BWCA Portage 907 (Little Trout to Misquah)

Yeah, it's a tough portage. It has it all: rocks, mud, bugs, fallen trees, etc. But aside from the several steep hills (particularly climbing out of Little Trout) I can't help but feel this carry is over hyped. We did the beast in one trip no problem. The mud holes go dry after a few rainless days and the landings are rocky but both have deep water. So it's a doozy, but if you're in shape then it's nothing to worry about. And the silver lining: it's a pretty trail!

This portage's reputation is well-deserved. Coming from Little Trout, first do some rock hopping in the boulder garden. Then it is straight up. There is another killer hill in the middle. The rest is not a walk in the park, either. Mud holes and rocks were some of the obstacles. I wouldn't mind if I never did this one again...

We hit this on our way out. It makes the rest of the portages towards Ram look easy but comparison. There are longer portages out there, there are steeper portages out there but this one has them both. It's long, steep and all kinds of difficult. The path into Ram is a solid rock face into a lovely boulder garden for the landing.

10 out of 10. This portage is a doozy, a monster, a beast, a fearsome stretch of trail that has it all: challenging rocky landings on both sides, respectable length (our outfitter insisted it's actually 290 rods), mud pits, slimy plank walks (which in September 2022 had a fallen tree leaning over it that required a very tired & wet me to maneuver the canoe under), boulder gardens, steep eroded trail sections, and a descent to Little Trout that is essentially scrambling down a rock cliff. It was really something. We also did it during a major rainstorm so add in plenty of slippery rocks and steep sections and a mini-river following the trail down to Little Trout. I felt bad for dragging my 68 year old dad over this on his birthday, but we made it so how bad can it be?

Well, this was a place. Plenty of topography to keep the heartrate going. A mudy section (though the boardwalk helped us avoid it.) A very scenic view of Little Trout. There were even moose tracks on the portage. This portage was a monster in the snow though. I fell no less than a dozen times in the rocky sections, made into ski slopes in the melting slush. In fact, we even completed a world record luge time in the canoe on the terribly steep descent into Little Trout. Bruised, battered, and joyous without restraint at the beauty around us. Onto the next lake!

Originally looked at heading to Vista Lake from Ram Lake but decided to use the Morgan entry point instead.. We chose correctly as we day hiked this portage for review... everything that makes a portage a death march is contained here.. Rocks & boulders, tar pits, elevation and length with little reprieve along the way..

Couple of big hills to deal with and the logs that are thrown down to help deal with the sloppy sections were as slick as snot. Nice overlook of Little Trout Lake after cresting the last hill.

Up and down and up and down again. This is a solid work out with several good spots to set your canoe or pack down. Or just go for it and get the beast behind you.