Our group is looking to do a little different trip this year. We've entered at Beaverhouse many, many times and typically headed into Quetico Lake and down to Badwater or points thereof. This year, we'd like to try something different.

There are really three options from the northern entry points (I think). All involve few or limited portaging. (We're not interested in Lerome.)

1. Enter at BH and take the immediate portage into Cirrus. We would paddle toward Sue Falls, possibly head into Kasakakwog, then return via Quetico Lake. Cirrus would open us to laker fishing besides walleyes and smallmouth. From what I've seen, there aren't a ton of great campsites on Cirrus.

2. Enter at Nym and go through Batchewaung down to Maria, Jesse and surrounding lakes. A few more portages here, but all are modest. I've heard good things about fishing in Maria, Jesse, etc. There are also a number of decent campsites.

3. Get a shuttle from Dawson Trail and enter at Stanton Bay, then head down to Beg, Bud, Bisk, etc. or Rawn and Buckingham. Few (if any) portages to get to this area so I wonder about other groups being there. Some nice campsites in this area, but I'm unfamiliar with the fishing opportunities. This location would give us the option of paddling back to our truck at French Lake/Dawson Trail campground.

We'd be looking to go mid-June. Any thoughts on these options? Thanks all.

I can only speak to no. 1 - exact route of my first solo. Very much enjoyed it. Portage from Cirrus to Kasakakwog was challenging but otherwise great sites.

I haven’t been through the B chain, but that area looks great. I like small to medium size lakes - much more manageable if you get any real wind.

We spent a few days in the Lonely/Walter/Draper area last year. Fantastic area. Good fishing, and we didn’t see anyone else out there for days. Maria was relatively crowded, and we saw a couple groups on Jesse as well, although we were just passing through on our travel out of the park.

I’d be more than happy to revisit Lonely and Walter. The main problem with Walter is that there are really only one or two good camps, and they’re on the island which is relatively exposed to wind and weather. Still definitely enjoyed our time there. If you’re hammockers, then the camps on the northern shore would work fine too.

I've never done option 3 so that would be my choice. However, you could set out from Dawson down Baptism creek to tackle the Cache lake portage. THAT would be an adventure. From there you could take the river to Kawnipi and loop back out via the B Chain to get a pick up at Stanton or paddle length of Pickerel (I also have not done that one, although I'm not sure that I want to :)

In general, I would prefer to exit from a different access point than where I entered. This likely involves a shuttle and another expense. And since you raised the prospect of doing that, I would recommend setting that as your objective. Back to this point at the end...

Cirrus's best campsites are in the lower arm which also possesses the most traffic. At the other end of the lake there's a nice spot in the pinch in the bay leading to Sue Falls. And I don't believe that end of Cirrus gets much traffic. The middle arm of Cirrus has a few 3-star sites at best. Don't overlook Soho either.

If you're going to Jesse, I would highly recommend entering at BH and exiting through Nym. It's a great route, you have a high probability of paddling with the wind and there's lots of quality sites. Depending on the length of your trip, you could head down to Jean, Burntside and Sturgeon and then paddle out through Lonely and Walter to Jesse.

I'm not sure about the number of quality sites on Jesse. A fire consumed some back in about 2016. The Royal Suite is still standing on an island at the east end of the lake though.

Your third option is interesting. It sounds like you're talking about two ins and outs. You don't have a choice when going to Buckingham. But I can't see myself penetrating to Bud or Fern and retracing my steps back out. I understand you may be time-limited though.

I've pondered traveling to Buckingham so many times but I can't make it work given that it conflicts with a number of objectives my group has on our summer trip. Buckingham and Antoine are two lakes I would love to see but never seem to figure out a way to fit them in.

Getting back to the separate entry and exit points I would get a shuttle to Beaverhouse and leave your cars at Nym. This provides several different route options. In fact that's my plan for the summer. We will either paddle up Quetico to Kasakakwog/McAlpine and Nym or Quetico to Oriana/Jesse/Maria and out through Nym. The latter route has better smaller water options if the weather is forecast to be windy. So our actual route may be a game day decision. Another option would be Cirrus to Kasakakwog.

