Left my vehicle at Onnie for 10 days without issue.  At this EP there is a berm that you can park behind to be out of sight of the roadway if you wish.  The parking lot is right along side the roadway ... the berm is just beyond and on the opposite side of the road.

I've always seen several vehicles parked at the Leano lot, but its a bit of a hike off the main roadway compared to Onnie and Johnson EP's.

dd

One of my concerns is coming out after 3 or 4 weeks to a dead battery. I intend to disconnect my battery as well as have a power pack (which I generally carry anyway) to jump start if need be.

Indeed the thought did occur to me. I figure the power pack will be my ace in the hole.

I am, as always, suspicious of weather.

BillConner wrote on Apr 2^nd, 2011 at 12:10pm:

On my trip last year, I took a shuttle to Leano (a 2 hour drive, more or less) and dropped my vehicle at Onnie on the way in.  That allowed me to do something of a loop, yet not come back to the same place.  But I also enjoyed the fact that I wasn't having to push any "deadlines" for my arrival at the take-out by not having a shuttle on my return.

If I recall, the $140 is for 1 or 2 paddlers (not so bad if you are not running solo.)  Not that I'm planning a shuttle this year, but Harlan (Red Lake Outfitters) and I did talk about the cost of a shuttle to Leano at 'copia.  When you factor in the cost of fuel and the amount of time required (2 hours each way), the outfitters are not getting rich running a shuttle service.  (Wear and tear on equipment is not minimal either.)

As for other locations, I know that Jimbo parked at the Lund Lake EP last year without incident.  I'll be parking at Beresford Lake (the Garner Lake EP) this year which, in my opinion, has a better chance of vandalism issues since the lake also serves motor traffic and has a campground ... consequently more people hanging around.

dd

To the Red Lake area's credit I have never been told a human vandalism story from the area. We parked at Garner for 10 days and except for a dead mouse in an open cooler had no problems. Lem Pelley at the Wallace Lake campground always went out of his way to make sure canoeist vehicles were secure but I heard he is no longer there.

For a long trip in WCPP I choose to give the outfitters the business and have the piece of mind while on my trip. I do not know if it is outfitter hype but I have heard warnings about the Wabakimi area.

I have come out to two dead batteries on group trips. Once a domelight was left on and once a fuel pump relay was soaked with water and grounded out. If you try the tiny solar panel, test it first with a digital voltmeter. It may charge a little but if not made correctly it will discharge all night long. IMO it is much easier to remove a battery cable.