Had a conversations recently with the RABC guys in Thunder Bay. While they didn't claim to know what would happen, they considered it unlikely that their office would be up and running in time to allow entrance into Quetico this summer.

I had reserved a Mudro entrance for our group. Last year, we used Angleworm and the paddlers ended up in Crooked  Lake for the week. We are considering going back to Crooked via Mudro. I am also looking at a Snowbank entrance. It doesn't appear to be anywhere near as popular, but some of the lakes look inviting. I know there was a fire in the region 10 years ago or so. Can you guys give me some info on what the area east of Snowbank is like? Is it busier or less traveled? Thank you!

Its a popular area I'm afraid. Get past Insula and maybe less visitors.

Last year around July 4th, I booked a Snowbank entry. It was a big mistake! At about 9AM, I watched group after group of canoes land at the put-in, all evenly spaced out at about 15 min. It took me almost 2 hours to put-in. That's an extreme case but most paddlers stayed on either Disappointment or Parent and portaged/paddled out early to get their shuttles at the take-out. What a mess! If you head northeast, you'll be making some climbs out of Boot to Abinodji and Gibson to Cattyman. The Swing portage can be muddy as in lose-your-boot muddy. No reason to avoid these portages, just beware. No campsites after you leave Boot until you hit Jordan. Last year from what paddlers told me, campsites were largely full from Jordan to Thomas. I hope this year won't be the same but who knows what demand will be like? I'd get a super-early start heading in Snowbank to avoid the wind on the paddle up the lake to the first Boot portage so that making say, Thomas by the day's end would be do-able and locating a site would be feasible. Mudro on the other hand would allow you to reach LBW by the day's end and locate a site nearby.

What date are you entering?  That can help with the advice you're seeking....

I just booked a permit for Kawishiwi Lake in early sept.  I got the last permit available for that day and all the days around it were booked up or close to it.

My plan is this.  Get the permit virtually so no need to pick up before the trip.  Sleep in the EP parking lot the night before.  Be on the water a half hour before the slightest hint of morning light.  Paddle my butt off and look to camp around 1:00 at the first open site. I say 1:00 because it might take me hours to find an open one.  Then day 2 push on to the interior (Adams Lake area).

If I lollygag at the start there will be delays at the landings.  I absolutely don't have that kind of patience on day one. I'm confident by launching in the dark and following a compass bearing across Kawishiwi I can avoid SOME of that crap.

Tom, that's odd. I just checked to see availability around my mid-Sept. entry for Kawishiwi Lake and every day for the first 20 days of Sept. has lots of availability.

boonie wrote on Mar 28^th, 2021 at 11:44pm:

Tom, that's odd. I just checked to see availability around my mid-Sept. entry for Kawishiwi Lake and every day for the first 20 days of Sept. has lots of availability.

There were 10 taken for the sat and Monday and 8 for Sunday over Labor day weekend.  10 is the max right?

We will be entering on 8-18 and exiting on 8-25.

goblu79 wrote on Mar 29^th, 2021 at 3:45am:

We will be entering on 8-18 and exiting on 8-25.

Going in on a Wednesday is best case scenario.  But try to be first on the water.  That's really the key IMO.  In 2012 I went in at Little Indian Sioux north and got to the parking lot around 8:00 am.  Big mistake as 3 other parties were unloading their gear in the lot already.  People walking everywhere carrying stuff down to the landing.  I vowed to always be early after that experience.  Unload in dark with a headlamp and shove off at the first hint of light.

Tom, I'm looking at rec.gov and Kawishiwi Lake, EP #37, shows 9 of 9 permits available on 9/4, 7 of 7 on 9/5 and 9/6. Double check your permit confirmation email to make sure you have what you want. Last year there were a lot available for #37 shortly before my trip, but all disappeared by my entry date.

We'll likely have a party of 6, which makes finding campsites a bit tougher. I've also considered pushing past Crooked into Iron. Is that area still quite busy?

goblu, I've never gone in Aug. or gone in the area near Snowbank, but I've Thomas-Fraser area and beyond generally less busy. Basically the farther you are from an EP the less busy. Wednesday is good, an early start essential, and putting a solid first day behind is helpful.