The point is you'd have lots of options.

We've done trips via Beaverhouse, Nym, and Dawson Trail, but never via Stanton Bay. All our trips, however, are about distance rather than fishing. Last year's trip from Beaverhouse included Jesse & Maria, where the anglers we spoke with reported good action, but I don't have a clue what they were catching. Jesse had plenty of nice campsites; we camped on Jesse our third night out. Argo has suggested visiting Jean; we had that lake to ourselves the seventh night of the trip. Closing our loop via Quetico Lake on day nine, we encountered a group whose fishing-specific target lakes were Badwater and Bearpelt.

Quetico, Cirrus, Batchewaung, and Pickerel Lakes can each see hellish winds, but I'm sure you know that already. Whichever route option you choose, I hope it's your best trip yet and the fishing is fantastic!

TZ

Thanks for the info so far. We'll most likely be heading into an area and base camping so we can spend more time fishing. Walleyes have always been our main target, but it's fun to get into some smallies and even some lake trout.

We have some decisions to make, but a nice camping spot with some potential for walleyes first and other species second is our goal. Feel free to email me if you'd rather.

Thanks all.

Well, I don't know how much time you have but I would consider a loop through the B-Lakes and Olifaunt-Upper Sturgeon- Twin-Dore and then out.

The B lakes are really fun-great fishing in moving water and in and around rocks. Fun camps though none very large. I have been through there several times and never saw very many people. Take the Pickerel River from Olifaunt to Upper Sturgeon for a fun alternative to the standard portage and good fishing. Upper Sturgeon is popular but has lots of camps, some better than others of course. From there a quick day trip into Ram Lake has always resulted in many big bass-rumored also to have Lake trout. Twin Lakes has served us well for walleye (has one fun camp)- and Dore out is straight forward in the spring when the water is higher.

Regardless, have a great trip.

I like northern sturgeon as a base camp. Easy day trips to the Pickerel River outflow, the Russell outflow, Olifaunt for LT, and Ram and Antoine for good four species action.

We spent two nights in northern sturgeon last year end of May and had (or heard of from other groups) great action in all of those areas.

You could loop through the B chain or just do a simple out and back depending on your preferences.

Jackfish: " (We're not interested in Lerome.)"

It's all good. Planning is fun but why not Lerome, specially?

wyopaddler: "Well, I don't know how much time you have but I would consider a loop through the B-Lakes and Olifaunt-Upper Sturgeon- Twin-Dore and then out.


The B lakes are really fun-great fishing in moving water and in and around rocks. Fun camps though none very large. I have been through there several times and never saw very many people. Take the Pickerel River from Olifaunt to Upper Sturgeon for a fun alternative to the standard portage and good fishing. Upper Sturgeon is popular but has lots of camps, some better than others of course. From there a quick day trip into Ram Lake has always resulted in many big bass-rumored also to have Lake trout. Twin Lakes has served us well for walleye (has one fun camp)- and Dore out is straight forward in the spring when the water is higher.


Regardless, have a great trip."

I agree. The B chain is a very scenic route. Fern has a couple of nice island sites and is attainable in one day. Great walleye fishing. The route has lots of scenic falls and running water. The 1km portage to Oliphant is long but very scenic as it follows a raging river. I've been on Oliphant twice and never seeing another soul. The Pickerel River out of Oli looks cool from videos I've seen. I have only done the portage to Sturgeon which is easy. Wind should not be a problem on this route.

uqme2: "

Jackfish: " (We're not interested in Lerome.)"

It's all good. Planning is fun but why not Lerome, specially?"

Really, two different reasons. One is the fact that they don't allow parking of US vehicles at the Lerome parking lot. Not a deal breaker, but it's a factor. Second is the long distance to paddle and portage just to get into the park, and consequently, on the way out. There are other options that are more appealing to us.

