Last summer I did two solo trips: 15 days into Woodland Caribou & 22 days into Quetico. I thought I would share my thoughts. Just so you know my bias I have done over 30 trips into Quetico and only the one into WC. Obviously some of my comments only apply to the route I took but in 15 days you can cover a lot of ground.

1/ I enjoyed the canoeing more in WC as the lakes tended to be smaller and narrower so the wind plays less of a role and the paddling is less boring.

2/ The portages are better as they tend to be shorter and flater than Q. Perhaps they are slightly harder to find but I did over 60 and didn't have any trouble. Some of the WC portages near rapids are dangerous for a solo canoeist because they start too close to the rapids.

3/ The campsites are not as distintive as Q and generally they are harder to find but you never have to hunt or leave the campsite for wood. I did not find any garbage at any WC campsites.

4/I like the topography of Q more because of the diversity as it tends to have more cliffs and bogs than WC.

5/ I love the vegetation of Q more because there are a lot more varieties of pines and deciduouse trees.

6/ The fishing was a puzzle to me because everyone says that WC is much better. I didn't find that but I may have picked a bad time. I also missed the bass fishing as it is practically nonexistent in WC. There also seemed to be less walleye lakes.

7/ I hated the fly-in fishing camps on a few lakes in WC because the planes are always ferrying in and out and it always bothers me to see others motoring while I am paddling. I feel the same way about the native fishing camps in Q.

8/ As far as animals are concerned if I judge by the amount of scat on the portage trails there are definitely more animals in WC. But I only saw one caribou versus nothing in Q. However over the years I have seen nearly all the large animals in Q.

9/ There is practically no one in a lot of areas of WC but the same can be true for Q when I go in late August. And lately there seems to be less people in general.

Overall I would reccommend either park as they both have something different to offer.

Thanks jdddl8,

Good information, those of us who consider trips to Woodland Caribou
have nothing to base a decision on, and info like this really helps.
Thanks again.
fishguts

Thanks for the info. Good comments.

Thanks for the info. Would you be able to do trip reports for those two trips? Got any pics? I envy your time off ability.

Good stuff! Thanks for sharing.

i completely agree john, minus the fishing comments. i dont fish anymore so i cant compare.

I do have oral trip reports and lots of pics. If you give me your email address I can share

I have done many Quetico trips and one to Woodland Caribou and one to Wabakimi. I agree with jd’s assessment of the parks. The terrain in Woodland Caribou is similar to Wabakimi. In both of the further North parks the trees will be smaller and there will be more down trees.

I "second" the others' thanks for the comparison. I especially liked seeing your comments 4 & 5 which confirm what I had suspected from pictures and reports I'd read. The diversity of Quetico is really something that I have grown to appreciate over the years and trips. Hope to make it to WCPP sometime, just to see it firsthand, but in the mean time everything I can read helps. Thanks again. --Goose

ya gotta go there goose. its something special.

I agree, for the most part, with everything you say

One thing strange about WCPP compared to Q & BW is that the fly-in camps make the interior less of a wilderness area than the perimeter, so unlike Q & BW, in which the farther you go in the better, in WCPP it is best to avoid the main river route through the interior if you want solitude.

The same is true for Wabakimi. Avoid the big lakes with fly-in camps and river routes for solitude.

First, I would like to thank fishguts for inviting me to this particular campfire.

This thread is timely for me. I am tossing around 3 different parks for this summer's trip. WCPP, Wabakimi, or northern Q. As I am bringing a group consisting almost entirely of 1st timers, I am really trying to get this one right.

WCPP looks appealing.
PROS-I have never been there and the most popular Mexican Hat route looks like a very pretty and not too strenuous trip. It also has the advantage of being drive in and out, and therefore, more affordable (even if we use RLO shuttle).
Also, the small lakes will be much better for the newbs. I think they would enjoy themselves MUCH more if they are not worried about swamping and drowning in big chop.

CONS -The one issue I have is that if we are going to drive that far, 18hrs from Chitown, I want to be alone in the woods. My impression is that the traffic on Leano-MH and back is fairly heavy in the last half of July. CLaire Q. says it is not anywhere near like BW. But still....????

Wabakimi
PROS - may be a bit too remote, but it sure is great to have essentially no other campers in the park. I have a route or two up there that would be almost all small water.

CONS- to make the small water routes work I would have to fly-in and paddle or train out. That is just cost prohibitve with a party of 6 and 3 canoes, requiring at least 2 flights. I could retrace last year's trip, in at Little Caribou and trian out from Schultz's Trail. But that trip may be too far for this crowd, being about 60 miles in 7 days. I want to have a couple layover days built in.

NW Q
PROS - At least 5 hours closer to Chitowmn.
Certain lakes, I am told, can give a party solitude, especially if you take the Badwater portage.

CONS - But, that portage may be a real turn-off for many in my group. Also, the bigger lakes worry me, as I am really the only one with any significant canoeing under my belt.

Anyway, this comparison helps with my decision process.
Thanks.

The road to the Mexican hat route (I think it's Lerome Lake) is 50 miles of gravel road. It is a long journey once you're off the pavement.

