Woodland Caribou Portage 20266 (Dragon)

I disagree with JoeWildlife's comments. As of 2023, this portage is now not that bad. I approached this portage from the Dragon Lake side and it took some time to find the start. Paddle to the very south west end of this bay. Look for the entrance on the north side of the creek/swamp, just up in the bush. Do not go through that swamp for this portage. I cleaned up the trail with a handsaw in 2023 and marked it with orange flagging tape where needed. The young jack pine growing back from the 2016 fire are thick and waist/eye level high, so I knocked them back the best I could. The trail is now easy to follow. I recall only having to go around one large tree that came down across the portage mid-way through that requires a chainsaw for removal. If approaching from the west (Boomerang/Talon Lake side) paddle up the narrow creek as far as you can go. It is very narrow, so you might have to drag your canoe along. This is one of the most narrow creeks I have so far encountered in WCPP. Look for the orange flagging tape. This is not used much, so expect more trees to come down in the near future. Hopefully it gets used more...I really liked the paddle through Boomerang Lake. It is worth taking.

Shown at 375M on the hardcopy maps. In 12 trips to the north country, this is the worst portage I have ever experienced. It took some real detective work to follow as the area was burned and trees blown down and brush grown up. Nobody comes through this way, I do not recommend it. the route to the north between Talon and Dragon HAS to be better than this! it was basically a 375m bushwhack through the bog, the alders, and through the burned forest, only knowing we were on a "portage" by a little scrap of faded surveyor's ribbon here or there, maybe a cut branch, maybe a path that also could be just a moose track. The west end is marked by a beaver pole stuck in the mud of the bog. The east end...hardly discernable. If you take this, you will have to look closely for clues to find and follow the portage, we broke a LOT of alder twigs just so we could find our way back for the second load. Again, you might just avoid this route altogether, I will! It is doable but it is time consuming and some folks might not appreciate the adventure and physical effort needed to get through the seasonably shallow stretch, the obstructions, and pulling, pushing, dragging, and carrying the canoe through this stretch between boomerang and Dragon lakes.

From the Dragon Lake side this portage isn't a huge deal - although there's some heaving and pulling to do over swampy sections. From the Boomerang Lake side it can be very difficult to find the start of the portage. It took us 2 hours to find it the first time. :)