I don't believe that is true, and you may have that information confused with another entry (Stanton Bay). I used Lerome last year and had no issue with parking. I parked right next to a park vehicle and met the portage crew while crossing Lerome while they were on their way out. It is a bit of a paddle to get into the park, with a good size portage to Cirrus, but that helps keep the number of visitors down, so it's a plus in that regard.

Jackfish -

The Quetico/Cirrus/Kas area is going to be somewhat busy in late June. I'll be in on the 21st along with two others. Somewhere around the 24th another 5 will enter. At present all will be entering via Beaverhouse.

I'm planning a mild trip since this will be my first trip back after a 2-year layoff for medical reasons. If you are headed that way you might keep an eye out for a solo paddler in a SR Tranquility. My campsite will likely be marked by a "Flamingo at the beach" themed banner.

If I can help on any of your options, e-mail me. I've been on all three routes.

DD

Jackfish,

For the simple fact I would get to meet you if you choose option 3, I suggest option 3!

JP!

Jackfish: "

uqme2: "

Jackfish: " (We're not interested in Lerome.)"

It's all good. Planning is fun but why not Lerome, specially?"

Really, two different reasons. One is the fact that they don't allow parking of US vehicles at the Lerome parking lot. Not a deal breaker, but it's a factor. Second is the long distance to paddle and portage just to get into the park, and consequently, on the way out. There are other options that are more appealing to us."

It shouldn't really matter that QPP is far from Lerome - at least on the way in. Once you take the short portage out of Lerome, you're in canoe country. Plus Lerome is a a six-iron at best from Atikokan if you're starting from there.

But I wouldn't want to to exit the park from Lerome. Too long a trip on the last day. So it's a shuttle trip. Start at Lerome and end somewhere else.

Dentondoc, I'm curious about your comment on June numbers...I'm always a bit surprised at how quiet the park is in late July. I always figured July would be high season with kids out of school. I think August sees an influx of Canadians in the northern entry points at least. Is June more popular than May and July with Americans? That's the impression I've gleaned from this board as well.

Argo: "
Dentondoc, I'm curious about your comment on June numbers...I'm always a bit surprised at how quiet the park is in late July. I always figured July would be high season with kids out of school. I think August sees an influx of Canadians in the northern entry points at least. Is June more popular than May and July with Americans? That's the impression I've gleaned from this board as well."

June, despite a greater likelihood of of significant insect issues, also offers better fishing that later summer months.

I've been on Cirrus during June when finding an open campsite can be a problem. I've also seen many of the campsites on Kas occupied at the same time. Quetico, because of its size, gives paddlers a better chance to spread out more. In addition there is a large number of campsites on Quetico.


However, my comment was more specifically aimed at how many of my paddling friends will be on one of these lakes during the latter half of June this year.

DD

jparks02: "Jackfish,

For the simple fact I would get to meet you if you choose option 3, I suggest option 3!

JP!"

JP... I'll keep you posted. We're probably leaning that way, but we'll probably know more later this week.

I can imagine a French to Beaverhouse trip being epic in someone's world.

Have you been there before?

uqme2: "I can imagine a French to Beaverhouse trip being epic in someone's world.


Have you been there before?"

Actually did it ... but the other way round. No sense paddling into the wind if you don't have to.
Epic? On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being "most epic"), I'd say this trip rates about a 3 (maybe). The most memorable part of the trip was paddling almost the entire length of Pickerel on water of glass.

DD

I’d say Beaverhouse entry down into Sturgeon and then over to an exit on Pickerel would be interesting. You could do the B chain if you wanted to on the route or not. Obviously it’s a bigger route with more miles.

My preference is to get deeper into the park so I can’t imagine unless it was a shoulder season paddling the most Northern lakes on a trip skirting all the entry points.

Ryan

We have gone out of Stanton four times. The only comment I would make is make sure you get on Pickeral no later than 8:30 a.m. The wind usually picks up around 9 and come from the south. It can get a little rough by mid morning. Allow a 1/2 hour paddle from the portage to the big lake. We plead with the outfitter to get us to the parking lot asap. 3 out of the 4 times we were pushing it when we crossed. Never dumped but made us sweat a little.
Have fun!

