BWCA Portage 136 (Pencil)

This portage is very tricky to find, and can be dangerous as there is a trail that leads to the main portage trail directly next to the falls on a rock landing on the left-hand side. I noted 4 possible spots where there looks to be a portage before the falls, but all were overgrown, impassible, and made out of confusion from past paddlers. It took us a while to find the correct portage trail, and we ended up going through the beaver dam, stopping in the eddy on the right side, then paddled directly across to the opposite side in another eddy guarded by foliage, which created a safe place to unload right before the falls. Here there is a stand of pines, and directly to the left of the pines, looking uphill, is a well traveled spur trail that leads to the main portage. This is one way to get on the portage, and it is a bit nerve-racking, but can be done with caution. We were in a hurry after much wasted time, so we never found the correct spot to access the portage, but it should be on the left hand side well before you go through the beaver dam. I wish I had photos to share, but we were in a hurry to get to camp before sundown.

Avoid the rapids and take this easy portage. If you are headed downstream toward Afton, you will encounter one of the more tricky spots on the Frost river after this portage. It is very rocky and narrow with lots of beaver activity and challenging to navigate. We followed this general rule as we headed downstream: If we encountered a beaver dam, we usually could get out and pull our canoe over without much trouble. When we encountered rapids or a large boulders block the route, we looked for a portage. The portages are rarely exactly where they are on the maps depending on water level and beaver dams.

There are two landings for this one. The first is before the beaver dam on river left. The second is after the beaver dam and just before the lip of the falls. I recommend taking the first. I missed the first landing and ended up at the second - and my canoe was close to being swept down. I was here during high water.

We lined our canoe part way through this one and then portaged around the waterfall in the middle. This one is really pretty. We sat at the bottom and ate a snack here.