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Bowron lakes info?

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If things settle down this summer, I'd like to do the Circuit. Never been there, and never paddled (or much of anything else) in Canada. I've got the park's website marked, and started reading it (beginning with the "closed for virus" news). What other good sources should I be looking at for info? Who here can give me first hand advice? Starting with - between the Sojourn and the MR Guide......which boat should I take?
 
We did the circuit in 2017 after the park opened post wildfires. There is only one stretch of fast moving water on the Cariboo RIver which is littered with rootwads. Otherwise it is lake travel and Isaac is 40 km long. I bet if the wind came up it would be exciting. We had NO wind for the entire six days of our trip!

Honestly it is a straightforward trip. The first day is the hardest with the three longest ports. We being old stopped after two of the ports. Glad we did That third trail Trail 3 was a beast. Like most people we used a cart and there were thousands of potholes. Deep over a foot deep potholes. That said when I read the park info it seems like they have upgraded the trail and it is currently a mud pit. That should dry out.

Pack carefully. You can only load 60 lbs of gear into your boat. We ran over partly because we had packed all our food into a York Box which is a wannigan. It empty weights 8.5 lbs. What were we thinking? You can pack food in dry bags and unless you beat your food up during the day you do not ever have to worry about critters getting to it as each end of each portage and each campsite has a steel food locker.

We took a narrow tired Swedish cart. You might consider renting their fat tired carts which seemed to handle potholes and launchings better. They are heavy beasts but there is no where you need to carry it.
Arrive early for the weigh in. Usually only one person handling the weigh in and it may take longer this summer. You can take as much gear as you want but only 60 lbs in the boat. The rest you have to carry. There are some significant uphill sections so mind that solo you don't overtax yourself. And what goes up goes down. All of the down seems to come at the end of the Isaac River portage. This is one heck of a wild ride if you are hanging on to a canoe.. The party ahead of us lost boats going over the side when they were pulled off their feet.
 
I've done it a number of times, both tandem and solo. Their website is good--pick up or print out the map showing all the campsites. The trip is very straightforward, but very appealing. The portages are good enough for the carts, which you can rent if you want from a local outfitter (I've carried, and used my own cart). There's only one tricky river maneuver, which you can scout, and you can portage if you want. Isaac Lake is big, and can be windy, so plan accordingly. There is very little hiking available. Campsites have bear lockers. Depending on time of year, it can be busy. It is an outstanding trip! Re boats, I'd use the faster boat (I have a Courier, which is similar to the Guide--it would be painfully slow, but I'm a fast boat guy). I've done it in Wenonahs (Sundowner, C1W, Encounter) and a Clipper (18'6" WW III). All worked very well.
 
Kathleen and I paddled the circuit in 1996. We had been invited by a couple who were essentially brand new paddlers, and wanted company and support. He was my department head, so I had to say yes! As YC and Mason have indicated, the trip is straightforward. I would say easy. The circuit is very popular. I knew a guy who had done it 35 times.

I just did a search on my computer, and it turns out that I have a slide show of 115 images. That surprised me, as we have never given a slide show on this trip. Probably because so many people in the Vancouver area had already seen slide shows, or had done the circuit themselves.

Anyway, if you think you might be interested, I can scan my slides, and post them here. I don’t have a journal/diary. Just captions. It would take a while to scan and clean the slides, but it might be fun for me, as I haven’t seen the images since I catalogued them almost a quarter of a century ago. Dang, I am really getting old!!
 
Thanks, Kim; Mason.

What's up with the 60 lb limit? Does that include the cart? I have a Swedish cart.

So, we're talking class 2 maybe on the river? I could put the splash cover on the Sojourn. It would help in wind too.
 
Kathleen and I paddled the circuit in 1996. We had been invited by a couple who were essentially brand new paddlers, and wanted company and support. He was my department head, so I had to say yes! As YC and Mason have indicated, the trip is straightforward. I would say easy. The circuit is very popular. I knew a guy who had done it 35 times.

I just did a search on my computer, and it turns out that I have a slide show of 115 images. That surprised me, as we have never given a slide show on this trip. Probably because so many people in the Vancouver area had already seen slide shows, or had done the circuit themselves.

Anyway, if you think you might be interested, I can scan my slides, and post them here. I don’t have a journal/diary. Just captions. It would take a while to scan and clean the slides, but it might be fun for me, as I haven’t seen the images since I catalogued them almost a quarter of a century ago. Dang, I am really getting old!!

That would be cool!
 
Yup relatively easy trip with a couple of long portages as noted.
We’ve done it a couple of times- both times late in season when crowds have cleared out.’

Note the weight limit is for carts only! I have never used a cart and there was no requirement to weigh in. The weight limit is dictated by the damage the carts do to the trails- and quite frankly both times the portage trails were so deeply rutted and potholed I think that carrying was smarter option! Like how the heck do you cart down to the Isaac River?
There are convenient canoe rests along the longer portages, too btw.
Enjoy!

