BWCA Portage 101

Gorgeous views (pun intended) to be had. One decent landing on the north end, great shallow landing on the south end. Despite the persistent up and down that makes this one a bit of a heart pounder, the views on the trail and at each landing make it more than worth it.

I counted around 90 rods on this, not 115. The lovely gravel-bottomed stream on the south end of the portage was a great place to set down a canoe after a hard walk.

Would be lots of fun if you didn't have a canoe on your shoulders.

Personally, I hated this portage the first time I took it on a 93 degree day. However, each time since, this portage and I started to form a nice relationship. Despite all it's rough edges, drastic ups and downs, tight spaces and sharp limiting turns; it provides several positives like beautiful views, the calming sounds of a creek that runs beside it and the sense of accomplishment at the finish line. In comparison to the Sandpit and Tin Can Mike Portages going NE out of Mudro, I prefer the series of 3 Fourtown Portages leading to Fourtown Lake by a slim margin. I would probably give both roughly a 4 out of 5 rating for toughness.

It was tough, but manageable. Probably not the best portage for a first trip. Up and down hill. Up and over rocks. Going through Sandpit and Tin Can would probably be easier, but we didn't go that way so I can't really say.

Due to high water, the portage landing on the south end was under water. After that, it was a pretty hike with some elevation and rocks.

This portage would be a great hike. However, carrying packs and a canoe with the steep elevation and the tricky footing in spots make this a challenge. Portage can also be busy. Coming from the Fourtown side, the landing on the Mudro side is actually further down than you think as the creak is still very shallow in the area where you come down the path toward the water.

I don't really know what the problem is with this one. It is a bit rocky, and I did slip in past my waste, but I think this is a pretty portage personally.

As of June 1st, 2018, there were two different sections with fallen trees across the path. Both were low enough to require unshouldering the canoe. Hilly, rocky in spots, but in dry weather, the portage was otherwise nice. Wouldn't want to try this one on a wet day.

Would be a great hike without an aluminum canoe on your shoulders.

Difficult , but beautiful. 6 out of 10. Worth the hike!

Compared to a whole lotta other portages, this one is bad. Steep climbs over rocks, bad footing, long, twisty, steep declines, lotsa ankle twisting rocks and a bad takeout on the north end. As portages go this one is in the category of pain in the ass.

This is the portage that everyone complains about, but don't let that scare you. The landing on the South end is nice. From there the trail does climb and has some interesting rocks, but the view of the creek tumbling along below is great. The landing on the North is on a rock face that can be slippery so watch your step. All-in-all it's not nearly as bad as the reputation.