and as a end to the trip I want to head up to hungry jack area for a couple days and do a day trip from bearskin to rose lake.has anyone done this.how are the portages.the stairway looks steep on the topo.whats prettier?the hike along the border route looking down or to canoe up rose and see the cliffs?
all this at the end of august.i hope its cooler up there then it is here in south jersey.100+ here.
thanks,
Al
re
The portage from Bearskin to Duncan is easy. The Stairway is kind of tough, but it is all an adventure isn’t it?. Rose Lake in its east/west direction can get pretty big waves after mid morning (Duncan can get a bit rough too as can Bearskin, but you are on the west end of Bearskin, the prevailing wind is from the west). The hike along Rose is great. Personally, I’d get to the Stairway, put the canoe off to a side out of the way, and hike (the trail is easy to follow). But, I really enjoy hiking in the BW. Don’t forget your self issued day permit. Right now the trails are closed due to a fire (that is not really in the area you are talking about, but they closed walking trails just in case).
Looking down
I also think the more impressive view is from up on the ridge looking down on Rose. But the stairway cliff is a nice view from the campsite just to the left of the stairway portage on Rose. Park your boat at the end of Duncan and just walk the ridge trail and the stairway. A few miles from there is one of the more impressive views from lake level looking up in the BWCA. If you have time continue on down the gravel road past Bearskin to the Clearwater Lake parking lot. If the lake isn’t too rough consider a half day paddle just on Clearwater. Very impressive cliffs along the south side of the lake.
rose lake
thanks for the tip on clearwater and on rose lake.i wasnt really wanting to portage up and down a steep 150 ft hill by the looks of the topo.which way is the best to hike from stairway?east or west?
Al
Portaged a kayak
last year with Duluth Moose and PuffinGin. I remember a long portage with the cockpit digging into my shoulder, but the stairs were not bad.
Rose
– Last Updated: Jul-31-06 12:50 AM EST –
The Stairway portage is best done from Duncan, going downhill. Done it several times and it's a "Booger" either way. There are worse, longer, steeper, but it's not easy. Definitely one of the prettiest, but it will probably be busy especially weekends. Also if you like smallmouth bass, Duncan and Rose are hard to beat; Duncan for numbers, Rose for size. Here's a few pics of the portage, one of several cascades, and my big butt on the portage. The last 6 pics are Rose and various views of the Stairway Portage. WW
http://www.pbase.com/ozarkpaddler/outdoors_in_north_america&page=3
Long portage
Hey Chuck that was a long portage (memorable) for carrying a boat over your shoulder. It’s about 1.2 miles long and it leads out of Rose through a few beaver swamps into Daniels Lake to complete the loop back to Bearskin.
East
Going west on the border lake trail heads uphill and angles away from Rose Lake. Going east follows the ridge just above Rose for about a quarter mile.
rose lake
nice pics.i may leave the boat at the top though.wanted to canoe my wife over to the canada side so she could say she was in ontario but don"t know if that portage is worth it because I don"t want to come back up it and i certainle don"t want to go all the way around.
Al
From Grand Marais Go On Up 61…
– Last Updated: Aug-01-06 1:09 AM EST –
...to Grand Portage (about 60 miles). You can cross over into Ontario and go to Middle Falls Provencial Park. Really pretty area. Or, you could take her on a seperate trip up into Magnetic Bay (NW corner) of Gunflint Lake to Little Rock Falls and take a few steps into Ontario. There's a public boat Ramp on the SW side of Gunflint. Here's a pic of the Middle Falls of the Pigeon (the High Falls is even prettier.)WW
http://www.pbase.com/ozarkpaddler/image/56052281
nice pics
thanks tsunamichuck,
gives me and idea of what to expect when i get there.looks like springtime.
Al