Bruce
 
While reservations are suggested, if your group has just one canoe, then you may be able to show up on the day you want to go as there are some first-come, first-served spaces. Here's how to do that:
  1. Arrive in the parking lot late at night.
  2. Sleep on the ground or in your car.
  3. Go wait at the door to the ranger station at 6 am. You are now first in line among the first-come, first-served people.
  • If this is your first time in a canoe, rent a canoe for a day before you go. Better yet, take a canoe course.
  • If this is your first time on an overnight trip, read as much as you can about what and how much to bring and how to pack food and clothes. Maybe do a one nighter overnight trip before you go.
 
I’m of the same mind as Bruce. I found manhandling the cart over all the ruts and potholes to be more trouble than it was worth. And and then, you had to make room in the canoe for the cart for the entire trip. I would not use a cart again. But that’s just personal preference. Lot’s of people are glad to be able to use the cart.
 
sized_IMG_2643.JPGsized_IMG_2656.JPGCariboo River 2, BC.JPG
Thanks, Kim; Mason.

What's up with the 60 lb limit? Does that include the cart? I have a Swedish cart.

So, we're talking class 2 maybe on the river? I could put the splash cover on the Sojourn. It would help in wind too.

The 60# is just for stuff to put in the canoe if you're using a cart (which is frustrating when you have a 35# canoe, vs other's 80# canoe!). The rest you have to carry. Regarding the portage trails, they can be muddy/rocky/rooty, so using wheels is not a walk in the park, as Yellowcanoe stated. I've carried on three of my trips, and carted on one. My last carry was with a 73 pound boat, and it was not fun (along with the 30 more years added to my body). A lighter boat/stronger shoulders would be no problem. And using the cart on my last trip, I missed the hiking!

There is only one place with standing waves, at the exit of the Isaac River, associated with a quick right hand turn. There is a portage trail around it if you don't want to run it. I've only done it late season (4x in Sept), so I don't know what it's like at other times. It's probably CII--the last time I did it (in my 17' Encounter), the only problem I had was not being able to see anything when I ran it due to the early morning sun being in my eyes--couldn't see the oncoming shore! A splash cover is not necessary, and that is the only place it might come in useful (except for rain, though I've managed to avoid any rain at all on my last two trips--no wind either!).

Here are a few pix:
 
Just gorgeous!

Not to worry, Jeffski. I'm not a noob at canoeing or overnighters. Just new to canoeing in Canada.

Sojourn weighs about 45 lbs. Sounds like the cart may not be worth the trouble. Bear vaults at the portages are a game changer.

Oh yeah.... pretty certain if the border opens and I get to do this, it will be a solo trip.
 
If you can do a single portage with that solo the cart is unnecessary. Do think about how you will attack the first three portages if solo. They are far from short. Canoe weight is indeed not included in the 60 lbs. Solo I would never ever have 60 lbs and the cart might be fine. We found that the first two ports were pretty smooth and it was that third to Isaac Lake that was potholed ; the one they note has been rehabbed. IMG_1021_2_3_tonemapped.jpgIMG_1060_1_2_tonemapped.jpg
 
That looks pretty cart-friendly alright, Kim. And yeah, 60 lbs is a pretty easy max for me. Probably even allows for the good camera.
 
Isaac River does look like the crux of the trip. Carting the portage is really that bad? I am working on designing a carry system for the Sojourn that doesn't add any significant weight, but more than another 20 lbs in a pack gets me into double portage territory. The cart fits nicely in the back of the boat.
 
Steve, this is a front country trip in the backcountry. Each lake has at least one large covered cook shelter, an emergency radio and a ranger station. Regarding the chute at the end of Isaac Lake, if you have any moving water experience, do it. I ran it solo twice--once empty to practice, then I portaged back to the start, loaded the canoe and did it fully loaded. I also ran it loaded with a partner. Most people (not the ones on this board lol) portage around it.

Do not miss Una Lake. It's warm enough to swim in and has a nice hike to big waterfalls. Also, paddle slowly through the windy river leading to Bowron Lake. That's where you are most likely to see a moose or three.

I used a cart on my solo trip (14 foot 80 lb wood canvas canoe) and started with a homemade cart on my tandem trip, but the cart perished on the second portage (and here lays...). We were not set up to carry, so that was a PIA, but doable. I'd rent a cart from the local outfitter. Doing a portage in one go makes life so easy, but be warned, the cart is big!

Like many lakes, winds come up in the afternoon, so early mornings offer glassy waters.

There are many fresh springs and as there is no logging or industrial or human activity above any of the lakes, the water is safe to drink.
 
Regarding the chute at the end of Isaac Lake, if you have any moving water experience, do it. I ran it solo twice--once empty to practice, then I portaged back to the start, loaded the canoe and did it fully loaded. I also ran it loaded with a partner. Most people (not the ones on this board lol) portage around it.

It's the photo linked on Google Earth that gives me pause. Given that photos usually make rapids look smaller than they are, that one bothers me much. Maybe it was taken in spring flood? I'd do that in the Guide, but it doesn't look like Sojourn territory (at least not as a solo option).
 
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