I was lucky enough to see a woodland caribou on our WCPP trip.

We went for trout and all we caught were walleyes. I also thought that since the park was more remote, the trees would be larger. Wrong. No big pines up there. I think it's too far north for them. Lots and lots of smaller spruce trees.

Tom

The thing holding me back of going to Woodland Caribou is that I work my way into the interior only to run into the fly in camps.

If you decide to go into Woodland make sure you have good truck suspension to get to Leano. The road last year was not good. If you have any doubts get an outfitter to drive you in from Red Lake.

Yeah...I've read about the roads. We would rent canoes and take the outfitter's shuttle. None of us has any kind of car fit for logging roads.

Originally, we considered flying into Irregular and paddling out to Leano. But we have 6 going now, so 3 canoes would require 2 flights. I just can't spend the samolians.

Claire has been very helpful. She tipped me to the fly-in camps along the Gammon and Bloodvein when I explained to her that we wanted to canoe in solitude. She hinted that the southwest area of the park may be a good place for us.

But now with 2 extra people, I will have at least 3 and maybe 4 first time canoeists. The Leano-MH route is really the most attractive in WCPP given the level of experience. That route sounds like it would be a good experience for everyone. I am guessing that my desire for complete solitude is not matched as fervently by the others. We haven't had a planning session yet, but that is coming up in the next week or so.

Sooo...because I think complete isolation is not a main goal of the group, I added to NW Quetico area to our list of possible trips. One thing that Q has going for it is the Small Mouth. The boys will likely catch more bass than they would walleye (from my experience, at least). So I think they might have more fun in the Q.

if you want solitude, as in nobody else around, the key is WHEN not where you go. Solitude can be had in BWCA if you go at the right time as easily as you can find crowds in Wabakimi, Quetico, or WC if you go at the WRONG time. Later in the year will be much more likely to bring solitude. Better yet, before the fishing opener will almost guarantee it

I try to plan many trips as you mentioned above. Depends on the trip. Sometimes I want the solitude,other times and where I go I realize there will be people and I go with it.

Yes, timing can be very helpful in that regard. However, our time is pretty much set this year by the kids schedules and our availability for vacation time. The boys are all on swim/water polo in June and first part of July. Then they are starting high school and have marching band or football starting Aug 1.
The Dads requested the time off based on the boys schedule. Also, my daughter has school starting in late August. So we are left with the last full week of July.

We had a meeting this morning and decided that WCPP is best, given the goals of the trip and the experience level of the paddlers.

Of course, I fully expect to be back in the Q sometime in the next couple years. Until then, I have this forum to keep me up to date.

My BIL and nephew did a trip across Q east to west one year. That trip looks like a cool one and I hope to be able to do something similar before 2020.

J,
You will LIKE the WCPP!
SunCatcher
email me with questions

The last two years I have traveled WCPP exclusively. All of my trips have begun at Leano Lake and then headed north or south. The BW is like a freeway compared to WC. Even with the fish camps, you maybe lucky to see one group every three days, and this is the middle of the summer.
As for the fishing, I have found it to be unbelievable, in fact one day, I had to put my rod away, so I could make up some time to get to another lake. This is an experience I have truly enjoyed, and look forward to going again, maybe in early September. By then, I doubt I'll run into more than a group or two.

Q, BW, & WC are all great, it just depends upon what you as an individual are looking for. I've traveled for 30 years in BW, and find it too congested, unless I go in October. Q, has the solitude like WC, bigger lakes and a diverse landscape. As for WC, it has everything I am looking for right now. Who knows what the future will hold. I'm still hopeful of one day doing a trip to Hudson Bay, or a northern river system in Canada.

quote gnegard: "The last two years I have traveled WCPP exclusively. All of my trips have begun at Leano Lake and then headed north or south. The BW is like a freeway compared to WC. Even with the fish camps, you maybe lucky to see one group every three days, and this is the middle of the summer.
As for the fishing, I have found it to be unbelievable, in fact one day, I had to put my rod away, so I could make up some time to get to another lake. This is an experience I have truly enjoyed, and look forward to going again, maybe in early September. By then, I doubt I'll run into more than a group or two.


Q, BW, & WC are all great, it just depends upon what you as an individual are looking for. I've traveled for 30 years in BW, and find it too congested, unless I go in October. Q, has the solitude like WC, bigger lakes and a diverse landscape. As for WC, it has everything I am looking for right now. Who knows what the future will hold. I'm still hopeful of one day doing a trip to Hudson Bay, or a northern river system in Canada. "

Is woodland more walleye water than it is lake trout water? Reason I am asking I have become a lake addict for new spots. Just to say I added one more lake I caught lake trout from.

quote tumblehome: "The road to the Mexican hat route (I think it's Lerome Lake) is 50 miles of gravel road. It is a long journey once you're off the pavement.


I was lucky enough to see a woodland caribou on our WCPP trip.


We went for trout and all we caught were walleyes. I also thought that since the park was more remote, the trees would be larger. Wrong. No big pines up there. I think it's too far north for them. Lots and lots of smaller spruce trees.


Tom"

leano entry