Last summer Magic Paddler and I spent some time up on Crooked and Iron from July 27-Aug. 7.  If you look at the number of campsites along Crooked and Iron, there are surprisingly few compared to a lot of the BW lakes and they are fairly well spread out.  That plus the distance from the entry points told me there should be fewer people in that area - fewer camps = fewer campers.  That turned out to be case and we did see less people than you'd think. Iron was perhaps a bit busier.  Of course the area around Basswood falls was a zoo.  We got a tow to Lincoln Is. off a Moose Lake permit going in and camped night one in the middle of the falls chain in a very nice/secluded bay.  Most people will either stop short, camp at either end or go all the way through. 

TomT - you might want to recheck your permit pickup plans.  I just reserved a Moose Lake permit again and was told I needed to pick it up at an issuing station as they are not doing the 'on line' pick ups this year.  I think with the goat screw mess from uneducated camper influx last year, they want to be able to MAKE people watch the LNT/camping rules videos this season.  I'm picking mine up at the outfitter's. I believe you can pick it up the day before from one of the Ranger stations - or select an outfitter in the vicinity of your EP.

I'm doing a Knife, Ottertrack, Ogish, Gabi, Alice, Lake One loop with Magic Paddler in late July.  He and I are also planning a NW loop for around Sept. 6-18, possibly via Little India Sioux to LLC and back around clockwise.

pd

boonie wrote on Mar 29^th, 2021 at 12:51pm:

Tom, I'm looking at rec.gov and Kawishiwi Lake, EP #37, shows 9 of 9 permits available on 9/4, 7 of 7 on 9/5 and 9/6. Double check your permit confirmation email to make sure you have what you want. Last year there were a lot available for #37 shortly before my trip, but all disappeared by my entry date.

That is strange. I’m gonna it out when I’m home later. I was seeing 10, 8, and 10. I assumed those were numbers issued.

Tom, when you hover your cursor over a date, it shows what's available. When I reserved back at the beginning, I had a virtual-issuing cooperator, but changed it to Duluth Pack Store for in-person pickup because they didn't really seem to know how they were doing the virtual and it seemed like it would be a last-minute thing where you'd need to have a connection to do it.

I did a good bit of digging around today, and talked things over with my crew. We've decided to stay with the Mudro permit and push up into the northern end of Crooked. Thanks to all for their input, we really appreciate it.

TomT wrote on Mar 29^th, 2021 at 12:07pm:

goblu79 wrote on Mar 29th, 2021 at 3:45am: We will be entering on 8-18 and exiting on 8-25. Going in on a Wednesday is best case scenario.  But try to be first on the water.  That's really the key IMO.  In 2012 I went in at Little Indian Sioux north and got to the parking lot around 8:00 am.  Big mistake as 3 other parties were unloading their gear in the lot already.  People walking everywhere carrying stuff down to the landing.  I vowed to always be early after that experience.  Unload in dark with a headlamp and shove off at the first hint of light.

Good advice. I had the same experience at EP16 Moose River North. At 730AM, the outfitter vans started arriving, disgorging hordes of tour-bus trippers. The parking lot and the portage put-in was clogged for some time afterwards.

Well, shoot!!  So I'm entering EP16 on July 7, and you numbskulls er....veteran paddlers are telling me to either sleep in my car at the EP or make sure I get my butt outta bed in the dark, arrive at the EP in the dark, use my headlamp to get my crap to the river in the dark.....to beat the hordes.

That does NOT sound like a relaxing way to start a lengthy solo....maybe I should wait till noon to arrive at the EP and then make my way north and find a crappy one or two-star site nobody in their right mind would stay at....that might actually work for me....  :D  :D  ;D  ;D

Go when you can. Last year was nuts. I haven't seen that EP or the others like that in the past 8 or 9 years. The only exception was Crane lake. This has to be better.

pine_knot wrote on Mar 30^th, 2021 at 10:49pm:

Well, shoot!!  So I'm entering EP16 on July 7, and you numbskulls er....veteran paddlers are telling me to either sleep in my car at the EP or make sure I get my butt outta bed in the dark, arrive at the EP in the dark, use my headlamp to get my crap to the river in the dark.....to beat the hordes. That does NOT sound like a relaxing way to start a lengthy solo....maybe I should wait till noon to arrive at the EP and then make my way north and find a crappy one or two-star site nobody in their right mind would stay at....that might actually work for me....  :D  :D  ;D  ;D

I kinda like the adventure of getting ready to shove off in the dark.  Plus it's quiet and the sun is hopefully rising with mist on the lake.  To me that's a great way to get me in tripping mood.  PK, just brew some strong ass coffee for yourself. Be adventurous you old fart um... old geezer uh.. slacker!  :D ;D