BWCA Portage 861 (Angleworm)

Long, wet, and in bad shape. At the one mile mark there is a dilapidated boardwalk that is flooded by a beaver dam. It's the worst maintained I've seen in the BWCA. You will for sure get wet and if your not so great at balancing on a wobbly, submerged 2x6, you will fall in chest deep water. There are several intersections on this trail, so be sure to have a map and be familiar with the route. A wrong turn is easy and can take some time. We were rewarded with absolute solitude on angleworm. We didn't see a single person the entire weekend.

While the most obvious drawback of this portage is the extreme overall length, there are still a few ups and downs along the way. The elevated boardwalk (at about mid-trail) was very dilapidated and in need of repair. When portaging from the EP trailhead, remember to stay left at the junction. Angleworm is a very scenic lake.

Long, but mostly easy walking. The boardwalk over the creek is, as of late August 2020, in rough shape. Most people seem to be stepping off it at the worst spots, where rot has rendered it un-usable. The Angleworm end of the portage as shown on the PP map (again, as of August 2020) is incorrect. The portage landing is in the tiny finger in the west end of the southern bay, not up in-between the campsites. The trail is confusing in a few spots - GPS recommended. Later I would encounter a lost solo paddler who thought he was about to arrive at Gull lake but was in fact almost back to Angleworm lake on the Angleworm Trail...it was a 24 hour overnight misadventure for him.

We took this one in the snow. It is long and generally uphill heading back towards the lot. There are a number of marshes and creeks to cross including the mother of all boardwalks across Spring Creek. There are some steep sections that can take some work. It is long and I wouldn't want to carry a canoe through, but it's a very scenic portage.

Long portage but relatively flat with a nice board walk section.

The portage is long and was rather wet over Memorial day weekend. The Forest Service must have cleared the trail over the weekend because several large trees that I climbed over on the way in were not there on the exit portage. Pack your gear well, cut weight where you can and stop for a rest at the beautiful lake in the middle and this portage is conquerable.

Yes, it is long. There are some places where the footing is poor in the rain. Great little stop when you cross the pond. Nice boardwalk too. Can be very enjoyable in good weather.

I've been over this portage several times. It's over 2 miles long, but the trail is well maintained, there is a nice bridge across the creek, and footing is pretty good for most of the portage. There are a few places with tricky footing, especially when wet; but, considering you'll be on beautiful Angleworm Lake in a couple hours, it's well worth the trip.