Rockwood Canoe Routes

Rockwood Canoe Routes are just a few of the possible canoe trips with varying degrees of difficulty and amount of time for completion. We will help you route your trip according to your personal needs and desires. Or, if you know exactly where you’re headed, we’ll just help you get there. Most of these can be reversed.

Listed below are some of the routes we use, along with descriptions of time needed to complete and degree of difficulty. Visit www.bwca.com for campsite ratings by other BWCAW visitors, and www.paddleplanner.com for help figuring out how long each leg will take.

RouteEntry Point (EP)Entry LakeDaysDifficulty
149 – SkipperPoplar2Moderate
247 – LizzPoplar3Easy
2a48 – MeedsPoplar3Easy
347 – LizzPoplar3-5Moderate
3a48 – MeedsPoplar3-5Moderage
449 – SkipperPoplar7Rugged
550 – Cross BayCross River4Moderate
660 – DuncanWest Bearskin4Moderate
6a58 – SouthTopper3Moderate
744 – RamRam3Moderate
7a45 – MorganMorgan2Easy
843 – Bower TroutBower Trout7Moderate
964 – E.Bearskin to PineEast Bearskin3Moderate
1064 – E.Bearskin to McFarlandEast Bearskin5Moderate

Route 1 Skipper to Banadad

Start at Poplar, go to EP 49 Skipper, Rush, Banadad, and return. Great walleye and northern pike fishing. Very scenic and remote. Two days average. Moderately difficult. View route on Paddle Planner.

Route 1 – EP 49 Skipper to Banadad

www.paddleplanner.com <– click this for more details


Variation: Route 4 – Loop South to Long Island, Omega and back to Poplar via Lizz (minimum 4 days) link to paddleplanner.com.

Variation: Route 5 North – Start at Skipper but end at Cross Bay (requires transport)

Route 2 Poplar to Horseshoe

Start at Poplar, go through EP 47 Lizz to Caribou, Horseshoe, Vista, and return. Super walleye and northern fishing. Beautiful country and short portages. Three to four days average. Easy. View route on Paddle Planner. Works as well using EP 48 Meeds.

ROUTE 2A: Vista via Meeds – Start at Poplar, go through Meeds to Caribou, Horseshoe, Vista, and return via Lizz. Super walleye and northern fishing. Beautiful country and short (after the first mile long one) portages. Two to three days average. Easy. – View route on Paddle Planner.

Route 2 – EP 47 Poplar to Horseshoe

Route 3 Poplar Winchell Loop

Start at Poplar, through EP 47 Lizz, Caribou, Horseshoe, Gaskin, Winchell, north to Omega, Henson, Pillsbery, Meeds, and back through Caribou, Lizz, returning to Poplar. Winchell has a small hidden waterfall on the southern shore. Excellent walleye, northern, and trout fishing. Very scenic and remote with thirteen portages. Three to five days average. Moderately difficult. View route on Paddle Planner.

Route 3a: Start at Meeds EP, same lakes, same route. Three to five days average.

Route 3 – EP 47 Poplar Winchell Loop

Route 4 Poplar Brule Loop

Start at Poplar, EP 49 Skipper, Rush, Banadad, Ross, Cave, Long Island, south to Gordon, Cherokee, Temperance Lakes, Brule, Cone Lakes, Cliff, Wanihigan, Winchell, Gaskin, Horseshoe, Caribou, Lizz and back to Poplar. Excellent walleye, northern and trout fishing. Winchell has a small hidden waterfall on the southern shore. Beautiful and very remote trip with twenty-seven portages, three are long ones. Seven days average. Rugged. View route on Paddle Planner.

Route 4 – EP 49 Skipper – Poplar Brule Loop

Route 5 Cross Bay to Poplar

Three variations on this route: North, middle and South.

5 – North Route

– Start at Rockwood, EP 49 Skipper, Little Rush, Rush, Banadad, Sebeka, Ross, Cave, Long Island, Karl, Lower George, Rib, Cross Bay, Ham, exit at Cross Bay EP 50 (Either direction works well) 3-5 days, easy. Route on Paddleplanner


5 – Middle Route – Gaby and Werner:

Article written by one of our guests about a variation on this route: INTO THE BWCA by James Michael. They did this route in 2.5 days!

If you can’t get Cross Bay EP 50 because they are unavailable, start at Missing Link EP 51 instead. Map: http://tinyurl.com/y6m7np9k

 We call it the Cross Bay – middle Gaby and Werner route: Cross Bay EP 50, no-name, Ham, Cross Bay, Rib, Lower George , Karl, Long Island, Muskeg, Kiskadinna, Omega, Winchell, Gaskin, Horseshoe, Caribou, Lizz and back to Rockwood Lodge on Poplar. Four to Seven days. Route on paddleplanner.

