BWCA Portage 70 (Pine to Canoe)

Both landings are a cinch. HUGE staging area on Canoe side, probably from everyone stashing canoes for the hike to Johnson Falls. Multiple landings on the Pine side. Didn't walk with our canoes or gear, but the trail seemed to be in good condition and overall easy to traverse. Feels like a lot of uphill no matter which direction you're going -- steep coming from Canoe & just a lot of it coming from Pine. Overall, this is probably about as easy as you could expect a portage of this length and elevation to be. The trail continues along Pine lake and to the Falls. After the final landing, the trail gets a lot rougher and more overgrown as it does not appear to be officially maintained. But there is enough traffic to the Falls to make it easy to follow and not hard (lots of kids walked the trail when we were there), just a lot of fallen trees to scramble over. The falls are definitely worth a visit, but don't expect solitude!

It's nowhere near 400 rods as marked on some maps, but the hills and footing make it a challenge. The landing is near table creek. The trail to Johnson Falls is much tougher to follow.

From Canoe to Pine...yup she is up hill, and has some pretty steep sections. I would suggest skipping leg day the week that you do this trek. Over all the worst part is the first part of the trek and once you get over the hump then is down hill. So that good news and bad news, good news is you are over the difficult section...bad news is you start working a new muscle group that will eventually wear you out and have you cursing underneath your breath. It is a fun portage looking back on it, just not fun in the moment

Took this portage going Canoe --> Pine. Before the portage all I heard was 'Good thing you're going that direction, mostly down hill!' Imagine my surprise when the first few hundred feet were straight up! Really got me huffin and puffin at the beginning. Otherwise not too bad besides the length. A couple narrow portions, some obstructions around one of the boardwalks, and a little trail erosion near the switchbacks. I found the GPS tracking interesting. The curvy trail on the maps does not at all show where the actual trail goes--just seems to indicate the presence of switchbacks near Pine. See photo for GPS comparison to trail.

As others say, the portage is closer to 230 rods. The trail to Johnson Falls starts on the Pine side and may be another 200 rods or so. The portage is easier going from Canoe to Pine, but there is a significant amount of up and down that makes this challenging even if only hiking with backpacks. I have respect for those who carry canoes on this trail, especially going from Pine to Canoe. The elevation on the Pine side is no joke!

Agree that this isn't 400 rods. Around 230 feels more accurate. I was glad to be heading from Canoe to Pine. The initial uphill was a little steep, but the majority of the portage was downhill. Heading north like that, the portage was long but not awful. I'm sure my opinion would change going south.

This one has it all: Bogs, Hills, Bugs. More difficult coming from Pine, IMO. Good chance to see grouse. 4/5 Update: Voyageur Maps has this listed at 232 rods, which I think is closer to the true distance.

Did this portage on a day trip to Johnson Falls with two canoes and a single pack. It was rough! Three hills and two bogs (with board bridges). It was disheartening enough that we decided to take an alternate route when moving camp from Canoe Lake to Caribou Lake. I would agree that it is not 460 rods long, but it sure felt longer than the ~230 rods it actually is. Johnson Falls was worth the slog, though I would think twice before doing this portage fully loaded.

As a portage, this would be challenging, especially with several climbs and decents. Overall, the portage was in good condition when we hiked it as a day trip to Johnson Falls. From the portage terminal on Pine Lake, you can hike about 3/4 mile to Johnson Falls to the west. The hike to the falls was in poorer condition than the portage, but well worth the effort! The falls and the swimming pool below were amazing - the kids LOVED it! Johnson Falls was fairly crowded when we arrived, but we were fortunate to have it to ourselves for about 20 minutes between groups departing and arriving.

Yes, this portage sucks. No, it is not 495 rods. I'd say closer to 230 (approx. 3/4 mile) based on my MacKenzie Map and my GPS mileage. But is has lots of elevation, which distinguishes it from other long portages. The trail to Johnson Falls takes off to the west from this portage at the landing to Pine Lake. It is maybe 1/2 mile hike to the falls and worth it.

If it is a hike you like then this is your portage. Seeing and swimming in the waterfall made this hike worth every step. Just keep telling yourself the waterfall is worth it....

A couple of nasty big long hills to contend with a boardwalk in the middle. At least the landings are nice.

Let's just say my group called this the "Death March" while doing it in the rain.