Story:
This trip describes the beginning of a 5 day hike in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. I will do separate trips for each day.
The area lies between Burntside and Vermilion Lake. David Backes in "Canoe Country: An Embattled Wilderness" describes this section of the BWCA, "...the Little Indian Sioux Wilderness Area was too small to satisfy ardent canoeists. It also was too demanding for casual users, requiring several one-mile-or-longer portages to reach its beautiful Lakes."
I have traveled these waters by canoe many times and plan another trip this summer. However, the area contains the remnants of old logging roads dating from the 1940 through 1970. Logging ceased in this "Portal Zone" in 1978.
We followed trails/old roads not officially designated for hiking. Therefore they are not particularly scenic nor challenging in change of elevation as other BWCA hiking trails might be. Finding designated campsites (a condition for entering this wilderness) requires some difficult bushwhacking.
For some time I have wondered if the old logging roads would provide trail for hiking. Aerial photograph show the roads/trails clearly. This trip verified my suspicions. The old roads can be used for hiking (and evidently people have done so over the past 30 years.)
Another way to enjoy the beauty of the Wilderness.
We experienced cold night temperatures (high 20's to low 30's) and day temperatures in the 4o's and 50's. The late spring left many patches of snow in shaded places.
In addition, realize that bugs would be awful during the summer months. I recommend hiking the BWCA only in early May or September. However, this is a personal preference.
This trip describes the beginning of a 5 day hike in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. I will do separate trips for each day.
The area lies between Burntside and Vermilion Lake. David Backes in "Canoe Country: An Embattled Wilderness" describes this section of the BWCA, "...the Little Indian Sioux Wilderness Area was too small to satisfy ardent canoeists. It also was too demanding for casual users, requiring several one-mile-or-longer portages to reach its beautiful Lakes."
I have traveled these waters by canoe many times and plan another trip this summer. However, the area contains the remnants of old logging roads dating from the 1940 through 1970. Logging ceased in this "Portal Zone" in 1978.
We followed trails/old roads not officially designated for hiking. Therefore they are not particularly scenic nor challenging in change of elevation as other BWCA hiking trails might be. Finding designated campsites (a condition for entering this wilderness) requires some difficult bushwhacking.
For some time I have wondered if the old logging roads would provide trail for hiking. Aerial photograph show the roads/trails clearly. This trip verified my suspicions. The old roads can be used for hiking (and evidently people have done so over the past 30 years.)
Another way to enjoy the beauty of the Wilderness.
We experienced cold night temperatures (high 20's to low 30's) and day temperatures in the 4o's and 50's. The late spring left many patches of snow in shaded places.
In addition, realize that bugs would be awful during the summer months. I recommend hiking the BWCA only in early May or September. However, this is a personal preference.
Tips:
We obtained an entry permit for Crab Lake from the Forest Service. We also designed this first day to avoid private property at the Tamarack Lake end of the Wolf Lake Road which has a gate. We bushwhacked 1.3 mile from a logging area just outside the gate to meet the old road.
W e followed trails/old roads not officially designated for hiking. Therefore they are not particularly scenic nor challenging in change of elevation as other BWCA hiking trails might be. Finding designated campsites (a condition for entering this wilderness) requires some difficult bushwhacking.
We obtained an entry permit for Crab Lake from the Forest Service. We also designed this first day to avoid private property at the Tamarack Lake end of the Wolf Lake Road which has a gate. We bushwhacked 1.3 mile from a logging area just outside the gate to meet the old road.
W e followed trails/old roads not officially designated for hiking. Therefore they are not particularly scenic nor challenging in change of elevation as other BWCA hiking trails might be. Finding designated campsites (a condition for entering this wilderness) requires some difficult bushwhacking.
Tags:
BWCA, Phantom Lake, Crab Lake, Wolf Lake Road, Minnesota, Ely
BWCA, Phantom Lake, Crab Lake, Wolf Lake Road, Minnesota, Ely
Comments (0)
Facebook