I might as well throw in my two cents worth. You could leave your car at Nym and get a shuttle to Lerome. The route to Cirrus is easy except for the Sue Fall portage but it is all downhill. You could then play around that area including Soho, Smudge and the No Name or take a day trip into Kasakokwog.

When you have had enough go through Cirrus and then down to Quetico. You could even day trip off Quetico as there are many choices including Jean. I would then go into Oriana and play in Malone before entering Jesse and then going out via Maria, Batchewaung and Nym.

There would likely be less canoeists on this route except for Quetico but it is so long and has so many bays you can get away from the crowd.

Jackfish,

At the request of Wally13, I'm making a rare "cross-over" visit from "another" canoeing website where I am known as "Jimbo." Yes, it's been a while!

I like all 3 of your proposed routes and have done each multiple times.

Route 1: As DD has mentioned, they will be a fair number of paddlers (active on both websites) headed into that Cirrus/Kas/Quetico region in the mid-June time frame. It would be fun to run into you guys. You're mostly right about campsites re: Cirrus; the best ones are in the lower arm where you'll see more traffic (though I've seen quite a few paddlers hanging around Sue Falls, too). The best site in the vicinity of Sue Falls is actually on Soho, on the southern shore. This is a good route if you're after ALL the big four species, with an emphasis being more on lakers. However, Soho & Smudge are excellent for walleyes. Oh, by the way, I recommend STAYING AWAY from the Cirrus-to-Kasakokwog portage, especially IF it has been wet OR IF your crew is not up-to-snuff physically, . There are a LOT of up & down and tricky-when-wet spots.

Route 2: Good campsites, good fishing, and great chances of spotting wildlife (particularly towards the middle and western half of Jesse). Your LT chances will be up on Batch. Very scenic. If you have the time, however, do think about dropping down to Walter, Draper (where a relatively unknown message cache may be found), and especially Lonely for excellent fishing and less canoe traffic. The previous post commenting on this area was spot-on. I like this region a lot. That southern end of Lonely Lake (near the creek) offers great smallmouth action. Some nice campsites down that way, too.

Route 3: A Stanton entry will save you a few paddling hours PLUS, if done early, will save you from dealing with any serious west/east cross-wind conditions that can develop by early afternoon on Pickerel. There are some marvelous campsites/beaches on southern Pickerel which might be opportune overnight spots, either on your way down OR your way back. That's also going to be your best place to catch LT IF you opt for the Beg/Bud/Bisk route (very scenic &, if you get down to Fern, you might as well "walk" the portage over towards Oliphaunt as it is REALLY pretty). If, however, you opt for Rawn/Buckingham, you should be able to catch all four species. If you go this route, DON'T overlook Art Lake for great fishing. There is no good campsite so most folks simply "pass-through." Another, probably lesser-known fishing hotspot concerns the little No Names just south of Buckingham. They're fairly accessible via bushwhacking and are excellent for walleyes. Finally, if you're TRULY adventurous, you might even explore the creek a good bit further south and be one of the very few to see the last-discovered picto in Quetico Park. That excursion is recommended for "fanatics only" (think MagicPaddler).

Just a couple other thoughts. My buddy HighnDry has suggested possible "adventure" heading through Cache Lake, then taking the Cache River down to Kawnipi. Hmmm... again, not an adventure for the faint-of-heart. I did it 27 years ago in late May, immediately after ice-out and - it's important to note - BEFORE the mosquitos & black flies got bad. I even wrote a story about it for the BWJ. However, I got the distinct impression you are trying to AVOID portages with your routing. If that is indeed the case, I recommend sending HighnDry, instead. Let him post here, afterwards, about all the fun he had. That being said, I must admit, the route he's teeing up was one of my all-time favorites. With less skip in my step, these days, I'd be wary of it, however.

