BWCA Portage 90 (Virgin to Little Saganaga)

This portage is located more to the northwest than on any map. Don't trust your McKenzie Map or another website on this portage. Ben has it correct on this website. If you are in this bay and see the big rock in the water sort of to the southeast it's nowhere near that. Just keep heading northwest and you'll find the portage. I have added a photo. You're welcome! ;-)

I definitely did this portage the right way, heading into Little Sag instead of out of it! It would be a burner going uphill, but as it was we just contended with the fact that it was tricky footing in the steady rain. There was a fair amount of wolf scat on the north side of the portage.

Very steep, uphill going from Little Sag to Virgin. I was there early in the year, so the trail was apparent, but it can get very overgrown later in the year and be hard to follow. Even in early June the brush was scraping my canoe the entire way. Nice view of Little Sag at the top, if you can enjoy it while your legs are burning. There is a "false" portage to the south on Little Sag. The false portage is a rock landing with a wide trail leading into the woods. I had unloaded all of my gear and was ready to head out when I looked down a saw a rock on which someone had written, "Not a port." I verified that the trail indeed petered out a few yards into the woods. I piled some brush up at the fake landing to make it more apparent that it is not a portage. I found the real portage to the north. The real Little Sag portage landing is framed by cedar trees.

Portage very overgrown. Lost direction of path after 50yds from Virgin.

Not overly long, but a grueling uphill coming out of Little Saganaga makes this one tougher than most. Was here in May and my legs were full of woodticks by the time I got to the other side. Nice overlook of Lil' Sag at top of the hill.