "issued" at the Beaverhouse ranger station.

Entry Point - Sue Falls

Information:
Permits can be picked up at the Dawson Trail Ranger Station or at the Atikokan Ranger Station. This entry point is accessed through Lerome Lake. Lerome Lake is located outside of the park boundary and non-residents must purchase a Crown Land Camping Permit to camp in this area.


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We went through Lerome in 1978.  You can make it to Bewag in probably one hour.  We camped on the east side of the lake at a good camp site.  I remember portaging to one small lake then a stream with a couple of beaver dams and then to Bewag.  It was almost 40 years ago so my memory may be wrong.  Don't think many people camp on Lerome. 

I think Jimbo is correct on the number of permits. I had no trouble getting one when I went in that entry. I seem to remember seeing a campsite on the southern island close to the first portage out of Lerome. There are also some flat spots on the eastern shore just past the last summer cabin that sits up on a ridge as you paddle past. So, there are options if you choose.

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