Finally, ANOTHER entry to consider on the Canadian side to consider MIGHT be Three Mile Lake. Not many folks ever use it. You can get there a couple different ways: 1) The best way is to arrange a shuttle down Flanders Road. They'll dump you off near Wisa Lake. You cross Three Mile, then take the easiest portage in Quetico over into Wolseley Lake. Wolseley is a great fishery (but you might see some native guides & motorboats). One could spend an entire trip right in that area but the more adventurous take Bearpelt Creek up to Badwater Lake (some unbelievable beaver dams). The walleye fishing only gets better as you go up Bearpelt. Paddlers usually exit via Quetico Lake (the infamous mile-long portage had decent corduroy the last time I used it) and then Beaverhouse. 2) Alternatively, you can put-in at Beaverhouse, proceed down the seldom-travelled Quetico River & Namakan, then cross over to Wolseley. That west end of Beaverhouse and the Quetico River offer fine fishing.

Jackfish, I like ALL the above options. I'd be happy to drill down into any of them with you on an individual basis. I think Wally13 passed along my contact info.

Later,

CirrusTrout (aka "Jimbo" elsewhere)

Jimbo... and everyone who has contributed information... thank you very much! I love the northern part of Quetico. The info that you all have shared will get passed along to my buddies as we put our plans in place.

One last and not inconsequential piece of advice: if you choose the Cache Lake variation to your above options. beware of the sirens that inhabit the stream of the Cache River that bisects the portage trail. They are disguised as river and swamp reeds and they try to lure unsuspecting paddlers to take the stream into Cache Lake instead of crossing the stream and portaging onwards. More than one paddler has been snared and eventually straggled out onto the lake with fantastical tales to tell.....also, MagicPaddler is the king of the Cache River run down to the Kawnipi....fyi

The B chain is Beautiful! Russell Lake a great walleye lake.

Jackfish,
I like all three options you listed, but I personally like the option of Stanton Bay, Bisk, Bud, Fern the best for the following reasons:
1) I like a mixture of big lakes and small lakes on a trip and pickerel and the B chain give a good mixture. This would limit portages to shorter ones and it sounds like your goals aren’t to travel really far.
2) I’ve done better fishing on Pickerel and B chain and Fern area than Batch, Maria, and Jesse, and also Cirrus. I know many people say Jesse is a great walleye lake, but I’ve stayed there on 3 trips and Maria twice and we’ve always done below average there relative to all other lakes. Maybe I just had poor weather timing and bad luck with the fishing when I’m that area because I’ve heard many people say Jesse is a great walleye lake.
3). If you like short portages around rapids then B chain is good for that. If you wanted to add more miles and portages you could push to Olifaunt, which is a lake I really liked and has pretty good campsites and good fishing as well.

I liked Sue Falls area. We stayed there years ago and got a long heavy rain overnight. Sue Falls was flowing strong the next day, which made it fun until we found tiny leaches on us after sitting in a pool at bottom on falls. Saw an amazing northern lights show from one of the bay peninsula campsites.
Last time I stayed on Jesse a few years back the lake was full. 3 sites taken, we filled the 4th. Again, this may have just been bad luck and could happen on any lake within a 1 day paddle from an entry.
Good luck! Planning is half the fun.

Great points. About Jesse...the bite hits shortly before dusk. Agree that my experience was that it was pretty slow throughout the day except for pike. But just before dusk it's easy to find a location by trolling where walleyes will pound a good floating Rapalla. Jesse does suffer from a dearth of sites as many were wiped out in a fire in 2016.

Last year my son and I approached Cirrus from above using the Lerome entry. We got confused about the last portage entry and tried to lift our canoe over a small dam. After giving up on that idea, we left the water and our ankles were both covered in micro leeches. Yuck! They scraped off with ease though.

I am contemplating changing my route from a Beaverhouse entry to Stanton Bay to do Rawn and Buckingham as well as the B chain and Olifaunt.

Decision decisions.

