Loop through Banadad,
Long Island, and Henson

This route takes a big western loop to Long Island Lake before dropping south and east by way of Henson Lake and back to where you started on Poplar. It is a wonderful trip for visitors seeking a real challenge.

Detailed Route Info

From Poplar Lake take a 320-rod to Skipper Lake then several shorter portages to Rush Lake. A short, but difficult portage will take you to Banadad Lake, followed by four portages, between 92 and 186-rods to Long Island Lake. After some challenging portages, this lake, with its healthy fish population and great camping, will be your reward

Take a couple of short portages to Muskeg Lake, then a 190-rod portage to Kiskadinna Lake. Your legs won’t soon forget this portage! It’s steep enough that a fall could result in serious injury, so take caution!

From here, you’ll travel into Omega Lake, and find yourself in unequivocally beautiful country. Take a 37-rod portage into Henson, another long, narrow lake, with four designated campsites along its shores. Continue to Pillsbery Lake then over to Swallow Lake. You’ll take a 110-rod portage to Meeds Lake and a final, shoulder straining, thigh-exhausting 288-rod portage back to your starting point on Poplar Lake.

*Route information provided courtesy of Dan Pauly, and have been modified from his book, Exploring the Boundary Waters: A Trip Planner and Guide to the BWCAW. University of Minnesota Press, 2004