Premier Multi-Day Canoe Routes in the US?

[roadtripper]

Hey canoeists,

I'm looking for some suggestions for a multi-day (4-8 days I guess) canoe trip that has great scenery, reliable water, and few (if any) major obstacles/portages.

The Allagash in Maine & the Green River in Utah have my interest at the moment. Have you been on any multi-day canoe routes, or heard good things about these or others?

Thanks!

- Greg

 

[Amicus]

Nfct

Northern Forest Canoe Trail . 740 miles should keep you busy for a few days. Their maps are great - I have nearly a complete set (but have paddled only a fraction of those miles - mainly the Allagash, which is wonderful but popular and remote).

 

[AMF]

Boundary Waters? Quetico? Verendrye?

 

[sardog1]

Forget the rest and do the best first -- the Boundary Waters. OK, Quetico is pretty nice too, but the logistics (and now the expense) are more cumbersome if you're entering from the Canadian side.

If you're going to the Boundary Waters, trip planning needs to start now. Entry permits are required for all multi-day trips. These start disappearing in a lottery that opened to applications on Dec. 1 and closes on Jan. 15. After the lottery, permit applications are processed first come, first served, starting Jan. 20. All popular routes and entry points will fill up almost immediately for most summer dates and some early fall dates. After that, the less popular choices fill up too.

Best place to start planning is at BWCA.com.

Send me a PM if you want other info after you look at the web site.

 

[Pete S]

Not in the US, but....

I can strongly reccommend the Bowron Lakes Circuit in central British Columbia. Limited entry during the summer for people, unlimmited entry for squitters... Go in the fall-- no bugs, few people, snow on the high peaks, listen to avalanches....
Simple logistically-- you start and end in the same place, high quality rental canoes
Unbeatable scenery, and portage paths smooth enough to use carts

 

[IndianChris]

I can second the Boundary Waters. Awsome! Try the Buck Lake Loop. Be ready to carry but you'll be in some pristine wilderness.

Stop by the International Wolf Center in Ely while you're there.

I picked up some pretty informative book way ahead of time in preparation for my trip. Like Sardog said...start planning NOW. Get your permits.

Books - Boundary Waters Canoe Area by Beymer, Wilderness Press...Vols. 1 and 2.

 

[roadtripper]

Thanks for the all the suggestions!

It seems the whole world loves the Boundary Waters, but I have to admit I know next to nothing about it. What's the big attraction? Is it pretty much the fact that it's one of the last great wildernesses in the US outside of Alaska?

 

[sardog1]

The attraction is that it's ideally suited to canoe travel. Thousands and thousands of lakes are linked by portages (short and long) and by relatively easy rivers. The lakes are generally (but not exclusively) not subject to trip-stopping winds. (The "not exclusively" is what drove me to buy a Penobscot 17. When you've got a boat that will keep you safe and moving on big water, with a big load, in big air, 'tis a comfort indeed.)

Do not expect "wilderness" in the Alaska sense. You will see people every day. What you won't hear is motors -- the vast majority of the BWCAW bans motors of all kinds. The entry permit system and limitations on party size are explicit measures to foster solitude and quiet. You have a good chance to see bears, so plan accordingly. There are wolves, but you probably won't see them in summer.

Be sure to compare your trip plan with information about the recent fires. You can find some fire information on the Superior National Forest Fire and Aviation web page. Large parts of the area between Seagull Lake and the Kekekabic Trail have burned in recent years. There was a big windstorm several years ago that left a massive amount of fuel on the ground. There have been smaller but significant fires recently in other areas as well. Check with the Forest Service and local outfitters for specifics on the areas affected.

 

[IndianChris]

Do not expect "wilderness" in the Alaska sense. You will see people every day.

I was there in early June back in '01 maybe. Tried to get there before the bugs came out. For the most part it worked. I can say that about the people too. Only saw 1 or 2 canoes on a 4 day trip. We felt REAL alone. When summer officially starts, Sardog is probably right...hords of people.

 

[spider solo]

I haven't been to the Boundry Waters yet though we plan to in the next year or so.
We will be looking for sections that don't allow motor boat access to them.
There was a well publized incident last year of a man and his daughter being reapeatedly threatend, by a boatload of gun toting locals who were shooting from their boat.
Things were bad , but got worse when the daughter joined her father in asking the guys to go else where.
As soon as they heard her voice they startd tell ing the father how they were going to land & rape his daughter etc etc.
They left for a while then came back...this time the father and daughter hid in the woods.
I stumbled across the story on paddling .net quite a while ago.

We will plan to go but will be doing a fair amount of home work to see where we will be in relation to where this took place and how accessible our camp sites will be to speed boats etc etc.

On the other end of the spectrum...there is a 100 mile water trail down in Florida that is reputed to be very nice but the route finding is said to be quite a challenge.
Same thing haven't been there yet but it's on the agenda.

Closer to home I'll put a vote in for the Northern Forest Canoe trail....it's not a wilderness, but steeped in history and a more pastoral type of a trip.
lots of water trails these days with more being established all th time.
Good luck.

 

[sardog1]

I think I need to clarify a little regarding encounters with other people. The loudest disturbance you're likely to experience is a youth group passing by, and group size is regulated to minimize their impacts. For the most part, your fellow BWCAW travelers are also there for the beauty and serenity.

The shooting and threatening incident was an extreme anomaly. It's the first such occurrence that I'm aware of in the history of the Boundary Waters. There has always been some local antagonism to the motor restrictions, but it has never manifested itself in harassment of this type.

 

[IndianChris]

You might want to try Lows Lake, the Oswegatchie and the surrounding waterways...great wilderness area! Some long carries.

 

[SherpaKroto]

Moose River Bow Trip

For a shorter trip, look into the Moose River Bow trip. I'm planning to do it this summer if the legs can get good enough for the mile long portage.

 

[coldfeet]

A mile long portage Sounds nice except for that part..

 

[peakbagger]

The Saint John River trip comes highly recomended if you catch it the right time of year, its highly flow dependent, you need to have a good snow winter and catch the tail end of spring off. The attraction is that it is about as remote as you can find in the east. Catch it too late in the spring and it gets quite bony.