BWCA Portage 581 (River)

came through here on a day trip to fish dance. out of river lake I saw the landing for the longer trail and took that. some uphill, some rocks, but otherwise unremarkable. kind of a rocky, shallow, swampy landing on fishdance. paddling away I noticed the gorgeous sandy landing for the shorter portage, which I investigated on the way back. that's when I learned about the shorter parallel portage. river landing for the shorter portage is rockier and tighter and right by the rapids. not sure which one I would prefer honestly. maybe the shorter one if I ever come through here again.

We took the longer portage. A few tight squeezes and the shorter option is easier.

This was not a bad portage for us. The rapids were quite scenic. Quick walk and we were on our way.

There are actually two portages here, each with their own landings. One is a little rougher and a little longer, so I would suggest aiming for the shorter one. The landing for the longer one is nice on the north side and shallow on the south side. The landing for the shorter portage is rocky on the north side and very nice on the south side. As you approach from the north, continue past the obvious landing on the left and you will find a smaller rocky landing a little closer to the rapids. This leads to the easier (shorter) portage. From the south, just go to the most obvious portage landing and you will be on the shorter portage.