Route 5 – EP 50 – Cross Bay to Poplar

5 – South Route

Cross Bay EP 50, no-name, Ham, Cross Bay, Rib, Lower George , Karl, Long Island, Gordon, Cherokee, Town, Vesper, Cam, Brule, Cones, Cliff, Waninigan, Winchell, Gaskin, Horseshoe, Caribou, Lizz and back to Rockwood Lodge on Poplar. Five to Seven days plus. Route on paddleplanner.

Route 6 Duncan Stairway Portage

Waterfall!
Scenic route that includes the Stairway Portage, rose falls and Rose Lake. Start at EP 60 on West Bearskin Lake, to Duncan, Rose, Rat, South, North, Little Gunflint and finishing at Gunflint. Includes the famous Stairway Portage and is part of the Voyager Highway route along the Canadian border. Seven portages. Four to seven days average. Moderately Difficult.

Route 6 – EP 60 – Duncan Stairway Portage

Route 6a Topper to Duncan

The main Entry Point for EP 58/South Lake is on Gunflint Lake, then to Little Gunflint Lake, North Lake, and then South Lake. Another option is to start at Mayhew/Topper, enter EP 58 through Topper to South, continue to Rat, Rose, Duncan, West Bearskin, and exit at the EP 60 trailhead on Hungry Jack Road near Hungry Jack Lodge. Total route is 3 to 5 days.

Two significant portages on this route: the portage from Topper to South descends 262 feet and is 1/4 mile long, or 80 rods; the Stairway Portage from Rose to Duncan climbs 164 feet on stone steps, and is just under 1/4 mile long, or 78 rods.

Route on paddleplanner.

Do NOT park at Mayhew/Topper; one method is to leave your vehicle at the exit on West Bearskin (Duncan EP 60) and get a transport to Mayhew/Topper. There is parking at Gunflint for EP 58 South Lake, at the public landing.

Route 7 Ram to Poplar

This trip starts at EP 44 Ram Lake to Kroft, Rum, Little Trout, Misquah, and Vista, continuing through Horseshoe, Caribou, Lizz and back to our dock at Poplar Lake. This remote trip goes through scenic Misquah hills and offers many opportunities for side trips. Three days average. Moderately Difficult.

Route 7 – EP 44 – Ram to Poplar

Route 7a Morgan to Poplar

This trip starts at EP 45 Morgan Lake to Jake and Vista, continuing through Horseshoe, Caribou, Lizz and back to our dock at Poplar Lake. This trip offers many opportunities for side trips. Two days average. Easy. Mile long portage that starts on the Lima Grade forest road. Google map of driving directions.

Route 7a – EP 45 Morgan to Poplar

Route 8 Bower Trout

Bower Trout to Poplar. Start at EP 43 Bower Trout, go through Marshall, Dugout, and Skidway, on to Swan and Vernon, continuing to Brule Lake; Through the Cones, Cliff, Wanihigan, Winchell, Gaskin, Horseshoe, Caribou, and Lizz, returning to Poplar. Twenty-two lakes, remote with good fishing and wildlife. Seven to ten days. Rugged. Side trips to Omega, Henson, Pillsbery, Allen.

An alternate is just to start and end at Bower Trout, go in Swan or Brule and come back out. Two to three days, moderate.

Route 8 – EP 43 – Bower Trout to Poplar

Route 9 East Bearskin to Pine

Waterfall!
Start at EP 64 East Bearskin, travel east on a circular trip to Alder, Canoe, Pine, and returning through Little Caribou, Caribou, Deer, and Moon, ending at East Bearskin. Johnson Falls is accessible near Canoe and Pine Lake portages. Excellent bass, walleye and northern fishing. Three to five days average. Moderately Easy.

Route 9 – EP 64 – East Bearskin to Pine

Route 10 East Bearskin to McFarland

Waterfall!

East Bearskin to McFarland Loop. Start at EP 64 East Bearskin, through Alder, Canoe, Pine, McFarland, Little John, and John, back through East and West Pike to Clearwater, Caribou, Deer and Moon returning to East Bearskin. Johnson Falls is accessible near Canoe and Pine Lake portages. Good fishing, very scenic! Five to seven days average. Moderately Difficult.

Route 10 – EP 64 – East Bearskin to McFarland