An entry that I don’t see mentioned much is enter at Nym and do the 3 portages out of Back Bay to Pickerel. Then to Pine Bay and down Deux River. I got an early start a couple of years ago and spent my first night on Sturgeon near Scripture Island.

Thanks to all for the many comments and suggestions. We decided on a Pickerel Lake entry permit and entering at Stanton Bay. I'm sure we'll be heading toward the B-Chain and Rawn. From what I've found, there are plenty of good campsite options. Now it's just a matter of finding some walleyes and enjoying ourselves.

We head in on June 15. JParks, will you be up there then? Anyone else?

Excellent choice Jackfish!
Will be in that area through the 17th. If we run into each other, I will definitely share what we learn about where to find the walleye.

Jackfish,

My wife & I go in through Batchewaung that very same day (1st of 2 consecutive trips for me). Perhaps we'll run into you in Atikokan the night before?

I'll be the guy in a white Honda Ridgeline toting a Prism on my canoe rack. It's not unlikely that you'll see it in the motel parking lot.

Rawn/Buckingham is a good choice!

Cirrustrout (aka "Jimbo" on QJ).

Stanton Bay is far and away the most sought-after entry point in the north. There is a reason us Hosers don't allow you Merricans to park your vee-hickles there, because the parking lot is small and it would fill up quickly. So it's definitely worth it to hire an outfitter to bring you in. The folks at the Sepawe Motel might do it for you, too - there would probably be room to park there, and someone would be willing to drive you in I'd think?

Stanton Bay gets you straight into the heart of Pickerel Lake, where the fishing and camping is so good you could easily spend a week here and never be bored. Plus with Stanton Bay, you don't have to paddle against the wind all the way across from French Lake in the east. But it's big water, so be careful in the wind. Debbie and I got scared there last spring when we turned the corner around the island, hit the crosswind and had no choice but to ride out the 4-foot rollers. We landed at a 0* campsite and made the best of it. We cheated death once again!

Bud, Beg and Bisk offer outstanding fishing in the rapids in the early season, much less so once July rolls around. The portage from Fern to Olifaunt is a bugger, especially if you are making triple carries like Debbie and I have done on our long month-and-a-half trips.

Don't worry about crowding. Nobody is up in the north. All you folks who access Quetico from the south via BWCA are doing it the hard/stupid way. Driving a few hours round to the north is totally worth it to get in.

On our last three trips over the last three summers, we have pretty much had the park completely to ourselves. The fishing has been incredible, and will still be, as this summer there will be plenty of fish who haven't seen a lure in four years.

passthepitonspete: "The folks at the Sepawe Motel might do it for you, too - there would probably be room to park there, and someone would be willing to drive you in I'd think? this summer there will be plenty of fish who haven't seen a lure in four years. "

Sure.

Tough decisions of life. I love it.

My buddy and I are back from our trip to Q. Entered at Stanton Bay and paddled down to Rawn. Spent four days there with above average walleye fishing and no rain. Dealt with some wind at times, but we also were out on flat glass at times.

We saw virtually no one our entire time in the park. We saw six canoes total in six days, and never saw anyone nearby, only WAY off in the distance. Folks who go to Q (or the BW) and don't take advantage of the solitude that Quetico's northern entry points provide are really missing out. It's a true wilderness experience.

Moved to a campsite on Pickerel for our last two nights and fishing was slow, but I believe it also coincided with the heat wave that had moved in. At least we had a nice sandy beach campsite. We enjoyed that spot very much.

Mosquitos were modest at worst the first four days, but when we moved to the sandy beach campsite on Pickerel (and the weather got hotter), the mosquitoes and black flies came out in force. Not much during the day, but certainly in the evening. And the 470m (100 rod) portage from Stanton Bay back to the parking lot was brutal with skeeters. Holy cow... thick as hair on a dog! I pride myself on being able to handle those pesky little varmints pretty well, but it was head net time combined with a major spray-up of Deep Woods Off.

I'll try to get some pics posted in the upcoming days/weeks. Thanks again to all who offered thoughts and opinions on the area. They all were helpful.