Portage between John Lake and the Royal River and surrounding area
Length in Rods: 2 rods
Date portage was last visited: October 8, 2023
Portage Rating: Easy
The (Optional) Portage between John Lake and the Royal River Lake
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This optional portage isn't shown on most maps, but you may want to portage this area of fast water.
Portaging Direction: From John Lake to the Royal River
Some folks may not feel comfortable paddling through this short fast chute of water where the Royal River flows out of John Lake. If you want to portage this, either side of the river works. The side where the campsite is located (BWCA Campsite 748) is the easier side, but the opposite side of the river is also doable (just a little brush to push through). The portage is about 2 rods no matter which side you pick. Remember nobody every drowned or swamped there canoe while on a portage. Plenty of paddlers have gone for an unexpected swim at this location. This video shows how it looks when the water was relatively low in October.
This is the view if coming from John Lake, upstream of this small chute. The video ends at the BWCA Campsite 748 canoe landing.
View of the fast water chute where the Royal River flows out of John Lake (center of picture). The easy 2-rod portage is on the left side of the image. It is possible to portage around this on the opposite shoreline too.
